From:	Tom Pendergrast <pendergr@***.EDU>
Subject:	Re: How to handle Stealth
Date:	Sat, 25 May 1996 11:55:56 -0700 (PDT)

<snippage>

> Sounds good to me, but you might want to consider doing as Gurth does and
> having both tests made against a base TN of 4, rather than against the
> opposing sides attribute/Rating. The reason I suggest this is to avoid the
> classic "double jeopardy" <hopes he spelled it right this time>
affect. To
> explain, consider this example:

<snip stealth 2 vs. Int-6>

> It is _extremely_ unlikely that the runner would sneak past if there were no
> modifiers. In effect the runner is being punished for having a low skill
> _twice_ - once because he has only 2 dice to roll for his test, and once
> because the TN for his oppoennts test is so low. Similarly, the guard is
> beign rewarded for having a high Intellignce _twice_.
>
> In my view, it is better to have both TN's a set 4, rather than the
> opponents skill/attribute/Rating/etc. This way, people with high numbers
> are not rewarded double, and people with low numbers are not shafted doubly.

That is my biggest bitch about SRII... even a difference between
skills like 3 and 4, or 5 and 6 is monstrous... I mean even a 1 point
diff changes everything... take 3 vs. 4 : the 3 dice are going to average
1.5 successes, whereas the 4 dice are going to get 2.6~ successes... the
3 hardly stands a chance, and the 4 isn't that much bigger... with both
vs TN4, the avg goes to 1.5 and 2... much better I think... I try and
avoid Skill(rating) vs Skill(rating) whenever possible... besides, two
guy that are really good (say 12), have only a 1 in 3 chance (approx) of
getting even one success... (rambling still) I guess that is why magic is
so nasty... you get nuked by th TNs twice... espescially if you don't
have a Bod/Will of 6...


---Tom---