Ability Checks - Devlog 3
Perception BAD! Persuasion BAD!
Ah yes, Ability Checks. One of the more divisive TTRPG battlefields. Many a forum poster has been conscripted into the conflict... and the battle rages on...
Perhaps one of the most defining concepts within the OSR is that when you limit the scope of Ability Checks, you draw out a greater level of engagement with the fiction from your players. I am a defender of this idea, though I do believe that GM-ing is more art than science, and that every table needs to find its own balance with regards to the types of problems that can be 'roll-ed' away.
However, today I'm going to skip past the 'when' and 'why' of Ability Checks. Plenty of good theory out there... Rather, the point of this devlog is 'how' this resolution mechanic works in Glint.
The How...
In Glint, there are 4 attributes, Might, Dexterity, Mind, and Luck. Attribute scores begin at 1, and can increase up to 5. When an ability check is called for, a target number (TN) of successes is set by the GM, players then roll a number of d6 dice equal to their most relevant attribute score. Rolls of 1-3 yield no successes, rolls or 4-5 yield one success, and a roll of 6 yields two successes. Count the successes, try to meet or beat the TN.
There you have it, a simple dice pool concept... Here's an anydice screen-shot showing you how often certain TNs would be hit rolling 2, 3, and 4 dice. That is to say, if you're rolling 2 dice, you would generate 2 Successes, 41.67% of the time.
Scanning the data, the useable range of TNs is about 1-5 Successes. However, the fall-off in success rate as you increase the TN by 1 is a bit severe for my tastes. So, what to do?
There are two additional wrinkles that help smooth out the system. The first is "Advantage", the second is "Luck."
Advantage and Disadvantage expands or shrinks the success window. With Advantage, 3s count as successes. With Disadvantage, 4s count as Failures. While granting advantage will result in more successes on average, the maximum number of possible successes remains unchanged. If a rock requires 3 Successes to lift, and your weak little Wizard only has 1 Might, he just isn't strong enough to do it. Well... kind of...
Luck Dice are a pool of d6s that the player may add to any Ability Check, Attack Roll, or Spell Cast of their choosing. When added to an Ability Check, it functions just like any of the other d6s in the dice pool. Players always get to choose whether to roll a Luck Die after-the-fact and they may only add 1 Luck Die to any roll. It's up to them to manage when they employ that precious resource. Our 1 Might Wizard from before, aided by a Luck Die, may attempt a task with a TN of 3 or 4 if they are truly desperate.
These two add-ons to the system go a long way in creating a smoother distribution of outcomes.
Why go through the trouble?
Isn't the d20 just the best? Why re-invent the wheel?
Pros
Degrees of Success. Easy access to degrees of success is a useful design tool for creating nuance within checks that extends beyond a single meet or beat number.
For example, in Glint, characters can heal themselves with Medical Supplies. Rather than setting a single success threshold, the rule says, for every two successes remove one Wound and restore 5 Stamina.
Light Math. Within the system, there is no need to add or subtract any modifiers. Your attribute score is the number of dice you roll. After you've rolled, you will still need to count the successes and compare it to the TN. Some systems (roll under or black jack) manage a truly math-less approach. Counting is math, so I won't claim it for this system, but it does come close.
Group Checks. I recently had a player throw a torch to another player who was standing in water. I ruled that this particular stunt would be "hard" to pull off without dousing the torch and set a TN of 3. However, I was also able to rule that both characters could contribute to the DEX Check. They each rolled an Ability Check, their Successes were combined, and! ... The torch splashed in the water... neither was particularly dexterous...
The point is, combining their efforts was seamless. I didn't have to introduce anything fiddly like "for every 5 points that you beat the DC you are able to make up for the failure of one of your allies." ... It just worked.
I like the Luck Dice. Whenever they are rolled, it feels dramatic. And, as a little teaser for the next devlog... I like how they integrate into each type of resolution mechanic within the game: ability checks, combat, and spell casting.
Cons
Tricky Mental Probabilities. In a d100 percentile system, your chances of success are often stated explicitly. You know the exact odds when you go to pick up your dice. Glint's system is far more opaque. Players and the GM won't be able to easily calculate the odds of success for a given roll. In general, I think it's better when players have a feeling for how likely they are to accomplish their goals.
Unfamiliarity. I'd like to think this could be a 'pro' for novelty, but the reality is people like comfort and the d20 is king. I mean, Blades in the Dark popularized a dice pool and is well regarded, but the game doesn't have the reach of DnD. Perhaps the advent of Daggerheart and Draw Steel will prepare the RPG world for funkier dice.
Conversions. Most modules I will run with this system are d20 games. Converting DCs into Success Targets may be easy for me, the game's creator, but could be a stumbling block for those less comfortable with GMing.
Development Continues
So, there you have it, elegant enough and functional enough for my purposes...
Development is truly in the final stages on my game! I'm currently working on spell components when I have spare time... more on that in the future...
But, please join me next post for a deep dive on Combat! Combat, is probably the most opinionated piece of Glint. So, might be in for a bit of a longer post.
-2cp
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