Jedi425's Lessons on Shadowrun

Lesson One:

D6s. Lots of them. Too damn many. Raid every Monopoly game you have.

Glossary:

Test: A roll.

TN: Target Number.



The game of Shadowrun is based around a modified d6 base system. Dice rolls, called 'tests', consist of rolling each d6 against a specified target number. It is possible to have targets higher than 6, and it is likewise possible to beat them, even with a new character. To prove it, I will introduce a pair of important rules:

-The Rule of One

Any die that comes up one is a failure, even if 1 was your Target Number (TN). A roll of all ones is a horrid failure; Aranith just fireballed himself in the face, Tyr spilled ectoplasm all over herself, Terrick tripped and fell on his own sword. It's at my discretion, so if something like that comes up, you know what happened.

-The Rule of Six

Likewise, any die that comes up 6 is a good roll. You keep the six and reroll it, adding to that 6 whatever comes up. So if Tyr rolls a six on one die, and then rerolls and gets 3, the total roll is a nine.


The game basically hinges on these types of tests, with the strategy coming from allocating your dice and actions correctly.

There are many kinds of tests, the rolling for which I will be doing;

-Success Test:

Rolled based on a target skill or Attribute. For example, a Biotech(5) test. You roll a number of dice equal to that skill's rating, or its attribute if you have no points in that skill. You only need one success in most of these tests, though more successes often mean that you perform the task quickly, or more skillfully.

<<Example: Tyr is out picking up a quart of milk to help bake a cake for Terrick's birthday. Aranith, though, was hitting the ol' peace pipe a bit heavy, and thinks she is a large duck out to kill him. He needs to make an Willpower(4) Test to shake off the visions. He has a WIL of 5, so he rolls 5d6, and gets (1,3,1,2,5). He rolled one success, which luckily for Tyr was enough to snap him out of it.>>


-Opposed Test:

When a runner is trying to do something, and is directly opposed by someone using the same attribute or skill, he makes an Opposed Test; both players roll their Test against their enemy's Rating, and the one with the most successes wins. Ties result in nothing happening.

<<Tyr is just changing her clothes, and Terrick, for reasons we won't elaborate on, is trying to open her door. She pushes up against it, and now we have an opposed test. Terrick has a STR of 5, and Tyr has a STR of 4. Terrick rolls 5d6 at a TN of 4, and gets (3,3,4,2,2); one success. Tyr rolls 4d6 against a TN of 5, and gets (5,7,3,2); two successes. She holds the door shut, and Terjon walks around the corner in the hall, catching Terrick red-handed.>>


-Success Contest:

This is similar to an opposed Test, except other factors are in play. It is more like two Success Tests running alongside each other.

<<Terrick is trying to hack his way into a secure database where he knows some vital paydata is stored. His Computer Skill is 8, and his Detection Factor is 8. The Host he is hacking has an Access Rating of 6, and a Security Value of 4. He makes a Computer(6) Test to access(his skill against the host's access rating), and the host makes a Security(8) Test (the host's SV against his detection factor). Terrick gets 3 successes to the host's one, and the SA forums have a new load of files for DPPH v5.0; he's a hero.>>


-Open Test:

This test has no TN, it is simply to obtain a number. The test is rolled normally, and only the highest value is kept.


EDITED SPECIAL HAPPY FUN OH NOES I FORGOT THIS SECTION:


Dice pools. Yeah, pools.

Everyone has pools. Combat is a pool everyone has. Mages get a Magic pool, riggers a Control pool, and deckers a Hacking pool. These pools are dice you can add to any given test that fits the pool. Deckers can add dice to system Tests. Mages can add a die or two to resist drain from a spell.

I'll only explain the Combat pool in detail; basically you can use these dice, which refill at the start of every Initiative Pass (see next lesson) to beef up any attack or defensive action, such as shooting an enemy, dodging his shots, or resisting damage. You can horde them for dodging, or blast them all at some schmuck and plaster his brains on the street.


Next time, on Jedi425's Lessons in SR: Damage, and how you get it, or; how do i shot gun?