The Worst Way to Roll Checks
I highly recommend having a piece of scrap paper or graph paper, a pencil, and 2d6 for reading this post.
Imagine, if you will, a graph.
Imagine, if you will, a character with four stats - Strength, Intelligence, Dexterity, Wisdom.
Our imaginary graph has two axes. The top half of the Y-axis is for Strength. The bottom half of the Y-axis is for Intelligence. The right half of the X-axis is for Dexterity. The left half of the X-axis is for Wisdom.
Imagine that your Strength is 3, your Intelligence is 4, your Dexterity is 1, and your Wisdom is 3. Plot those points on the graph as follows:
- Strength - (0, 3)
- Intelligence - (0, -4)
- Dexterity - (1, 0)
- Wisdom - (-3, 0)
Now, draw lines through those points until the lines intersect and produce a rectangle. This box is what you want all your rolls to be inside of to succeed.
Imagine, if you will, a game whose primary resolution mechanic is to roll 2d6 to determine success. The first d6 will determine the point on the X-axis; the second, the point on the Y-axis.
- If the point rolled is within the box: success!
- If the point rolled is on the outline of the box: mixed success!
- If the point rolled is outside the box: fail!
If you roll for Strength, the Y-point is on the upper half. If Intelligence, the bottom.
If you roll for Dexterity, the X-point is on the right. If Wisdom, the left.
The other point is always free to go up/down or right/left in an attempt to get it to fit within the box or its border.
For our example character, a Strength roll of (2, 2) will always succeed because the point (-2, 2) is always inside the box. Likewise, a Dexterity roll of (2, 2) will always fail because both (2, 2) and (2, -2) are always outside the box. An Intelligence roll of (2, 4) is always a mixed success.
What? I told you it was the worst way to do this. I'll call it "box stats" or "boundary box" or "please don't do this".