[Playtesting] Alternate Resist Bane Mechanic

Rules Discussion House Rules
1

This is based on lots of discussion from a 90+ post thread. I present to you an Alternate method to doing the resist rolls than currently in the Core. I can’t really mention all the people that contributed to that original post that this idea has spawned out of.

Note I am currently playtesting this in my games. Would love to hear from others that might be doing the same.

Resist Banes

Move Action

Description

You can use a move action to recover from one or more banes afflicting you. This move action cost is a simplified way of representing any number of different ways you might go about shaking off the wide range of banes you might be afflicted by.

Note that some banes have different rules for how they can be resisted.

Many banes will persist for a longer duration after three failed resist attempts to shake them off. As such, you should keep a tally of any banes which you fail to resist.

Determine Challenge

When a bane is inflicted on you, determine the Resist Challenge Rating (CR) needed to shake off the bane.

Resist CR = 10 + Attribute Score used to invoke bane

Make a Resist Roll

When you use a move action to recover from one or more banes afflicting you, make a resist roll for each bane and compare it to the Resist CR. Pick an appropriate Attribute that makes sense for resisting or shaking off the choose bane. Roll 1d20 and add the Attribute Score.

Resist Roll = 1d20 + Attribute Score used to resist

Picking an Attribute

In order to use the attribute you need to explain how you are using it. The GM will determine if it makes sense and will either approve or deny the use of the attribute.

Examples

Riley the Shadow Rogue is immobilized with vines wrapped around their legs from Seamus causing the plants to grow up and trap them. Riley hacks away at the vines with their daggers in order to free themselves.

Seamus has a 5 in their Alteration Score used to grow the vines. Riley has a 6 in their Agility Score used to hack at the vines. Riley will roll 1d20 + 6 vs CR 15 (10 + 5).

Sam the Man is immobilized with an illusionary chains wrapped around their wrists and ankles from Smug Ryan. Sam’s player wants to use their Might to break away from the chains, but the GM determines that won’t work against an illusion, and he should choose Will, Logic, or Learning as examples. They ask about Perception, and the GM allows it. So Sam the Man looks closely at the chains to determine just how real they are.

Smug Ryan has a 7 in Influence Scored used to immobilize. Sam the Man has a 4 in their Perception Score used to look at the chains. Sam the man will roll 1d20 + 4 vs CR 17 (10 + 7).

If a player can explain adequately to their GM, they can add their chosen Attribute score to the resist roll. This can also add to the narrative of the combat in a unique way depending on which Attribute the player chooses.

Advantage and Disadvantage for Resist Banes

Note that Resist Banes is not an Attribute Roll, and as such can have more than one instance of (dis)advantage stacked to it at the GMs discretion. Some examples of:

Advantage

  • Various Feats that give Advantage to resist
  • Foregoing your Major and Minor actions to preform a Superior Resist Bane
  • Special conditions, character strengths, or character backstory that make sense for the narrative

Disadvantage

  • Various Feats that give Disadvantage to resist
  • A Bane Attack that beat the targeted defense by 15+
  • Special conditions, character weaknesses, or character backstory that make sense for the narrative
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2

As an alternative to this alternative, something that might be a little easier to keep track of, but might actually be harder overall.

Hard Core Resist Banes

For a more “hard core” feel, replace the following for Resist Banes:

You can use a move action to recover from one or more banes afflicting you. This move action cost is a simplified way of representing any number of different ways you might go about shaking off the wide range of banes you might be afflicted by. Roll 1d20 (with no attribute modifiers) for each bane afflicting you. If your roll is:

  • 12 or higher for PL 1-5 banes
  • 14 or higher for PL 6+ banes

then the bane is removed. Note that some banes have different rules for how they can be resisted.

Many banes will persist for a longer duration after three failed resist attempts to shake them off. As such, you should keep a tally of any banes which you to fail resist.

The Advantage and Disadvantage for Resist Banes would be the same as above, with stacking from Feats, Superior Resist Bane, Exceptional success, etc.

This means basic banes (PL 1-5) have a 45% chance to successfully resist.

Higher Banes (PL 6+) have a 35% chance to successfully resist.

While this is slightly easier to track in some regards, I feel the first post is better b/c it allows your attributes to matter in the Resist Banes mechanic.

4 Likes
3

Thanks for this - this is exactly what I was looking for! I like how both the CR and the resist roll scale according to attributes. Having the player tell me how they’re resisting is yet another opening for good storytelling. Bravo!

4

Definitely going to use this, now resisting makes much more sense.

5

This is so good! Definitely a lot better than just rolling a d20.

1 Like
6

I really like the first suggestion! I’ll definitively try that if i GM for folks.
I think the thing that bothered me the most about the RAW resist mechanic was that a friend that focused on Influence was constantly having to deal with immunity periods (7 out of 12 influence banes have them!) when enemies resisted her charms pretty easily; meanwhile the group’s powerhouses had all the spotlight.

I don’t have much experience with influence other than that, so if anyone knows better, please do correct me, but the RAW resist mechanic seems to weaken Influence mains.

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