Abilities, Bonuses, Task Resolution, and Thieves

Way back in the day, I looked at the possibility of using using the encounter reaction tables as a general task-resolution device. I'm far from the first to do so (though I'm not in the mood to hunt down links to give credit at the moment), but it seems to be a rather elegant solution. In short, the encounter reaction table looks like this:

Roll on 2d6	Results
2	Spectacular Failure (“They immediately attack!”)
3 to 5	Failure (“They become hostile”)
6 to 8	Neutral
9 to 11	Success (“They become more friendly”)
12	Spectacular Success (“They offer to join you”)

I then pointed out that all of the basic non-combat tasks a character could undertake (typically resolved by a roll on a 1d6) could be mapped to a 2d6 roll, with a 1-in-6 chance being equal to having to roll a 10 or higher on a 2d6, a 2-in-6 chance requiring a roll of 9 or higher, and so forth. So why bother? Simply put, the slightly wider range afforded by using 2d6 instead of 1d6 gives us some additional flexibility to be able to apply ability bonuses to task resolution. This extra range is the heart of the d20 system, but requires slightly inflated bonuses (going to +4 at 18 rather than B/X's +3), very inflated ability scores (4d6-drop-lowest instead of the original 3d6) as well as a built-in skill system to add on top of those ability scores. By using a 2d6 range, even the relatively modest bonuses of B/X D&D make a big difference.

Of course, bonuses are far more fun than penalties, and one of the big temptations to "cheat" when it comes to rolling stats is the desire to avoid a potentially crippling penalty. A penalty of just one to one's armor class is a big deal, to say nothing of one's hit points or worse yet, one's damage rolls. That being the case, I will use this modified chart for bonuses/penalties for ability scores:

Ability	Modifier
3 - 5	-1
6 - 12	0
13 - 15	+1
16 - 17	+2
18	+3

Previously, I assigned target numbers to resolve tasks, but that makes a hash out of the table as it stands. Instead, it would be better to assign bonuses and penalties, with the additional rule that an 11 or above is always a success and a 4 or less is always a failure. Therefore:

Stealth and Surprise: No penalties, unless the party is being particularly noisy (-1 to -2), which the DM might invoke if they are weighed down with excessive treasure (everyone or almost everyone has their encumbrance maxed out). Conversely, a character or party in light to no armor gets a +1 to their stealth checks and can apply the dexterity bonus of the clumsiest person in the group. Halflings working alone or only with other halflings get the +1 and Dex modifier bonus regardless of what kind of armor that they're wearing.

Searching for secret doors and traps normally has a -1 penalty, but not for elves searching for secret doors or dwarves searching for stonework secret doors or traps underground.

Hunting/Foraging has a -2 penalty even in relatively lush areas, a -3 in semi-arid regions or in wintery conditions, and a -4 penalty in the desert. Fighters, elves, and halflings can add their wisdom bonus to the check, as can dwarves in the mountains and underground. In a mixed group, the highest bonus within the group affects the check for the whole party--spreading out into smaller hunting parties is a good way to better one's chances and increase the amount of food found (due to multiple checks), but can also result in disaster if one party (or individual) has an encounter while away from the group.

Maintaining Course (aka Not Getting Lost) is relatively easy, with a bonus of +2 in clear or grasslands, no bonus or penalty in woods, hills, mountains, oceans, and barren terrain, a -1 penalty in swamps and desert, and a -2 penalty in the jungle. Fighters, elves, and halflings may add their wisdom bonus to the check in the outdoors, while dwarves may add theirs in mountains, hills, and underground.

Climbing can always be accomplished up trees with low branches or hills and mountainsides with sufficient handholds and using the right equipment. Climbing sheer walls can likewise be accomplished very slowly using the right tools (pitons, ropes, and grappling hooks) or with one's bare hands (-2 penalty).

Swimming is something anyone can do. The only time a check would be needed would be if the character is excessively weighed down (which, ironically, doesn't happen just because you're wearing plate armor) or has to swim a long distance without a rest.

You'll notice that it wasn't Tanis, Caramon, Raistlin,
or even Flint who forged the Dragonlance.

But what about crafting and professional skills? If a character has a background in it, fine--but unless the player is running an older character, it's unlikely that they got past the apprentice, maybe journeyman, phase of their training before deciding to take up the adventuring path. Remember that a 1st level fighter is still a "Veteran," someone who has received training and been blooded in combat before. And after they became adventurers? Why would someone who takes the road of gold and glory spend the tens of thousands of hours necessary to becoming a master armorer? And when would they find the time? That's what hirelings are for.

So what about thieves? I'm honestly a bit ambivalent about them, to be honest. Most of their functions can be carried out by a clever party: Anyone can look for traps, and clever play can disarm or avoid them without the need for a thief. But, since they exist in the rule books and people will want to play them, let's work their skills out as bonuses instead of percentages. For our purposes, we will assume that thieves have an average of a +1 bonus to dexterity, and none for intelligence or wisdom:

Level	Locks / Traps	Pick Pockets	Stealth	Climbing
1	0	+1	+1	+1
2	+1	+1	+1	+1
3	+1	+1	+2	+2
4	+1	+2	+2	+2
5	+1	+2	+2	+3
6	+2	+2	+3	+3
7	+2	+2	+3	+4
8	+2	+3	+4	+4
9	+3	+3	+4	+5
10	+3	+3	+4	+5
11	+3	+3	+4	+6
12	+4	+3	+5	+6
13	+4	+4	+5	+7
14	+4	+4	+5	+7

Locks / Traps represent both the ability to detect traps (-1 difficulty, you'll recall) and to open locks and disarm small mechanical traps (-1 difficulty with proper thieves' tools, which only thieves can readily acquire, -3 difficulty otherwise). This is further modified by the character's intelligence, though in some cases the DM may allow the character to use his dexterity modifier instead.

Pick Pockets is further modified by dexterity, with a -1 difficulty modifier for careless / zero-level opponents, a -2 for classed individuals, and a further -1 for every four levels of the target. For example, attempting to pick the pocket of a 4th level character would have a total -3 difficulty level. A roll of 6 to 8 indicates that the attempt failed, but the thief wasn't caught, while a roll indicating failure indicates that the thief was indeed caught red-handed.

Stealth functions as already noted. The DM must assign a difficulty penalty for hiding in various enviroments; to hide in nothing but shadow comes at a -4 penalty, and is not subject to the normal rules granting success on any unmodified roll of 10 or better. A halfling gets a +3 racial bonus when hiding indoors, and a +6 bonus when hiding outdoors.

Climbing functions as noted under general skills.

Okay, so what's the point of all this? A few things. First, it keeps the basic fighter from feeling like he's useless outside of swinging a sword and soaking up the damage. A fighter is perfectly capable of being stealthy (particularly with a high dexterity) and with a relatively high wisdom, is a capable hunter and survivor in the wilderness. Second, it provides a reason not to use one's wisdom as a dump stat for anyone other than a cleric. (I'll have to come up with separate benefits for magic-users and thieves.)