Code: Select all
I know what I am asking is opening a prior can of worms. But I feel that it is still worth bringing up because of how unbalancing Thief Luck can be.
I think that thief chances for success should be moved back to percentages for pure mechanic reasons. Not because of legacy, not because of cool factor, but to keep the systems different.
Let me explain why I am asking for this. There has been some confusion about this on the boards on what can a luck value be utilized for. People wanted to add it to rolls beyond the scope of what luck was intended to be. It is not as important when it was a +1 per point of luck, but when a thief gets to add a class die of luck it becomes very critical on what sort of rolls it can be used for.
There has been some discussion on adding MDoA's type abilities to other classes. There are workable ways to do that, until you get to the thief luck mechanic. Thieves can blow the power curve on combat, saving throws and most any of the d20 mechanics that exist.
So how do we prevent confusion and limit the effectiveness of thieves?
------------------------------------
Option one: Keep same mechanics but limit them
------------------------------------
At a very minimum, remove the class die from thief class. Make the luck modifier a straight d4 no matter what the class level of the thief. They also have to decide ahead of time how many luck points to burn, not roll... roll again... roll again... type affair.
------------------------------------
Option two: Temporary vs permanent
------------------------------------
Keep the class die for anything related to thief skills (could include saving throws vs trap that was triggered on a failed pick lock check). Using luck this way is a temporary train.
Using Luck for anything not related to class skills is a 1 luck = +1 on the roll like other classes. This use of luck is permanent like other classes.
------------------------------------
Option three: Change of mechanics
------------------------------------
1. Convert thief skill checks back to percentages.
2. If a thief burns luck for a thief skill check, he rolls a d20 (or 2d10) and adds that % to their skill check. This is temporary loss and is regained at 1 point per level per day.
3. When burning luck for a non thief skill check, a thief uses luck just like any other class (1 point = +1). This is permanent burn.
Since the % system is different, it keeps everything separate in a players mind on how luck is utilized . But it is a departure from the d20 mechanic and high is not always better in a % system.
Right now as written, thieves can be the best at about everything for short periods of time. It is also going to cause issues with any sort of cross class functions that might be brought up now or in the future supplements of the game.
These are just random ideas, but I think it needs to be revisited and potentially torn apart on the discussion board.