@Rook
Mine is a very basic system reminiscent of Blood Bowl and FFG's system for Star Wars. Please forgive some of the formatting issues; I composed everything with tables in Word, so some of it might get garbled here. ( @Thenomain, I've been meaning to get this version out to you, but have failed; sorry.)
2.0 Skills
Skills are used to determine whether a character successfully performs an action, especially outside of an Encounter. Determining success requires a Skill check, which uses a pool of eight-sided dice determined by an appropriate baseline.
2.1 Skill Dice
The value of each Skill die, once rolled, provides a different outcome, as below:
Roll Result
1 Failure.
2 Failure, BUT the aggressor gains a Drama Point.
3 Failure, BUT the aggressor gains an Insight.
4 Failure, UNLESS the aggressor is proficient.
5 Success, UNLESS the defender is proficient, if contested.
6 Success, BUT there’s a Complication.
7 Success, BUT the defender gains a Drama Point.
8 Success.
2.2 Skill Checks
There are two types of Skill checks: simple and contested. Simple checks occur where a character is attempting a task that is unopposed; contested checks occur where a character is opposed by another character, actively or passively.
Step 1: Determine Difficulty and Baselines
For a simple check, the GM determines the applicable Skill, baseline for the aggressor (the rolling party), and the difficulty of the check. In doing so, the GM should consult the following chart:
Difficulty / Description
2 Simple
3 Professional
4 Difficult
5 Extremely Difficulty
6 “Impossible”
For a complex check, the GM determines the applicable Skill and baseline for the aggressor and the defender (the non-rolling party). For the purposes of determining proficiency, the GM may determine that the applicable Skill is different for each party.
Step 2: Determine Dice Pool
The GM then determines how many Skill dice shall be rolled by the aggressor’s player. To do so, the GM determines the aggressor’s score from his baseline and applicable modifiers; then, the GM determines the difficulty or defender’s score – from her baseline and applicable modifiers. Next, the GM consults the following chart to determine the Skill die pool and which party gets to select the result.
Step / Scores / Pool
-3 to -5 / Only through modifiers. / Roll four to six Skill dice; D or GM chooses.
-2 / D’s Score or Diff. > (A’s Score)*2 / Roll three Skill dice; D or GM chooses.
-1 / D’s Score or Diff. > A’s Score / Roll two Skill dice; D or GM chooses.
0 / A’s Score = D’s Score or Diff. / Roll one Skill die.
1 / A’s Score > D’s Score or Diff. / Roll two Skill dice; A chooses.
2 / A’s Score > (D’s Score or Diff.)*2 / Roll three Skill dice; A chooses.
3 to 5 / Only through modifiers. / Roll four to six Skill dice; A chooses.
Step 3: Shifting the Odds
Some Talents allow you to adjust a Skill check by raising or lowering its Step. This means that, rather than using the pool indicated by the scores, you use a better or worse pool, depending on whether the scenario is raised or lowered. For example, a Talent that raises a Step may turn an even-scored scenario, where only one Skill die is rolled (Step 0), to the greater-than scenario, where two Skill dice are rolled, and the best outcome chosen by the aggressor (Step 1).
Alternately, a player may spend a Drama Point (DP) to raise a pool by one step per point. Only the aggressor may spend DP this way, and he can spend as many DP as desired.
Step 4: Determine Outcome
Now that the aggressor knows how many dice to roll, he does so. Once the outcome is determined, the parties involved should role-play the results, with the GM moderating.
Example: Mordin is attempting to hack into a console. The GM decides that this will require a simple Hacking check at difficulty 3, using Mordin’s Mind Baseline Score (MND). Mordin has a MND of 5, so his player rolls 2 dice, which have the following outcomes: failure; and success. Mordin’s player chooses “success.”
Example: Mordin is at the top of the Shroud Tower, which is coming down around him. He’s injured, and the task of recalibrating the system to accept the genophage cure is exceedingly difficult. The GM decides that this will require a Code check at difficulty 5, using Mordin’s MND. Mordin’s injuries, though, shifts the Step of his roll down to -1. Mordin’s player decides that Mordin will burn all remaining Drama Points – 3 – to boost the Step to 2 for this very-critical roll. He rolls 3 dice, one of which is a “success.”
Example: Something Wrex said ticked Tali off, so she takes a swing at him. Tali’s Fitness Baseline Score (FIT) is low (2) and Wrex’s is much higher (5). On a contested Melee check using FIT, Tali would be at Step -2; however, her player decides that she really wants to show her stuff – and burns 4 Drama Points to bump her roll to Step 2. Tali’s player rolls 3 dice, and gets a 1, 5, and 6. She chooses 6 – Success, but there’s a Complication. Tali therefore manages to hit Wrex right in the face … which causes a bone in her hand to break, the GM decides.
Use and abuse what you want. Comments are welcome, here or by PM. There's more to it than this, but this is the bare bones around which the rest of the system is created.
