Poll: Secret Roller

Locked

Do you want to implement the Secret Roller Setting Rule?

Yes
2
67%
No
0
No votes
Maybe (explain below)
1
33%
 
Total votes: 3

User avatar
Koshnek
Diamond Patron
Diamond Patron
Posts: 427
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:43 pm

Poll: Secret Roller

Post by Koshnek »

It’s not quite Savage Worlds, but I’d like to introduce a Setting Rule, but only if y’all agree to it.

Secret Roller: There may be times when the GM wishes to make a roll on behalf of the player. If he does so, he’ll take into account all applicable Specializations, Augmentations, gear, Edges, Hindrances and any other possible modifiers that character has. The roll will be made as usual for a wild card (Trait + Wild Die).

The player will be notified when this is the GM’s intent, and the player will be told whether or not the roll was a success or a failure (but not to what degree). The player will not be told why the roll was made or which trait was rolled.

The Player can then decide whether to keep what was rolled or choose to make their own roll. If the player keeps the GM’s roll, they will receive a Benny.

An example: Black Swan has been chatting away with various contacts whilst networking. She finds herself in a bad part of town chasing down leads. (This is the end of what the player knows)

Unbeknownst to her, a biohorror she recently failed to kill is quite upset that it nearly lost its life to her hands, and it has been stalking her for days while waiting for a chance to strike.

The GM decides to use the Secret Roller rule to roll Black Swan’s notice and determine whether or not she notices the creature stalking her before she finds herself in a position to be ambushed by it. The GM rolls and Black Swan unfortunately fails.

This is where the GM would tell Patrick that a secret roll has been made. I inform him that the roll was a failure (but not whether it was a critical or regular failure), and ask him if he would like to make his own roll. He is low on bennies at this point, and he feels confident that Black Swan is a strong, independent woman who can handle herself, so he accepts the Benny.

(Were back to the hypothetical post now) Black Swan has no idea the creature is tailing her, and as she turns alone down a dark ally, the biohorror decides to strike.

The above example without secret roller would have looked something like this:
1) Black Swan rolls networking.
2) I describe what happens, and ask Patrick to roll her notice.
3) Patrick fails Black Swan’s notice (and doesn’t get a Benny for it!)
4) Biohorror attack - Go!

With Secret Roller it would go more like this:
1) Black Swan rolls networking.
2) I describe what happens and secretly roll Black Swan’s notice. It’s a failure and I tell Patrick as much (although he doesn’t know which trait was rolled for what reason). He keeps the secret roll and receives a Benny. Biohorror Attack - Go!
IZ3 GM Bennies 5/5
User avatar
Ndreare
Savage Siri
Posts: 4410
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 12:55 pm
Location: Skagit County, Washington
Contact:

Re: Poll: Secret Roller

Post by Ndreare »

Sure I would be OK with it. But I've never considered it a setting rule just something the GM has to do some times.

There is actually another game I play that we won't name here but sounds something a lot like "Dad if addition". In that game you have a passive attribute that the game master can roll against and use when he doesn't want to announce something suspicious.
  • 2D6 EFFECT
    2 Catastrophe: Something goes terribly wrong. The GM must decide what, but some ideas are a new and permanent Minor Hindrance, the inability to use powers for several days, or an explosion of some sort. The backlash should be thematic if possible. If the hero tampers with dark forces for his abilities, for example, he might become corrupted or summon something sinister into the world. If he’s a weird scientist the device might explode for 3d6 damage in a Medium Blast Template, or he might develop a Quirk, Phobia, or other “madness.”

    3 Backfire: The power succeeds as with a raise but affects a different target with the worst possible results. A bolt hits a random friend, boost Trait increases an enemy’s skill or attribute, etc. If there’s no likely target, he’s Stunned instead. If the power has a Duration other than Instant, it lasts its full term and can only be negated by dispel (the caster can’t voluntarily end it herself).

    4–5 Short Circuit: The power fails but the Power Points allocated to it are spent, along with an additional 1d6 Power Points.

    6–8 Stunned: The caster is Stunned (see page 106). She subtracts 2 from arcane skill rolls for the rest of the encounter (the penalty remains –2 even if she gets this result again).

    9–10 Overload: The character’s synapses crackle and overload with power. He takes 2d6 damage plus the cost of the power in Power Points, including any Power Modifiers the player declared.

    11 Fatigue: The character suffers Fatigue.

    12 Overcharge: The power draws ambient energy from the air, automatically succeeding against the target with a raise and costing the caster no Power Points!

,
1 = 2 of Clubs
2 = 2 of Diamonds
3 = 2 of Hearts
4 = 2 of Spades
5 = 3 of Clubs
6 = 3 of Diamonds
7 = 3 of Hearts
8 = 3 of Spades
9 = 4 of Clubs
10 = 4 of Diamonds
11 = 4 of Hearts
12 = 4 of Spades
13 = 5 of Clubs
14 = 5 of Diamonds
15 = 5 of Hearts
16 = 5 of Spades
- reroll line for quickness & activation for Calculating -
17 = 6 of Clubs
18 = 6 of Diamonds
19 = 6 of Hearts
20 = 6 of Spades
21 = 7 of Clubs
22 = 7 of Diamonds
23 = 7 of Hearts
24 = 7 of Spades
25 = 8 of Clubs
26 = 8 of Diamonds
27 = 8 of Hearts
28 = 8 of Spades
- reroll line for Hyperion Juicer -
29 = 9 of Clubs
30 = 9 of Diamonds
31 = 9 of Hearts
32 = 9 of Spades
33 = 10 of Clubs
34 = 10 of Diamonds
35 = 10 of Hearts
36 = 10 of Spades
37 = J of Clubs
38 = J of Diamonds
39 = J of Hearts
40 = J of Spades
41 = Q of Clubs
42 = Q of Diamonds
43 = Q of Hearts
44 = Q of Spades
45 = K of Clubs
46 = K of Diamonds
47 = K of Hearts
48 = K of Spades
49 = A of Clubs
50 = A of Diamonds
51 = A of Hearts
52 = A of Spades
53 = Jokers = They are equal
54 = Jokers = They are equal
- If no reroll is being used then there are 2 extra jokers -
55 = Jokers = They are equal
56 = Jokers = They are equal
and of course update your signatures!
"Possible and practical are two comrades who rarely see eye to eye."
Rob Towell
User avatar
Koshnek
Diamond Patron
Diamond Patron
Posts: 427
Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2018 8:43 pm

Re: Poll: Secret Roller

Post by Koshnek »

Secret Roller could gave uses beyond notice. Nothing where I would take any control of your character from your hands, but a hacker might attempt to hack you and you could fail the roll, or a psychic might attempt to slip inside your head stealthily.

I also don’t like the idea of passive notice for SW. The best I can think of would be a calculation similar to parry, but I think it would be too strong. Anyone with a d4 notice would succeed any check without a penalty and no chance of critical failing. Or without the flat 2 of 2 + half notice, anyone with a d8 would do the same.

Then there’s edges and gear/augmentations to consider…I just don’t think it works well for SW. This way kind of works similarly to how bennies already work. I “pay” you a Benny (instead of spending one of my own :p) to “influence the story.” Ok the example breaks down a little, but that was my inspiration.
IZ3 GM Bennies 5/5
User avatar
High Command
The Savage Inquisition
Posts: 1943
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2016 6:10 am

Re: Poll: Secret Roller

Post by High Command »

as far as I'm concerned, GM dice don't have to be rolled in the forum. I never did unless it was some player facing roll (you get 12+1d6 roses from your suitor)

That said if you want to, sure. But I personally never question when the GM tells me something when narrating the story; I may know the mechanics and I may know my character, but I have no clue on the back end needs of story and scene. Even if I question it, it will always be from the player perspective and simply asking "did you take this into account" and if so, so be it the result stands.

All that to say: If you feel the need for a table rule like that, I'm not opposed, but to me that's part and parcel of GMing.
Tales of the 17th SOG
"In so far as you are concerned, I am the right arm of High Command itself. You are my Fist, be ready to strike at any moment." Major Killian Gregor, 3rd SOG Battalion, CSSD, Chi-Town.
Locked

Return to “Data Archive”