Wednesday 1 October 2014

Dice Statistics

Why Statistics matter

‘Dice: Deception, Fate & Rotten Luck’ by Ricky Jay

Most roleplaying games are played with dice, which job is to generate a random number; these random numbers represent chance, which – without initiating a philosophical discussion – is that part of life we can’t do anything about. These numbers are further modified by our skills in the different tasks are most honoured and revered Dungeon Master / Hackmaster / Game Master – the names of this esteemed individual are many, and all rightfully said with the utmost respect when uttering this magnificent individual’s title and name – sees fit to give us, the players. Now, any Dungeon Master worth his salt would cast the evil eye upon any player trying to make decisions on, say, which weapon to choose, based on the arithmetical data provided in the books, rather than making this decision based on the colourful, vivid description given by his or her highly respectable person. This is where I, a Dungeon Master and Hackmaster, provide you with the exact knowledge you – the player – need to figure out everything you need to know to make just such choices (all the more to your Dungeon Master’s distress).

Why would you do such a thing?, you’d might ask. Well, the more you know, the better you can play; the more you understand the mechanics of the game, the better you can have informed discussions with your game’s esteemed leader, when you want to contribute and make the game even better for everyone. And, of course, all such discussions are done during breaks or between sessions. Metagaming is disrespectful to players and Dungeon Master alike, who are trying to create a mood and feel for the story everyone are participating in, and should be avoided at all costs.

For your convenience, at the end of this article, I will provide you with a link to a pdf document showing the formulae and numbers for some normal die pools. The document may be shared freely, as long as it is done so in it’s entirety. Should you quote me, feel free to let me know.

Nomenclature and the mechanics of different die rolls

Let’s get things straight right away. The correct way to name these polyhedra we love to hate, is one die, many dice. If you are interested in learning everything you need and do not need to know about dice, take a look at this excellent document by Kenzer and Company, called On Dice. It discusses nomenclature, dice etiquette, the nature of dice (they are inherently evil, you know), how to choose which dice to purchase, what to do when good dice go bad, how to roll dice, and so on. Take a look at it; it’s a good read.

Shorthand for writing what kind of dice a player should roll, is quite simple: m dice, d, of n sides each, for example 2d6, means that a player should roll two six-sided dice and add the numbers. In many games, however, exploding dice are used. This means you get to keep rerolling the die as long as you get the maximum number, adding all together. In this article, i will denote this dice as mdnx, for example 3d6x. Using the above example, rolling 3, 6 and 5 on these three dice, and getting the series 6, 6, 6, 6, 4 on the mid die (= 28 – you get the full sum) would yield a total of 36. Now that is painful.

In Hackmaster, most die rolls are so-called penetrating dice. These are a special case of exploding dice, and are denoted by adding a p at the end, which means that a player should keep rolling as long as the player gets the die’s maximum, but deduct one for every roll past the first. An example notation would be 3d6p; if the player rolls these three six-sided dice, and got the same numbers as above (3, 6 and 5) on these three dice, and got the same series of numbers with the mid die as above (6, 6, 6, 6, 4), he would get the following result:

  • Die 1: 3. Total: 3
  • Die 2: 6 → penetrating roll, the whole series of rolls being 6, 6, 6, 6, 4) → resulting sum of this die is 6 + (6 − 1) + (6 − 1) + (6 − 1) + (4 − 1) = 6 + 5 + 5 + 5 + 3 = 24.
  • Die 3: 5
  • Result: 32.
It is perhaps not as painful as with the regular exploding die, but three six-sided dice yielding 32 damage still hurts like hell.

Blood Dice

The different die rolls

Regular die rolls, dn,
rolls with a regular die, where n is the number of sides of the die

Everyone probably already know the basic formula for calculating the expected result of a standard die roll. If your die has n, numbered 1 through n, your expected result will be (n + 1) ÷ 2. For a six-sided die (from now on: d6), this yields the following:
(n + 1) ÷ 2 =
(6 + 1) ÷ 2 =
7 ÷ 2 = 3½
But, wait a minute? Half of 6 is 3, isn’t it? Yes, of course, but half of a d6 is not the same. Just take a look at the numbers a d6 can yield: 1, 2, 3 [halfpoint] 4, 5, 6 As you can see, there are three numbers to the left of half-point, and three numbers to the right. What’s midway between 3 and 4? The number 3½ of course. To find the average for any regular n-sided die, add 1 to n and divide the sum by two.

Exploding die rolls, dnx,
where you get to keep rolling and add the numbers, for as long as you roll the maximum

Eric T. Dobbs wrote a great article about these dice a couple of years ago, in which he shows how he came to a formula correctly giving the expected result for an n-sided exploding die. Here’s his conclusion:

For any N-sided die numbered 1 to N with all sides equally likely, the exploding modifier will increase the die’s expected value by a factor of N ÷ (N − 1).

In other words, you get the following formula: ((n + 1) ÷ 2) × (n ÷ (n − 1))
(Eric Dobb’s)
which may be shortened to
(n² + n) ÷ (2n − 2)
(by me (any mistakes are mine))
Penetrating die rolls, dnp,
where you get to keep rolling and add the numbers, for as long as you roll the maximum, but deduct 1 on every roll after the first

Surprisingly, the formula for figuring out the expected value for a penetrating die roll, is incredibly simple. Now, Mr Dobbs didn’t have the time to do it mathematically, so he did some number crunching instead, and ended up with this:

½n + 1

It’s quite beautiful in it’s simplicity, isn’t it? With this simple formula, anyone can do the math in their heads.

The special case of the thief’s backstab ability in Hackmaster

In the game Hackmaster, a thief may make a backstab if using a knife or dagger. This allows him to make damage amounting to 2d4p, but his or her dice penetrate on the maximum and second highest number. This surprisingly makes the backstab attack preferable to wielding larger weapons. A thief’s backstab is in fact better than weapons that do d12p damage, and matches weapons that do 2d6p or 2d12p+1 damage. The formula for calculating a thief’s special backstab damage, is as follows, again with courtesy of Mr Dobbs:

(n² + n − 4) ÷ (2n − 4)

Expected damage with the puny dagger is in fact 8 full points of damage; that’ just average damage…

How to abu… use this power

Finally you can figure out how to do the most damage, as effectively as possible and with mathematical precision! Are you better off going for the 1d12 og 2d6 damage weapon? Should the Hackmaster thief opt for the simple dagger, or put his wagers on something more stalwart, such as a sword? I hope the formulae provided will be benefitial in your search for the best weapons and tactics. I did the calculations, so any errors are mine. I also did the shortening of ((n + 1) ÷ 2) × ( n ÷ (n − 1)) to (n² + n) ÷ (2n − 2); if anything was wrong in how that was done, the error is mine. And here is the document i promised: Terningstatistikk – Dice Statistics

This article simultanously posted on Canned Blog.

Mr. K.

Wednesday 17 September 2014

Mediaeval Roleplaying: Your Social Standing

For this short post, I’ll mostly quote an email I recently sent to my players. For translations of the Latin bits, simply hover over the text with your mouse pointer.

Skattekiste
The treasure coveted by all players, but which always is just a bit too far away.

Lūsōribus lūstricibusque optimīs fēlīcissimīs lētālissimīs, ​dominus excarnificandī​ salūtem plūrimam dicit.

A fancy greeting is the best way to make sure one will plummet head first and with style, right?

So I found a new interesting chapter in the Game Master’s Guide, and I thought I should share a bit of the information with you. I expect you were just as ill-informed as I was, when first picking up Hackmaster, but after a few sessions, chances are you are all slowly realising that you really are – with a couple of crazy exceptions that look like godesses – run-of-the-mill people with few options to improve your lives, and even less of a chance to succeed should you choose to try; most people, they don’t try.

This is where you stand out: You have decided to try. And even though you still are – as most people – the degenerates of society (or so any nobleman with honour to hold on to would claim), not even worth as much as you are able to pay in taxes (because, let’s face it, your offspring can take care of that), you have started to show that you could – just maybe – be able to cut out a place for yourself in this world. You have reached the peak of your social class, and that’s not something to be trifled with. I quote:

The Social Classes are as follows:

Slaves – They’re slaves. Or indentured servants, which is a nice way of saying the same thing. Lower Lower Class – the lowest of the low. The dregs of society: drunks, degenerates, hobos, thieves, and escaped or ex-convicts/slaves.

Middle Lower Class – barely scraping by on subsistence level living. Working the worst jobs for the worst pay. Often tied to a noble’s lands. This is the vast majority of people in the Kingdoms of Kalamar: men-at-arms, peasants, latrine diggers, etc.

Upper Lower Class – no lands and barely any property, but free men. Some small amount of pocket money (most player characters fall into this category) as do slightly better thieves and criminals.

Happy hacking!

Y​ours in hacking​,
Tor-Ivar Krogsæter
​dominus excarnificandī

부사범 크록새테르 투르이바르 삼 단

​​Virī virtūtis spem nōn dēdunt.

As you might have understood, this is not from our old-time favourite Dungeons & Dragons, but rather from a quite different game, developed by Kenzer & Company, called Hackmaster. I was tipped about this game when asking for tips on better ways to handle injury and healing in the group Game Master Tips on Google+, and wrote a lengthy post about this in Norwegian not long after. A series of posts on what the game Hackmaster is is planned, and I hope you will check back for these later.

So what implications does the above have for your game? As a dungeon master / game master / hackmaster / storteller or whatever you might call yourself, it is your job to create a believable world for the players. One important tool at your disposal, is actual lived history. What were the living conditions for most people? What about those slightly wealthier business owners, not to mention those powerful minor and major lords the player characters hopefully will get in contact with? A game like Dungeons & Dragons starts by giving the poorest of players, i.e. the monk starting capital worth more than ⅓ what an average unskilled labourer’ yearly wage. Starting out with that kind of ready cash when you are well off with just buying a wine skin and a backpack (the monk is an unarmed fighting specialist, after all, so what else would he need?), means a D&D character clearly starts off at least as upper lower class, if not higher.

So my tip of the month is fairly simple: Figure out what kind of people your player characters are, and try to describe the world they live in based on this. It will greatly improve their understanding of their place in the world, and –what’s more – will make it far easier for you as the dungeon master to convince your players of the realism of the world you are describing, which in turn will make the fantastic element just that: fantastic.

Mr. K.

Friday 6 December 2013

RPG Shop Spotlight December

RPG Shop Spotlight: December 2013

www.WorldWorksGames.com

Shop:
WorldWorksGames
Type:
Online store
Goods sold:
3D tabletop terrain, accessories and models.
Store location:
Online only
International shipping:
Yes, also Direct Download
First Impressions:

When I first found this page some years ago I was drawn in by how good everything looks. I have seen a lot of 3d models for cut and glue purposes. Theirs are, by far, the best looking ones I have found. The home page show off their most popular items with good and exiting imaging. They have a big area at top where they show off the featured items this week/month. Each product page have good pictures of the models as a whole, in play and as their individual parts.

Stock:

In their stock they have a wide array of models and terrains. They are easily interchangeable and easy to mod to your own purposes. In addition they sell ready made terrain packages so you don't have to do all the cutting and gluing yourself. One day I want to buy some of those packages. I specially like the Feisty Friar Inn they have. I bought it as a pdf and have been cutting and gluing my heart out so I can use it in the big adventure I have planned for Mr. K.

They have models for a wide array of games too. You want something modern? Got it. Something western? Got that too. Want to play among the stars? Check out their Sci-Fi models. More interested in the fantasy worlds? Go right ahead, there is lots to choose from. Horror game you say? Got that too. They even have some that are universal. They also have adventures, game aids and fan kit-bashes. Loads to choose from, so go take a look!

Verdict:

Thumbs up, arms in the air, doing cheers! I absolutely love Worldworksgames! I have bought many of their direct download tabletop terrains and have made most of them (pr have them in the making).

Mr.K Approval?

Mr. K is very pleased by the table top terrain and models I have made for decoration/use in games. He also agrees that WWG's models are by far the best looking ones. Thumbs up from MR. K.

Tuesday 22 October 2013

*The sound of chirping*


I promised a post a little while back, and then I went AWOL. All I have to say is: I'm sorry. Stuff has been happening, life has flown by in a hurry and it's well past midnight... again. Mr. K and me have been up to so much these past weeks that I have barely been able to catch a breath, and It's not over yet.

The K's are singers on the side and we are a part of a concert this weekend. Which meant that we have visitors. Mr. K's parents to be exact, and there is nothing more terrifying than a visit from the mother-in-law. So Mrs. K have been doing a lot of cleaning. And on top of that, tomorrow is Mr. K's birthday. Phew!

So: I hereby promise to write and schedule at least 5 blog posts on Monday next week. If I go AWOL again you are hereby given permission to call me on my shit.

Until next week
Mrs. K

Friday 4 October 2013

The long lost adventurer

I have been gone for a while now. Since June I have been doing lots of field work, until the start of September. Then it was straight back the office and my masters. So the last few weeks I have been very busy with my writing and keeping up with Mr. K, who has taken a short break from his role as the DM of our group. And such, we have not done any gaming since I was at field work.

It has been bothering me lately how little time I really spend on the blog, so I finished some of the many plans I have had and started planning my blogging a bit more. I have decided to have some weekly and monthly posts to share with you. The following are the ones I have planned, so cross you toes and hold your nose.

Tool Tip Tuesdays
Every Tuesday, barring disaster or illness, I will write about one of the many tools out there for players and Dungeon Masters like.
RPG Shop Spotlight
The first Friday of the month I will do a little piece on an online store that sell RPG gear and gadgets.
Rules and Regulation Fridays
Every Friday but the first of the month, I will write a post about a set of rules, how they work and how they can be implemented in the game (if they are not already).

So there you have it. I will do this Friday's shop spotlight tomorrow since it is getting quite late here and I spent all day doing sensible, boring stuff.

You will hear from me again in the near future.

Mrs. K

RPG Shop Spotlight November

RPG Shop Spotlight: October 2013

www.RPGshop.com

Shop:
RPG Shop
Type:
Online store
Goods sold:
RPG equipment, accessories, games and gadgets.
Store location:
Milwaukee, WI, USA
International shipping:
Yes
First Impressions:

When you do a google search for rpg shops, this is the one that pops up first under the address rpglife.com. The link then leads you to this page. At first glance I was a bit sceptical, but the layout grew on me in record speed. The main page lets you quickly get a view of the range of items they sell and also gives you an idea of what items are on sale now.

Stock:

The first thing I did, ofcourse, was to look at the Dungeons & Dragons 3.5 section in their menu to check if they had a good selection. Since the 3.5 edition books are out of print now, I am always happy to see someone that sell them still. Rpgshop.com is one of the few places I have seen the new prints AND some old ones. They also have some 3rd edition books still. I was also thrilled by the selection of miniatures they had. I found something for almost all my characters and NPCs. Absolutely grand if you ask me. Another thing they have a good selection of is the Game Mastery stuff that Mr. K loves so much. We have ordered some maps and cards through the local student geek shop, but it is great to find a good webshop where we can order a large variety of items from. From what I see they have a generally good selection in everything from A to Z of things you would need for you game, that you could find in a games shop.

Verdict:

Thumbs up! I like this online shop. The next time I have some money set aside for RPG stuff I will most likely spend them here.

Mr.K Approval?

Absolutely! His exact words were

"They have a good selection, the prices are nice and in addition they have lots of extra stuff, so those with toddlers can buy their little monsters a gift. Nerds are people too, and we have to get the opportunity to give the little nerdlings stuffed animals and such."

Saturday 3 August 2013

PC Archives: File 001 - Mmimas Nasnan.

Basic Information

Name
Mmimas Nasnan (Mmisomerenkcor-thadarazstri-zaturisve-kyrnivur-lorsvenialisciennith-rolvisient) "Aesthyr yth maurgn onureth ir vaerin vorel sjach thurkear" Liljason
Alias/Short Name
Mmimas Nasnan or Mmisomerenkcor when in dragon shape.
Race
"Tarlven"
Gender
Female
Alignment
Chaotic Neutral/True Neutral
Religion
Nature
Handedness
Right
Age
122
Birthdate
16th of Uktar (The Rotting), The year of the Swimming Lass (1160)
Looks
Size
Small
Height
4'3"
Weight
105 lbs
Hair
Silver (metallic at the roots) graded evenly to raven black at the ends. Reaches down to her knees. She keeps it in a thick braid down her back most of the time. When in finer company she always dresses it in the most recent fashions.
Eyes
Black with silver striations and a metallic tint. When she is using magic her eyes shines almost silver, and when she is really angry they go all black with a silver core.
Skin
Fair with a light tan from days outside. Has a slight metallic tint in moonlight.
Markers and physical description

She has a wingspan of 4 feet and her wings are made for quick movement and manoeuvrability, shaped like those of a hawk of a swallow. The placement of the muscles and her training lets her rotate the wings the same way a hummingbird can, and she can thus hover and stand still in the air. Her wings are also silver tinted with the feathers mostly black black in colour, but with silver colouring the first few inches. Her features are regal and looks elven. She has a straight, slightly snubbed, nose and full lips. She is extremely beautiful. She has a big scar going straight across her stomach. This scar shows as a white line when shape-shifted. The metallic tint in her eyes, hair and skin comes from her silver dragon lineage which has manifested stronger in her than in any of her ancestors since Mmondas' first children (about Mmondas: see lineage).

Racial description

The Tarlven are like small elves with wings with a wingspan of 3 to 4 feet. They stand about 4'5" to 5' tall and a slender. Their regal stature and the wings make them appear "good" to most normal people. They prefer to live in hard-to-access, high places, like on the top of a mesa og mountain. They are all trained in druidic and ranger-y skills from childhood and have a close connection to nature. (I can no longer find the internet resource that I used to create Mmimas)

Clothing

Whenever Mmimas is in a situation that could warrant wearing armor, she wear her "Charis Tobor". This armor one she made herself and is made of red dragon hide. There are small runes all over in blue, red, green, gold and white. On the shoulders are two skulls that emenates a black smoke when the magic they cast are used. On the chest is the image of a tree. On top of the armor she always wears a black cloak with a gold trim around the bottom edge and a big hood that she always keeps on when in new places and amongst people she doesn't trust. She also wears a head covering to hide the distinct coloration of her hair. Her wings she keeps tucked in and fastened with a special harness to make then as invisible as possible. They make her look wide-shouldered when hidden under the cloak. Around her neck hangs a periapt of Wisdom and a chain with her family crest signet ring, and on her fingers are 4 rings: her wedding ring, her personal crest signet ring, her heirloom dragonclaw ring and a Ring of Protection. On her fore arms are a set of red dragon hide bracers and on her feet are a set of soft-soled shoes that she takes off when walking in the forest.

When she is not wearing armor she is wearing one of many sets of clothing. Her favourite is a blue gown with a silver underdress, both made of soft, finely woven wool. With the gown she wears a blue and silver veil and her Dutchess coronet if she is in noble company. She also has a pair of finely decorated shoes with soft soles and a pair of gloves. When she wears this gown she has her wings out or covered by the cloak. She also has a simpler dress with the same accessories as any commoner would have.

Background and Personality

Lineage

The Nasnan family line can be traced back 9 generations to the first Tarlven that set foot on the new homelands. Five generations earlier, Mmondas the fair fell in love with, and had a child with, a silver dragon. Their daughter lived longer and her legacy was the dragon blood and longevity that flows through Mmimas today. The metallic tint in her eyes, hair and skin comes from her silver dragon lineage which has manifested stronger in her than in any of her ancestors since Mmondas' first children. She is expected to live to an age of ca. 2000 years if she dies of old age because of the longevity that comes with the dragon blood combined with her tarlven blood.

Of her family there are now only a few left. In these lands there are only Mmimas and her brother Ssulian left after the tyrant Ssurg killed all the others. This has caused the two of them to become the last two heirs to the throne of Sølvfjell, the city of Tarlven in the Silver Mountains. Mmimas is married to Henk Liljason, a half orc. They have no children together. She is also engaged to be married to the King of Rocharan'ore. On top of that, she has 3 children. The 2 first, the twins Aurix and Orn, are sired by the gold dragon Lhorgosaliavanimas. The last one was sired by the elven quartermaster on the ship Kystens Sverd (who just happens to also be a duke).

Attitude

She is a fierce friend and even fiercer enemy. She gives no quarters when in combat or if threatened, but show mercy when she feels it is fitting. She strives for true balance so sometimes she finds that an evil is needed to keep the balance and may go the opposite way than you might expect her to. She always hides her wings when in public (in areas where she is not comfortable, or when she wants privacy ... which she does most of the time). She has a harness that she uses to tie her wings to her back that can be loosened within seconds, and she wears a big black cloak with elegant markings on it. She covers her unusually colored hair with a cloth and a hood and only remove it at home, at night and when dressing up. She is of a royal bloodline and was raised at the palace so she was taught proper etiquette and behavior. When it comes to her family she is loving and caring and spends most of her time, when not in some kind of danger, with them. She falls in love easily, and since she comes from a matriarcial sosciety where it was accepted, and common, to have many spouses, she sees no wrong in this.

Stats

Level: 18
Ability Scores
STR: 14 (+2)   HP 172   BAB +15/+10/+5
DEX: 19 (+4)   Vitality / Wounds 172 / 18   Bull Rush -2
CON: 18 (+4)   Disarm +17
INT: 18 (+4)   Fortitude +16 Grapple +13
WIS: 22 (+6)   Reflex +13 Overrun -2
CHA: 15 (+2)   Will +18 Sunder +17
APP: 16 (+3)   Trip -2
Class
  • Druid: lvl 11
  • Shifter: lvl 7

Attack Data

  • Melee: +18/+13/+8
  • Ranged: ++20/+15+10
Weapons:
Weapons Att. Bonus Damage Critical
Masterwork Sickle: +15/+10+5 1d4+2 18-20/x2
Masterwork Ghost-touch Rapier: +19/+14/+9 1d4+2 18-20/x2
Masterwork Mighty Composite Longbow +1: +21/+16/+11 1d6 20/x3
Skills
Skill Bonus   Skill Bonus   Skill Bonus
Appraise +4   Handle Animal +19   Profession: Herbalist +8
Balance +6   Heal +5   Ride +4
Bluff +2   Hide +4   Search +13
Climb +6   Intimidate +2   Sense Motive +5
Concentrate +13   Jump +4   Spellcraft +4
Craft: Armor +6   Knowledge: Arcana +15   Spot +14
Craft: Weapons +6   Knowledge: Nature +12   Survival +16
Diplomacy +4   Knowledge: Nobility +6   Swim +8
Disguise +2   Listen +14   Tumble +10
Escape Artist +4   Move Silently +8   Use Rope +4
Forgery +4  

Perform: Song

+6   Perform Sexual Techniques +4
Gather Information +2   Perform: Dance +8      
Feats
  • Two Weapon Fighting
  • Craft Magic Arms and Armor
  • Craft Wondrous Item
  • Extra Wildshape
  • Natural Spell
  • Dragon Craft
  • Bonus from GM: Pleasing Physique
  • Bonus from GM: Seductive
Class Features
  • Animal Companion
  • Nature Sense
  • Wild Empathy
  • Woodland Stride
  • Trackless Step
  • Resist Natures Lure
  • Wild Shape 4/day
  • Greater Wild Shape 7/day
    • Shape Type
    • Animal
    • Beast
    • Giant
    • Humanoid
    • Magical Beast
    • Monstrous Humanoid
    • Plant
    • Vermin
    • Aberation
    • Ooze
    • Dragon
      Shape Size
    • Diminutive
    • Tiny
    • Small
    • Medium
    • Large
    • Huge
  • Supernatural Ease
  • Venom Immunity
  • Infusion
Race Traits
  • Improved Flight
  • Track
  • Knowledge Arcana +5
  • Immune to sleep effects and spells
  • Perception +2
  • Keen Senses
Spoken Languages
  • Common
  • Druidic
  • Elven
  • Undercommon
  • Auran
  • Tarlven
  • Draconic
  • Abyssal
  • Sylvan
  • Orcish