Post by Malcadon on May 18, 2017 20:06:56 GMT
No too long ago on the OD&D section, I made note of a type of die called "Average Dice". It is a d6 geared towards average results. It has the following faces: 2,3,3,4,4,5. In Generating Ability Scores for Non-Player Characters on page 11 of the DMG, it recommends using Average Dice for run-of-the-mill NPCs. I know that the results are skewed towards 3s and 4s in a dramatic way, I became fascinated by how that would play out mathematically.
I did not make this chart, but it shows the odds of all the results of a 3d6 roll:
Simple enough. (That sexy Bell Curve really floats my boat!)
So what would the odds (out of 216 possible results) with 3 Average Dice vs 3d6
As you can see, an NPC as the same chances of getting a 15 as a PC getting an 18 and getting a 14 would be the same as a PC getting a 16.
But then I had this idea the other day...
As neat as an Average Die is, you cannot get a 1 or 6 form it, so what if it works like one of those six-sided "d3" dice?
I call this a "Super Average Die" — a d12 with the following faces: 1,2,2,3,3,3,4,4,4,5,5,6.
Due to the greater number of faces, I did not even add the normal 3d6 set for comparison as the number of possible results goes from 216, to 1,728!
You cannot even equate this to the above, as you chances of rolling an 18 is really, really slim!
So, wheat reason why I would create this besides giving NPCs a slight change of having an extreme score. I had the idea of re-tolling ability scores so that high scores would be superhuman in scope. In regular D&D, a Strength score of 3 would be a child or old lady, while an 18 would be Conan the Barbarian or André the Giant. But with this arrangement, a 3 would be as strong as a Brownie or Sprite, while an 18 would allow one to preform physical feats like Hercules or classic (pre-flight) Superman. Likewise, an 18 Intelligence would make someone a living super-computer, while 18 Charisma would give unearthly beauty and the ability to Charm Person at will! The idea for doing this is to allow for playable monsters, with each monster (including humans, demi-humans and humanoids) having a minimum and maximum ranges for each ability.
I did not make this chart, but it shows the odds of all the results of a 3d6 roll:
Simple enough. (That sexy Bell Curve really floats my boat!)
So what would the odds (out of 216 possible results) with 3 Average Dice vs 3d6
| Result | 3d6 | 3AD |
| 18 | 1 | - |
| 17 | 3 | - |
| 16 | 6 | - |
| 15 | 10 | 1 |
| 14 | 15 | 6 |
| 13 | 21 | 18 |
| 12 | 25 | 35 |
| 11 | 27 | 48 |
| 10 | 27 | 48 |
| 9 | 25 | 35 |
| 8 | 21 | 18 |
| 7 | 15 | 6 |
| 6 | 10 | 1 |
| 5 | 6 | - |
| 4 | 3 | - |
| 3 | 1 | - |
As you can see, an NPC as the same chances of getting a 15 as a PC getting an 18 and getting a 14 would be the same as a PC getting a 16.
But then I had this idea the other day...
As neat as an Average Die is, you cannot get a 1 or 6 form it, so what if it works like one of those six-sided "d3" dice?
I call this a "Super Average Die" — a d12 with the following faces: 1,2,2,3,3,3,4,4,4,5,5,6.
Due to the greater number of faces, I did not even add the normal 3d6 set for comparison as the number of possible results goes from 216, to 1,728!
| Result | 3SAD |
| 18 | 1 |
| 17 | 6 |
| 16 | 21 |
| 15 | 53 |
| 14 | 105 |
| 13 | 171 |
| 12 | 234 |
| 11 | 273 |
| 10 | 273 |
| 9 | 234 |
| 8 | 171 |
| 7 | 105 |
| 6 | 53 |
| 5 | 21 |
| 4 | 6 |
| 3 | 1 |
You cannot even equate this to the above, as you chances of rolling an 18 is really, really slim!
So, wheat reason why I would create this besides giving NPCs a slight change of having an extreme score. I had the idea of re-tolling ability scores so that high scores would be superhuman in scope. In regular D&D, a Strength score of 3 would be a child or old lady, while an 18 would be Conan the Barbarian or André the Giant. But with this arrangement, a 3 would be as strong as a Brownie or Sprite, while an 18 would allow one to preform physical feats like Hercules or classic (pre-flight) Superman. Likewise, an 18 Intelligence would make someone a living super-computer, while 18 Charisma would give unearthly beauty and the ability to Charm Person at will! The idea for doing this is to allow for playable monsters, with each monster (including humans, demi-humans and humanoids) having a minimum and maximum ranges for each ability.