Zargon Goes Online

[chaoticprime]

Those mobs still present a challenge with staying power. They won't show up, unleash four damage, and then expire. They'll show up and deliver one point of damage to somebody each turn, for many turns. Using Pass/Fail, Mummies are terrific because they cannot be killed in one-shot. With Pass/Fail you will see unprecedented team-work and reckless bravery in equal shares. Heroes can sneak off alone and survive any mistakes they make to get back to their peers. Tough monsters can only be killed quickly with everyone working together. Also, Pass/Fail doesn't count for spell damage. Fire spells are now good because one of them can actually inflict 2 damage, which becomes hella good.

Pass/Fail has been my major home-rule of choice for a long time, and has worked through 40 or so quests I've ran using it.

[Teldurn]

Perhaps I'm not understanding your Pass/Fail mechanic correctly and you can explain it better for me. But, as I understand it, RAW combat is already a p/f mechanic. If you attack something and the defender rolls as many shields as you rolled skulls, you fail in your attack -- That's Rules As Written. Help me understand what I'm not getting, please.

[chaoticprime]

Damage, rules-as-written, has it so that BP damage is equal to the Difference (if any) between an attack roll and a defense roll.

Pass/Fail means that all attack rolls can only ever inflict 1 BP of damage (unless altered by potions/magic/etc), but only if there's a difference greater than zero after a resultant defense roll.

Old Way
Attack Result: 3 Skulls
Defense Result: 1 Black Shield
Result: Difference of 2 Body Points

Pass/Fail Way
Attack Result: 3 Skulls
Defense Result: 1 Black Shield
Result: Pass--attack was successful; monster takes 1 BP damage.

or

Attack Result: 1 Skull
Defend Result: 3 Black Shields
Result: Fail--attack missed; monster takes no damage.

The amount of dice rolled reflects only accuracy, not accuracy and damage both. You'll find that it prevents sudden upsets (like when a crossbowman one-shots a Gargoyle), makes battles slightly more tactical, and makes the Wizard a lot more dangerous. It also requires no written changes--most enemies only have one hit-point. It makes stronger enemies seem actually stronger. It also motivates players to hack apart 1 BP monsters first because they die quickly but are still capable of whittling away at a party if left alone.

[Sotiris]

I prefer the critical hits of the Old way dice and the hero's agony of "when is best to drink this potion, now or later?"
The "Pass/Fail way" sounds flat for my taste..i recognise that it adds more tactics but i can't enjoy it without suspense.

[knightkrawler]

The "Pass/Fail way" sounds flat for my taste..i recognise that it adds more tactics but i can't enjoy it without suspense.

I use it for weaponless combat. A weaponless hero attacks with 1 die mostly anyway, but the rule that a weaponless attack only ever results in 1 BP damage if at all applies to the usage of potions or spells, too. They just make "Pass" more likely, but not the degree thereof.

[chaoticprime]

I prefer the critical hits of the Old way dice and the hero's agony of "when is best to drink this potion, now or later?"
The "Pass/Fail way" sounds flat for my taste..i recognise that it adds more tactics but i can't enjoy it without suspense.

Have you played Pass/Fail to obtain this preference?

[Sotiris]

Have you played Pass/Fail to obtain this preference?

My experience is enough to take this preference.
I would use it only as a special rule for some Chaos Warriors in quests like "The Lost Wizard" or "The Warrior Halls" and for weaponless heroes, as kk said. Not permanently.

[chaoticprime]

Have you played Pass/Fail to obtain this preference?

My experience is enough to take this preference.
I would use it only as a special rule for some Chaos Warriors in quests like "The Lost Wizard" or "The Warrior Halls" and for weaponless heroes, as kk said. Not permanently.

The game doesn't feel that different, overall, using Pass/Fail. Although, most players tend to be more willing to draw treasure, and the Wizard player may try to actually join combat more often. Enemy spellcasters benefit a lot, because they can actually cast more than one spell before being killed. Men-at-arms are doubly effective, because they no longer die after getting hit by anything.

[Teldurn]

Damage, rules-as-written, has it so that BP damage is equal to the Difference (if any) between an attack roll and a defense roll.

Pass/Fail means that all attack rolls can only ever inflict 1 BP of damage (unless altered by potions/magic/etc), but only if there's a difference greater than zero after a resultant defense roll.

Old Way
Attack Result: 3 Skulls
Defense Result: 1 Black Shield
Result: Difference of 2 Body Points

Pass/Fail Way
Attack Result: 3 Skulls
Defense Result: 1 Black Shield
Result: Pass--attack was successful; monster takes 1 BP damage.

or

Attack Result: 1 Skull
Defend Result: 3 Black Shields
Result: Fail--attack missed; monster takes no damage.

The amount of dice rolled reflects only accuracy, not accuracy and damage both. You'll find that it prevents sudden upsets (like when a crossbowman one-shots a Gargoyle), makes battles slightly more tactical, and makes the Wizard a lot more dangerous. It also requires no written changes--most enemies only have one hit-point. It makes stronger enemies seem actually stronger. It also motivates players to hack apart 1 BP monsters first because they die quickly but are still capable of whittling away at a party if left alone.

Okay, yeah, that's kind of the gist I was getting originally but for some reason thought it was too subtle a modification that it seemed wrong to me. Thanks for clarifying.

[Jaws]

Roll20 is a very good site. I sometimes wish I was more of a social person, so I could play my games over the net like this.