Asymptomatic

My weekend D&D group has a different way of rolling attributes for characters, and it's probability has been bothering me mathematically for a couple of weeks now. First, I should show how the regular rolls work for comparison.

Normally when you create a D&D character, you roll 3 six-sided dice (also known as 3d6) and add them up to get a total. You do this 6 times and apply each totaled value to one of six character attributes.

A higher character attribute is better. 10 is average, while 18 is the best you can roll. Anything below a 9 is below-average for a human, so a character with an intelligence of 6 isn't so great.

The numbers in each attribute are used to determine attribute bonuses. Attribute bonuses are used inthe game to affect certain skills. For example, a character with an Intelligence rating of 18 receives a bonus of +4 to all skills related to intelligence. A character with a Strength of 18 receives a bonus of +4 to all melee attacks and to damage. This factors into the game significantly.

For every two points in an attribute, the bonus changes by one. A single bonus point is an effective 5% bump in chance to succeed. So a character with a Strength of 18 has a 5% better chance of hitting a creature than a character with a Strength of 16, and the stronger character also does at least one more point of damage when he hits.

Ok, so now I will describe our in-house rolling system, and you can see how horribly broken it is.

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I received an email today from someone who was interested in reviving the old RPGWire site for use with the original World of Darkness materials:

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A few of you have signed up for Legend of the Green Dragon, but nobody has even made it off the Isle of Wen yet. What gives? How am I supposed to rack up affiliate points if you guys don't slay a dragon or two?

I'm level 10 and I've joined a clan, and I think I've been pk'ed about 10 times. Dang distractions while I'm playing the game make my session time-out, and if you don't stay in an inn when you're logged out, you're fair game for PvP death.

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Malhavoc Press is releasing a new variant Players Handbook for D&D, and had to change the name from "Iron Lore" to "Iron Heroes":

The new rulebook’s title became an issue when, one month ago, software developer Iron Lore Entertainment demanded that Malhavoc Press and its publishing partner, White Wolf Publishing, cease using the name “Iron Lore.” While the software company did not hold a trademark on “Iron Lore,” it had applied for ownership of the trademark “Iron Lore Entertainment.” In a letter from its legal representatives, the software company claimed that Malhavoc’s use of the title would confuse consumers.

“While I don’t agree with these assertions, I’m not willing to engage in a prolonged legal battle over the title,” Monte said. “Fans have been waiting months for this new book. A lawsuit would only mean many more months of waiting.”

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Before you go thinking this is a case of TMI (Too Much Information), consider that I'm not talking about me, but about a D&D spell that has been accredited to me in a net book.

Yes, there is a book on the web called the AD&D Book of Sex, and in it there is a spell called Impotence. If you look at the "Thanks" section at the bottom of the page, you'll find someone named "Owen Winkler" is thanked for his help on the Impotence spell. The thing is, I don't remember having anything to do with it.

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