Game System

The DCS system is based around four types of roll. These are all very closely related.

Simple Roll

Simple rolls are used when a character is attempting something that is unopposed, and which does not have defined "success" of "failure". An example would be performing a song.

The character takes the value of the ability that is appropriate for the situation. He then modifies this value by any bonuses or penalties arising from his aspects, his tools, the general situation, and role-playing. This total is his acting total. He then rolls 1d10 and adds the roll to the acting total. The quality of the action is determined from the following table:
Result of Roll Quality of Action
Less than 5 Appalling disaster
5-8 Very Poor
9-10 Poor
11-13 Mediocre
14-17 Reasonable
18-20 Good
21 and over Very Good, and progressively better.

Threshold Roll

Threshold Rolls are used when the character is unopposed, but the action can actually fail. The acting total is calculated as for a Simple Roll, and 1d10 is rolled and added to it. The GM sets a difficulty for the action, and if the final total is less than this difficulty, the character has failed.

The table for Simple Rolls can be used to determine appropriate difficulties. If the character would only have to do reasonably to succeed, then the difficulty should be in the range 14-17. The table is supposed to be objective: if the character is very skilled, he may do at least reasonably, even on a bad day.

If the character does succeed, the final total can be used to give a sense of how well he has succeeded.

Opposed Roll

If two characters are opposing each other in a quick and simple contest, then each of them should make a simple roll. The one with the higher final total wins. In certain circumstances the GM may wish to set a difficulty, so that if neither character makes the difficulty, both fail.

Examples would be two characters trying to catch a thrown ball, or any contest that the GM wants to gloss over quickly.

Contests

Contests are used whenever the GM wants to play out a contest over several rolls. They are significantly more complex than the three types of roll given above.

Each character generates an acting total as normal. They also generate an effect total in the same way, and usually from the same ability. Finally, each character generates a resistance total. The ability in the resistance total, which is usually different from the one on which the acting and effect totals are based, is usually multiplied by some factor before the modifiers are added in. By default, this factor is three.

Each character involved in the contest then rolls 1d20, and adds this to his acting total. The character with the higher final total subtracts his effect total from his opponent's resistance total. When one character's resistance total reaches zero, he has lost the contest.

(1d20 is used instead of 1d10 so that characters of differing skill have approximately the same chances of victory whether the GM chooses to use a contest or an opposed roll.)

Types of Contest

Combat

Combat is a type of contest, one very basic to many RPGs. The acting total and effect totals are normally generated from a combat ability, and the resistance total is normally Endurancex3. Armour and weapons can modify the acting and effect totals.

Debate

For a debate, the acting and effect totals are based on a debating ability, and the resistance total is normally Memoryx3. Obscure topics and a heckling audience may modify these totals.

Persuasion

Persuading someone can be run as a contest if it is important. The acting and effect totals are based on a persuasion ability.

The resistance total is based on Willpower, but the multiplier is variable. For the persuader, it depends on how important this persuasion is. A casual pick-up attempt might get a multiplier of 1, while trying to persuade the guard to let you escape before you are executed could have a multiplier of 10. No matter how determined you are, enough failures will discourage you, at least from that approach.

For the target of the persuasion, the multiplier depends on their reluctance. Something that they don't really mind doing might be give a multiplier of 1, while disobeying orders with a fierce penalty backing them up could give a multiplier of ten.

Bribes, social standing, and the appearance of the persuader could all influence these contests.

Multiple Contestants

There may be more than two people involved in a contest. In this case, each person may only affect one other in a round. More than one person may try to affect them, however. The target for a round must be declared before the dice are rolled. Each target rolls once for the acting total, and anyone targetting them with a higher total gets to subtract their effect total from the target's resistance total.

On the whole, there should not be any penalties to the acting total for being outnumbered: the need to despatch more than one opponent is quite penalty enough.

Modifiers

Modifiers to the acting total, and to effect and resistance totals in contests, fall into four categories: aspects, tools, situation, and role-playing.

These modifiers should not, individually, exceed plus or minus 6. This difference in ability gives a character a 90% chance of winning an opposed roll or contest, all else being equal. When summed, they may come to more than that.

Aspects

The description of each aspect will describe its application to totals.

Tools

As for aspects, the descriptions of tools (which includes weapons, for combat) will state what their bonuses or penalties are. As a general rule, proper tools should never give a penalty of more than -3 to any total, since tools worse than that simply would not be made.

Situation

This is the catch-all. The GM should assign a number reflecting the overall contribution of the situation to the difficulty of the roll. Don't worry too much about absolute consistency. A modifier between -3 and +3 indicates minor worries, while larger ones indicate a major help or hindrance. These modifiers will often apply equally to both sides in a contest. If so, modifiers to the acting total may be ignored, as they will make no difference. Modifiers to the effect and resistance totals should be applied to both sides, however.

Role-Playing

The die rolling of a contest should not, on the whole, be allowed to substitute for role-playing. Indeed, players may wish to drop the die rolling altogether for certain social contests. The GM may decide whether to allow this: if the character's abilities are significantly different from the player's, it is probably better to roll the dice.

The player's descriptions of his character's actions should have a marked effect on the die roll, and this modifier should range freely between -3 and +3. The GM may assign these modifiers to NPCs, if he has them do something really stupid, but on the whole they should be restricted to PCs.

A player who describes his character's actions in a dull way (e.g. "I swing at it") should get a -3, increasing by one each round. Exciting and plausible descriptions ("I feint left, then pivot on my heel to drive the point of my dagger into his back") should get bonuses of +3. Larger bonuses should be reserved for well-roleplayed plans that are particularly appropriate. Nothing well-roleplayed should get a larger penalty than -3, even if it seems a daft way of going about it.

Note that the GM may always over-rule the rules. A character who is trying to persuade a king to support him will not succeed by calling the king a fat bastard, no matter how well he rolls.

Extraordinary Success and Failure

If a character rolls a 1, he may fail badly. Roll again. If the second roll is a failure, or another 1, then something has gone badly wrong. For a Simple Roll, this generally indicates that the character has failed to finish the task, or done badly enough to injure themselves. In general, the GM should exercise his imagination. In a contest, a good rule of thumb is to let the opponent subtract twice his effect total from the poor character's resistance total.

If the character rolls a 10 on a d10, or a 20 on a d20, he may succeed spectacularly. Roll again. A second success, or a 10 on d10 or 20 on d20, indicates a spectacular success. As a general rule, add the score on the second die roll to the overall total. In a contest, the character may be able to subtract twice his effect total from the opponent's resistance total, if the first roll was a success. Note that two consecutive maximum rolls should always be a success, no matter how incompetent the character.

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Copyright David Chart 1995-1998