Devblog: October 18th

Dev Update: Leveling Out Skill Checks

Skill Checks were climbing too high, too fast. To try to resolve this we removed the Core Stat from Skill Checks, changed how duplicate Aptitude works, and lowered the first Aptitude grant to 2, so specialists stay strong without the math running away. Our playtest tables kept running into the same problem. By levels 4 and 5, characters were rolling in the high 20s and 30s on Skill Checks. A Very Hard DC was supposed to be a real test, and it had become routine. Specialists are supposed to be good at what they do, but they were clearing nearly everything. Your Core Stat, your Aptitude Points, duplicate Aptitude bonuses, and Feat bonuses were all stacking on the same roll. We also heard from pen-and-paper players that the math was a lot to track. So we made three changes.

Your Core Stat no longer goes on the roll

A Skill Check is now:

d20 + Skill Modifier + Aptitude Dice

• Your Skill Modifier is the number of Aptitude Points you have in that Skill. That is the whole number. Your Core Stats still build your Defense Modifiers, drive certain Attacks and Damage Rolls, HP, and decide how much chrome and magic your body can carry.
• Skills still belong to their Core Stat. Persuasion is still a Charm-based Skill, and Hacking is still a Cognition-based Skill, so any effect that says “+2 to Charm-based Skill Checks” works exactly as before. The stat tells you which effects apply, but its number is no longer added.
• Contested Checks follow the same rule. Each side makes the relevant Skill Check, and the higher result wins.

Duplicate Aptitude gives you a new Skill

• It used to be that gaining Aptitude in a Skill you already had gave you +2 Aptitude Points in it. Now you choose a different Skill to gain Aptitude in instead. If your Background gave you Technology and you take Tech-thusiast, you pick a new Skill rather than stacking more onto Technology.
• Characters still get the reward for those Feats. Instead of making one Skill taller, it makes the character wider.

Aptitude starts at 2

• When you gain Aptitude in a Skill for the first time, you get +2 Aptitude Points in it instead of +3, and Aptitude now unlocks at 2 points. Buying into a new Skill through leveling takes two levels instead of three. The thresholds at 6, 9, and 10 points are unchanged, and so is the cap of 10.

What this means:

• Under the old rules, a level 5 specialist averaged about 28 on their best Skill. Under the new rules, the same character averages about 21. A Hard DC averages 17.5, so a specialist clears it more often than not, and clears Very Hard about half the time. Your Aptitude Dice still grow as you level, so mastery keeps getting stronger as your character advances.
• Every Skill Check is now one modifier and one die. The number on your sheet is the number you add.

This is a playtest

We kept the first round of changes small on purpose. Feats and gear that add bonuses to Skill Checks are untouched for now, so we can see how the new core rules play before changing anything else. If something still feels too strong, or too weak, we want to hear about it, along with the level, the Skill, and what bonuses were in play. The Core Rule Book and Character Codex are updated. The character creator, virtual character sheet, and VTT are being updated to match. We’ll share how existing characters convert once that work is done.