WFRP: Dice Pooler Edition?

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Daemakon
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2021 7:48 pm

A bit of a preamble so you know where I am coming from:

I have been a fan of the setting for longer than I have played the RPG, which I picked up soon after it came out in ‘05-06. I have both run and played the system numerous times, though mostly the 40k version, as that is the one every group seems to gravitate toward more. Over the years, the percentile system really started to wear on me. D20 games also get in my craw, for similar reasons to percentile, namely the swingyness. At least D&D has good recognition, rolling a 20 has a bigger endorphin hit, and some people just really hate rolling low instead of high. Two campaigns ago, I ran one of my favorite systems, VtM, and it was a huge hit with my current group. So when I started to long for the Old World again, it got me thinking about how it might be relatively easy to alter the rolling mechanic in WFRP, without having to change much else thanks to how the attributes work.

The half-baked idea:

There are already stats and skills in the game with which to build a pool of d10s, so not much needs to change. Storyteller is great for on the fly roleplay and creative decision-making, which could work very well with the Warhammer world of cults and intrigue. Combat can be made more robust with some extra maneuvers to keep players engaged with interesting choices.

The whole thing is in its infancy as my potential players and I come up with ideas we like (for example, some like the 3e stances), but I figure I might as well ask some experts their opinions.

Dice Rolls
In Warhammer Fantasy: Dice Pool edition, you will be asked to roll dice to perform actions. Usually this is done by making a Dice Pool of a Characteristic + Skill + Talent bonuses. Certain tasks are harder or easier, and mean you need to roll higher or lower values on your d10s. Unless stated otherwise, use a standard difficulty of 6+.
Skills and Talents
Some characters, like those who have training in certain skills or talents will show bonuses in 10% increments. In the dice pool version, they will roll an extra dice for training and each 10% bonus.
Results
A roll that shows 3 successes is a complete “victory.” More or less successes increase or decrease the degrees of how well your character has performed.
  • Win at a cost
    If you end up with only 1 or 2 successes, you achieve your goal, but something detrimental has happened. Anyone at the table can suggest a complication and a lower degree of success should have a higher cost.
  • Automatic Pass
    If you ever have equal or more dice in your pool than the difficulty
  • Critical
    If you have 2 or more 10s, you gain an extra success.
  • Botch
    If you ever have no successes and see a 1, it is a failure and a complication.
Fate and Fortune
A player may spend a point of Fortune for several different purposes:
  • To re-roll up to three dice for a failed Characteristic or Skill test.
  • To gain an extra parry or dodge in a round.
  • To add an extra 1d10 to your initiative roll.
  • To gain an extra action.
A player gains Fortune up to their maximum in these ways:
  • At the start of every session.
  • You do something exceptionally heroic while spending no Fate.
  • You do a particularly good job of playing out a complication.
Characteristics
Instead of Rolling 2d10, since we need nice even numbers, the players place specific values in each of their 8 characteristics: 15, 15, 10, 10, 10, 10, 5, 5. After that, they may bump up any of their 10 or 5 characteristics by 5 (pseudo Shallya’s Mercy). Then, when rolling for starting wounds and fate, they only roll once and choose to use that roll for either value with the opposite roll being the value for the other. For example: if they roll a 7 for a human character, they can choose to place that 7 in wounds for a starting value of 12, but then they have to place a 4 for a starting fate of 2. When characters have an value that ends with a 5 digit (halfway between full dice) they roll a distinguishable extra die that succeeds on 2 higher, so normally an 8 rather than 6.

Combat
Nothing much changes when it comes to actions from 2nd edition here, so far, but we will run a few simulated battles to see how things flow. I know there are fixes for adding in more attacks into combat, but with people hitting more often, they might not be needed. 1 success to hit is a d5 damage, 2 is a normal d10, and 3 or more also adds in a special effect. Similarly, defense rolls downgrade damage to a d5 on one success (just SB-TB on glance v glance), negate completely on 2 (as normal), and also add a defensive effect on 3 or more.

Special Combat Effects
Combats can get fairly drawn out and boring until crits start happening, and most people just use the default attacks. Hopefully some special “you rolled awesome” effects can keep things a bit more interesting. Players may pick a special effect to happen after their WB/BS/Dodge/Parry, but before damage is rolled.
Defensive Effects
  • Feint
    The next attack against the attacker cannot be dodged or parried.
  • Riposte
    You get a free hit against the attacker
  • Spring up
    You may immediately stand up.
  • Withdraw
    You may Disengage up to half of your Movement
Melee Effects
  • Bash
    Bashing weapons or shields only. Your opponent cannot attack on their next turn, but may perform other actions. If striking with a shield, you also push them back 2 yards.
  • Bleed
    Cutting weapons only. If this attack deals damage, the opponent loses one dice to their pools until they are healed.
  • Compel Surrender
    If the enemy is injured or in a compromised situation, the enemy is not damaged by your attack, but they must make a Willpower roll opposed to the Weapon Skill roll.
  • Grab
    Unarmed only. You initiate a grapple and your opponent must make an Agility test opposed by your Weapon Skill roll.
  • Keep at Bay
    Fast weapons only. Your opponent may not move to engage you on their turn.
  • Maneuver
    You move your opponent 2 yards in a direction of your choice and you may then move 2 yards as well. Neither movement causes free attacks.
  • Offhand Attack
    You may make an attack with the weapon in your off-hand.
  • Trip
    Your opponent must pass a Strength, Agility, or Dodge roll (their choice) opposed by your Weapon Skill roll or be knocked down.
Ranged Effects
  • Duck back
    You may move 2 yards and hide behind cover.
  • Marksman
    Adjust hit location by one step
  • Pin Down
    The target takes a Willpower test or hunkers down behind whatever cover it can find next turn.
  • Pistolier
    You may make an attack with your offhand pistol.
  • Swift Reload
    The Reload characteristic improves to Free if it is Half, Half if it is Full, or reduces it by one Full Action if it is more.
So the whiffyness and unreliability is curbed, and opened up for “yes..but” roleplay/improv. I understand that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but even my more hesitant roleplayers got into suggesting complications and appreciated how it kept everyone involved and engaged even when someone else was doing something solo. The whole thing could even be as easy as counting as “success levels” too, if players wanted something more basic or concrete.

I haven’t found a magic system that really sings to me yet out of the 7ish now that teams have tried (3 magic 4 psychic), so I am really open to any system that works well. There are things I like about many of them, but I haven’t taken the time to Frankenstein up a solution for that yet, since this whole tweak is very fresh. If anyone has solutions they like, I am all ears.

Anyway, that’s the basic idea so far. We have tons of time before the game would even start up, so there might be plenty of iterating before it is finished. I don’t know if anyone else on here has thought of anything like this before, I imagine everyone here would probably have to be a big fan of at least one of the default systems, but any comments or suggestions to help hone this into something better are certainly appreciated.
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Karanthir
Posts: 178
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:30 am
Location: Naggaroth

Don't know if it's of any use to you, but some people are working on a version of WFRP to use with FFG's Genesys system (the spiritual successor to WFRP3): https://www.facebook.com/TheOldWorldGenesys/
Daemakon
Posts: 2
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2021 7:48 pm

Karanthir wrote: Mon Nov 01, 2021 4:32 am Don't know if it's of any use to you, but some people are working on a version of WFRP to use with FFG's Genesys system (the spiritual successor to WFRP3): https://www.facebook.com/TheOldWorldGenesys/
Thanks for the tip. I liked the Star Wars one more than I did WFRP3. Fantasy Flight couldn't help themselves with all the tokens and cards, and I felt like it distracted from the roleplaying.

Ideally, I would steal ideas that work from every edition, so I will certainly check it out.
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Karanthir
Posts: 178
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2019 3:30 am
Location: Naggaroth

Daemakon wrote: Wed Nov 03, 2021 10:37 pm Thanks for the tip. I liked the Star Wars one more than I did WFRP3. Fantasy Flight couldn't help themselves with all the tokens and cards, and I felt like it distracted from the roleplaying.

Ideally, I would steal ideas that work from every edition, so I will certainly check it out.
Happy to help! From what I understand, Genesys is much closer to Star Wars than WFRP3 - basically a setting agnostic version of the Star Wars system - so it might be more to your liking.
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