"The PHB calls out system shock: ANY TIME the character is affected by unnatural/magical aging (or) petrification (or) polymorph, they must make a system shock roll or die. Harsh but vital. Haste and Potions of Speed force the fighter to run this risk. So does Resurrection and Wish. Without this check to powerful magics the campaign becomes a world where everyone is always hasted and magic-users are altering the fabric of the planet without consequence. Use it unrelentingly."
Anthony also relates an amusing anecdote about a 16th level NPC cleric, being convinced to resurrect the party's 6th level magic-user, fails his system shock roll for mandatory aging, thus depriving the party of their source of easy healing.
System shock, originally called "Probability of Surviving Spells," has been around since Supplement I: Greyhawk (1976)...that is to say, since nearly the very beginning of the hobby (for a point of reference, Greyhawk is also the supplement that introduces the thief class to the D&D game). The mechanic is very little changed between OD&D and AD&D save that the percentage chance of survival has been granulated for each individual point of constitution from 3 to 18. The original table condensed the numbers as follows:
Constitution 3-6: 35%
Constitution 7-10: 55%
Constitution 11-12: 80%
Constitution 13-14: 90%
Constitution 15: 95%
Constitution 16: 98%
Constitution 17: 99%
Constitution 18: 100%
None of the "basic" editions of the game (Holmes, B/X, BECMI) make use of system shock, and I'm not sure that's to the good of a better game. One of the knocks against all versions of basic D&D is its tendency to devolve to more superheroic fantasy with the acquisition of readily utilized, high level magic. Parties that can haste themselves with impunity, polymorph their henchmen into dragons, and raise dead with nary a concern make for nigh unstoppable forces in a campaign world, untroubled...and unchallenged...by the usual dangers and detriments of the game world.
Utilizing system shock, "unrelentingly" as Huso suggests, is a great way to make such high level magics feel a bit more dangerous to the user...a double-edged sword, certainly worth the risk in many cases, but still risky. And it's such an easy rule to implement: players write down their percentage on the character sheet (based on an ability that rarely changes), and whenever the character makes use of a risky action, the DM simply requests "Check system shock, please."
No fuss, no muss. It adds to depth of play, as players have an additional tactical decision to make, without adding a significant amount of procedural time. It extends the challenge of play past mid-levels. And it models a bit of fantasy literature with spell-casters displaying reluctance at the casual use of high powered magic. For me, that's a win-win-win.
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| Shocking. |
Happy Wednesday, folks.
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The punitive old-schooler in me is cheering but the table-time ref in me is blanching away from this.
ReplyDeleteExcellent reasoning. Unimpeachable. Still won’t do it - for now. Maybe when the hapless sods are playing with unholy power a little more.
It actually goes back OD&D Vol 1, though it's oft-overlooked due to the presentation. The description of Constitution states: "It will influence ... and how well the character can withstand being paralyzed, turned to stone, etc." Percentages for survival are then given in the Con table on the next page, although only for Con 7-12.
ReplyDeleteHa! I never made the connection between those "survival percentages" in OD&D and system shock (never did play 0e more than once or twice)...just always assumed it was survival versus "harsh environment" or something. Jeez, you learn something new every day!
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Holmes kept the descriptive text but not the percentages (either from OD&D Vol 1 or Greyhawk), thus keeping the actual mechanic out of Basic. This may have influenced Moldvay's decision to also leave it out of the B/X rules.
ReplyDeleteIf he didn't even include it in his original draft, perhaps Holmes didn't feel the text was clear enough...or was unclear about what it referred to himself (as I was!)!
DeleteGiven that the percentages look to be (normally) 90% or better, I don't see this as punitive at all. The odd loss will happen but not often enough to frighten players from using the spells. I'm a bit surprised the percentages aren't worse (for the players)....
ReplyDeleteConsidering the consequence of a failed roll is INSTANT DEATH, the chance of it happening doesn't need to be that high to act as an effective deterrent. Even a 5 or 10% chance of losing a beloved character who you may have been playing for several years to a single die roll is enough to make most players hesitate, at least in my experience. In particular, nobody ever used Haste due to fear of system shock: even a modest chance of instant death was considered too much risk (especially since the same differential could be achieved much more safely by casting Slow on your enemies instead).
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ReplyDeleteI honestly remember reading this subsystem back in the day and thinking, "What an interesting detail to add to the game", and then never, ever adding it to any of my games. LOL It's yet another example of D&D not wanting players to enjoy playing. The punitive nature of the systems makes me cringe these days.
ReplyDeleteWe used to use System Shock all the time, but as time went on we saved it only for the big things like resurrections and wishes.
ReplyDeleteWhen I deal with System Shock I focus on the "shock" portion of the mechanic's title: when an effect that triggers SS is an _attack inflicted_ upon a PC, the PC rolls for SS survival (ghost aging, basilisk petrification, etc.). I do not require SS checks when PCs, NPCs, and monsters cast haste, imbibe potions of speed, or cast other spells upon themselves or others that age the caster. Since I track and use aging rules, I see the +1 year ticker (for haste/speed potion, more for powerful spells like wish and gate!) as sufficient penalty, most-especially for human and half-orc PCs, who have only 20 and 14 years of Mature adventuring available before they start to subtract physical stats in Middle Age.
ReplyDeleteAllan.
A lot of things (being turned to stone, for example) seem like "sufficient penalty." Probably for transformations, I would only require ONE system shock roll (upon returning to flesh, for example, or the INITIAL polymorphing of an individual, not her return to human shape).
DeleteIn past campaigns, I think we ignored SS with regard for aging unless it was a significant number of years. But that reasoning doesn't wash so well when your campaign is full of elves and half-elves (as mine was) who can take quite a bit of aging without penalty.
Even some magic items can take the sting out of shock. One of the things that makes the Blackrazor sword so devastating is its ability to haste its wielder...and haste spells generated from an item/scroll cause no unnatural aging (and thus, no system shock). Same holds true for wish spells found in rings and rods of resurrection. Even humans can last a long time when such items become easily obtainable in a campaign.
I was sent here by powers in an alt-prime dimension. I'm glad someone reads my blog and that it's generating discussion! Carry on!
ReplyDelete@ Anthony:
DeleteIt's excellent stuff, Anthony. I was very pleased to be referred to it myself. Thanks for dropping by!
Very kind of you to say. I played the original B/X back in the day but never since 1980-ish. I appreciate your musings and introspection on the game and the kind of experience you want to generate for your players (having read several of your posts now) and can state clearly that I went through the same process. After all, it isn't JUST about the players. In order to invest, you have to be having a great time as a DM. I feel lucky to be able to play AD&D RAW and vindicated by the enthusiasm of my players. Keep in mind that the punitive systems are kept above board: everyone is reminded of them before choices are made because they are supposed to be transparent systems. That's different than not specifying exactly what a fireball in a hallway will do. In this light, players swiftly adjust as they do to the rules of any game and make choices accordingly. Finally, Gary talked big about never providing players with tells, ambushing them essentially in a variety of ways. I don't do that because I've been professionally trained in game design. When consequences are at stake and especially when they are severe, players are usually notified or given some kind of warning. If you seek a game with repercussions such as AD&D offers, it's important to approach it with that in mind: that you are and should always be the friend of the players. I wish you all the best in settling on your rule set!
DeleteThank you. Certainly that’s all good advice.
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I recommend considering how to apply system shock to ordinary situations. Magic is the exception, not the rule; if you have normal scenarios where a S.S. roll is appropriate, you can extrapolate from there to find the best answer to, "What if...?" where spells are concerned.
ReplyDeleteSystem Shock has been a curious concept to me whenever I'd first seen it reading the PHB for 1e. I do like the concept that mortal magic has its limits and that the mortal body can't always handle powerful effects upon it, even if benign.
ReplyDeleteI find I like it a lot more now than I did as a kid/teen (when, even as a DM, it was "needlessly" punitive).
DeleteHaving seen the craziness that the game can be pushed into by unscrupulous (and/or creative) players, I now look at it as a necessary check.