How I roll... Rothy's dice mechanics

Sometimes, a big part of RPing is give and take. You can't succeed in everything and have to fail at some point. The problem is that no-one really likes to fail because it comes with the joys of RPing out a failed scenario. For example, you could be imprisoned or beaten up or mocked (IC of course). A long time ago, I was introduced to the system of dice-rolls for determining success and failure. I thought this was a fantastic system and decided to work on a version of my own dice roll system that I use when determining success and failure. I want to share this with DefiasRP so that other people can also use this system if they so wish.

This dice system is mainly used for player v player skill conflicts. EG: A player trying to sneak away from another, or a player trying to lie to someone's face. So without further ado, I present to you: The Roth-Roll System. (Yes, I named my system after my character because I'm egotistical. )

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The Roth-Roll System

Solo system: For use when in a solo/group RP against NPC's

The Roll-Roll system works straight off the /roll command. Simply type in /roll to get your dice roll (from 1-100) and you will be given the result. The dice result not only tells you if you've succeeded but how well you've succeeded. The higher the roll, the better the result you get. The possible combinations I use are:

Roll Result: 1 = Epic Fail
"You've taken failure to a whole new level of stupid. Not only do you fail at your task but you've managed to do something disastrous that will probably hinder your progress. As a result, you may not try this task again."

Example: Samian is chasing a suspect down the streets and through the alleyways. The twists and turns are baffling and he has to concentrate just to keep up. Samian rolls and ends up rolling a 1. Not only does he go down the completely wrong path but the path he heads down leads to a drop. Waiting at the bottom of the drop is a cart full of horse manure used to fertilize crops and, in this case, break Samian's fall.

Roll Result: 2-39 = Fail.
"You're not sure where you went wrong, but you did. But feel free to pick yourself back up and try again."
Example: Valestrion is attempting to break a dark seal over a doorway. This requires certain gestures and magic words that must be performed perfectly. Valestrion rolls and gets a 24. Which means the barrier still stands and Valestrion will have to try again or find another way through.

Roll Result: 40-69 = Barely succeeded.
"You pulled through by the skin of your teeth. But keep in mind this probably isn't the result you wanted and you'll probably have to try again in order to get further."
Example: Samian is interrogating a perp in the cells about a shipment of illegal weapons. The perp is keeping mum about it and Samian begins to name the places he believes the weapons will be delivered to. Samian rolls and gets a 61. Which means when Samian mentions the word Docks, he notices the perp's eyes move away from him. So Samian knows that a dock is involved in a shipment. But which dock? There are dozens of docks in Stormwind, which means he has to continue questioning.

Roll Result: 70-99 = Success.
"You've pulled it off. Whatever you've tried to do has worked and you can continue on with your mission/task at hand."
Example: Valestrion is trying to identify some symbols on a dead man's back. He has seen plenty of symbols before so it's a case of trying to remember which one this is. Valestrion rolls and gets an 84. Suddenly it hits him! Valestrion remembers the symbol belongs to a member of The Black Hand cult.

Roll Result: 100 = Epic Win.
"You've not only succeeded in what you were trying to do, but you looked pretty damn good doing it. Not only have you accomplished your task but you've gotten an extra reward from it for being so awesome!"
Example: Samian is in a competition to prove that his sword skills are up to scratch. Someone decides to see if he can slice three watermelons in one go and throws all three at the same time. Samian rolls and gets a 100! In what can only be described as a feat of pure amazing, Samian slices all three watermelons that fly through the air IN ONE SWING of his blade. The spectators are so impressed that they begin to throw money at his feet as a reward. So Samian wins the competition and nets a 50g profit. Result!

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PvP System: To be used against other PC's.

Sometimes you'll want to try something against your opponent. Maybe you want to lie to them or even pull of a dangerous manoeuvre against them. You'll both have to roll in order to see not only who wins but by how much.

First, the attacker (the player performing said action) needs to roll first. Then the defender (the player trying to foil the attacker) rolls. You both compare results and the highest roll wins. Both players then carry out the consequence/reward that is stated in the chart. The attacker ALWAYS rolls first.

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Skill modifiers (Advanced rules)

Sometimes your character is particularly skilled in something that he tries. For example, Samian may be pretty good at interrogation whilst Valestrion has basic knowledge of herbalism. So you can choose to add a modifier to the dice roll in order to reflect this. Modifiers come in three levels: basic, journeyman, expert.

Basic: You have some knowledge/experience in what you're trying to do. So you get a +10 modifier to whatever you roll.
Journeyman: You have a decent amount of knowledge/experience in what you're trying to accomplish. So you get a +20 modifier to whatever you roll.
Expert: You have a large amount of knowledge/experience in what you're trying to accomplish. So you get a +30 modifier to whatever you roll.

There is a flip side to using a SM. If you do decide to use one to boost your roll, and your final result is 100+ then that is not considered an Epic Win. This is because you already have skills and knowledge in your chosen craft so winning was to be expected. All you have to do is simply add the modifier to whatever you roll. The question that comes next is, what can I say my character is skilled at? I would say it's often best to pick about 3-4 skills your character has picked up along the way and write them in your MyRP or TotalRP page. Whatever you do, don't change your skills before you roll just to earn a modifier. If you do then you'll get blacklisted by plenty of people and ostracised.

Condition modifiers
Sometimes you try to perform something in the worst possible conditions. This has a detrimental effect on your efforts which is reflected in a condition modifiers. Similar to SM's, CM's are where you take away from the dice roll. Acceptable usage of CM's could be: bad weather conditions, a huge distraction, terrible choice of area, sickness. Basically just use discretion. The conditions can be described as risky, dangerous, suicidal.

Risky: The heat is on if you do decide to try your luck here. You gain a -10 modifier to your rolls.
Dangerous: You're taking some serious risks in trying out your chosen craft here. You gain a -20 modifier to your rolls.
Suicidal: Do not try this at home! You gain a -30 modifier to your rolls.

Unlike SM's, if you end up getting a final result of 1 then it does count as an Epic Fail. However anything over a 40 is considered a success. Also: If you roll a 100 then you do not apply modifiers and call it an Epic Win straight away because of your good fortune.

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Aaaaand finally: How to announce your rolling the dice.
It can be pretty weird to suddenly type in "I'm rolling to see if I get a success" in the middle of an RP. So what I tend to do is put an /emote announcement in. You'd be surprised how creative you can get if you do that. Examples would be:

Rothardan looks at the symbols and tries to decipher them. Because he knows this is a Black Hand book and he has had extensive experience with the cult before, he gains a +30 SM to his roll to reflect this.
Roll: 50
Rothardan rolls a 50 but with his SM, it gives a result of 80. Rothardan translates the runes and sees that the book is describing a ritual to summon a demon.

Or...

Samian tries to climb the wall using his grappling rope. But the wall is old and crumbling in places so there is a chance that the rope would dislodge and he would fall. Because of the dangerous conditions, he gains a -20 CM to his roll.
Roll: 59
Samian Rolls a 59 but with his CM, it is a 39. The wall crumbles and takes the hook with it. Samian prepares to try again (reroll).

Anyway, those are my home brew rules that I use. If you want to add anything or point anything out I've missed then reply here. I'm interested to see what people think. And once again, you DO NOT have to use these rules. They are here for reference purposes.

I approve of this system.
I've always implimented the "critical miss" part when emote fighting and such. Not the critical h it though, but if I roll 100, I'll efinitely add how pure awesome my char looks while doing the hit.

With a roll of 1 though, I add an extra quirk. Like "Shandrea aims a fierce punch to Bob's jaw, only to stumble on her own feet and faceplanting the ground. - In a heap of cow-dung."

I feel it adds a bit of extra spice to otherwise boring emote-fights and rolls for successes.

I like it!
Its similar to how we do things in the Marauders.

I think my word of advice to you would be to talk to people before you force your ruleset on them btw. A good system, but I remember you doing this to my guard without my acknowledgement and suddenly we had a metagame situation on our hands.

Indeed. The "advanced" rule set is asking for drama, because "no! My character is a paragon of the Light! It would never abandon him!" when he's rolled a 10 on his divine shield.

I like to use the dice loosely, as a guide for success rather then a strict rule.

Also, it really helps to have a Dungeon Master or "Referee" present. Both parties propose an action through an emote, both roll for success, the DM/Ref tells you how your actions turn out.

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When used responsibly, rolling is a great way to avoid drama. The dice always speak true, there is no arguing with the dice. You win some, you loose some, deal with it.

indeed i live by this system already its my bread and butter

I like it but, yes some rolling systems are more complex than others.
I mostly ask the other person how he wants to roll and maybe poke him enough so it's not the system i dislike the most.

Advanced part is kind of tricky yes, but i like the idea of Skill and condition modifiers...

Actually you just gave me a nice idea, might use it when i'll DM next.

The "advanced" rule set is asking for drama, because "no! My character is a paragon of the Light! It would never abandon him!" when he's rolled a 10 on his divine shield.

Hmmm... an interesting point. I would probably roll to see if I were quick enough to cast it before the projectile in question would hit. Epic Fail = Hit and knocked out. Fail = Hit and recoiled. Barely = Deflected with minor damaged. Success = Shot absorbed and nullified. Epic win = Spell cast, shot ricochets violently in the direction of the caster.

Also, it really helps to have a Dungeon Master or "Referee" present. Both parties propose an action through an emote, both roll for success, the DM/Ref tells you how your actions turn out.

I would definitely ask for a DM/Ref if we were doing an "official" sort of plot thing that involved multiple guilds or large numbers. Always helps to have an impartial judge to prevent inter-guild wars.

I think my word of advice to you would be to talk to people before you force your ruleset on them btw. A good system, but I remember you doing this to my guard without my acknowledgement and suddenly we had a metagame situation on our hands.

At that time, I was under the impression that everyone rolled for successes/failure etc. It's why I worked on this system, so that something like that wouldn't happen again. So I do apologise for any confusion/power-playing caused and hope that there's no harsh feelings.

When used responsibly, rolling is a great way to avoid drama. The dice always speak true, there is no arguing with the dice. You win some, you loose some, deal with it.

That's precisely the reason why I love the dice system. I've lost count of the amount of times we've RP'd with people and they do stupid things that they just can't possibly do in order to avoid losing. One guy ran past a whole platoon of Paladins and claimed he had just set the orphanage on fire. At least with the dice system, you not only get a chance at failing but you know how badly you fudged up.

I like it but, yes some rolling systems are more complex than others.
I mostly ask the other person how he wants to roll and maybe poke him enough so it's not the system i dislike the most.
Advanced part is kind of tricky yes, but i like the idea of Skill and condition modifiers...
Actually you just gave me a nice idea, might use it when i'll DM next.

Glad I was able to inspire. The advanced part shouldn't be too tricky as long as you're sensible and don't be a total tool about it.
Example: If you're a guard then it should be logical enough to assume that you know swordplay manoeuvres. But if you suddenly drop that you're also a great acrobat and can do a quadruple flip in full armour then I would call you out on it.

So we just had an interesting RP using similar dice mechanics to mine (I used my own with modifiers attached) and it went brilliant. Someone rolled a 100 when rolling to see if a spell succeeded, which meant that I was knocked straight through a steel door and down the stairs.

One thing to note, if you do use a dice then PLEASE PLEASE don't keep rolling if you fail. It's bloody annoying to see endless dice rolls when people fail to break out jail. Sometimes you lose. Rather than win, just enjoy the story you've written.

Anyway, rant over. I'm beginning to feel the need to scrape my eyeballs out with a rusty spoon... which can only mean it's medication time!

Interesting that this topic showed up...

I've been thinking some about rolls from time to time, though for some reason, most of the times I been in /roll situations was on casters. So my input will be on the aspect of casting.

Roughly speaking, there are two kinds of spells. Those cast on yourself or an examined object, affecting you alone, and those cast to affect anything else. Let's start with those meant to just affect you or an object you've examined, as the other is simply a continuation from those. I'm thinking of spells like invisibility, shields, various buffs and other such effects. What goes into making a successful/useful cast of those?

Distractions: Pebbles thrown at you? Freezing? Just woke up? All those could make you slip and fail the cast

Experience: Let's face it. A caster experienced with the spell in question should very rarely fail completing it. Unless distracted or countered.

Timing: While you did complete your invisibility spell, remember that it's not invincibility. It doesn't protect you from the spear thrown at you that's just a feet away.

*Objects: I added this here because it fit best.

If there is no distractions, you are experienced with the spell, and there is no timing involved, then there is no reason you should roll. You might still do it for some random chance to fail, but it would be optional and not your standard 1,40,70 roll. Often it is more fun and effective to be creative yourself, but if you can't yourself decide on the random chance that a branch fall behind you right before you complete the spell, then go ahead and roll. If you happen to use

Even if there are distractions, or you are inexperienced, often it would work better if you do not roll. Use common sense. Can I still focus enough when my body is shaking from cold? There is no need to roll for that. The reason I might not roll or use normal rules for inexperience, is that you know your character best. Strength and weakness. What's likely? While I could go both ways with this depending on the situation, I would still always roll for timing. Yes, there are some things such as experience that may make your timing better, but generally... If you time things right, then there is nothing you need to time for, yet. The spear may just be released from the hand, but you just finished your shield incarnation. Therefore, if there is any timing element that could disrupt you, roll.


When things don't just affect you. Even if you just aim a shield at the ground, there are a few things to keep in mind, and I'm sure I forgot plenty.

Resists, absorptions, deflections, vision, aim, movement, surroundings, weather...

Or simply stated: When your spell try to affect things, or things try to affect your spell, always roll! There are many variables other then the spell itself that affect the results, even if it is properly formed and released. Maybe the rock you try to use as a base for your shield fail to anchor it and keep it stable. Maybe it's special and just eats the magic smiling. A perfectly formed fireball flying towards your target doesn't mean that you hit the the target, nor that it has the intended effect. Roll!


TL:DR

Sucessfully complete cast: Roll if you feel it add something

When your spells affect or are affected by a thing not completely known by you: Always Roll

That's a fantastic and well thought out reply. I would probably be comfortable letting you do whatever the heck you wanted in terms of magic Exigua. But you're Horde so I have to kill you.

I do agree that sometimes a roll isn't necessary when you yourself know you wouldn't fudge up anything. Example: my character casted a Hammer of Justice yesterday which is a simple spell and in close range. There was no way he was going to fudge that up and yesterday was no different.

The dice rolls were also useful for sorting out the massive clusterf*#k that the battle was becoming. There were about four people involved as well as speech being said which just lead to plenty of times when we were lost in the action. By creating a party/raid and letting people know when we we rolling and what for, it allowed the action to go a lot smoothly in terms of fighting. There was also the issue of timing. At one point, I had made an attack move at the same time as the Drenai cast her spell. To sort out who struck first, we rolled and she got a 100 whilst I got a measly 74.

So yeah, I do believe the mechanics shouldn't be used as the be all and end all. But they certainly help. And I do agree with your last statement.

When your spells affect or are affected by a thing not completely known by you: Always Roll

Rothardan wrote:That's a fantastic and well thought out reply. I would probably be comfortable letting you do whatever the heck you wanted in terms of magic Exigua. But you're Horde so I have to kill you.

Thanks! Though I would like to point out that I'm not only horde... I'm gnome too

This is a great example of the roll system, simple and quick.
I shall utilise it for S7 RP. Thanks

Thank ye govn'r. I do plan on making a more indepth system at some point but this one shall do just fine. All I ask is that you give us some credit =D