One of my favorite motifs in classes and playbooks across all games is the mechanic “Roll at the beginning of the session, use when you want”. (In detail: at the beginning of a session, roll the core mechanic dice, set that value aside. At some point during the session, instead of rolling just use that value.)
That mechanic works great for games like D&D (d20) and Fate (4dF), because they all have the same roll. But Blades uses a variable number of dice depending on the Action rating.
How might I create something like that in Blades? I’ve taken a few passes at it, here’s what I’ve got so far:
Prophetic Visions: At the start of a job, you may roll an Action or have another player roll an Action. If you choose to do so, the player who rolled the Action may use that roll when they take that Action once during the job. If they do not, you take a Level 3 Harm Haunted by Destiny.
Thoughts?
As a man who works with powergamers I can see some easy abuse in that. Going out of their way to get rid of a bad roll or saving a good one for something super critical. On the non-powergamer side it has two downsides (You can get a bad roll, You can take severe harm) Furthermore it forces players to worry about spending it as saving it can be more harmful then wasting it. so its kind of a weak power, not to mention very strict. Here is my alternative.
At the start of a job the player may roll two dice, take the highest. On a 1-3 the GM may choose to downgrade one of your skill rolls made in the mission. On a 4-5 the player may upgrade any one of his skill rolls. On a 6 the player may apply this to any one of any players skill roll. On a critical the player may turn one of his failures into a critical success. What does this sudden turn of fate look like, how does it change their failure to a success?
Or something similar. Its stacked in the players favor, has versatility, but still a chance of backfiring.
I must’ve missed that one in Fate..
Anyways, so the intention is that if they perform poorly in this vision of things to come, it will likely cost them stress to avoid it?
Also the way this would work, they won’t know the position and likely consequences of the action taken in the vision, so it seems to lack “teeth.” Ie- If I rolled badly using this, I would just do something controlled with the action and use the shit roll there to avoid suffering much.
My first thought is that it goes against the grain of Blades. The game goes out of its way to discourage or outright prohibit you from planning ahead (explicitly with the planning rules, also with the load rules, flashbacks encourage you to plan retroactively, etc.). Rituals are kind of an exception, but that’s about it.
So having a move that not only centers around planning ahead (we will roll exactly a 2 to Skirmish at some point), but punishes you with level 3 harm for not sticking to the plan, seems pretty off.
Is this a special ability that a character would buy on their sheet? Level 3 Harm feels pretty harsh here, considering it outright incapacitates the character unless they can immediately handle it in downtime. I would put it closer to Level 2, still pretty punitive but at least it gives more wiggle-room for exploring the ramifications of “deferring the destiny” and trying to resist their Visions.
James Etheridge: Excellent points.
Nate Pollard: I like that version better, but it also feels more… A + here or a – there seems less thematic.
Mark Cleveland Massengale: Fair. Very fair. I think when I’ve used it in other systems, the goal is to have a roll, good or bad, that you hot swap. If it’s good, you hot swap when you need a good roll, if it’s bad you use it when you can eat the loss.
To Nate Pollard’s point, I’m not too worried about powergamers, as I’ve found its pretty easy not to waste rolls on trivial tasks. If I think they’re just doing petty stuff to burn the roll, I just have them not roll.
I might go with just ‘Roll 2d, use this instead of rolling once during the adventure.’ Which was my early idea.
I also find that having something that is a “Must use” limits what I can do as a GM. For example:
Recently there has been an explosion of activity that has piled up. Gangs moving in on their turf, the contact giving them an important long term job, and mystery upon mystery piling up. So the gangs all ready to find out what the next mission is and get to the bottom of this when they get a package with an ornately decorated skull. Carved into the skull is a date, time and place along with the wraith’s symbol. They all think that it could be an ambush and could have a missing link to all the mystery. So they start preparing for this mission as an ambush, they are going to go in and figure out whats up. I let them do all the mission prep and even roll engagement (which fails). So they show up about 30 minutes late, covered in mud, loaded for war and it turns out that this isn’t a mission or an ambush and the Wraiths want to start an alliance as the crew are the least crazy cultist around and need some magical assistance.
In such an instance you would have to ignore the rule entirely which messes with in-world continuity, or the guy has to go find a reason to skirmish so he can keep his organs on the inside.
Granted this is all how I would run it in my game and I have no idea how your games run.
Nate Pollard: No, agreed completely. I think the notion of requiring a specific Action makes it difficult. I like the 2d roll. Doesn’t have to be an Action specific. Maybe you roll a 2 on 2d. You have to use that on an Action of some kind. I’m willing to roll with that.
Yeah I gotta agree with folks that Blades is a very in the present moment type of game. Even the past planning is determined as flashbacks in the current moment. This sort of saving and planning a die roll (good or bad) feels wrong.
I disagree with it feeling wrong, but: How would you model prescience? As a special ability?
That said I do like the aspect of premonition as a special ability but maybe it could be used in a different manner maybe using the fortune roll mechanic since it doesn’t involve any action on your part just Fate.
Fortune Telling:
You flashback to when you read the cards (or the bones) prior to the score. Spend at 2 stress per die to make a fortune roll against any clock the GM has created (2 stress = 1d6; 4 stress = 2d6)
Colin Fahrion: I don’t understand what “against any clock” means. What does it mean to make a fortune roll against a clock?
Colin Fahrion Tbh that just sounds like narrative permission to use flashbacks in a specific way (I knew this would happen, let me tell you what I did about it!), which is something you can already do anyway.
Edit: if you want to make an ability out of it, maybe reduce the flashback stress costs for certain types of premonitions, like Ready for Anything in Scum and Villainy.
James Etheridge: My only thought on doing it that way is it makes it an only-good ability. I like the idea of mitigating failure (you know this is where the badness happens, so brace yourself).
James Etheridge well a fortune roll is easier than a normal roll as there isn’t positioning which is what I was thinking writing it this way
Parker Emerson I guess fortune roll text isn’t needed. Just make it 1d6 controlled position standard effect against any clock. That flattening could be a great advantage when dealing with a clock that involves a higher tier or dangerous situation. Then again maybe my idea isn’t good. It was just an off the cuff idea.
I would’ve taken the easy way out. Starting with: “You can predict the future, take +1d to resistance rolls with Insight.” and adding another benefit that makes it flavorful a la Iron Will.
What about three free stress to spend on flashbacks?
It’s seems okay. But I have another idea: “You’re immune to surprise. You can choose to roll resistance with Resolve when you flashback instead of taking a set number of stress.”
That way the more outlandish it is, and the higher their Resolve action ratings, the more likely they will want to use this destiny-reading ability as a way to maybe save something over the usual flashback cost
Mark Cleveland Massengale: Just so I’m clear, though, that changes the potential cost of a Flashback from 0-2 to 0-5, yes?
Yea but not necessarily. Its only that if they risk it. They can take that option. They just probably won’t if it’s 2 or less cost flashback (until they reached like 3+ Resolve)
Also, flashbacks cost 0 or more (can be more than 2), but cost there is set by GM not dice roll. Which enourgaes low stress flahsbacks (read as: believable).
Whereas this encourages more convoluted flashbacks (when Resolve is high anyways). That’s why it’s paired with the immunity to surprise, either benefit alone is not huge but together it’s quite fitting and should keep the tension of the scene up even when using it
This makes it clear to me though, your free flashback stress is more mechanically sound.
If I have my version on my sheet, and call for a crazy flashback, And have high resist dice, I might get away with too much. The limit on flashbacks kind of goes away. Course it might also not be a problem in actuality (just theoretically)
Whereas yours would encourage the flahsbacks and outright prevent misuse
Hybrid ideas coming to mind presently:
* Immunity to surprise and +1d Insight ( Like Iron Will, but not very flavorful )
* Immunity to surprise and 2 free stress for flashbacks (maybe my new fave? Not sure lol- testing would be prudent)
Why not just do it the same way D&D and Fate do it? Don’t add your skills to the roll or anything. At the start of a session, the character rolls a d6. At any point in the future, the character can substitute that roll for any other roll. If it’s a good roll, give it to a teammate. If it’s a bad roll, use it when the GM is doing a fortune roll for enemies or something.