TWTW 3.0 Brainstorm

This is for development of the task resolution for the 3.0 revision of TWTW. The goal is to keep as much of the underlying nuts and bolts familiar to the old rules, so we do not need to completely rewrite everything.

Core Mechanic

Tasks are resolved by rolling a number of dice equal to the level of the appropriate skill. The standard dice are d8. Dice can be upgraded to d10 or downgraded to d6 by various means. Unskilled checks are made with a single d6.

There are three difficulty levels: standard (5), challenging (6) and difficult (7). Easy tasks will be discussed later. The number in parentheses is the TN for the given difficulty level.

Easy tasks are handled slightly differently. If the Judge declares a task to be easy, the player has two options. They can choose to automatically succeed, with all effects and random results considered to be normal. Alternatively, they can roll it as a standard difficulty. Characters can perform a number of easy tasks during an action as they have dice in the given pool (as long as the AP are available, of course).

When checking for success, the die with the highest number on its face is the Primary die, all of the other dice are secondary. If multiple dice have the same number, choose one to be Primary.

• One idea discussed was the notion of a character's trait level somehow influencing the dice pool when a check is made and/or how bumps are calculated. One idea was that for a higher-ranked trait, the first bump might only require 1 over the TN, and/or a higher trait might upgrade one or more dice in the pool to a d10, and lower traits could do the opposite, i.e., require 3 over the TN for the first bump and/or downgrade one or more dice in the pool to a d6

Exploding Dice

Dice rolls are open ended, but no more than one die in a given pool may explode. Dice which have an 8+ showing on their face will explode if the number on the Heroic die is equal to or greater than the explosion threshold.

• Another idea discussed was having an "explosion threshold," where dice might explode on some result other than the highest result (rolling an 8 on a d8; a lower explosion threshold might allow a die to explode on, say, a 7 or an 8)

Heroic Dice

Each dice pool will include a single heroic die along with the other dice that are normally chosen. The Heroic die is a d8, unless modified by another ability.

Functions of the Heroic die: Determine if exceptional results are possible. Trigger special abilities. Limit abilities (if the Heroic die is a 1, no abilities can be activated).

• The Heroic die type might be standardized, or might be the subject of perks or archetype or determined by some other as yet to be determined method

Upgrading and Downgrading Dice

Some traits and abilities can modify the dice in the pool. When multiple dice affecting abilities are active, perform all downgrades first, then perform the upgrades. Each individual die can only be upgraded once. Dice cannot be downgraded further than d6.

Bumps

Each +2 over the TN that is generated provides a bump. If the bump is not spent on the given action, it is immediately converted to an ability chip. No more than one bump per die can be converted into ability chips.

Should dice that are not used still generate ability chips? For example, if I have a 3 skill and am attempting an easy task, if I roll 3 7s, do I generate 1 bump and 2 ability chips? This might be a way to make people still excited about big rolls even when the other stuff is relatively normal. Maybe the ability chips on secondary dice have to be used on this action? Not sure if that is too restrictive.

I probably saved too soon. I think what it should be is this. Bumps generate one effect die to be added to the standard effect each, and those on secondary dice still count. So in the above example, they would roll 3 extra effect dice, or convert the one bump to an ability chip and roll two extra effect dice.

From our email conversation: The primary die can convert any number of bumps to ability chips. Secondary dice can only provide bumps. Archetype skills count all dice as primary dice for the purposes of this rule.

Ability Chips

Each character has a number of abilities that they can choose from a list. This is based on archetype. Characters without archetype choose from a general list. These abilities are activated by spending ability chips.

Abilities can have a wide range of effects, but no matter how powerful the ability, no type of failure can ever be turned into success. Catastrophic failure and malfunction may be turned into standard failure, however. No dice can ever be rerolled.

• Additional abilities can be purchased with experience
• Lowering the activation cost of abilities might also be something characters can spend experience on (idea: this might be an excellent way to separate powerful characters from less powerful ones; if the activation cost is initially relatively high, characters will not be able to use these abilities very often, where characters with lots of experience devoted to their abilities could use them much more frequently and reliably)
• Idea: In WH, characters are free to use any ability they have and place recharge tokens on it, which are removed each round. This keeps a character from spamming the same special action repeatedly. This system shows more of a "build up" rather than "countdown" mechanic. What if there are other methods to earn ability chips? You had mentioned it might vary by power level or genre (supers might have a ton of ability chips to charge their "powers"). What if a character could earn an ability chip by spending a set number of AP (like half) or making an ability check?

Effects

Most actions and equipment have standard effect numbers. Weapons also have reduced effect (damage). The effect number is no longer a set of dice to be rolled, but instead is a standard amount of effect that is done. The Heroic die and character abilities can trigger circumstances when extra effect is rolled.

Equipment

Weapons will have a die type as well as an effect number. The die type associated is what is rolled when extra damage is generated. For example, the Peacemaker looks like this:

Colt Peacemaker (6) D 11 RD 5

Normal damage is 11, and d6s are rolled when extra effect is generated.

Traits

Traits will be ranked from 0-4, with 1 being average (starting value). The Trait value is used to determine the explosion threshold (8-(Trait value)).

Each Trait will have a list of special abilities associated. Players can choose a number of those special abilities equal to the Trait level. Trait abilities include extra AP, dice upgrades, increased standard effect and other things yet to be determined.

Initiative

Initiative is rolled just like a standard check. Each character adds all of their successes and bumps from Primary and secondary dice. This is their initiative number. The initiative number is added to their total AP to determine where they start on the time track. The Judge counts down numbers on the track until a character goes. They then subtract the AP for the action and reset them self on the time track.

If two characters ever go at the same time, ties are broken by initiative number. If they are still tied, the events are simultaneous. Some equipment may also have tie breaking abilities.