Uncouth/Analysis

At present, most of Uncouth remains untested. This appendix provides a space to crunch numbers to see if existing mechanics work reasonably, or to figure out how they need to be changed. This page is open to any who would like to do such crunching, though Wordman reserves the right to reformat your additions.

Terms

Exalted's pool mechanics lend themselves to a certain types of shorthand when working with outcomes, but can be tricky to analyze. This page uses the following concepts:

Pools

Dice pools can make analysis hard because they not only come in a wide range of sizes, but there are many different ways a pool of a given size might be generated. Sometimes, only the final size really matters, but sometimes not. For example, it may matter to a certain mechanic if a 15 dice pool used magic to get that way or not. Then again, it might not.

• The trait pool is the dice pool generated by an Attribute + Ability combination. A good starting point for analysis is to consider someone five types of pools here:
  • A minimum trait pool is one with the smallest possible total, using traits of 1, for a total of two dice.
  • An average trait pool is one where the traits are 3, for a total of six dice.
  • A full trait pool is one where the traits are 5, for a total of ten dice.
  • An excessive trait pool is one where traits are 7, for a total of 14 dice.
  • A maximum trait pool is one where traits are 10, for a total of 20 dice. (Analysis based on pools like this is usually not very helpful.)
• The base pool is the dice pool before magic is added. Sometimes, this is the same as the trait pool. More often, things like specialties, weapon enhancements and so on are added.
• The total pool is the dice pool that is actually rolled, including magic. Sometimes, this is the same as the base pool, or even the trait pool. More often, effects change the pool in some way.

To make analysis easier, focus here will be given only to the base pool. The following "flavors" of base pool are usually worth talking about when analyzing mechanics:

• 2 dice: a minimum pool with a minimum trait pool and no help.
• 4 dice: a peon pool is generated by someone unskilled, maybe with some augmentation like a stunt, specialization or equipment.
• 8 dice: a standard pool is one starting with an average trait pool and some augmentation. This would be a typical pool for a PC with without any particular design focus on performing that task, or a competent mortal.
• 10 dice: a skilled pool is one representing either a skilled user alone, or an average user with help from gear, stunts, etc. This would be a typical pool for a PC with a secondary focus on performing that task.
• 15 dice: a full pool is one from a full trait pool, plus specializations, gear and/or stunting. This would be a typical pool for a PC optimized at performing that particular task.
• 20 dice: an excessive pool is one from something with abnormal traits, full specializations and help from gear, stunts, etc.
• 30 dice: acts as a maximum pool, a practical upper limit on base pool size (though it is probably possible to get more). It represents someone with maximum traits, full specializations, high equipment bonuses and maximal stunting. Using this type of pool is really only useful for determining just how much a given mechanic can do.

Again, these are all non-magical pools. Rather than create variations of the pool sizes for magic, we instead account for magic in the way we talk about results.

Results

For analysis, it is really the result that usually matters: the number of successes generated by the pool. It is here we factor in magic, though we still phrase everything in terms of the base pool. The idea is to view magic as augmenting the result, not the pool. Some magic may actually do so via increasing the pool, but it might also just increase success directly, add to attributes, and so on. In a practical sense, magic can be viewed as essentially making you "roll better", even if it is really doing so by giving you more dice. Results are discussed as follows:

• An average result is one that represents the mathematical average of a standard dice pool roll. The correct average for Exalted pools is one success for every two dice, or 0.5 success/die.
  • average(minimum) = 1
  • average(peon) = 2
  • average(standard) = 4
  • average(skilled) = 5
  • average(full) = 7.5
  • average(excessive) = 10
  • average(maximum) = 15
• An impressive result is one that generates one success per base pool die. If the base pool and the total pool are the same (i.e. no magic was used), this is an uncommon result, but not so improbable that it wouldn't happen within any given gaming session. In effect, it can act like a "practical maximum" for a mundane roll. More commonly, however, an impressive result is gained through magic. For example, if magic was used to get a total pool double that of the base pool, an average roll would also generate an "impressive result" in terms of the base pool. That is, a roll of x dice giving 1 sux/die generates the same number of successes as a roll of 2x dice giving 0.5 sux/die. Thus, an "impressive result" can be thought of as both a "good mundane roll" or an "ordinary magical one", given the same base pool in both cases.
  • impressive(minimum) = 2
  • impressive(peon) = 4
  • impressive(standard) = 8
  • impressive(skilled) = 10
  • impressive(full) = 15
  • impressive(excessive) = 20
  • impressive(maximum) = 30
• An supernatural result is one that generates 1.5 successes per base pool die. If the base pool and the total pool are the same (i.e. no magic was used), this is an unlikely result, but might occur once over several sessions, maybe more often with very small pools. It also represents a decent result for a magically augmented roll, and should be fairly common in that context.
  • supernatural(minimum) = 3
  • supernatural(peon) = 6
  • supernatural(standard) = 12
  • supernatural(skilled) = 15
  • supernatural(full) = 22.5
  • supernatural(excessive) = 30
  • supernatural(maximum) = 45
• A maximum result is a roll that generates all 10s, or two successes per base pool die. For mundane rolls this is almost guaranteed to never happen in play for any but the smallest dice pools; however, this result generates the same number of successes as would be generated by a pool made twice as big with magic giving an "impressive" 1 sux/die. So, a result of this kind can be though of as both the "upper limit of mundane results" and a "really good roll for someone maximizing their pool with magic".
  • maximum(minimum) = 4
  • maximum(peon) = 8
  • maximum(standard) = 16
  • maximum(skilled) = 20
  • maximum(full) = 30
  • maximum(excessive) = 40
  • maximum(maximum) = 60
• An ultimate result represents the theoretical limit for an effect, even using magic. Because of the way pools are limited in Uncouth, this would be a pool that was not only doubled magically, but scores 10 on every die, or 4 sux/original pool die. This will probably never actually happen, but is still marginally useful for analysis, because it can prove that a certain result is unattainable.
  • ultimate(minimum) = 8
  • ultimate(peon) = 16
  • ultimate(standard) = 32
  • ultimate(skilled) = 40
  • ultimate(full) = 60
  • ultimate(excessive) = 80
  • ultimate(maximum) = 120

Under a scheme like this, note some result equalities, which might act as "sweet spots", mechanically:

• average(peon) = 2 = impressive(minimum)
• average(standard) = 4 = impressive(peon)
• impressive(standard) = 8 = maximum(peon) = ultimate(minimum)
• average(excessive) = 10 = impressive(skilled)
• average(maximum) = 15 = impressive(full) = supernatural(skilled) ≈ maximum(standard) = ultimate(peon)
• maximum(standard) = 16 = ultimate(peon)
• impressive(maximum) = 30 = supernatural(excessive) = maximum(full) ≈ ultimate(standard)
• maximum(excessive) = 40 = ultimate(skilled)
• maximum(maximum) = 60 = ultimate(full)

Looking at how the mechanics behave in these

Social tests

Need serious work.