Below are a series of minor tweaks to True20 for our game. We'll consider others that may emerge through play.
Attribute Increases
These will take place at levels 5/10/15/20
Specialisations
Here are some suggested skill specialisations.
- Craft Specialisations include: Armourer, Art, Bowyer, Building, Carpentry, Cooking, Potions, Tailor, Weaponsmith
- Lore specialisations include: Arcane, Architecture, Art, Battle, Farming, Gods, Engineering, Heraldry, History, Land (specify), The Planes, Religion, Saling and the seas, Society, Stars and Planets, Streetwise, Tactics, Trade
Skills
Not currently in play with active characters, but the True20 skill list could do with a bit of a prune. The existing list is drawn from the 3.0 SRD and reflects design choices of the time. Whereas the extended list works as is, a more focused list reflects design from 4e onwards:
- Acrobatics (Dex)
- Athletics (Str)
- Concentration (Wis)
- Craft (Int)
- Deception (Cha)
- Diplomacy (Cha)
- Heal (Wis)
- Intimidate (Cha)
- Language (number is lang known)
- Lore (Int)
- Nature (Wis)
- Perception (Wis)
- Perform (Cha)
- Ride (Dex)
- Sense Motive (Wis)
- Stealth (Dex)
- Survival (Wis)
- Thievery (Dex)
With a rationalised skill list in play, it may be necessary to slightly revise the skills available by archetype. It would be something to house rule when in motion, but 3+3/lvl for Adept and Warrior and 7+7/lvl for Experts could be the way to go.
Weapon Attacks
True 20 has all attacks using Dex as the keyed attribute. This change will have the default melee attacks on STR, and missile on DEX. Finesse or light kelee weapons can use DEX.
Wound Conditions
We will be keeping the Damage and Toughness Saves that are central to the True20 feel. These may need to be finessed as we go.
- Characters have 3 + Con Hurts, with a minimum of 3. If this track is full, any further Hurts are treated as Wounds. Every two whole hurts give a cumulative -1 to Toughness Saves.
- Characters have 2 + Con Wounds, with a minimum of 2. If this track is full, any further Wounds are treated as Disabled. Every Wound gives a cumulative -1 to Toughness Saves. One or more Wounds give a -2 penalty to checks, saves and attacks
Damage Tracks
Armour
We will use some increased values of armour protection, taken from the SRD
| Armour | Bonus |
|---|
| Light | |
| Padded | +1 |
| Leather | +2 |
| Studded Leather | +3 |
| Medium | |
| Hide | +3 |
| Scale | +4 |
| Breastplate | +5 |
| Chainmail | +5 |
| Heavy | |
| Platemail | +6 |
| Half-plate | +7 |
| Full plate | +8 |
Toughness
True20 provides a much more dangerous combat system. With hit points thrown away, it is all down to the dreaded Toughness Save. This is by design, gives a good feel to the action, and leaves everyone with no doubt that a bad roll, or two, and you could be in trouble. Blue Rose 1e had Toughness ascending with level. This could be modelled in our True20 game in a number of ways.
At present we are keeping Toughness as it comes in the book. An alternative, giving the PCs a bit of an edge, is to allow for a slow increment of Toughness by level.
Add +1 to Toughness at the following levels:
- Warrior: 4/8/12/16/20
- Expert: 5/10/15/20
- Adept: 6/12/18
Taking a cue from Green Ronin's Modern Age, which was probably taking a cue from True20, another, simpler easing of the Toughness test is to have the base damage Difficulty start at 13 instead of 15.
Criticals
Attacks that fall within the Critical Range, and would hit anyway, are a critical. If the attack wouldn't have hit, then it is just a straight hit. No need to re-roll to confirm that the hit is a critical. This is a fix for the 3e hangover, but made slightly more complicated by Feats and Weapons that critical on a range greater than just a nat 20. The outcome is much more critical possibilities and higher Damage Thresholds for Toughness.
Saves and Toughness as static 'Defences'
In this variant, Saving Throws and Toughness become static numbers that offensive things such as traps, poison and disease must actively try to beat. This was introduced in the Warrior Handbook. In this variant the Toughness save has been reduced by 5 and the damage roll works the other way to the Warriors Handbook. A damage roll failure means no harm to the target. Ascending success on the damage roll inflict more harmful effects.
Damage (as above) reduces the Toughness number.
A Conviction Point can be spent after the Damage Roll to increase Toughness by +3.
Saves = 11 + base save bonus + attribute
Toughness = 11 + Con bonus + Armour + Toughness Feats
To make an attack roll, simply subtract 10 from the Difficulty, add the result to a d20 roll, and compare the total to the target’s appropriate defense score. For most supernatural powers and creature special abilities, the attack roll will be a d20 + 1/2 the attacker’s level + their key ability score.
Damage Rolls
Combat damage rolls against Toughness.
Combat Damage is increased by +1 for every 3 the attack roll is higher than Defense
Critical Roll +3
Damage Roll = 1d20 + damage
| Roll | Non-Lethal | Lethal |
|---|
| Fails | No Effect | No Effect |
| Succeeds | Bruised | Hurt |
| Succeeds by 5 | Dazed | Wounded |
| Succeeds by 10 | Staggered | Disabled |
| Succeeds by 15+ | Unconscious | Dying |
