tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post6935942828569031182..comments2024-03-26T15:35:56.004-04:00Comments on Delta's D&D Hotspot: Exploding Dice StatisticsDeltahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-62671634673569776332022-02-21T12:03:11.889-05:002022-02-21T12:03:11.889-05:00Yeah, that's an interesting novel take -- you&...Yeah, that's an interesting novel take -- you're right, that make a very small difference in play.Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-75377034163610394192022-02-21T10:50:55.267-05:002022-02-21T10:50:55.267-05:00There's been some discussion about critical hi...There's been some discussion about critical hits over on Grognardia in recent days, and in the discussion, exploding dice came up, so of course I had to cite this article. <br /><br />It's led me to a cool little house rule for critical hits that I'm definitely going to have to try out in my next campaign:<br /><br />>A natural 20 attack roll is a critical threat, the possibility that a critical hit may occur. When it happens, the damage die rolled is an exploding die, with the caveat that each time the die explodes, you subtract 1 from the damage, so that for a die size dN, damage results which are multiples of N aren't impossible. If, for example, you roll a natural 20 when attacking with a dagger, you roll an exploding d4. If it explodes 3 times — let's say that you roll 4–4–4–1 — that's a result of 10 damage.<br /><br />Now if my math is right, exploding dice that subtract 1 for each explosion all have a uniformly increased expectation value of just 0.5 extra damage, regardless of the die-size. So implementing this rule is, long term, kind of like saying that on a nat 20, the damage dealt is increased by +½ point — far less impactful than a double-damage crit, which means that it ought not to disrupt the OD&D combat system as it's intended to work. (And indeed, for monsters behind the screen, on a "crit," I can just flip a coin and add +0 or +1 damage instead of dealing with exploding dice. Practically the same effect.) <br /><br />In fact, the primary purpose of even doing this would be a bit of mathematical sleight-of-hand, to make players who *expect* something cool to happen on a nat 20 think that something cool is actually happening when they get to roll exploding damage — even though the actual impact is really quite minor.John Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522143715905888511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-61545813806266855832022-01-12T21:43:56.134-05:002022-01-12T21:43:56.134-05:00Those are solid ideas. I did gloss over the fact t...Those are solid ideas. I did gloss over the fact that exploding-d6 can't score a 6, etc. The thing that probably bugs me the most in standard rules is a 20 being both auto-hit and a crit, such that targets hittable only by 20 are (in theory) always hit for crits. <br /><br />No sweat with the necromancy. I commonly get comments on posts 10 years back now. And I was just thinking about tweaking my nat-1/20 rules, so good timing, thank you! Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-37178024313061780172021-12-31T12:53:22.908-05:002021-12-31T12:53:22.908-05:001) 20 always being a hit and a crit. Using a conf...1) 20 always being a hit and a crit. Using a confirmation roll fixes the problem, but when a crit is not confirmed it feels like the crit was granted, then taken away. I changed it in my game to, on a 20, the attack was so good, it got the opponent so far out of position, that you get an immediate follow up attack. It’s the exact same mechanic, but somehow it feels better. The follow up attack may miss, but it’s not taken away from the player, like the crit is. The players seem to respond better to it.<br />2) I would also consider making d20’s explode. The difference is minimal, a 20+d20 will hit in most cases, but I don’t like the discontinuity. Also solves the problem of really hard to virtually impossible task all needed a 20 on the die to succeed, maybe a 20 succeeds, maybe you need a 20 then a 10 plus, or 15 plus, or another 20 followed by a 16 etc.<br />3) An exploding d6, can’t do 6 points of damage. I read on someone’s blog somewhere, that exploding roll should be n-1, so a 1 is a 0, allowing a d6 to do 6 points of damage. It also keeps a d1 from doing infinite damage, I imagine it keeps d2 and d3 from being the same. You are back to excitement, followed by letdown, but I kind of like it.…<br />4) Level of success determining damage done. I love the idea of these systems, most seem tedious. I have always wanted to design a system using a d30, skill adds to the roll, defenders’ skill armor etc subtracts. Use an exploding d30 roll to hit. The tens die is level of success. 0-9 is a miss, final result is 37, then roll 3 damage dice. <br />5) Sorry for the long necromantic post. <br />Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11656554193044378009noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-1896083983961285362021-05-27T12:09:01.642-04:002021-05-27T12:09:01.642-04:00Wow, interesting reversal!Wow, interesting reversal!Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-73857407567681225032021-05-27T10:44:57.362-04:002021-05-27T10:44:57.362-04:00I don't use critical hits, but thinking about ...I don't use critical hits, but thinking about the use of exploding dice for crits, instead of having a max roll explode, I think the best use would be to have a 1 explode. That way, when the inevitable nat 20 attack roll is coupled with the inevitable 1 on the damage roll, the player gets to roll again and add the 1. Hardly the massive critical damage players seem to expect in a game like 5E, but it would help lessen the let-down, while keeping most of the benefits of the possibility of your damage die exploding.Dennis Laffeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03053699552003336733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-7126883297115136882021-05-24T08:56:53.685-04:002021-05-24T08:56:53.685-04:00Here's a good breakdown of the competing desig...Here's a good breakdown of the competing design priorities of wood-cutting and person-cutting axes, with photos showing the differences.<br /><br />Obviously heavier axes are better both for chopping wood and hacking through armor, but the weight is substantial. Chopping down a heavy dungeon door of the types described in D&D would be kind of absurd with any weapon-weight blade, and a long, hard job even with a felling or splitting axe.<br /><br />https://www.arms-n-armor.com/blogs/news/fighting-axes-vs-wood-axesShimrodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14950780684532279227noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-11824812646027661252021-05-21T09:33:08.328-04:002021-05-21T09:33:08.328-04:00Very nice, that would all be cool to play with, I ...Very nice, that would all be cool to play with, I think!Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-90537280317068084002021-05-20T23:00:16.017-04:002021-05-20T23:00:16.017-04:00Might have been alexschroeder.chMight have been alexschroeder.chdcdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03154350186931640520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-40029835876119427502021-05-20T22:28:40.771-04:002021-05-20T22:28:40.771-04:00This is actually great info. I currently give max ...This is actually great info. I currently give max damage + exploding die on a crit (20 or 10+ roll needed) so average damage on a d6 crit would be 10.2, but could rarely explode a significant increase. <br /><br />I give all backstabs extra dice and make them all exploding instead of the multiplier as well. So 2d6 up to 5d6. <br /><br />If I started over I would consider using exploding dice for all damage in lieu of crits, but limit it by class as suggested above - great idea btw, although I would give thieves exploding dice on daggers and ranged weapons and clerics would get it against certain foes.Jojodogboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06870044018296516914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-52026792407259053822021-05-19T21:52:02.456-04:002021-05-19T21:52:02.456-04:00I guess I don't know? Not sure if you may be t...I guess I don't know? Not sure if you may be thinking of another poster -- I don't recall talking about receipts for work in college. Maybe I've gotten hazy. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-75692352089077217822021-05-19T21:50:15.526-04:002021-05-19T21:50:15.526-04:00Great conversation here. On Matt's note of the...Great conversation here. On Matt's note of the use in Savage Worlds: I've played a little bit of Savage Worlds (Paul & Max run that quite a bit at conventions), but never leaped for joy at the exploding dice, I think largely because the often-subjective nature of the Raises usually left me disappointed at the judgement of their effect. To my mind (partly knowing the odds against it), 4 Raises or whatever should make me liege of the kingdom, and they rarely have much extra benefit in practice. If we hard a hard quantified effect (e.g., D&D hp) then maybe I'd find them more interesting. Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-22827660038616162322021-05-19T21:44:19.222-04:002021-05-19T21:44:19.222-04:00:-D:-DDeltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-87649582002296158812021-05-19T21:17:30.222-04:002021-05-19T21:17:30.222-04:00Wedge-headed splitting mauls are actually historic...Wedge-headed splitting mauls are actually historically pretty recent, at least in Europe. Among continental Europeans who split their own wood, a significant portion even today use a sharp, thin-profile axe with a flick-of-the-wrist technique. Look up splitting axe vs. splitting maul if you're interested in more info. Gransfors makes a nice splitting axe that's actually pretty similar in size and weight to a historical one-handed battle axe, albeit with a rectangular profile rather than bearded. It's quite likely that a poor viking armed with only a spear, shield, axe, and knife would use the same axe for both combat and for mundane tasks like splitting firewood.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14285793254382192231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-36431921647890123702021-05-19T15:01:48.265-04:002021-05-19T15:01:48.265-04:00> yes I know that an axe is a more useful nonco...> yes I know that an axe is a more useful noncombat tool than a sword <br /><br />Except, that ain't true. Battleaxes have a thin profile to keep the weapon light, swingable, easy to position for parrying, and ideal for hewing flesh rather than splitting wood. Quite unlike the triangular profile and heavy head of a wood-chopping axe. You *can* cut wood with a battleax, but it's not ideal.<br /><br />And HEMA fighters have found that axes are actually pretty great weapons, at least when held in one hand and paired with a shield. A one-handed axe doesn't offer the hand protection of a sword but it's great for disarming opponents of their weapons or especially their shields by "hooking" them with the axe-head.<br /><br />Combine that with the fact that a blow from an axe will concentrate force far better than a sword (though not to the extent of a flanged mace or a pick/hammer) and war axes definitely have their niche in combat. But axes designed for combat are secondary or emergency tools at best (and the same is true of certain robust swords like hunting swords, heavy hangers or cutlasses carried by army engineers/sappers in the 19th C., seaxes and messer knives, and so forth).John Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06522143715905888511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-62521075561234778172021-05-18T22:57:31.008-04:002021-05-18T22:57:31.008-04:00Sorry to bother you on this post, but is it possib...Sorry to bother you on this post, but is it possible to contribute to a document that is only decodable if two people contribute to it? Like, lets say there was source code that we didn't trust if only one person wrote it. Would there be a way to write your bit of the code but it would never be published until the other person submitted their code? The only reason I ask you is that you previously mentioned receipts for handing in work in college, etc.dcdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03154350186931640520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-52625267652698642752021-05-18T22:40:24.589-04:002021-05-18T22:40:24.589-04:00How much do they slow down combat?How much do they slow down combat?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17100545369671783823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-8046502470819088532021-05-18T22:37:12.143-04:002021-05-18T22:37:12.143-04:00The root of the idea was from White Wolf games - a...The root of the idea was from White Wolf games - after counting out "successes" from your dice pool and comparing it to the enemy's defense, you add any "extra successes" to your dice pool for the damage roll. Then stew that together with pondering over the years about armor as hit prevention versus armor as damage ablation, and also ideas on how to make fighters more deadly as they gain levels without using clumsy piecewise functions like the AD&D "Warrior Attacks Per Round" table or 3E iterative attacks.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14285793254382192231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-21046029809817792172021-05-18T20:59:16.715-04:002021-05-18T20:59:16.715-04:00I believe Paul has mentioned doing so in the past....I believe Paul has mentioned doing so in the past. In Ten Dead Rats, however - can't speak for any other games he might be running - but in TDR a 20 is just a hit. He uses a critical hit table when PCs reach 0 hit points to dish out long-term or permanent injuries.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14285793254382192231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-45606719787426995942021-05-18T15:31:41.401-04:002021-05-18T15:31:41.401-04:00One benefit of exploding dice is that players frea...One benefit of exploding dice is that players freaking love them. Savage Worlds uses exploding dice for almost all rolls, and it is the main mechanic from that game my players are always asking if I can add into D&D somehow. Exploding dice are just psychologically fun as hell.<br /><br />IIRC Lucy Blumire uses exploding dice as the "special benefit" axes and axe-like weapons get in her B/X weapon rebalance. Helps give a reason to use the axes in B/X which are otherwise more or less pointless mechanically (before y'all start writing replies, yes I know that an axe is a more useful noncombat tool than a sword and that combat stats aren't everything). <br /><br />https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/llblumire/fresh-from-the-forgeMatt Phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03301070414722134097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-79960617527156449932021-05-18T10:55:30.664-04:002021-05-18T10:55:30.664-04:00"what else does nat-20 trigger, then?".
..."what else does nat-20 trigger, then?".<br />Sweep Attack obvs :)Baquieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08357103428591599364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-90222308134360167372021-05-18T09:29:15.808-04:002021-05-18T09:29:15.808-04:00Yeah, I'm very taken by all those advantages (...Yeah, I'm very taken by all those advantages (frankly, top of all, the need-20-so-always-crit corner case). Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-7816610305602627052021-05-18T09:28:14.587-04:002021-05-18T09:28:14.587-04:00Nice! That's a halfway common take on the nat-...Nice! That's a halfway common take on the nat-20 damage. In fact I think Paul may have said he does that?Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-45613792535639933562021-05-18T09:27:18.724-04:002021-05-18T09:27:18.724-04:00Great point about "what else does nat-20 trig...Great point about "what else does nat-20 trigger, then?". At the moment I kind of have a crush on having it damage the enemy's armor (starting with broken shield, if any). Deltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2170237526012357403.post-20256555255202832302021-05-18T09:26:08.430-04:002021-05-18T09:26:08.430-04:00Of course the chance of that is... very small. :-D...Of course the chance of that is... very small. :-DDeltahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00705402326320853684noreply@blogger.com