3d6 Revisited

After a few sessions (has it been two months already?) using 3d6 instead of d20, I've come up with a few revisions and clarifications of the original rules. These are designed to increase the fun; the balance has to be accounted for elsewhere.

1,1,1:	automatic miss. If the power has the keyword "weapon" or "implement" you drop the appropriate item; If not (or if not possible) you fall prone.
1,1,2 / 1,1,3 / 1,2,2:	automatic miss.
2,2,2:	roll 1d2 and add that to the attack
3,3,3:	roll 1d3 and add that to the attack
4,4,4:	roll 1d4 and add that to the attack
5,5,5:	roll 1d5 and add that to the attack
4,6,6 / 5,5,6:	automatic hit. If the attack would have hit anyway, replace [W] rolls with their maximum (crit).
5,6,6:	automatic hit. If the attack would have hit anyway, add maximum [W] damage (high crit). If high crit weapon, add it again.
6,6,6:	automatic hit. If the power deals damage, add maximum [W] damage (high crit). If the attack would have hit anyway, add it again If high crit weapon, add it again. If not: use the effect progression *

* The "effect progression" is designed so you don't feel let down when see you that glorious: ⚅⚅⚅ but don't have anything to maximise. It came up when our first triple-six was the wizard casting his (non-damaging) "sleep" spell (the houserule there is: the targets automatically fail the first save, and if I'm feeling generous they don't get the one round of slowedness first.) Since then I've come up with a basic guide to letting everyone enjoy the potency of that 1-in-216 chance.

For "negative" effects my progression is:

pushed/pulled/slid	⇒	prone	⇘	dazed	→	stunned	→	unconscious	⇒	¿ 1d4 damage ?
slowed	→	immobilised	⇗

Of course, if it's obvious that a particular immobilising action should progress to restrained, for example, that's perfectly alright too. Not to mention blinded, deafened, dominated, weakened, etc.

The "positive" progression is a bit trickier, because there are basically the three parallel progressions:

cover	→	superior cover	→	insubstantial
lightly obscured	→	heavily obscured	→	totally obscured
concealment	→	total concealment	→	invisible

... But at any point it could be totally reasonable for one branch to lead into another, or somewhere else. Those ones I just play by ear.

The overall goal with these progressions is that I want to make my players feel like they succeeded so well (or their spell was so potent) that the effect is the same, but turned up to 11.

... Matty /<

Matthew Kerwin

Published: 2010-07-28
Modified: 2012-09-21
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
Tags: d&d, houserules, rpg