The new group I've recently joined, use to be sticklers for the rules.
I like to flow and adapt and my imaginative was for problem solving has made everyone including the DM start thinking outside of the box.
As the DM will be away for a few weeks with the fam over the holiday period. He's asked me to DM a one shot, and show the group the passive mechanics my old group use to use.
Looking for feed back to help stream line the mechanics for passive skills for first time uses.
My old group used passive for all skills to avoid having to roll each and every single time something needed to be done outside of combat.
They were also added towards the personality traits of the characters. Meaning how they perceived the world around they and other characters. And how other characters perceived their actions or intentions.
This meant we had pros and cons that came from the passives when interacting with NPCs and PCs.
From what I remember we had:
Equal counter skills were determined within 2 point. More the 2 points difference meant weaker or stronger.
Strength/Athletics: a naturally strong character will not need to check their strength against a weaker character. Checks are needed against stronger characters. Idea being that a normal child should not be able to restrain an elephant with a grapple hold under any circumstances.
Con: abnormally strong characters have to dex check against their strength, in order to avoid breaking delicate objects. Objects they are familiar with are exempt as they should have learnt how not to break them . The DM can determine this via Intel score.
Acrobatics: naturally fast or agile characters should not need to roll speed checks against slower characters, or for simple actions like vaulting over a wall, or jumping over a stationary object.
Sleight of Hand: dextrose fingers should not need a speed check. If the task is familiar to the character they should not need to roll check making something. Just as passive perception is used to detect pick pockets and theft. A higher sleight of hand should beat a lower perception passive without a roll check.
Arcane/Religion: should allow the characters to know basic details - type based on detectable evidence (damage done to area for example), and from occult symbols and relics. The nature of these things, be it magic, creatures, or items, can be recalled by high skill states without a roll check, if previously experienced. Otherwise a roll check will still be need to be determine further details.
History: a high skill stat, means that things are easily remembered without rolling. Moderate stats can put names and faces, to places and times. But tactual details need to be roll checked.
Animal Handling: the higher the state the better a character can read the body language of a creature type they are familiar with and predict its movements (anger, fear, fight or flight postures). An unfamiliar creature's behaviour is learnt quicker the higher the state. Control and manipulation still needs to be rolled for. Creatures that know a character with high states obey without a roll check.
Medicine: like any skilled Doctor, a character with good enough stats can determine the condition of a character. Risk of a broken bone or sprain. Has a vital artery been cut, or are they sick or contagious. All without the need for a roll check. Higher the state the closure the observation. Combined with nature or survival, external signs can determine if they have been poisoned or injected with venom. Success rate of treatment still needs to be rolled for, and mid range stats or difficult cases still need roll checks for a better diagnosis.
Nature/Survival: medium stats allow for easy recognition of plants or creatures that the character is familiar with. High stats can recognise plant or creature type base on shapes and patters or fur types. Tracks and growth patterns can be found without roll checks. Combined with perception they can be found without looking for them. The layout of the land and location of plants can suggest the location of a water source. Areas the character is familiar with, direction and general location can be determined without roll checks. And high survival skills can passively asses general numbers or multiple creature types from tracks without a roll check. Roll check for accurate details on plant type, creature type, and numbers and direction from tracks.
Performance: entry level tricks such as juggling, singing, background instruments. Do not need to be rolled for. Especially if the character is performing alongside others that are drawing focus. High skill stats do not need roll checks to sing convincingly, to tell funny jokes, or to fake injury or cause a distraction. Roll checks will still be needed if they need to draw focus away from others.
Investigation: mid level stats can easily find poorly hidden objects, traps and items. High level stats can determine was happened but not the cause without a roll check. Combine with medicine, nature, survival, arcane, or religion, for better identification. For causes, and cleverly hidden of traps and objects, a roll check is needed.
Con: DM can cause the character to over analyze things.
Persuasion: characters can convince other characters with a lower Intel stat counter to do things, without the need for a roll check.
Now for the interactions part. Each passive by passes the need for checks so long as its stat is more then 2 points higher then the counter skill of the target. And each passive skill has a disadvantage that comes with it, that can play into their character traits or treatment by others.
Insight: standard deception counter. If the insight stat is higher characters can feel if they are being lied to. Higher stats know when they are being lied to. Vs another characters persuasion stats, they can work out their true intentions.
Con: characters will know when their team mates are hiding things from them. Even if its a surprise. Can lead to paranoia and mistrust of their team mates.
Perception: standard rules
Con: once a smell or sound is detected, they always notice it. Characters can notice when their team mates are up to something.
Deception: only need to roll check against higher insight. If a lower insight does roll and beat the passive stat score, characters can counter roll to reassure that they they are telling the truth.
Con: higher insight characters or characters that have busted them in a lie, will be less trusting of deception characters. Even if they are telling the truth, they are less likely to be trusted, even if they are believed.
Intimidation: whether intimidation is based on charisma or on strength. The characters always have an imposing air about them. Be it appearance, mannerisms, or speak patterns. Other characters can find high stat characters to be menacing. Intimidation is the counter, to determine the passive effect. Lower Intel can also counter the passive intimidation stat.
Con: a characters imposing air makes people less trusting of them. Children may hide in fear, even if the character is trying to be nice. Merchants may mistaken haggling for extortion, and will either heavily discount, offer free goods with or without trade, or even call the guards. High intimidation characters will always draw the attention of the guards, and may even be stopped for random searches, regardless if the character alignment.
Stealth: if the character is not being actively searched for, they can blend in with the crowd or trees without a roll check.
Con: characters with high stealth stats can be easily lost track of by their team mates. They could be left behind, or if trying to lead the party somewhere, the party could get lost if they loss sight of the character.
The new group I've recently joined, use to be sticklers for the rules.
I like to flow and adapt and my imaginative was for problem solving has made everyone including the DM start thinking outside of the box.
As the DM will be away for a few weeks with the fam over the holiday period. He's asked me to DM a one shot, and show the group the passive mechanics my old group use to use.
Looking for feed back to help stream line the mechanics for passive skills for first time uses.
My old group used passive for all skills to avoid having to roll each and every single time something needed to be done outside of combat.
They were also added towards the personality traits of the characters. Meaning how they perceived the world around they and other characters. And how other characters perceived their actions or intentions.
This meant we had pros and cons that came from the passives when interacting with NPCs and PCs.
From what I remember we had:
Equal counter skills were determined within 2 point. More the 2 points difference meant weaker or stronger.
Strength/Athletics: a naturally strong character will not need to check their strength against a weaker character. Checks are needed against stronger characters. Idea being that a normal child should not be able to restrain an elephant with a grapple hold under any circumstances.
Con: abnormally strong characters have to dex check against their strength, in order to avoid breaking delicate objects. Objects they are familiar with are exempt as they should have learnt how not to break them . The DM can determine this via Intel score.
Acrobatics: naturally fast or agile characters should not need to roll speed checks against slower characters, or for simple actions like vaulting over a wall, or jumping over a stationary object.
Sleight of Hand: dextrose fingers should not need a speed check. If the task is familiar to the character they should not need to roll check making something. Just as passive perception is used to detect pick pockets and theft. A higher sleight of hand should beat a lower perception passive without a roll check.
Arcane/Religion: should allow the characters to know basic details - type based on detectable evidence (damage done to area for example), and from occult symbols and relics. The nature of these things, be it magic, creatures, or items, can be recalled by high skill states without a roll check, if previously experienced. Otherwise a roll check will still be need to be determine further details.
History: a high skill stat, means that things are easily remembered without rolling. Moderate stats can put names and faces, to places and times. But tactual details need to be roll checked.
Animal Handling: the higher the state the better a character can read the body language of a creature type they are familiar with and predict its movements (anger, fear, fight or flight postures). An unfamiliar creature's behaviour is learnt quicker the higher the state. Control and manipulation still needs to be rolled for. Creatures that know a character with high states obey without a roll check.
Medicine: like any skilled Doctor, a character with good enough stats can determine the condition of a character. Risk of a broken bone or sprain. Has a vital artery been cut, or are they sick or contagious. All without the need for a roll check. Higher the state the closure the observation. Combined with nature or survival, external signs can determine if they have been poisoned or injected with venom. Success rate of treatment still needs to be rolled for, and mid range stats or difficult cases still need roll checks for a better diagnosis.
Nature/Survival: medium stats allow for easy recognition of plants or creatures that the character is familiar with. High stats can recognise plant or creature type base on shapes and patters or fur types. Tracks and growth patterns can be found without roll checks. Combined with perception they can be found without looking for them. The layout of the land and location of plants can suggest the location of a water source. Areas the character is familiar with, direction and general location can be determined without roll checks. And high survival skills can passively asses general numbers or multiple creature types from tracks without a roll check. Roll check for accurate details on plant type, creature type, and numbers and direction from tracks.
Performance: entry level tricks such as juggling, singing, background instruments. Do not need to be rolled for. Especially if the character is performing alongside others that are drawing focus. High skill stats do not need roll checks to sing convincingly, to tell funny jokes, or to fake injury or cause a distraction. Roll checks will still be needed if they need to draw focus away from others.
Investigation: mid level stats can easily find poorly hidden objects, traps and items. High level stats can determine was happened but not the cause without a roll check. Combine with medicine, nature, survival, arcane, or religion, for better identification. For causes, and cleverly hidden of traps and objects, a roll check is needed.
Con: DM can cause the character to over analyze things.
Persuasion: characters can convince other characters with a lower Intel stat counter to do things, without the need for a roll check.
Now for the interactions part. Each passive by passes the need for checks so long as its stat is more then 2 points higher then the counter skill of the target. And each passive skill has a disadvantage that comes with it, that can play into their character traits or treatment by others.
Insight: standard deception counter. If the insight stat is higher characters can feel if they are being lied to. Higher stats know when they are being lied to. Vs another characters persuasion stats, they can work out their true intentions.
Con: characters will know when their team mates are hiding things from them. Even if its a surprise. Can lead to paranoia and mistrust of their team mates.
Perception: standard rules
Con: once a smell or sound is detected, they always notice it. Characters can notice when their team mates are up to something.
Deception: only need to roll check against higher insight. If a lower insight does roll and beat the passive stat score, characters can counter roll to reassure that they they are telling the truth.
Con: higher insight characters or characters that have busted them in a lie, will be less trusting of deception characters. Even if they are telling the truth, they are less likely to be trusted, even if they are believed.
Intimidation: whether intimidation is based on charisma or on strength. The characters always have an imposing air about them. Be it appearance, mannerisms, or speak patterns. Other characters can find high stat characters to be menacing. Intimidation is the counter, to determine the passive effect. Lower Intel can also counter the passive intimidation stat.
Con: a characters imposing air makes people less trusting of them. Children may hide in fear, even if the character is trying to be nice. Merchants may mistaken haggling for extortion, and will either heavily discount, offer free goods with or without trade, or even call the guards. High intimidation characters will always draw the attention of the guards, and may even be stopped for random searches, regardless if the character alignment.
Stealth: if the character is not being actively searched for, they can blend in with the crowd or trees without a roll check.
Con: characters with high stealth stats can be easily lost track of by their team mates. They could be left behind, or if trying to lead the party somewhere, the party could get lost if they loss sight of the character.
thank you this is something i need to keep track of.
Itinerant Deputy Shire-reave Tomas Burrfoot - world walker, Raft-captain, speaker to his dead
Toddy Shelfungus- Rider of the Order of Ill Luck, Speaker to Friends of Friends, and Horribly big nosed
Jarl Archi of Jenisis Glade Fee- Noble Knight of the Dragonborn Goldcrest Clan, Sorcerer of the Noble Investigator;y; Knightly order of the Wolfhound