(Useless?) Fiddling with Fudge Dice

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cranebump

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Because I like to mess with stuff for no good reason...

Been thinking of how to apply all the FATE/FUDGE dice I have to other systems. Had one idea that could be applied in other ways (again, for no good reason):

*Count Successes: basically, 1 Success (or 1S) per "slash," meaning a "/" counts as 1S and an "X" counts as 2S. Have yet to establish baselines for that. Also was thinking that / could=a complication, while X=straight out success, adding some interpretive variety. In either case, not sure what benchmarks would be for these things. I'm also not sure how Skill +'s would work (are they successes, or number of dice you roll, above 1d [the assumed default])? Suggestions, if any?

*Variable weapon damage: use the same counting system, above, for damage. For example, a Dagger might be rated "1+1d," the "1d" meaning, roll 1dF. This means the Dagger would do 1-3 damage. Allows for some variability, for example "Shotgun=2+2d (+'s only count at close range)." This would make a Shotgun do 2-4 damage at medium (max) range, but 2-6 at close range (and you've got to figure you're going to do 3 or more consistently at close range). In using variable damage, a "Succeed with Style" might add an effect or an additional damage dice. This is the idea I actually like, and am considering playtesting in my current FATE game. Might lead to an "equipment rush," which would then mandate balancing factors on weaponry (ex: Shotguns are hard to hide/no good beyond close; certain weapons prone to jamming more often, for example (and I have not researched this at all, so forgive me): "Tommy Gun, 4+3d, Cone, 3 Blanks=jams [roll ______ to clear]." Ideas here?

NOTE: Obviously, I question whether any of this is worth anything at all. That said, I DO like the idea of variable weapon damage, which would uncouple it from the skills a bit, adding some unpredictability, and have thought of it as a feature of a FUDGE dice system. I would need to seriously consider what FUDGE/FATE dice can do that other dice can't/don't.
 
I think the main advantage of these dice is that when you roll a lot of them it's all counting and not adding, which makes them more comfortable for people who are slower at arithmetic (e.g., the ThAC0 argument).

A use for these dice I thought about for a while is to slow down negotiation; the number of dice represents the degree of interest an NPC has in you, and after each round of negotiation you roll any that didn't come up positive or negative - if the round of negotiation was negative as a result of roleplaying then change any newly rolled plus to blank, and vice versa if positive. The negotiation continues until the NPC's interest/uncertainty is gone (no more dice showing a blank side). I thought it might give an interesting random walk property to negotiations and avoid resolving everything in a single roll but also never finishing resolving it. But I've never tested it out.
 
The +/- aspect really does lend itself well to a social situation. Hadn't thought of these for that situation.

Another possible use I've been mulling over concerns magic, with variable effects dependent on the +/-. Probably would need a table of some kind, like:

Magic Missile (roll 3dF): For each +, you generate a Missile that automatically strikes for [Spell Rank] damage. If a -, roll Shooting to hit (damage is still [Spell Rank]). If all -'s, you experience Backfire (see chart).

Cure Wounds (roll 3dF): Heal one damage box for each +. If all +'s, cure an entire damage track.*

Another possibility is to have static spell effects, with /'s adding to Mana costs or something. The roll is then just about avoid Mana Fatigue (EX: Magic Missile costs 1 Mana. Roll 3df to cast: ex=I get +, /, /=it costs me one additional Mana to cast the spell. This could lead to Empowering a spell by staking additional dice, for example, I want to cast 2 Magic Missiles. I pay 2 Mana, plus the second missile mandates +1F when I roll. I roll 4dF and get +,-,0,0, or zero, so I successfully cast the spell. However, if I had rolled 0,0,-,-, I'd lose an additional 2 Mana (or maybe take 2 Stress?).

Now that I think about it, spells could simply generate a dice pool. The result of the roll is Stress you might take. Could tie to a skill (Will maybe).

Anyway, there's another rabbit hole...:-)


*My latest hack uses boxes with static values: 2=default; 3=Heroic; 4 or higher=super heroic.
 
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