Author Topic: Opposed Checks Handbook  (Read 6680 times)

Offline Garryl

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Opposed Checks Handbook
« on: November 15, 2011, 01:45:24 AM »
Coming soon, a handbook all about opposed checks. How to win them. How to cause them. How to calculate the damn math correctly.

This will be more of an analysis of the mechanics than a usual guide to making it perfect. There will be some of that, but opposed checks are a broad enough mechanic that trying to cover everything is far more than one guide should have. Most of this will be math and analysis, but there will also be some about general techniques to boost the more common types of opposed checks and a few more specific, interesting or obscure things.

Really, the main reason I'm making this is for the math to be readily available for anyone that wants it.



Things that use opposed checks
(click to show/hide)


Notes:
Fate Mantle - Add your level in the class that granted you mantles to any d20 roll 1/day.
Competition Domain - Get a +1 bonus on all opposed checks.
Pride Domain - Reroll 1s. Less useful here than elsewhere, but still roughly equivalent to a +0.5 bonus. Saves only, and I don't think there are any opposed saving throws outside of homebrew.
Luck Domain - Reroll any die 1/day. Always useful.
Rerolls - Always useful, particularly with the variable target number of opposed checks.
Surge of Malevolence - Gives a bonus based on your Depravity/Corruption (don't remember which) once per day. Maxes out at a +9 bonus.

Reroll Wars - Can happen when you and your opponent can both reroll things after determining the result. Whoever has the most rerolls available holds an advantage, but static modifiers count more the more rerolls are involved (and thus the higher average die roll).

Skill Mastery - If you can take 10, it's like your opponent is making a fixed DC check, except that you can still have an advantage on a tie (thus forcing him to beat the "fixed DC" rather than just meet it). You only need a +10 modifier instead of +19 to assure victory this way. Worse than rolling if your relative modifier is +3 or less. Better than rolling if your modifier is +5 or better. Breaks even at a +4 relative modifier (70% success either way). However, taking 10 may prevent you from rerolling, which is a bad thing, especially in reroll wars when taking 10 would only give you a small advantage compared to rolling.
Savvy Rogue - Lets you take 12. Actually, gives you a +2 bonus when you take 10 (which is even better if you've got a relative modifier between -2 and +0). Makes "Taking 12" better than rolling with a relative modifier all the way down to -7 (before including the +2 taking 10 bonus). The difference isn't huge down there, but it's amazing the diference in range of usefulness.

Disarm/Sunder - Unlike PA and Strength bonuses, the +/-4 modifier cares about the kind of weapon, not how you wield it (ie: you get the +4 bonus only if you're actually using a two-handed weapon, not just using a one-handed weapon in two hands).

Rerolling - Rerolling after you know the results is interesting because it makes the opposed check into two parts. The initial roll follows the usual math for opposed checks. The reroll follows the usual math for fixed DCs instead (with the exception of tie breakers), since you know what your opponent's roll is.

Offline Garryl

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Re: Opposed Checks Handbook
« Reply #1 on: November 15, 2011, 01:45:40 AM »
The mechanics:
Quote from: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/skills/usingSkills.htm
Opposed Checks
An opposed check is a check whose success or failure is determined by comparing the check result to another character’s check result. In an opposed check, the higher result succeeds, while the lower result fails. In case of a tie, the higher skill modifier wins. If these scores are the same, roll again to break the tie.

Quote from: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/combat/initiative.htm
If two or more combatants have the same initiative check result, the combatants who are tied act in order of total initiative modifier (highest first). If there is still a tie, the tied characters should roll again to determine which one of them goes before the other.

Thus, you need to beat your opponent's total by 1 if you have a lower modifier, or tie if you have a higher modifier. You need a +19 modifier (compared to your opponent's modifier) to always win.


The math:
(click to show/hide)

Offline Garryl

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Re: Opposed Checks Handbook
« Reply #2 on: November 15, 2011, 01:45:50 AM »
Class Features and stuff:
(click to show/hide)

Feats and stuff:
(click to show/hide)

Items and stuff:
(click to show/hide)

Offline Garryl

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Re: Opposed Checks Handbook
« Reply #3 on: November 15, 2011, 01:45:57 AM »
Reserved.

Feel free to post. This is all I've got, actually, but if anyone wants to chime in other information, advice, or resources, go ahead. The more the merrier.

Offline nijineko

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Re: Opposed Checks Handbook
« Reply #4 on: November 15, 2011, 01:57:24 AM »
unearthed arcana optional rules allowing the replacement of the "10" seen on character sheets (AC, caster/manifester level, ect.) to be replaced with an opposed check instead might be worth a mention.

Offline skydragonknight

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Re: Opposed Checks Handbook
« Reply #5 on: November 17, 2011, 05:25:21 AM »
The "Belt of the Champion" is good for some of these. It has two versions, one in Complete Divine and one in Magic Item Compendium. Both versions require True Believer to use (or giving up a permanent spell slot), as it's a relic.

The better version is 22k and requires 9HD +feat or 5th level slot for a +6 untyped bonus on strength checks or an additional +4 for grapple or bull rush checks. So pretty good for trippers. Very good for Dungeoncrashers and Black Blood Cultists. And you can just use the cheaper version (with lower HD requirement) until then.
Hmm.

Offline Sinfire Titan

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Re: Opposed Checks Handbook
« Reply #6 on: December 09, 2011, 12:17:16 AM »
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