The idea of predators is the place where Army Ants as a
concept diverges markedly from a traditional military RPG. There are big
monsters in the natural world that want to eat you!
Rather than having the dice continue to scale beyond D20
(which I’m not a big fan of), this is going to be much simpler:
- A Large creature (considerably larger than the ants and
their ilk) adds another die of the same type when rolling damage and hits. Such
a creature is considered 5 levels higher than its level would be otherwise. A
Large creature takes +1 to all Feat rolls beyond its actual level.
- A Huge creature (far beyond the scale of an ant) adds two
dice of the same type when rolling damage and hits. Such a creature is
considered 10 levels higher than its level would be otherwise. A Huge creature
takes +2 to all Feat rolls beyond its actual level.
This means that a chameleon (as a for instance) might have
Body D12. A standard chameleon rolls D12 for its hits and for its melee damage;
a Large chameleon rolls 2D12 for its hits and melee damage; a Huge chameleon
rolls 3D12 for its hits and damage. This keeps the resistant rolls from scaling
beyond the ants’ abilities to hit or deal damage. You use the same fundamental
build for creatures of different scales… Here’s a work through for a Chameleon:
Chameleon (43 CPs, Level 7)
Body D12; Prowess D10; Spirit D10
Bite +5; Melee +4; Stealth +4
A small chameleon has an average of 46 hits; it rolls D12+5
for bite damage; it has a Feat bonus of +4; it is considered Level 7.
A large chameleon has an average of 91 hits; it rolls 2D12+5
for bite damage; it has a Feat bonus of +5; it is considered Level 12.
A huge chameleon has an average of 137 hits; it rolls 3D12+5
for bite damage; it has a Feat bonus of +6; it is considered Level 17.
FYI, this is the new structure for determining levels based
on CP totals:
0 to 3 CPs = level 0
4 to 9 CPs = level 1
10 to 15 CPs = level 2
16 to 21 CPs = level 3
22 to 27 CPs = level 4
28 to 33 CPs = level 5
34 to 39 CPs = level 6
40 to 45 CPs = level 7
46 to 51 CPs = level 8
52 to 57 CPs = level 9
58 to 63 CPs = level 10
64 to 69 CPs = level 11
70 to 75 CPs = level 12
I am not really partial to the use of the d20 in the system at all, and I think that the dice used should be capped at the d12. This keeps the values generated by rolls generally in the same ballpark, and relatively low which should keep the pace of the game fast and streamlined. Yes, I know that's all simple addition, but some people struggle with even basic math more than others and I feel that lower result values will aid in keeping the game fast and lite.
ReplyDeleteOK, that being said, I really like the Feat bonus idea instead of scaling the die larger. My only concern with this approach is the power of exploding dice again. Under this approach, would the extra feat dice explode as well?
Clearly, this would make large creatures in the system extremely deadly and difficult to defeat. If a huge chameleon is rolling 3d12 on its bite damage, then that means that all three dice have the possibility of exploding which can lead to a massive bite damage value.
If this is the intent behind these type of creatures in the system, then this approach is excellent. It means that Ants should really, really avoid these creature and only engage them in combat only when absolutely necessary.
Tangent thought on the dice used in the game system...
I think that the dice used in the system should be limited to the standard d4, d6, d8, d10, and d12. I think I remember reading in the play-test PDF that other dice like d16 and such could be a possibility in the system, but I feel that this will distract from the game since players will have to use non-standard dice and/or rolls to generate these dice. I think that it can become a distracting factor at the game table and slow down the flow of game-play.
Also, sticking to the lower dice also will keep most dice roll results lower and in a tighter grouping rather than have dice scale above a d12. This, in turn as discussed above, will keep the math relatively easier to work out which will also keep the pace of the game fast and lite.
Anyway, just my two copper pieces and should be taken with a grain of salt! :)