Larp:Proposals/Dice Conversion

This is a proposal for a change to the Dark Skylines House Rules. It may not be approved for play, or may be in testing. Please check with a member of the Narrator Team if you are unsure.

A proposal for modified combat rules.

Substituted Dice Rolling

Any time a player would make a challenge using Rock, paper, Scissors, they instead roll a single 10-sided die and add the appropriate pool and bonuses to the total. The target number is either the target's defense pool for the challenge, or a target number determined by a Narrator.

The minimum/maximum Wildcard Bonus is -5/+5 (always has been). Other, non-wildcard bonuses work as normal. If total is tied, higher skill dots wins; if that is tied, the defender is successful.

Willpower

When a player spends a willpower or equivalent retest, everyone retests by rerolling. Still limited to 1 willpower challenge.

Exceptional Successes and Fumbles

A character who rolls a 1 on a test fails, regardless of whether they would normally succeed in such a challenge. In a Contested challenge (see below), this means the other party succeeds, unless they also roll a 1, in which case both parties fail and may rightfully be the subject of ridicule.

An attacker who succeeds on a challenge and their roll is at or above an exceptional target number (commonly called a "threat range") is considered exceptional. The default target number is 10. A character does not have to have a larger pool than their target pool to exceptionally succeed. An increase to threat range reduces the exceptional target number by 1 (for example, a +1 to threat range changes the exceptional target number to 9). The exceptional target number cannot be lower than 8 under normal circumstances.

Physical Pool threat range

• Effects that give +5 or more to offensive Exceptional comparisons on physical challenges instead increase the threat range by 1. (Examples: Potence 3, Celerity 2, the Deadly quality for a weapon.
• Effects that give +4 or less to offensive or defensive Exceptional comparisons on physical challenges instead give a +x Wild Card Bonus to the offensive or defensive pool. (Example: Hardcore fleeting status)
• The quality "Brutal" now increases a weapon's damage by 1.

Mental and Social pool threat range

• The threat range is determined by the number of dots possessed by the user in the Discipline/Arcanos/etc.: If the user has 3 or more dots, they receive a +1 to threat range; at 5 dots, it increases to +2.
• For Gifts and Changeling Arts, the threat range is determined by the user's dots in the Gift Level ladder (WtA, Pg 209). All gifts in a ladder of 3 get a +1 bonus to threat range; all gifts in a ladder of 5 get +2.
• For simple tests, the threat range is determined by the dots in the appropriate skill: If the user has 3 or more dots, they receive a +1 to threat range; at 5 dots, it increases to +2.

Stock NPCs

Stock NPCs follow this same scale based on their Stock NPC dots: Stock NPCs of 3 or more dots have a threat range of +1 at 3 dots, and +2 at 5 or more dots.

Chance rolls

If the target difficulty is greater than the character's total pool, they still have a chance to succeed. In this case, they roll "chance" d10, and succeed (with a normal success) if they roll a 10.

Contested challenges

Characters can choose to convert an opposed challenge into a Contested challenge, where the defending character responds to the initiator with their own action (attack vs attack).

• All players involved in the opposed challenge must agree to convert it into a contested challenge.
• In order to respond with a contested action, a character must be able to take an action that round (i.e., have the appropriate Celerity or equivalent, and have not already taken their action during that round).
• The defender's action in response is pushed up in initiative, and the defender's attack does not count toward the total number of attackers against the initiator.
• The contested action by the defender does consume the action of the defending character. (Choose your targets wisely!)

Called Shots

When attacking, a character may choose to double down on their attack, risking additional chance of failure in return for additional effects or damage. If a character declares a called shot and succeeds with an Exceptional success, they succeed in the called shot. However, if a character declares a called shot and does not exceptionally succeed, they do no damage even if they succeed normally.

When attacking, a player should declare their use of Called Shot in the description of their action, e.g. "I attempt to shoot you in the head: called shot" or "I attempt a called shot to sever your limb". A called shot must be declared before the initial roll.

Effects of a Called Shot

• A successful called shot to the head inflicts aggravated damage and automatically kills mortal stock NPCs with a rating of 3 or lower. A weapon that already deals aggravated damage deals an additional point of damage.
• A successful called shot to a limb may cause the victim to drop their weapon, reduce their movement speed, or other effects at Narrator discretion. A called limb shot may also sever the limb if:
  • the attacker has at least Potence 2 (or is in Glabro form, for shifters) and the weapon also has the Brutal or Deady qualities, or
  • the attacker has at least Potence 4 (or Crinos form, for shifters)
• A successful called shot to the heart with a weapon with the Staking quality kills mortal stock NPCs with a rating of 3 or lower. It will also successfully stake the vampire regardless of their current health levels (as long as that vampire is otherwise capable of being staked), if:
  • the attacker has at least Potence 2 (or is in Glabro form, for shifters) and the stake also has the Brutal or Impaling qualities, or
  • the attacker has at least Potence 4 (or is in Crinos form, for Shifters).
• A successful called shot on a chance roll is instead treated as an Exceptional Success with no additional effects.