When you create a character roll a seventh stat, Luck, on 3d6. Even if you use alternate methods for the main six leave Luck at 3d6 because it will change quite a bit. Luck provides an adjustment according to the following table:
| Luck stat | Adjustment |
|---|---|
| 4-5 | -2 |
| 6-8 | -1 |
| 9-12 | 0 |
| 13-15 | +1 |
| 16-17 | +2 |
| 18 | +3 |
Before each session each player rolls on the luck effect table. This determines what his luck adjustments affects for that session. I recommend making little fold down cards or clips for your DM screen so you don't forget when luck goes wrong.
| Percentile Roll | This session's luck effect |
|---|---|
| 01-10 | Add luck adjustment to all rolls to hit you |
| 11-20 | Add luck adjustment to all damage done to you |
| 21-30 | Add luck adjustment to all damage rolls |
| 31-40 | Add luck adjustment to all to reaction rolls |
| 41-50 | Add luck adjustment to all to hit rolls |
| 51-60 | Add luck adjustment to saves against poison/death ray |
| 61-70 | Add luck adjustment to monster moral |
| 71-80 | Add luck adjustment to saves against magic wand, magic spell, or magic staff |
| 81-90 | Add luck adjustment to saves against turn to stone, paralysis, or dragon breath |
| 91-00 | Add luck adjustment to hireling moral |
If you roll doubles on the luck adjustment roll to see if your fortune has changed:
| D10 Roll | Change in fortune |
|---|---|
| 1 | Reversal of fortune: New luck is equal to 21 minus your old luck |
| 2 | Falling fortune: New luck is equal to the average of you old luck and 3 rounded down |
| 3-4 | Waning fortune: New luck is equal to the average of you old luck and 10 rounded down |
| 5-6 | No change in fortune |
| 7-8 | Waxing fortune: New luck is equal to the average of you old luck and 12 rounded up |
| 9 | Fortune's favor: New luck is equal to the average of you old luck and 1 rounded up |
| 10 | Reversal of fortune: New luck is equal to 21 minus your old luck |
Find an old Fighting Fantasy book and see how they handle LUCK as well. :)
ReplyDeleteI added a Luck stat in 2e, though I just set it equal to Charisma rather than roll it (it's "how much the gods like you.") I didn't use it as above, I just used it for whenever anyone asked a question that chance would answer. Disarmed in the forest, the PC asks "Is there a branch big enough to use as a club around?" Luck. The PCs are milling around in a room and a trap goes off in half the room. Who is in the affected area? Luck rolls.
ReplyDeleteI've been thinking about a Luck stat, but hadn't figured out a way I'd like to do it. Good notes!
ReplyDeleteInteresting idea. I was considering treating luck kind of like hit points so that Pcs could spend the points, gain them back, get damaged by unluckiness attacks, etc. This is a good approach that you're developing as well. I'd like to hear more about how it works in a game sometime.
ReplyDelete