Revisiting the Dice
For a long time, I believed the system needed to be balanced around numbers divisible by 12—since all checks and dice combinations were designed to add up to 12. However, after reviewing the probability chart, I realized that at Legendary, a character would almost never fail unless attempting something absurdly difficult.
That led me to reconsider. Stopping at Master instead of Legendary introduces a meaningful chance of failure even for highly skilled characters. A d4+8 with a Grit Die creates three possible failure outcomes on standard tasks—ensuring that even the best aren’t perfect at everything.
Additionally, this adjustment eliminates the need for a d2, making it easier for players to use real dice instead of rolling odd/even checks.
Revisiting the Grit Die
With the removal of the base d2, I also needed to reconsider the Grit Die size. Some hindrances reduce the Grit Die by one step—which is fine for a hero (e.g., dropping from d6 to d4). But for allies, who already start with a d4, taking that same hindrance would drop them to a d2—which I don’t want in normal gameplay.
To address this, I increased the base Grit Die:
- Heroes now start with a d8 (instead of a d6).
- Allies start with a d6 (instead of a d4).
- If reduced by a hindrance, heroes drop to d6, and allies drop to d4.
- Marked for Glory increases the Grit Die, allowing heroes to reach a d10.
This change allows higher numbers without breaking balance, while still providing a chance for failure at lower skill levels.
| Trait / Hindrance | Hero | Ally |
|---|---|---|
| Not Quite a Hero | d6 | d4 |
| No Trait or Hindrance | d8 | d6 |
| Marked for Glory | d10 | d8 |
Resetting the Penalties
Originally, penalties ranged from 0 to -5, but this effectively made everything one step easier than intended. To correct this, I shifted penalties to range from -1 to -6, making Easy a true -1 penalty, and Impossible a -6 penalty.
Interestingly, this revision brought back the divisibility by 12 concept I originally moved away from—proof that sometimes the best ideas circle back around.
Updated Difficulty Penalties
| Difficulty | Penalty |
|---|---|
| No Penalty | +0 |
| Easy | -1 |
| Moderate | -2 |
| Stiff | -3 |
| Sheer Folly | -4 |
| Near Impossible | -5 |
| Impossible | -6 |
Final Thoughts
Breaking free from strict adherence to 12 turned out to be a positive change. Now:
- Masters in skills can still fail, though never critically.
- The increased Grit Die makes Sheer Folly and Impossible checks achievable beyond just rolling max values.
- The system still feels balanced while allowing for meaningful dice rolls.
In the end, these refinements make the game stronger, ensuring that challenges remain engaging and rewarding.