When The Dice Totals 0D Or Less

[CRMcNeill]

I've always considered that, if a cumulative dice roll (once all bonuses and penalties are factored in) is 0D or less, it's an automatic failure, with no need to roll. However, an alternative recently occurred to me...

Rather than totaling the dice, bonuses and penalties together in a single roll, make two separate rolls - one for the base dice plus bonuses, and a separate roll for any penalties - then compare the results.

Say, for instance, that a character would normally make a particular dice roll at 6D, but the cumulative penalties total -8D. There's no way to roll -2D, so this would be an automatic failure. However. If you were to roll 6D, then roll 8D and subtract the result from the 6D's total, there's a chance for Wild Dice and RNGesus to come into play. The 6D could roll above average and the 8D could roll well below average, and suddenly what was an automatic failure now has succeeded, against the odds.

Thoughts?
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

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[garhkal]

It's a novel way, for sure.. Normally for me, if you get down to 0d (even if there are pips) due to penalties, there's no roll.. BUT next time i dm, i might give this a whirl.
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[Whill]

That throws off the probabilities inherent in the game system (because 0% is a probability). Penalties prevent actions by design. Like take MAPs. There is supposed to be a limit of how many actions you can do in a round because it is only 1-5 seconds. Since characters have skills and attributes of various abilities, MAPs will prevent some things from being attempted (when the skill would be penalized to 0D or below), but not others (for skills higher than the MAP that round). Letting everyone do things beyond their penalized skill dice codes will be a lot of extra actions being attempted that are likely to fail, but there will be those rarer times when they succeed on something when you normally wound't even get to attempt it (except for maybe Fate Point rounds).

To offset this and be a detriment for overuse, I feel it could be an option for players, but choosing to do it means that if the net result is a negative, not only is it a failure but something bad happens on top to worsen the situation compared to if they hadn't tried. I would say this has to be at least a bit worse than a wild die complication. Sometimes it really is better to not try to do something at all then to try and fail spectacularly. A positive result but under the difficulty would just be a normal failure.
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[garhkal]

I could MAYBE see allowing it, on only certiain heroic actions (NOT all combat in general), to maintain that issue of MAPS having a purpose...
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[MrNexx]

Of course, there's another option if the penalties have driven you that far down... spend a Force point.
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[Whill]

[MrNexx]

[Whill]

I have allowed "0D" rolls, which includes 0D+1 and 0D+2. The player rolls 1D:

6 - This 6 counts as a zero but it explodes and the subsequent roll(s) provide the die roll result. The roll still could fail or succeed depending on the difficulty.

2-5 - Zero, failure

1 - Failure + Complication
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[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[Whill]

[garhkal]

[Whill]

[CRMcNeill]

[MrNexx]