Most skills succeed on an 18+ roll - 15% of the time, unless you put more points into them. As written, ability scores do not add to the roll.
How much easier would it be to set a proficiency's default to a 10+ on 2d6? Allow adjustment by ability score, and allow proficiencies to be trained - using a proficiency point to lowers the default to 9+.
Did I mention I'm really digging SWN?
If any of my players read this - give me your thoughts.
10+ on 2d6 is still about 15% (6/36 = 16.667 about), so there's not a big change there. Allowing ability score modifiers has more effect if you have a bonus (+1 on d20 is a 5% change, +1 on 2d6 = 4/36, or about 11%; +2 is 10%/25% (4+5=9, 9/36 = 25), +3 is 15%/~42% -- changing 10+ to 7+ is huge).
ReplyDeleteHaving the proficiency give +1 on top of that just reduces the need for higher ability scores (something I approve of).
I think it shifts the balance a fair bit, but if that's what you're looking for I won't argue against it. As long as I don't have to make any Int checks (this halves my chance of success, from 10+ to 11+).
Now, it occurs to me that you could stretch things a little further.
Apocalypse World style results. 10+ is success, 7+ is 'success, but', 6- is failure.
I'm curious what you mean about Proficiencies needing an 18+ to succeed? Sure, the thief ones do, as do the occasional odd one like Acrobatics or Lore Mastery. But the vast majority of them work off 11+. Healing (diagnosis), Knowledge Skills, Theology, Collegiate Wizardry, Magical Engineering, etc, etc. Now, it's true that attributes don't figure in, but that does allow for low attribute characters to still be viable.
ReplyDeleteHowever, that being said, I'd be really interested in hearing more if you did port SWN over to ACKS. I actually wrote a series of blog posts about how Thieve's Suck and various means to fix them including a skill system.