Hey guys,
Way back when Goblinoid Games put out Mutant Future, I was hit with how cool the Mental Attack Table was, showing a matrix for resolving Will vs Will combat; it struck me how it was simply an attribute vs attribute chart. I thought it would awesome to use for any attribute vs attribute check, and that why not use it for combat as well? I recently stumbled across Tom Ryan and New Haven Games, who are diligently working on a cool 2e inspired game called Myth and Magic, using Tom's BASE20 concept (check it out, its cool). I also saw this as a percentile matrix, in GORE/BRP I think, as a resolution system.
So I expanded the chart and here it is:
http://db.tt/z6yVyqx
Though I designed it for an alternative system for a Mutant Future game, it is now one I am fleshing out to be a universal system for any genre. The mechanics are simple.
All saving throws/opposed tests/skill and attribute checks/ are designated a difficulty; inspired by Tom Ryan's BASE20, I highlighted the standard difficulty benchmarks at 5,10,15,20,and 25. This is for those that want quick and hard numbers for saving throws and checks. The numbers in between are for those that want a more granular difficulty number ladder. The GM sets the DC at 5 for mundane, basic tasks/ 10 for common or average tasks/ 15 for challenging tasks/ and 20 for very hard tasks. 25 is considered superhuman or of legendary proportions; while used rarely, it exists. An average person with an attribute of 10 needs to roll those numbers exactly, meaning, a difficulty of 10 requires him to roll a 10, and a DC20 requires him to roll a 20. For every point above or below 10, it goes up or down in increments of +1 or -1. In essence, a 13 grants +3, or a 17 grants +7, and so on. The Action Resolution Table does the math already for you.
Attribute and Skill Checks
The GM assigns a difficulty using the above guidelines. Simply crossreference the Active Stat with the chosen DC and you'll find your your needed die roll number. An example would be lifting an immense weight, say a broken steel girder that pinned a dying companion to the ground. A DC20 means that the average person with a 10 strength would need a 20 to move it; just a 5% chance. But some with strength of legendary proportions, say an 18 score, could move it on a 12 or higher.
Saving Throws
As above, but the save is assigned an attribute as the Active Stat. So a Save vs Radiation in a Post Apocolyptic setting would most likely be a Save vs. Con to avoid its effects. A Save vs Dex may be used to avoid Energy Attacks, etc.
If I go with a level based character concept, I will be adding 1/2 the characters level (rounding down) to add to saving throw success. Life Experience, training, and the proverbial School of Hard Knocks counts for something. Categorizing enemy saves requires a little conversion work, but is basically the same thing. Add 1/2 their HD/Level to their saves. In the end I am leaning toward a levelless and classless system, so that will probably be reworked.
Combat
This is a huge change from the traditional combat but very intuitive. I am going to experiment with it for fantasy and sci-fi both. It completely replaces the AC system. Instead, it is usually a Dex vs Dex check for general weapon melee or ranged combat, while Str vs Str is usually used for grappling (plus any misc modifiers due to mutations or magic, etc). The more agile a character is over his opponent, the more difficult he is to hit and the easier he can hit his opponent. Armor, in this case, subtracts from damage (shields grant bonuses to Dex to avoid being hit AND reduce damage....I love shields man.)
Opposed Tests
This is other Attribute vs Attribute tests; things like sneaking past a guard would be a Dex vs Int check; these tests are usually just assigned a DC when the GM doesn't know or doesn't care what the enemies attributes are, but say it is a major villian npc. Then the GM would most likely use the opposed attribute of the villian as the DC. Mitigating circumstances may of course grant bonuses and penalties but that is the basic mechanic.
I am playing with a Talent/Proficiency deal that would go with it, but I am not that far yet.
I just thought I would share my latest craziness; I hope it was at least interesting. Cheers!