Minumum chance for skill increases?

[Cowboy]

Is there a minimum chance for experience checks?

I just now realize that, unless there is, once your skill hits 100%, you can only ever increase it by 1% at a time. I'm pretty sure SB5 has a minimum increase chance equal to the character's INT.

 

[RosenMcStern]

I think the fixed increase past 100% rule is intentional. Going up in a skill you have already mastered is more difficult than learning the basics.

In RQ3 the rule was just "Add your category modifier to the roll." It allowed a fair amount of increases past 100%, but prevented increases at all if your category modifier was negative. A master sorcerer with a 20+ magic skill modifier could raise his Sorcery spell skills very fast to 150% or more, as it happened in my second Safelster campaign. On the other hand, almost no Troll could go above 90% in Hide or Sneak because his high SIZ and POW score brought the Stealth modifier to -10 or -15. For this reason I would not recommend going back to the old modifiers.

 

[weasel_fierce]

No minimum chance as written.

If its something you feel strongly about, the way from Stormbringer 5 was that a roll higher than 100 minus INT is always an improvement, but Im not sure I'd use that.

 

[GoingDown]

In normal skill tests:

"Any test result of 01 to 05 is an automatic success.
Any test result of 96 to 00 is an automatic failure"

If this is taken to consideration, then I would say that rolls from 96 to 00 are successful experience checks. Or at least that is the way we are doing it.

 

[Sorn]

Characteristics always increase on a roll of 96-00, and I thought that applied to skills also, although now I see that is not stated anywhere. So I suppose if you are okay with a 1% increase past 100% leave it as written, otherwise you could have the 5% chance of an increase like characteristics do.

 

[gamesmeister]

In normal skill tests:

"Any test result of 01 to 05 is an automatic success.
Any test result of 96 to 00 is an automatic failure"

If this is taken to consideration, then I would say that rolls from 96 to 00 are successful experience checks. Or at least that is the way we are doing it.

That's also the way I'll do it as and when we get there

 

[RosenMcStern]

All of these suggestions are good. Houserules have less impact when applied to such issues as downtime, because the problem of playing differently at conventions are unlikely to manifest. Basically, if you want to give your players a higher chance to increase, do it.

 

[atgxtg]

All of these suggestions are good. Houserules have less impact when applied to such issues as downtime, because the problem of playing differently at conventions are unlikely to manifest. Basically, if you want to give your players a higher chance to increase, do it.

Plus a difference of 4% isn't going to be that radical a change. Even in the long run, it would take awhile for it to make a significant difference.

 

[Cowboy]

Characteristics always increase on a roll of 96-00, and I thought that applied to skills also, although now I see that is not stated anywhere. So I suppose if you are okay with a 1% increase past 100% leave it as written, otherwise you could have the 5% chance of an increase like characteristics do.

Also, since there's a minimum chance for increasing characteristics, once you hit 100, you're better off trying to increase the characteristic the skill's based on since, if you succeed, you'll get another 1% to all skills based on that characteristic and if you don't, you can still increase your skill by 1%.

I think I may be inclined to either go the SB5 route or let players add their Characteristic to the d100 roll (and keep 96-100 an automatic success). That way you max out at 100+Characteristic instead of at 100.

 

[atgxtg]

Also, since there's a minimum chance for increasing characteristics, once you hit 100, you're better off trying to increase the characteristic the skill's based on since, if you succeed, you'll get another 1% to all skills based on that characteristic and if you don't, you can still increase your skill by 1%.

I don't think it works that way in MRQ. It looks like once you have raised a skill above the base chance, attribute scores don't figure in anymore. So raising DEX after you got your sword up to 100% doesn't raise your skill to 101%.

 

[Rurik]

From P. 97 of the RQ Core under Improving Adventurers (not sure of the Deluxe page number):

When a Characteristic increases, all skills that derive
their base scores from it will change accordingly, as will
the character’s Attributes such as Combat Actions, Strike
Ranks and Damage Modifier.