(TFT) TFT: Weakness

["Dave Seagraves" <dseagraves@austin.rr.com>]

Michael writes . . .

>I'm not trying to start anything, but I'm curious - why do you consider
>this a weakness?

   I was referring to the fact that in TFT, a figure's chance of success for
using all talents (that use the same attribute) that he knows is always
/exactly/ the same, no matter which talent is used.  Example: A human
character has Knife, Sword, Axe/Mace, Pole Weapons, Bow, and Crossbow.
Since his "skill level" with all of these talents is based on his adjDX, it
can be said that he has the precise and exact same level of proficiency with
all of them.  It is somewhat unrealistic: A character can never be better
(or worse) at Sword than he is with Axe/Mace -- or any other DX-based talent
for that matter.  This is true with all TFT characters.
   The same story with spells too.  The success chance for almost every
spell in /Advanced Wizard/ is based on a 3-die roll vs. DX.
   Of course this problem is greatly mitigated by advanced versions of many
talents: Master Thief, Master Physicker, etc.  Ty Beard's Expert and Master
Swordsman talents are a big help in the same way, and Missile Weapons and
Thrown Weapons help as well.
   However unrealistic, this problem is barely noticable to the average
player, and it's a problem that I can certainly live with.


   Which reminds me . . .  Months back I got to thinking about missile
spells -- the one class of spells in TFT which do not require a DX roll to
successfully cast.  Just speak a few words, point your finger, and BLAM! --
a fireball (or whatever).  A to-hit roll is required, but the casting itself
seems like the simple release of energy which any clumsy wizard could
perform (and indeed, Magic Fist is probably the first spell any apprentice
learns, it being so easy to cast).
   But if a missile spell is a raw release of magical energy, wouldn't it
make sense that larger amounts of that energy are harder to control?
   I also noticed hardly any missile spells being used in my campaign; all
wizards favoring Illusion as the combat spell of choice, especially with a
really good archer present to take out enemy wizards.  So I came up with
this rule change . . .

Missile Spells
   Wizards roll 1 die vs. DX per damage die to hit when casting missile
spells or firing missile spell rods.  (Normally it?s a flat 3-die roll to
hit, no matter how much ST is thrown into it.)  So a 1-die fireball would
require a 1 die roll vs. DX to hit, a 2-die missile would require 2 dice,
etc.  (Remember ? a 1-die roll for anything is an automatic hit.)  Larger
magical missiles are harder to control; small ones are easy.  (Perhaps this
rule change will encourage wizard characters to throw more fireballs and
fewer cheesy illusions.)
   This rule change also eliminates the 20-die limit when creating missile
spell rods.  Because larger missile spells are harder to aim there is no
longer a limit of 20 dice when creating rods . . .  make them as powerful as
you like!

   I imagine this solves another slight problem at the same time: The wizard
who routinely (a) throws 10-die fireball at monster, (b) collects 40+
experience points, (c) rests after combat, and (d) repeats until he's a god.
For various reasons I personally didn't have a problem with my wizards doing
this (and one wizard -- Frobozz -- refused to do so because he thought it
was too cheesy) but I can see some GM's being slightly irked when a
low-power wizard takes out Tollenkar or a big dragon with a single attack.

Dave Seagraves
Seagraves Design Bureau   dseagraves@austin.rr.com   1 (512) 255-2760
"I've got a brain the size of a chick pea and I can still out-wit you!
Alalalalalalala . . ."


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