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LUCK ATTRIBUTE
Luck (Lck) represents accidental fortune, good or bad. Luck helps
a character when he needs it most. Luck is not pertinent to any class
but is beneficial to all.
As with all ability scores, roll 3d6 to get this ability score.
Ability Luck Fate Divine
Score Points Points Intervention
1 0 0 0%
2 0 0 0%
3 1 0 0%
4 1 0 1%
5 1 0 1%
6 2 0 2%
7 2 0 3%
8 2 1 4%
9 3 1 5%
10 3 1 5%
11 3 2 5%
12 3 2 5%
13 4 2 6%
14 4 3 7%
15 4 3 8%
16 5 3 9%
17 5 3 10%
18 5 3 10%
19 6 3 11%
20 6 3 12%
21 7 4 13%
22 7 4 14%
23 8 4 15%
24 9 4 18%
25 10 5 20%
LUCK POINTS
Introduction
Players have a lot of control over their characters' actions and
performances. A person who plays intelligently and thoroughly
understands the game can usually direct the fortunes and progress of
his character. But when the character faces a moment of great peril,
the player is often left at the mercy of the dice. All the clever
strategy and heroism in the world can save a character from a poor
saving throw or an unlucky attack roll. The player can only hope for
the best or for a benevolent GM who will fudge the die rolls and
sacrifice a few points every now and then for the sake of the players
and for the sake of the story.
The luck ability described here is a way to give the players a
little more control over the fate of their characters. Instead of
letting the dice totally control a crucial situation, a player may use
these luck points to try to affect the dice in the player's favor. In
certain circumstances, a player may apply luck points as a bonus to the
character's die roll, or may use luck points as a penalty to an
opponent's roll.
Usage
A character may expend any or all of his luck points within a 24-
hour period (or however long a campaign day is). Once all points are
used, the character must wait until the next campaign day to renew the
points. Unused points at the end of the day are simply wasted. Points
cannot be hoarded for future use, nor can they be borrowed from the
unused points of any previous day.
Luck points are expended to try to affect important die rolls,
such as "to hit" rolls, saving throws, or damage rolls. Luck points can
only be applied to the simple die rolls such as "to hit" rolls, damage
rolls, saving throws, or common percentile rolls. Luck points cannot be
applied to things like spell duration, area of effect, or range of a
spell, nor can luck points alter the number of creatures affected by a
spell. The GM should make judgment calls on what should and should not
be affected by luck.
The player must declare the use of any luck points before the roll
is attempted. The luck points are then applied as a bonus or penalty to
the roll. Once the point use is declared, the luck points are spent
regardless of what the die roll result may be. If the character would
have made the roll even without the luck point modifier, then the luck
points are simply wasted. No more than five luck points may be expended
on any given roll.
When a player elects to apply luck points to his own die roll,
each luck point translates into a +1 bonus. Luck points may sometimes
be used to impose a penalty to an opponent's die roll, with each luck
point acting as a -1 penalty. The player must always give a sound
reason why he or she may impose such a penalty. The character must have
a clear and obvious influence over the opponent's roll.
Luck point may be used to influence certain percentile rolls by
translating each luck point into a +5% bonus or -5% penalty. The GM
must decide which percentile rolls would conceivably be influenced by a
character's luck, and which are outside a player's control.
Racial Ability Score Adjustments
Humans and halflings are the luckiest races because they are not
tied by fate and destiny. Dwarves and elves are the unluckiest because
they seem to be most attached to the path set before them. Gnomes are
neither luckier or unlucky. The following is the racial adjustment to
the luck ability score.
Race Adjustments
Dwarf -1
Elf * -1
Gnome 0
Halfling +1
Human +1
* Kender elves of Krynn are the exception and have a +2 bonus
because they possess incredible good luck.
Optional Extending Luck Rule
The luck point system is intended for PCs and NPCs (or just major
NPCs), but it is very reasonable to give all living creatures a luck
ability score. If the GM wishes to limit luck to PCs and NPCs then the
rule is that only creatures with souls can have luck and therefore only
PCs and NPCs can have luck points. If the GM wishes to allow certain
creatures to have luck but not all then he can limit luck to only
creatures with above animal intelligence. Else the GM can give luck to
all living animals.
The GM may also allow players to extended their luck to personal
items (ex. item saving throws) because it would be lucky for their
items remain safe.
Optional Lucky/Unlucky Day rule
For each game day a player rolls 1d20. A 1 indicates a lucky day
for his character and that character receives 1d4 additional luck
points for that day. A 20 indicates an unlucky day for his character
and that character loses (not to fall below 0) 1d4 luck points for that
day.
Examples
If a fighter uses two luck points for an important "to hit" roll,
the fighter gains a +2 bonus to the roll. Through a lucky effort, the
fighter may expend four luck points to gain a +4 damage bonus.
Furthermore, a character may spend luck points to gain a better chance
to dodge a dragon's fiery breath, to win the initiative in a critical
melee round, or to make a difficult archery slot.
A cleric trying to avoid the swing of an ogre's club may, through
a lucky defensive effort, apply four luck points as a -4 to the ogre's
"to hit" roll, or may reduce the ogre's damage roll by 4 hp.
A bard who tries to charm a trio of stone giants may spend three
luck points to reduce each giant's save vs. spells by -1.
A thief might expend three luck points to gain a +15% bonus to
pick a difficult lock.
A fighter might use two points as a +10% bonus to a "bend bars"
roll.
A paladin might be lucky enough to resist a bard's seductive song
by using five luck points as a -25% penalty to the bard's "charm
percentage" roll.
Question & Answers
Why not impose a negative number that the GM controls as unlucky?
Negative numbers are not imposed because this ability is designed
so that players can help their characters. Using negative numbers
causes the GM to assign penalties to characters when he wants. Because
the GM is all knowing in an adventure, he would most likely impose a
penalty at the most opportune moment of the adventure. This "bad-luck"
would only occur at the most crucial time because it is the GM's
decision. This could lead to accusations of bearing a grudge against
the player. "Good-luck" could come at any time and usually not a
crucial time because it is the player's decision and the player has no
foreknowledge. Of course, some GMs can allow the players to decide when
to use the negative luck points, but most players would use them on
unimportant rolls. GMs could make extensive rolls for penalizing
players that don't use their negative points but this makes the ability
very complicated and takes away from the intended purpose of the
ability.
Furthermore, bad-luck could be defined as those characters that
have 0 luck points thus no say in their fate. Also, other beings that
use their luck as a penalty to characters can be considered "bad-luck"
for the character.
Why not add a random factor to the system?
Having a random factor (ex. base factor with a random number of
additions) with an ability score defeats the purpose of having an
ability score. If a person wants to have a random factor, then another
system should be devised. A person should also consider how complicated
the system can become. Right now it is simple and not hard for the GM
to manage, but adding extra things can make it cumbersome.
Won't the luck ability lead to game imbalance?
The luck ability will not imbalance the game. The highest amount
of luck points for a standard character is 5 per day. Any only a
foolish character would use all 5 points at one time. During one day in
an adventure a character comes across many circumstances that is
decided upon by a die roll of a player. Before making any quick
judgements on raising the time span for luck points, the GM should
count how many times a single player rolls the dice. Also note that
using luck points is announced before the die rolls. Thus, luck points
could and usually are wasted.
Isn't luck already in the players and GM, thus making an extra ability
redundant?
If a person believes that luck does exist in the real world, then
luck will manifest itself threw those that roll the dice.
Unfortunately, characters aren't lucky. It is the GM and players that
cause the luck but characters have no say. Unlucky players will always
have unlucky characters and visa-verse. This isn't fair.
If a person doesn't believe that luck exists in the real world,
then everything is probable and characters are subject to randomness.
This is fine, but the purpose of the luck ability is to give characters
an extra chance of success.
It may be argued that anytime the GM requires a roll for success
(ex. saving throw, ability check, etc.) can be considered luck. These
rolls are important actions that separate heros from mere peasants in
the RPG realm. However, all heros make them and therefore cannot be
considered luck.
Isn't changing the core rule's abilities dangerous?
An argument for changing core rule's abilities is that it is
usually much more difficult to move the characters to another
environment or play in another person's world. This is true but the
luck ability isn't a change in the core rule's abilities. It is an
added ability. And if another GM doesn't wish to use it, then the
player can forget about using it under that GM.
Shouldn't the GM have more control?
The purpose of the luck points is to give players some control.
Making extra rolls (like percentage rolls) to see of the player can use
his luck ability is redundant and slows things down. Using luck points
is announced prior to any rolls. Letting players use all his luck
points or just a few is fine. They could and usually are wasted once
the important roll comes but the extra 1-5 points may really make a
difference. Extra rolls to see if luck can be used isn't worth the time
because generally the luck ability isn't that great of an ability to
make such a big fuss over.
Why are the luck points distributed as they are?
Because 3d6 is used to get the ability score, this forms a bell
curve. Thus, the luck points are distribute in a bell curve fashion
with 10 and 11 at the peak of the bell.
FATE POINTS
Introduction
All characters are made for greater things in life then being a
laymen. Thus, a character takes to adventuring to become a fabled hero
and participate in the grand scheme of the universe.
A player tends to get very attached to his character and doesn't
like him dying, especially by accident. Without throwing the game out
of balance, fate points will let a character survive for a little while
longer, especially at low levels.
Usage
When something happens to a character that would bring his hit
points below his death point (whether 0, -10, or whatever death system
the GM uses), the player gives up a fate point and thus saves the
character's life. The character's hit points, no matter how low, goes
to 1 hit point. Hence, an act of the gods prevents the death of a hero,
this time...
Fate points can never be recovered by nothing less than a wish
spell.
Optional Sound Rule
The GM can require the player to make a sound that simulates an
extra life on computer games. Even better, the GM can record the sound
and play it back every time a fate point is used.
Optional Shock Rule
The character must make a successful system shock roll or
permanently lose 1 point of constitution. Vindictive GMs can forget
about the system shock roll and make the character permanently lose 1
point of constitution.
DIVINE INTERVENTION
The chance for divine intervention gives a player one last hope in
a hopeless situation. In the past, only the mighty GM could allow a
deity or divine minions interfere. Now a player can roll percentile
dice and, if successful, have a divine entity look upon his character.
Of course, the GM still decides what the intervention will be. A few
examples are sending minions to help fight, healing the character,
delivering a magical weapon or other useful item, speaking words of
wisdom, temporarily boosting the character's abilities, teleporting the
character out of danger, or destroying all the enemies around.
A player can roll for divine intervention any time he wants as
long as it is a crucial moment for his character. Deities don't worry
about trivial things in a character's life. For example, a thief can't
hope for divine intervention when picking a lock. However, a fighter
that just stole an important artifact from evil beings and is currently
surrounded by them with no hope for escape should have a chance for
divine intervention. When a player can and can't try for divine
intervention is under the discretion of the GM.
Don't think of divine intervention chance as a hindrance to the
GM. Now when the players get their characters in a sticky situation,
they can't blame the GM for making it to hard to get out of because now
the player has a chance to save his character. The GM can use the
divine intervention chance as a shield from those that continue to
whine because they get their characters in trouble.
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LUCK ABILITY CHECK
As with other abilities, a GM may find some good use in asking for
an ability check for luck in different situations.
The usefulness of an ability checks vs. luck is best illustrated
via examples:
EXAMPLE #1: A fighter who has just managed to escape his dungeon
cell enters an armory room, opens a cabinet, finds 10 identical swords,
and picks one at random. The problem is that two of the swords are
magical and one is cursed. So which one did he get? The basic procedure
would be to assign a number to each sword and roll a 1d10. But if the
luck ability is involved, the GM could secretly roll an ability check
with any modifiers he finds convenient and if it succeeds the fighter
gets a magical sword. He could also rule that on a bad role of 19 or 20
the fighter gets the cursed one.
EXAMPLE #2: The party is walking on a stone path to an evil
stronghold. Unknown to them, the path is actually a medieval version of
a "mined field". A few of the stones have been enchanted in a way that
they explode when stepped on. The GM has everybody roll a luck check
(with any appropriate modifiers). Anybody failing the roll gets blasted
into the air.
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NON-WEAPON SKILL
# OF RELEVANT CHECK
NAME SLOTS ABILITY MODIFIER Group
Gaming 1 Special see below General
The character knows most common games of chance and skill,
including cards, dice, bones, draughts, and chess. When playing a game,
the character makes a skill check, with success indicating victory. If
two proficient characters play each other, the one with the one with
the highest successful die roll wins.
The relevant ability used for the ability check is dependant on
the type of game played by the character. For example, craps is purely
a game of chance so Luck should be the ability used. Chess is a game of
intelligence and thus Intelligence should be used. Some games like
poker use elements of intelligence, luck, and charisma. A good idea
would be to make the ability check vs. Intelligence with modifiers of
+1 if a successful check is made vs. Charisma and a +1 if a successful
check is made vs. Intelligence. The GM should make the decision on what
would be the appropriate ability and modifiers.
A character with gaming skill can also attempt to cheat, thus
gaining a +1 bonus to his ability score. If the skill check for the
game is 17 to 20, however, the character has been caught cheating (even
if he won the game).
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