Role-Play: Black Box System

Role-Play: Black Box System Role-Play: Black Box System

1.2 Base Targets

1.3 Rule of 1 and 20

1.4.1 Sample Modifiers

2.0 Competing Tests

3.1.1 Initiative

3.1.2 Attack/Parry/Dodge

3.1.3 Damage and Armor/Toughness

3.2 Maneuvers

3.3 Hit Location

3.4 Damage, Bonks and Ouchies

The "Black Box" system is a tool that I (Greywolf) use from time to time when I feel that the "Dice o' Doom" are required to help determine the success or failure of an attempted action. It gives me a rough estimate of the general chance to succeed, as determined by rolling a twenty-sided die, and checking to see if the resultant value is equal to or below a desired target number. The base value may be determined by the PC's skill, and then modified by a number of factors determined by the GM. This is by no means a complete rules system -- it's just a half-formed set of charts that can be either used or ignored by a GM, as the situation warrants.

After all, sometimes, at the "dramatically appropriate moment", if the PC has come up with a really good plan, and has put his all into a critical action to save the day ... it would be a real drag if the GM comes back with, "Sorry, I rolled an 18 on the die. You fail." Furthermore, when routine things are being done where there's not normally any expected chance of failing, I may forego the rolling of dice for the sake of expedience.

1.0 Skill Test

The basic use of this system is to determine a chance of success, then roll a die to figure out if the PC succeeds or fails. In some cases, how close the PC comes to succeeding or failing may determine how well the PC succeeds or fails. As a rule of thumb, if you miss the mark by a point or two, then you "almost made it" ... If you were jumping across a small ravine, then perhaps you still land on the other side, but you landed low, and now you're hanging onto the edge for dear life, until you can scramble up. Missing by more could mean that you're nowhere close.

On the flip side, sometimes it's best not to "almost make it". For instance, if you're firing into close combat with a weapon, and you miss your intended target, if you "almost hit", you may well hit another target instead. If you're firing into a crowd of bad guys, this could be good -- You may not care which particular baddie you hit, as long as you hit someone. If you're firing at a bad guy who's right next to your buddy, you could end up hitting your buddy instead. In a case like that, it'd have been better if you'd missed wide and hit a wall instead. Ultimately, it boils down to the GM's interpretation of the results.

The base value for a moderately difficult task is based off of the "rank" of the PC's applicable skill: Handicapped, Unskilled, Novice, Average, Good, Expert or Adept. If the PC does not have the skill required, then the "Unskilled" rating is used as the "rank". If your PC not only doesn't have the skill, but has some sort of Disadvantage in that area as well (for example, "Weak" when the PC is trying to perform a feat of Strength), then the "Handicapped" rating is used.

1.2 Base Targets

All things equal, this will determine the number you need to roll (or less) on 1d20 (one twenty-sided die). The base target is determined by the Rank, as follows:

Unwieldy Object

Sharp Claws/Fangs

Note that once one reaches "Good" level, one is pretty much guaranteed success at a "moderately difficult" task. However, there may be mitigating factors that add or subtract from this base score, so having greater skill is useful for handling more challenging tasks. Also, how much one beats the required roll by can determine how well one succeeds. Just barely scraping by is one thing. Making it with flying colors and not even breaking a sweat is another.

1.3 Rule of 1 and 20

Sometimes, even though it looks like a given, there's still the chance to slip up -- especially in combat -- or else it looks like there's only a fraction of a chance of making it, if at all. To spice things up a bit, there is a general rule here: Regardless of the base target, 1 always succeeds, and 20 always fails.

On top of this, there is the chance of Perfect or Fumble. For Average and Good skills, a 1 means that not only does the PC succeed, but does so exceptionally well ... while a 20 means that not only does the PC fail, but does so in a really bad way.

How exactly the GM determines a "fumble" or "perfect" depends on how hard it is to think of a special effect. If the PC is trying to disarm a bomb, a rather obvious "fumble" comes to mind. If a PC is baking a cake, then the PC just does an exceptional job at it. (Not that I'd seriously make a PC roll dice every time he wants to bake a cake!) For some Ranks, the chance of doing a Perfect or a Fumble is greater or lesser. The GM may choose to follow these or ignore them. For some situations, it just doesn't make sense to have a 5% or more chance of failing spectacularly. And for some actions, there's just no feasible way to imagine the effects of doing something "perfectly": You either do it, or you don't. That's it.

1.4 Modifiers

A task of "moderate difficulty" is hard to define. It ultimately depends on the GM's discretion. It's roughly considered a character's base chance to swing a weapon at a target and having a chance of hitting somewhere near the intended mark -- barring interference by armor, shields, etc. Or, it could be the base chance to climb a cliff under pressure of time.

The basic notion here is that there's some sort of pressure on the PC. If it's something casual where the PC has time to prepare, and has the requisite skill(s), then it's not really an issue -- the PC will succeed, unless the GM decides that there's some complication the PC doesn't know about, or just wants to make things more difficult. This covers things that are done under pressure (combat, trying to get up a cliff to the enemy base, performing for the first time for the king, etc.) where a person with Average ability in the applicable skill might have a 50/50 chance of succeeding, all things equal.

If things are easier or harder than that, then you modify the base target. (You might also end up modifying the chance of Fumble or Perfect. If the PC is especially cautious and takes extra time and has help, he may be far less likely to do a catastrophic Fumble, even if he's a novice.)

Below are some sample modifiers that may be applied to the target value. (A negative number means that the target value is dropped, making it harder to succeed. A positive number means that the target value is increased, making it easier to succeed.)

1.4.1 Sample Modifiers

Basic Modifiers

for every Bonk PC has suffered

for every Ouchie PC has suffered

Task is Very Difficult

Task is Extremely Difficult

Task is Apparently Impossible

PC is using off hand

PC can't use hands

PC is using a "closely related" skill instead of the correct one
(e.g., Has Dagger skill, but is fighting with a sword)

Encumbered (Backpack, Armor)

Heavily Encumbered

PC or weapon has been Blessed by Chaos Magic

Modifiers for Melee Combat: Attacking

Modifier Factor

-5 Cautious Attack

-5 or worse Unarmed vs. Armed

-5 Dagger vs. Sword

-10 Disarm/Grapple

+5 All-Out Thrust

+5 Paired Weapons

Modifiers for Melee Combat: Defending

Modifier Factor

+5 Off Hand Weapon or Shield

+5 Trident or Weapon-Catcher

+5 Last Attack was Cautious

-10 Last Attack was All-Out Thrust

-10 Last Attack was Roundhouse

Modifiers for Ranged Combat

Modifier Factor

-5 Ranged Attack in Dim Light/Fog

-10 Firing with a Bow/Crossbow/Rifle in Close Combat

-5 or more Target has Shield / In Cover

-5 Trying to Hit a Short Target (3' or shorter)

-10 Called Shot

-10 Moving Target

+0 Point Blank Range

-5 Short Range

-10 Medium Range

-15 Long Range

-20 Maximum Range

+5 Round Spent Aiming First

+5 vs range 1 pt Keen Eyes

+10 vs range 2 pt Hunter's Eyes

+5 vs lighting Night Vision

+5 Dromodon-Sized Target

+10 Carriage-Sized Target

+15 Airship-Sized Target

+20 Broad Side of a Castle

2.0 Competing Tests

Sometimes, the conflict isn't just a matter of the PC just trying to hit a target or climb a wall. Sometimes, it matters that the target is using its own skill to parry the attack. The skill of the opposing force comes into play, and it can't really be quantified as just some set "difficulty" to compete against.

In a competing test, if the competitors are directly opposing each other (such as, one is attacking, the other is parrying), then roll for each competitor. The competitor that beats his target roll by the most wins. If both competitors fail, then it's usually a moot point.

If the "defender" is better than the "attacker" by 10 points or more, then not only did the defender press off the attacker's attempt, but managed to get in a "free" action or attack that is not in competition.

In combat, for example, we have two Good fighters, with base targets of 20, and no applicable modifiers. The attacker rolls 16, which would normally be enough to hit ... but the defender rolls a 6. Not only does the defender manage to parry the attack, but the attacker left himself wide open enough that the defender gets a "free" attack action. Since this will not be considered a competing action, the "defender" merely has to roll anything but a 20 (i.e., don't Fumble) in order to score a return hit against the attacker.

Note to the GM: Is this complicated? Then don't worry about it! Feel free to ignore little nitty gritty rules like this. This is mainly just a consideration for when a fairly competent PC is dealing with bunches of incompetent opponents -- It gives him a better chance of dealing with them quickly.

Combat is the most contentious situation in which this system is used. This system is far from perfect, much of it being designed as something the GM can remember well, rather than actual practicality. When it's a case of the PC against the GM's world, it's up to the GM to pull out advantages and disadvantages and balance them out as he sees fit, or ignore them as desired. After all, there's no sense stopping the game to figure out numbers when a PC is waiting for a line from the GM.

On the flip side, if there is PC vs. PC conflict, and it breaks into combat, then the GM is going to have to be especially careful about being fair and not "playing favorites". That's when the "impartial" judge provided by the die is especially handy. Nothing is truly impartial. Various things the GM does will work in one PC's favor or the other in such a contest. It's inevitable. But the process of tallying up how many things are in the favor of one PC or the other, and then translating them into a numeric chance of success can help the GM to be more even-handed in the contest. (It can help, that is. Your mileage may vary. What works for one GM may not work for another.)

Combat is typically divided into Rounds. Typically, this is one combatant versus another, but the order of events may need to be modified when multiple combatants are involved.

3.1.1 Initiative

Who goes first? If one side or the other has the element of surprise, they may get it automatically. If there are multiple "sides", you may have to determine initiative individually. A quick way is to roll 1d20 for each "side". Whomever rolls highest goes first. Apply modifiers to initiative as appropriate ... and, of course, someone can always voluntarily surrender initiative, letting the other person go first.

3.1.2 Attack/Parry/Dodge

The winner of the initiative becomes the Attacker. The other side becomes the Defender. Of course, the Attacker could do some action other than fight, which can be resolved as the GM sees fit.

If the Defender is not trying to defend himself (Parry) with a weapon, nor is he actively Dodging, then the Attacker makes a normal Skill Roll to hit, using his applicable Weapon Skill. If the Defender is trying to defend himself, then the Defender makes an opposing Weapon Skill roll, and this becomes a Competition.

If the Attacker's roll is better, he "hits". If the Defender's roll is better, he "parries". If the Attacker Fumbles or the Defender makes a Perfect, or if the Defender beats the Attacker by 10 points or more, then the Defender gets a Reposte.

Note: Some weapons are better at Defending than others. Using a Dagger to Defend against a Sword is a -5 to Parrying. Using a Sword to Defend against a Dagger might be a +5, unless the Attacker is, say, on the Defender's back. Some GM discretion is required.

An alternative for the Defender is to Dodge. Instead of using a Weapon Skill to defend with, the Defender uses Agility (if he has any). He gets no bonuses for whatever weapon he may be carrying, but he also doesn't get penalized for being unarmed or having an inferior weapon.

3.1.3 Armor/Toughness

Assuming that the Attack roll beats the Target, and assuming that the Attack is not Parried or Dodged, then it hits. Now it is determined whether it does any damage.

Make a Competitive roll between the Attacker's Damage and the Defender's Toughness (or Armor).

The Attacker's Damage is determined either by his Natural Weapons ability, or else by having a weapon doing appropriate damage. Being Weak drops the Damage rating by a Rank. Strength Ranks add to Damage Ranks, if applicable. (A fencing foil, for instance, wouldn't benefit much from being applied with Giant Strength.)

The Defender's Toughness is determined by his Toughness score (if he has one). Having the Fragile Disadvantage drops this by a Rank. If the Defender has Armor and Toughness, the Attacker's Damage must penetrate both to inflict harm.

If the Defender does not have Toughness or Armor, and if the Attacker is not Weak or Unarmed, then he will suffer damage automatically. There is no roll.

If the nature of the attack is one that could potentially kill in a single strike, then it inflicts Bonks. It is an unarmed attack, an attack with a light blunt weapon, or with normal-sized claws -- attacks that could wear down an opponent, but probably not take them down in a single strike -- then the attack inflicts Ouchies. If the Defender gets hit by a Bonk-causing attack, but resists it through natural Toughness (not Armor), he will still take an Ouchie.

3.1.4 Reposte

If the Defender has not taken any Damage, then he gets his turn. He basically gets to make another Attack, as described above. Once that is finished, the next round begins, and Initiative is determined once again.

If, however, the Attacker this round left himself open for a Reposte, then the Defender gets to make his attack without the original Attacker being able to make it a competition. The Defender, therefore, is only rolling against his base chance to hit a target ... though if the Attacker left himself wide open from an All-Out Thrust, etc., then those penalties will become bonuses to the Defender's chance to strike in his counter-attack!

3.2 Maneuvers

Sometimes, PCs have actions that just aren't easily described as "I attack so-and-so." They may try something special, like a feint, or an acrobatic flip and attacking from behind, and so forth. The GM should determine some sort of bonus that may apply for this maneuver -- if it seems like any bonus should apply at all -- but some sort of balancing factor. Perhaps there is a chance of doing more damage ... but at the risk of leaving oneself wide open for counter-attack if it doesn't take the enemy down in one blow. There should be a reason why someone would attempt this in certain situations, other than just "to look cool" ... but there also must be a reason why a fighter won't just Thrust or Feint all the time.

The GM will have to interpret the situation as it arises, but here are some sample "maneuvers" that PCs sometimes try. The modifer to Defend applies until it's time for the PC to make another Attack. The effectiveness of these attacks may depend upon the skill of the attacker -- If the attacker has no weapon skill, then such maneuvers may be completely pointless.

Acrobatic Feat: The PC, instead of attacking, does some sort of acrobatic maneuver this turn. Roll for the success of performing this feat. If it fails, the PC leaves himself wide open for attack, unable to Defend, and wastes his own chance to Attack. If he succeeds, the Defender can't hit him this Round (though other combatants might have a chance). The benefit may vary depending on the GM's discretion as to how surprised the Defender is. If it's a clumsy oaf, then the Attacker might flip behind him and get a free attack next turn. If the Defender is fairly agile and wise to these antics, then this may just be a tactic to buy time.

All-Out Thrust: The PC goes all out to make a strike, but leaves himself wide open for counter-attack. +5 to Attack, +5 to Damage (if applicable), but -10 to Defend.

Cautious: The PC makes a cautious attack, sacrificing his chance to make a decisive stroke in favor of providing a stronger defense. He gets -5 to his roll to Attack, but +5 to his roll to Defend.

Defend/Dodge: The PC makes no attack at all, but focuses wholly on defending against or dodging any incoming blows. Cannot Attack, but +10 to Defend.

Feint: The PC fakes an attack one way, then makes a real attack the other way. Tries to evade enemy's defenses. -2 to roll to Attack, but Defender also suffers a -5 to his roll to Defend. Attacker must have at least Average skill. At GM's discretion, some Defenders may not fall for the Feint -- especially if the Attacker is over-using this maneuver.

Round House: The PC must be using a weapon that could benefit from a big swing behind it, such as a warhammer or heavy sword, not a fencing foil or dagger. The PC sacrifices his Attack, and is at -10 to Defend until his next Attack. For his next Attack, if he hits, he will do double his normal bonus for Strength. Weak characters can't use this method.

Super Flashy Attack: This is reserved only for Good or better warriors. This isn't a matter of realism ... it's a matter of "looking cool". The PC may get a bonus for the attack, but only if it's the "dramatically appropriate moment". If he just routinely starts off with his Super Flashy Attack as the first thing off the bat, then it won't be Super anymore. If, however, it's been a long battle, his foe is taunting him, and he has to do something or else the whole city is going to be destroyed by a monster being summoned by the Forces of Evil ... then it's time to act, and act big. Only Adept fighters get to act like anime superheroes, though (unless they have magic weapons).

Hit Locations

This is, again, a purely optional detail, as its addition can complicate things. Sometimes, it just makes sense to hit the guy in the gut and get it over with, or if the head is the only exposed part, that's where he gets hit with the flower pot. The relevance of this can be in determining whether an attack is a Bonk or an Ouchie, whether that part of the body is damaged, whether someone should be knocked unconscious or lose a limb, etc. The exact results depend on the GM's discretion.

The hit location charts are slightly different for Ranged and Melee. In Ranged combat, there's a more equal distribution across the body. In Melee combat, especially with swords, it tends to be a bit harder to hit the torso, since it's (more or less) easily protected with the limbs, but it's easier to hit the head (or come around and hit the back).

Hit Location Table

3.4 Damage, Bonks and Ouchies

This is an area really up to a GM's discretion, since it so much depends on the situation. Roughly, a Bonk represents damage from an attack that should be able to take down the average person in a single successful blow, such as a sword strike. An Ouchie represents an attack that is more capable of "wearing down" someone, such as being hit with a flail or claws.

The average person can sustain one "Bonk" of damage and then going down. Five "Ouchies" equal one Bonk. So, the average person will drop immediately upon taking a Bonk ... but if the same person sustains an Ouchie, he or she can potentially keep going until he or she sustains that fifth Ouchie.

These can be awarded not just from weapon damage, but from various other things as well -- fatigue, running while wounded, etc.

Some PCs can take more than one Bonk. Here are the factors that affect this:

Fighter. If the PC is at least an Average Fighter, then the PC is considered a "fighter-type", and can take an additional Bonk before going down.

Strength. For every Rank of Strength the PC has, he or she can sustain another Bonk.

Toughness. For every Rank of Toughness the PC has, he or she can sustain another Bonk. This is Toughness, not Armor.

Please note: The Toughness and Armor abilities are treated as the same thing. However, there are implications to each way of treating it. If a PC is a turtle-Shiga who has an armored shell (Toughness), and he is hit by an arrow, and he makes his Toughness roll, the arrow is stopped. (And, if it was poisoned, he suffers no effect.) If, however, the PC was a Titanian, and his Toughness represented his general, well, toughness, then if he passes his roll, the arrow didn't necessarily bounce off of him ... it's just that he can shrug off the damage.

The trade-off is that if it's "Armor", there's a benefit that if you're hit with, say, a poisonous arrow, if you make your Armor roll, you're unaffected. If it's counted as "Toughness", then you get some Bonks for your trouble, but you may still suffer damage from poisons, etc., even if you pass your Toughness roll against physical harm.

For every Ouchie and Bonk you take, you get more sluggish, less able to perform. Even if you can take tons of punishment and still keep walking, you may not be able to do much of anything. You're just forcing your body onward through sheer stubbornness. For every Ouchie you have sustained, you have a -1 to just about anything you try to do. For every Bonk, make that a -5.

What happens when a PC reaches zero Bonks depends on the situation. Some attacks may well do more than just one Bonk at a time. Round House Attacks, Super Fancy Attacks and All-Out Thrusts with formidable weapons ought to do at least two Bonks. And a Perfect strike could take someone down in a single hit in a David-vs.-Goliath type of situation. Plus, the hit location may determine things, too ... You may be a Titanian, but if you take a sword chop to the neck, you're going to be more than down for the count.

If the attack that takes someone down is with a bladed weapon, you may want to figure out the hit location. If someone went down from a series of Ouchies, he or she may just be slowly bleeding to death, and may be saved if he or she receives proper attention soon. If the victim is Fragile, that will greatly reduce one's chances of survival, especially against a lethal attack. If, however, it's just a fist fight, it's far more likely that getting "Bonked" just means being knocked unconscious, and with a broken bone at worst.

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