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What the heck is with skill dice?

I already roll a d20 to determine random chance in my execution of a particular task. Adding ANOTHER (single) die to roll to determine the bonus to that roll is insane. It makes the possible fluctuation of the character's relative success even greater without increasing the character's base aptitude.

When I'm a first level character, I can roll anywhere from 2 to 24. When I'm a 20th level character I can STILL roll a 2, but up to a 32? That is not anywhere close to an acceptable spread of minimum competence, nor accurate mathematical modeling for what we consider "skill". An increase in skill is not merely an increase in potential achievement, but also the ability to consistently and reliably accomplish tasks that are more difficult to those with less skill. Yes, the "average" still increases in the proposed mechanic, but the spread of possible results is far too wide.

If you're going to make skill bonus random, at least have the good sense to have characters roll an increasing number of dice because that will actually increases the minimum results. How on earth did this mechanic COMPLETELY replace static skill bonuses in this packet?

I need to see it in action before I'm sure, but I don't hate the idea. Keep in mind that skills are now a lot more... open/vague/general... than in previous editions. One thing I like (which many people might well hate) is that it will possibly keep a little tension in rolls. There will be less of the min/max player sitting back and saying, "Whatever, I can roll a 1 get this" or, "Nope, not even going to try that because I didn't dump enough points on that skill." Now, if you have a skill, you're going to be slowly improving at it as you level, but without ever becoming impossibly perfect. 

Dec 17, 2012 -- 6:14PM, oconneda wrote:

What the heck is with skill dice?

When I'm a first level character, I can roll anywhere from 2 to 24. When I'm a 20th level character I can STILL roll a 2, but up to a 32? That is not anywhere close to an acceptable spread of minimum competence, nor accurate mathematical modeling for what we consider "skill". An increase in skill is not merely an increase in potential achievement, but also the ability to consistently and reliably accomplish tasks that are more difficult to those with less skill. Yes, the "average" still increases in the proposed mechanic, but the spread of possible results is far too wide.

That's a darn fine point.  I wonder how it will play out?  On the flip side, if the DC is static, and lower, and you roll low on your d20, the bigger skill die could save your roll. 

Inspires a new rule idea for me too.  Fumbles on skill checks would be a 1 on the d20 and a 1 on the skill die.  Same for skill crits.

Here's where this falls apart though:

Technically, swinging a sword aptly is a skill.  So, by the logic of this system, the attack bonus should become a die as well, rather than a flat bonus. 
I don't suspect we're down with that. 

I'm still down to check it out though. 

Dec 17, 2012 -- 11:48PM, oconneda wrote:

The problem is that the "up the die size" does not shift the bell down field, it just expands the width of the bell.

Compare:
1d20+1dN

1d20+Nd3

Comparative max

You can click through to view the data sets in a variety of graphs or tables.

But what you re saying isn't true, as is quite clear from those tables. Not only does the maximum value of the roll rise with higher dice sizes, so does the center of the bell. the minimum value of the plateau in the dice distribution is also clearly going up, as is the chance to roll at least 10 or any other measuer you'de care to choose to determine that the bell curve is indeed moving down the field. Not is might not move ar much or as distinctively as you want, but it is clearly moving.

Also the hardest task you can accomplish when using d20+d12, namely 32, is less likely/harder to accomplish (0.42% as you state) than the hardest tasks you can accomplish when rolling d20+d10 (0.50% of rolling 30). So based on that parameter the Skill Dice system is at least better than the old system of getting flat bonusses, where the hardest task you could accomplish remained at 5%.

This is not to say that the skil dice system is necessarily perfect, or that having just a single die gives the most interesting destribution, but it does do all the things you ask of it. I will agree that a flexible dicepool (like the 3d4) might be more interesting, but it would makwe the implementation of skill mastery messier.

And all in all I think I rather like it. I'm at least keen to try it. Not least because I could see a potential for making a more engaging skil system, where skill rolls are not just pass and fail. There could be effects based if the skill check would have been passed based just on the D20 or just on the skill die, effects based on rolling very low or very high on one of the dice but still complelting the check and so on.