Unisystem House Rules

These house rules change the default resolution rolling method, adding a system for Fortune and Dark Fate Dice, and a new Outcome called a Partial Success. This creates a bell curve effect on the resolution method, skewing results towards the partial success through decent outcomes. This makes critical failure and excellent or better success less frequent. This will favor skill over luck, but still allow for dramatic successful results when the players choose. It's also easier to resolve (just consult the Outcome table 3d6) and adds fun elements of risk and rolling additional dice.

Dice Method: 3d6 + (Attribute rating, Skill rating and Bonuses) – (Penalties and Dark Fate Dice) + Fortune Dice. Determine the result in this order of operations (Fortune Dice can push Outcome result above Skill Rating Success Limit). The final number = result as shown on the Outcome Table 3d6. This modifies the standard Unisystem Outcome Table target numbers (see below). The table has been normalized based on the average Attribute, average Skill and the average 3d6 roll of 10.

Note: This method uses the standard bonuses and penalties as listed in Unisystem.

Fortune Dice: A d6 of a different color than your standard 3d6 set. The GM should provide a pool of dice for the table. Start the game with 2, plus a bonus die for a usable background as approved by the GM. You can spend 1 Fortune Die on a roll to add +1d6 to the result before the roll. You can lend a Fortune Die to another player to aid their roll before the roll. This result can push a result over the Skill Rating Success Limit (see below). Each roll is limited to 1 Fortune Die from the player controlling the character and 1 Fortune Die from another player. Fortune Dice do not “refresh”. You accumulate and spend them from session to session. You should note the number of Fortune Dice you have after each session. Fortune Dice are awarded for representing genre, portraying your character as you have defined them, interesting and entertaining actions, playing to hindrances, and behavior the GM wishes to encourage. Dark Fate Dice do not cancel out Fortune Dice. Roll all dice and add/subtract in the order specified previously.

Dark Fate Dice: A d6 of a different color than Fortune Dice or your standard 3d6 set. The GM should provide a pool of dice on the table. You can accept a Dark Fate Die on a partial success to obtain an adequate success. You can accept 1 Dark Fate Die to increase an outcome by 1 step on any roll. When you take a Dark Fate Die, take it from the pool and place in front of you. On any roll, the GM can invoke your Dark Fate Die to either a) decrease that roll by the amount rolled b) penalize a fear effect roll or c) increase an opponent's effect by the amount rolled (damage, spell, etc.). The GM is limited to invoking 2 Dark Fate Dice per roll. The GM cannot invoke the Dark Fate Die on the same roll you accepted that Dark Fate die. If you have existing Dark Fate Dice, the GM can invoke those on a roll you accepted Dark Fate. Fortune Dice do not cancel out Dark Fate Dice. Roll all dice and add/subtract in the order specified previously.

Penalizing Fear Effect: When you make a Fear test, roll the Dark Fate Die and subtract the result. This works just like a normal Skill Test – Dark Fate Die, but is specified here for clarification.

Increasing Opponent Effect: The GM can take your Dark Fate Die and roll it with your opponent's damage, increasing it by that amount. The GM can also use a Dark Fate Die to increase the duration, range, or other effect of a supernatural power against your character by the amount rolled.

Outcome Table 3d6:


Description: This is the same descriptor used in the standard Outcome Table.
Partial Success:  You succeed but with some negative side affect as determined by the GM. It should be related, but adds a complication to the desired outcome. As stated previously, you can take a Dark Fate die to improve the result one step to Adequate.
Result: This is the 3d6 roll +/- all factors. You achieve the outcome of the result listed in the table. The effects to outcomes, damage, etc. from Unisystem still apply based on the outcome level.
Skill Rating Success Limit: This is the skill rating you must have to achieve the outcome listed. Lower skill rating limits the outcome. Rolling a fortune die can increase the outcome beyond this limit as specified previously. Taking a Dark Fate die will increase the result by one step regardless of Skill Rating Success Limit.

This has not been play-tested yet. :-D Looking for thoughts, opinions, and especially math critiques on the odds. If someone can kick the tires before me this SAT, that would be appreciated as well! :-D

QuoteFortune Dice are awarded for representing genre, portraying your  character as you have defined them, interesting and entertaining  actions, playing to hindrances, and behavior the GM wishes to encourage.

Er....I don't object to the system itself, but the reward structure seems a bit like using the players as dancing monkeys.

On the rest of it, +d6/-d6 is a fairly major bump in a bell curve system but that's what you're going for I guess.

Normal unisystem is I think +d10 ?  I can't remember whether it has a non-linear purchase system for stats/skills - if not you may need to adopt one since high skills will succeed more reliably. [Probably anyway; I can't see the table].

I plan on linking a pic to a readable table tonight. :-D

The method is generally 3d6. So, it's not a minus d6 all the time, only when the GM "invokes" one of your Dark Fate Dice.  Unisystem uses a linear dice method of 1d10, but when you roll a 1, you re-roll, and results above 5 are 5-result reduction in roll. If you roll a 10, you re-roll, and results above 5 are result-5 bonus, any new 10 is +5 and re-roll again. It's more complicated for the return IMHO. I like the OMNI table, so I adapted it to Unisystem.

I don't want dancing monkeys, I should modify that to "good roleplaying and appropriate behavior as discussed by the group".

Everyone has different ideas on genre, good roleplaying, what's "in character", immersion, interaction, and a whole mess of "behaviors" including motivations for killing, robbing, and adventure. :-D

Table Updated!

Sorry me again...
 
OK looks good. (I'm currently looking through Army of Darkness which is only Unisystem product I own, so I hope that's the right version..).
 
Compared to the usual Unisystem table the target number is up by 5 for an average success, which you'd think would work with 3d6 (average 10.5) rather than d10 (5.5), except that the default in Unisystem is already going to be better than 50/50 and so using 3d6 unbalances it more, I think ?
e.g. with the default stat checks [i.e. stat doubled] a character with stat 3 and no difficulty modifiers will get 14 on an 8+ (about 93% likely) and partial success on a 4+ (99.5% likely). The guy with stat 5 i.e. +10 modifier gets 14+ on a roll of 4+.
 
(I was using this site for reference which was just the first one I happened to google...)
http://gamesandgadgets.org/theblogs/perrol/dice-odds-for-3d6/
 
The percentage effectively also goes up again when you consider tasks where 'partial success' may be enough.
 
 
Another, somewhat random thought is that if you want to flatten the results, you could keep with the d10 and just re-jigger the table so that difficulty bands are uneven size and expand as you go up e.g. adequate 14-16, decent 17-20, very good 21-25, excellent 26-31 etc...that slows down characters speeding off into the higher success levels but without the chance of basic success becoming less transparent.

Honestly seems to complex to bother with, compared to standard Unisystem. Not terrible, just a bit over thought for me.

Well, it's a system, but I'm a little lost on what the difference is between Adequate, Decent, and Good.  Do they have any system importance?  I haven't played Unisystem in a while.

That being said, it certainly does look like it might help some of the problems with Unisystem and being a more powerful character, where hitting the '9' starts becoming normal when you've gotten to a 6 or 7 in your stat+skill.

But on the other hand... it seems pretty complex in the way you've got it laid out there.  Maybe you should start out without the Fate/Dark Fate dice, and just try the simple table first... or even just say that the standard difficulty has gone up from 9 to 15, and the 1d10 is replaced with 3d6 and go from there?

I dunno.  Let us know how that plays.

Thanks for poking in here and looking it over!

Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;535420... (1) except that the default in Unisystem is already going to be better than 50/50 and so using 3d6 unbalances it more, ...

(2) Another, somewhat random thought is that if you want to flatten the results, you could keep with the d10 ...

1. This is a good point. I may have to lower the numbers by 1 or 2. I need to kick the tires on it and I will come back with results.

Quote from: Silverlion;535422Honestly seems to complex to bother with, compared to standard Unisystem. Not terrible, just a bit over thought for me.

I don't like the linear dice. I don't like d20 or d100 either. :-D  Also, the rule of 1 and 10 make the default rolling method as complex IMHO. With this, you just look at the outcome table.

Quote from: jcfiala;535474... (1) Do they have any system importance?  I haven't played Unisystem in a while. ...

(2) But on the other hand... it seems pretty complex in the way you've got it laid out there.  ...

(3) I dunno.  Let us know how that plays.

1. Yes, they can improve damage, and the GM should adjudicate results based on the outcome.
2. See above. I may need to simplify the description somewhat. For instance, all I really did was replace d10 with 3d6. The Fortune and Dark Fate Dice were added in for the "FATE" or "Action" point mechanic.
3. I will!