Quote from: CRKrueger;451167Yeah, that's odd.  If they want to go that way, should make it opposed.  That way Rank 2 vs. Rank 8 means they roll d10+2 and d10+8 respectively (possible but unlikely for Rank 2 to win), where 1 vs. 5 would be d6+1 vs. d6+5 (absolute best Rank 1 could get would be a tie).  That at least appears to be scaling properly, but there might be holes.

That is how it works, except that opponents aren't necessarily rolling at the same time.  It's all about opposition, in theory.

The quoted section of the OP is a bit dense, so here's another version of it from the book.

Quote1. PC ability (or skill set) rank + NPC ability (or task difficulty) = target number and what type of die is rolled
2. If the target number isn't a die, round down until you hit a die to roll (13 becomes d12, 18 becomes d16)
3. If the target number is 24 or greater, use multiple die instead of a single die.
4. PC primary ability + rolled die result = > target number (success) or < target number (failure)
5. If a success is 2 greater than the target number, it is termed a greater success.

Normal human ability is stated as 0-3, with PCs getting a d6 at chargen. COMBAT is one of those abilities. HEALTH is twice the combined value of the four physical abilities. (4d6) X 2.

For two normal guys beating the shit out of each other, an unarmed combat success does 2 damage, and a greater success does 4 damage. Weapons add to the damage. Weapons can also inflict conditions on higher rolls, with extra points of damage and temporary penalties depending on the weapon used.

Seems like a good excuse to put crazy dice to use.  If you have the Zocchi d5, d14, and d24 around, is there any reason to round down to a 4 or 12, or throw d20 + d4?  Or, if you're willing to reroll excessive results, you could use a die higher than the target number, and let the odd target numbers stay odd.

Of course, 2d8 substituting for a d16 is all wrong.

I have no opinion about any of this as an invasion of the GMs privacy, but the floating dice thing sounds kinda cool, for whatever that's worth.

you lost me at d16.

Quote from: Pseudoephedrine;451155This was a minor but annoying oversight in Eberron, where Khorvaire's population should have been increased by a factor of 10 (to approximately 150 million humanoids), especially since they count goblinoids, orcs and lizardmen amongst those numbers.

Yeah, that's one of the ones I was thinking of. Or if they didn't want to do that for some reason, they could also have shrunk the continents by a factor of ten to get a result that was more sensible (small continents then, but at least that would make more sense than what they have).

I have no idea why they refused to do it. Rich Burlew and I called it to their attention when we were working on the Eberron Explorer's Handbook, before the campaign setting was even published, and we were like, whoa, seriously? This is one LONG railroad track with, like, NO ONE along it. Made no sense. But their response to the elemental slavery problem was the same thing: "Oh, you mean we have intelligent creatures routinely enslaved by non-evil people? That's not a problem." They eventually addressed that in a very hand-wavy way in a supplement, but still.

Quote from: Bloody Stupid JohnsonI think they're aiming to give character with stat X vs. guy with stat Y odds of X out of [X+Y]

I've done that.

It's easy with a calculator and rounding to nearest 1% or .1% (d1000) as one prefers.

For precision instead, use a dice that's at least big enough and re-roll as necessary.

For instance, 16+5 is 21. A d12 and hi-lo makes a d24. On 1-16, get result "A", on 17-21 get result "B", on 22-24 re-roll.

16+16 is 32 (d8 and d4) -- or, more simply, reduces to 50-50% on any dice.

Quote from: islan;451187you lost me at d16.

Nothing says "gimmicky" like non-standard dice.  

RPGPundit

I couldn't make any sense of that, and I used to play Rolemaster and GURPS.

There was a time when d4, d8, d10, d12 and d20 were not standard either. I like d16. And d24. And d5, d7 and so on. We're in the age of the internet: they are not that hard to find, and they are not that expensive either, especially compared to those Pathfinder dice or custom made whatnot people go for these days.

Bumping this thing in the off-chance anyone's actually played it.

Missed this the first time around. What a mess that looks like.

If I'm reading it correctly, a character with a rating of 1 versus an NPC with a rating of 1 will succeed 100% of the time (roll 1 or higher on a d4). That's presumably just one of the unintentionally wonky results from a convoluted system like this.

Quote from: Benoist;451344There was a time when d4, d8, d10, d12 and d20 were not standard either. I like d16. And d24. And d5, d7 and so on. We're in the age of the internet: they are not that hard to find, and they are not that expensive either, especially compared to those Pathfinder dice or custom made whatnot people go for these days.

I've got no objection to a d16, and there've been times I could've used one. But when an RPG author writes If you don’t have a d16 handy, 2d8 will work in a pinch, that raises a red flag: he's an innumerate ass. Gamer designers who can't deal with probabilities are in the wrong business; kinda like dog breeders who can't deal with poop. Except that some of us actually find probabilities fun and interesting.

Actually for a d16 all you need is a d8 and any other even-numbered die. Roll 1d8 and the other die. If the other die comes with an odd result, just count the roll of the d8 as it is. If the other die comes with an even result, add 8 to the d8 result.

Quote from: Benoist;562506Actually for a d16 all you need is a d8 and any other even-numbered die. Roll 1d8 and the other die. If the other die comes with an odd result, just count the roll of the d8 as it is. If the other die comes with an even result, add 8 to the d8 result.

Indeed - you can do a d16 with two 8-sided dice, just not in the way they apparently suggest in the game.

I wonder why they decided to include the d16 but not the d14?

Quote from: Benoist;562506Actually for a d16 all you need is a d8 and any other even-numbered die. Roll 1d8 and the other die. If the other die comes with an odd result, just count the roll of the d8 as it is. If the other die comes with an even result, add 8 to the d8 result.

Yeah, the "second die" technique for generating a linear range off multiples of the base die is hugely useful.  With a base d8 you can generate 1-8, 1-16, 1-24, et cetera.  Base d12 can generate 1-12, 1-24, 1-36, 1-48, et cetera.  And so on for other die types.

When I realized that, the numbers of spells for each level in the AD&D Players Handbook suddenly made more sense than before. :laughs:

Quote from: Fifth Element;562511Indeed - you can do a d16 with two 8-sided dice, just not in the way they apparently suggest in the game.

I don't remember seeing the "2d8" thing in the DCC RPG.

Here's the entire section introducing the Funky Dice:

Quote from: DCC RPG p.17Funky Dice

This game utilizes polyhedrons of unusual shapes. Specifically,
it utilizes the standard suite of dice, as well as what
the author refers to as “Zocchi dice.” As an experienced
gamer, you undoubtedly own the following standard array
of dice: d4, d6, d8, d10, d12, d20, and d%. DCC RPG also
makes use of “Zocchi dice” in the following configurations:
d3, d5, d7, d14, d16, d24, and d30. You may purchase these
dice from your local game store (ask them to special order
if they do not already stock them), and from //www.gamestation.
net, //www.chessex.com, and //www.koplowgames.com
(as well as other select internet sites).
It is easy to substitute for the “funky dice” with a regular
dice set. For a d3, roll 1d6 and divide by two; for a d5, roll
1d10 and divide by two. For a d7, roll 1d8 and re-roll on an
8. For d14 or d16, roll d20 and ignore rolls above the diefacing
threshold. For d24, roll 1d12 and 1d6; if the 6-sider is
odd, add 12 to the 1d12 roll. For d30, roll 1d10 with a 6-sided
control die: add +0 on 1-2, +10 on 3-4, and +20 on 5-6.

Also, on this thread of the GG boards:

Quote from: goodmangamesSeveral people have asked this, so here is my simple summary of how to achieve "Zocchi results" with "normal" polyhedrons. (Funny that the d4 is now "normal" -- it sure seemed weird when I was a kid!) In other words, this is how to simulate a d3, d5, d7, etc. with your normal dice.

What's a control die? Several of the examples below require a "control die." A control die means you roll 1d6 along with the first die, and the 1d6 result indicates whether you add to the first die. For example, to simulate 1d24, you can roll 1d12 with a control die. If the control die is even, take the 1d12 result "straight"; if the control die is odd, take the 1d12 result and add 12.

How to simulate Zocchi dice results:
d3: Roll 1d6 and divide by 2.
d5: Roll 1d10 and divide by 2.
d7: (Option A) Roll 1d8 and re-roll on an 8. (Option B) Roll 1d14 and divide by 2 (if you have a d14, which you probably don't if you're reading this, but just in case...)
d14: Roll 1d20 and re-roll on 16-20.
d16: (Option A) Roll 1d8 with a control die (add +0 or +8 depending on the control die). (Option B) Roll 1d20 and re-roll on 17-20.
d24: (Option A) Roll 1d12 with a control die (add +0 or +12 depending on the control die). (Option B) Roll 1d30 and re-roll on 25-30.
d30: Roll 1d10 with a 6-sided control die (add +0 on 1-2, +10 on 3-4, or +20 on 5-6).

Note: There are multiple ways to achieve the Zocchi dice results. The ones noted above are just the simplest ones I've personally come across. If you have an even better preferred method, let us know by posting here!

So I honestly don't know where that "2d8 for 1d16" thing comes from.

Quote from: Fifth Element;562511I wonder why they decided to include the d16 but not the d14?

The game does use the d14 as well.

Quote from: Benoist;562517I don't remember seeing the "2d8" thing in the DCC RPG.

Wrong game, dude.  The 2d8 thing was from the *other* game that did the funky non-platonic dice gimmick.