"Effect" rule...
- Thread starter Treebore
- Start date
That's pretty much correct.
The amount you beat the target number (usually 8 ) by is your effect, which is used in a lot of situations.
If you're rolling tactics for initiative the test is tactics 8+ (normal) and you roll a 10, you and anyone else benefiting gets +2, as you beat the requirement by 2.
Note also that rolling a 2 means you get an effect of -6 (as you failed by six) - which means people will suffer a lot from your lousy tactics!
It's the same in a lot of cases - some abilities last one minute per point of effect, or similar.
Equally, you add the effect of the 'to hit' roll to damage in combat - so whilst a gauss rifle does 3D6 damage, if you're an excellent shot and take your time aiming, you may well rack up four points of effect (or more!), which translates to 3D6+4 damage - something like 1/3 again - which represents a headshot, or hitting the edge of a flak jacket, or whatever.
The amount you beat the target number (usually 8 ) by is your effect, which is used in a lot of situations.
If you're rolling tactics for initiative the test is tactics 8+ (normal) and you roll a 10, you and anyone else benefiting gets +2, as you beat the requirement by 2.
Note also that rolling a 2 means you get an effect of -6 (as you failed by six) - which means people will suffer a lot from your lousy tactics!
It's the same in a lot of cases - some abilities last one minute per point of effect, or similar.
Equally, you add the effect of the 'to hit' roll to damage in combat - so whilst a gauss rifle does 3D6 damage, if you're an excellent shot and take your time aiming, you may well rack up four points of effect (or more!), which translates to 3D6+4 damage - something like 1/3 again - which represents a headshot, or hitting the edge of a flak jacket, or whatever.
IanBruntlett
Emperor Mongoose
For lots of detail see CRB p50-51.
As well as describing Effect, it:
1. Provides a way to hurry an action (making it less likely to succeed) or take extra care (making success more likely) - see p50 "Going Faster or Slower", "Time Frames Table".
2. Allows multiple actions for a penalty - see p51 "Multiple Actions".
3. Provides a way for conflicts to be resolved see p51 "Opposed Checks"
4. Allows for co-operation - p51 "Aiding another Character", p51 "Task chain DMs"
Have fun
As well as describing Effect, it:
1. Provides a way to hurry an action (making it less likely to succeed) or take extra care (making success more likely) - see p50 "Going Faster or Slower", "Time Frames Table".
2. Allows multiple actions for a penalty - see p51 "Multiple Actions".
3. Provides a way for conflicts to be resolved see p51 "Opposed Checks"
4. Allows for co-operation - p51 "Aiding another Character", p51 "Task chain DMs"
Have fun
alex_greene
Guest
Remember that you have to add the +DM for skills and characteristics, and any environmental DMs such as range, local gravity, lighting conditions, visibility, wind speed, distractions and various forms of assistance such as guidance programs and so on.
Rolling a 2 only gives you an Effect of -6 if your skill is 0 and you have a +0 characteristic DM; if you have a skill rated 1 or higher, that adds to the number you roll; likewise if your characteristic is exceptional, such as if you had a characteristic of 9-11 (+1).
e.g. a character with Persuade-0 and Soc 8 (+0) who rolls 2 will get an Effect of -6 and probably have to run for his life. However, a character with Persuade-3 and Soc 10 (+1) gets a natural +4 DM to the roll, meaning his minimum Effect can only be -2 if he rolls a 2: a normal failure.
By the way, pity the poor guy who tries a skill Untrained and who has an unusually low characteristic: the character with no Persuasion skill and Soc 5 (-1) suffers a -6 Effect if he rolls 6 or less!
Rolling a 2 only gives you an Effect of -6 if your skill is 0 and you have a +0 characteristic DM; if you have a skill rated 1 or higher, that adds to the number you roll; likewise if your characteristic is exceptional, such as if you had a characteristic of 9-11 (+1).
e.g. a character with Persuade-0 and Soc 8 (+0) who rolls 2 will get an Effect of -6 and probably have to run for his life. However, a character with Persuade-3 and Soc 10 (+1) gets a natural +4 DM to the roll, meaning his minimum Effect can only be -2 if he rolls a 2: a normal failure.
By the way, pity the poor guy who tries a skill Untrained and who has an unusually low characteristic: the character with no Persuasion skill and Soc 5 (-1) suffers a -6 Effect if he rolls 6 or less!
It's a task-by-task thing, for the most part, though.
Except in specific circumstances (like aiming in combat), it's generally more a narrative thing - passing the test means you succeeded (obviously), but passing with an effect of 3 or more generally means you did so in style.
What that means depends on the nature of the test, but a GM who's seen the party scholar ace a sciences test to see if he knows a given fact with an effect +6 might rule that not only did he know the information straight off the top of his head (without spending 1-6 hours looking it up, or whatever), but that he knows this stuff by heart for some reason and as such give him more information than he was previously planning to...
...of course that doesn't necessarily make the adventure easier. What the scientific community accepts as reliable truth at any given time rarely stays so after contact with the sort of disconcerting weird thing you often encounter with traveller.
Except in specific circumstances (like aiming in combat), it's generally more a narrative thing - passing the test means you succeeded (obviously), but passing with an effect of 3 or more generally means you did so in style.
What that means depends on the nature of the test, but a GM who's seen the party scholar ace a sciences test to see if he knows a given fact with an effect +6 might rule that not only did he know the information straight off the top of his head (without spending 1-6 hours looking it up, or whatever), but that he knows this stuff by heart for some reason and as such give him more information than he was previously planning to...
...of course that doesn't necessarily make the adventure easier. What the scientific community accepts as reliable truth at any given time rarely stays so after contact with the sort of disconcerting weird thing you often encounter with traveller.
Not for me - it is a very substantive thing. From my read, of the examples, that is the intent.locarno24 said:
An exceptional success might mean not only did one unlock a door without setting off alarms - but disabled the entire facility alarm system.
An exceptional failure may mean that not only did one not repair a gun turret - but effectively destroyed it.
Marginal failure/success can be even more fun. One succeeded opening the door without setting off an alarm - till several minutes later when they are in a more precarious position or the door closed and jammed after entry. Marginal failure might mean one thinks the turret is working - and it does, till it needs to take out that incoming missile...
