Tuesday, January 3, 2017

OSR: A Task Resolution Mechanic Focusing on Level



Earlier this week I proposed a Task Resolution Mechanic that could replace Thieves' Skills and any other tasks the player's might undertake using Ability Scores, but today I'm proposing the same thing using Class Level.

The basic mechanic is that when a task occurs the DM decides upon a minimum Level for a Class (or Classes) for the Task to automatically succeed and the Difficulty of the Task if an automatic success is not possible.

When an obstacle presents itself, the DM first needs to set the appropriate Class(es) and minimum Level(s) to overcome the obstacle automatically. An important factor to keep in mind is the different experience points needed for different classes to gain levels. In many ways, the minimum Level will come down to deciding if a you want a player to automatically succeed.

Then the DM needs to set a Difficulty that is represented in # on a d6 roll.

I've worked up an optional Table* for the DM to use:

Level of the Challenge        No Training          Training
                                                 # on D6              # on D6
1-4                                              1-3                      1-5         
5-9                                              1-2                      1-4
10-12                                            1                       1-3
13+                                               -                        1-2
                                            
The DM also has the option of ruling that the necessary equipment is required for any situation.


Let's say a party is trying to sneak past a sleeping minotaur. The DM decides that a Thief of Level 5+ can do this automatically. Since Thief's are Trained in Move Silently, if their level is 4 or less, they can attempt this on a 1-4 on a d6 roll. Any other character can attempt this on a 1-3 on a d6 roll.

This can easily be extended to other challenges, for instance a Wizard trying to recognize useful items or spell ingredients from an  ancient lab (Wizard Level of 8+/Training 1-4/No Training 1-2).

Thoughts?


*This the the Labyrinth Lord Hear Noise table flipped.

2 comments:

UNKNOWN said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
UNKNOWN said...

I really appreciate this wonderful post that you have provided for us. I assure this would be beneficial for most of the people. fasteners in singapore

Monster Monday: Ork City's Chupacabra for Shadowdark

Welcome to Ork City! In the middle of Ork City's Hatt Island is the Park, a wild and dangerous forest filled with all manner of nightmar...