Luck

[GnomeBoy]

I'd like to see Luck be an exciting stat, something that enhances random chance already existent in the rules, something that doesn't come in all the time but when it does it's always fun, something that kicks a game in directions unforseen by the players and DM... Luck should be a game changer.

As it stands, the only thing I know about Luck is that the modifier that goes with it is a modifier to one of your abilities, such as a saving throw, or an attack from... I'd like to know more about it, because I want to know how I will use it in running a game. I know in a system like BRP/Cthulhu, I use Luck for things that are beyond skill or knowledge, but that are still possible. But what is it's roll in DCC RPG?

What are your thoughts on the Luck ability?

[mshensley]

HackMaster Basic has a pretty neat mechanic for luck although only thieves get it. They get 20+level luck points per level that they can use to alter saves and such. This goes a long way to making thieves unique.

[geordie racer]

I'm reading Merritt's The Moon Pool where one of the heroes, Larry, pushes his luck throughout. Every time he opens his mouth you think 'shut it you tool, you're gonna get yourself killed'.

Maybe a player may elect to have the character 'push his luck' on a roll, if the roll succeeds it is a critical success, if the roll fails, it is a critical failure. A player may try pushing his luck with further rolls during the session, but with an increasing penalty. Penalty resets to zero after session.

[smathis]

HackMaster Basic has a pretty neat mechanic for luck although only thieves get it. They get 20+level luck points per level that they can use to alter saves and such. This goes a long way to making thieves unique.

That's a really good idea.

[SniperTodd]

Perhaps rolling an additional die with your regular rolls...Roll your d20, and roll a d6. The d6 can give you an amazing luck bonus; but only if you roll a 6! And you can roll this extra die the same number of times as your Luck score. Luck of 11? You get 11 rolls per day of game time. Luck 18? Well aren't you the lucky one!

How's that?

Or, (and I'm showing my age here) like in the old, second edition of West End Games' Star Wars RPG. A "Force" die was rolled with your regular roll. A lightsaber or something pops up on the 6 pip...if I remember.

[finarvyn]

As it stands, the only thing I know about Luck is that the modifier that goes with it is a modifier to one of your abilities, such as a saving throw, or an attack from... I'd like to know more about it, because I want to know how I will use it in running a game.

There is a chart where a player rolls a d30 and the GM checks to see what your luck can do. Some of the effects are more powerful, others not so much so. It's really a fun mechanic overall.

The big drawback is when you have a below-average Luck stat (with a negative modifier) and then you roll one of the really cool and powerful ones ... except that you get negatives on it! One of my players went from ecstatic to bummed in a matter of seconds once he realized how the luck roll worked.

[GnomeBoy]

As it stands, the only thing I know about Luck is that the modifier that goes with it is a modifier to one of your abilities, such as a saving throw, or an attack from... I'd like to know more about it, because I want to know how I will use it in running a game.

There is a chart where a player rolls a d30 and the GM checks to see what your luck can do. Some of the effects are more powerful, others not so much so. It's really a fun mechanic overall.

The big drawback is when you have a below-average Luck stat (with a negative modifier) and then you roll one of the really cool and powerful ones ... except that you get negatives on it! One of my players went from ecstatic to bummed in a matter of seconds once he realized how the luck roll worked.

All true -- but that only deals with character creation. I really want to know more about how it works throughout an adventure or throughout a campaign...

-- and if it doesn't, then how can it be changed/added-to so that it does keep affecting play in fun ways...

[geordie racer]

and if it doesn't, then how can it be changed/added-to so that it does keep affecting play in fun ways...

My concern is that the more you let it influence, the more it ends up being the most significant stat in play. I used a luck stat in a homebrew swashbuckling game that did everything from modifying reaction rolls, deciding who triggered the floor trap, who the monsters pursue when the party split up, and if there's an object at hand that could be used as an weapon/tool. If your luck was low you were doomed.

[GnomeBoy]

My concern is that the more you let it influence, the more it ends up being the most significant stat in play....

I agree -- I think it's something that should only come up once in a while, not every session or maybe not even every adventure. But when it does show up, I'd like to see it as something big.

I'm not sure how to do that simply, but I thought it might be worth hashing it over a bit for the sake of this "new" stat actually bringing something new to the RPG.

[mxyzplk]

In 2e days, I added two custom stats - Perception (prefiguring the Spot/Search/etc of 3e) and Luck. It worked out really well, it was used for "who stepped on the trap" or "is there an improvised weapon in reach" kinds of things, but we never felt like it was more or less important than any other stat. We never used it to modify other things that had their own modifier. I did let people permanently burn a point of it if they really needed to succeed at something or not die, but that was done rarely because then your Luck stat was lower.

[nanstreet]

In 2e days, I added two custom stats - Perception (prefiguring the Spot/Search/etc of 3e) and Luck. It worked out really well, it was used for "who stepped on the trap" or "is there an improvised weapon in reach" kinds of things, but we never felt like it was more or less important than any other stat. We never used it to modify other things that had their own modifier. I did let people permanently burn a point of it if they really needed to succeed at something or not die, but that was done rarely because then your Luck stat was lower.

I really like that. I recently ran 2e, for the first time in about 15 years, and found myself very rusty at it, but I can see where the luck attribute could have really come been fun for things I had to determine randomly, like whether or not the oil lantern had been close enough to grab and hurl at the onrushing guard.

[GnomeBoy]

I like the use of Luck for these sorts of "what's handy?" situations, and "who tripped the trap?". I used to rule on if something logical for the scene was there or not, when a player would ask, by whim/cleverness of the player's idea/random chance -- but Luck would work well for that.

It occurs to me also that a DM could use it in those situations when a creature has a more-or-less equal choice of two or more PCs to eat -- whoever makes their Luck roll by the least is the first target...!

[geordie racer]

One thing I'd discourage is making it so lucky characters have an automatic better chance at doing something than appropriately skilled characters. So I'd rather luck was used in a 'see who gets hit by the stirge guano' situation - basically on occasions when the DM thinks its fitting.