Dread Pool (dice idea)

[Jester of the FoS]

I had an idea for my Pathfinder Ravenloft campaign, inspired by the Marvel RPG's Doom Pool and the Dread RPG's tower.

There's a d20 (or two) sitting on the table. Every time a player tries to do something that doesn't really require a die roll but when something horrible could happen, such as checking a coffin or opening a door, then they roll the dice in the Dread Pool. If it comes up a "1" then something horrible does happen.
The horrible event is determined by the situation and what would be most cinematic and narratively appropriate. It's a little like a fumble mechanic, but not tied to standard rolls, as you're pretty much rolling against fate.

As the adventure advances, the Dread Pool grows. So eventually the odds increase and the chances of rolling that "1" and disaster striking becomes uncomfortably high.

I'm uncertain when the Dread Pool should increase. Monsters scoring crits or PCs failing might increase it. I was debating the merits of allowing PCs a reroll or bonus if they throw a dice into the pool.

Thoughts?

[Ryan Naylor]

What about something like the coin system in Don't Rest Your Head?

[Zilfer]

I'm unclear but are you saying beginning session is 1d20 and then it grows to 2d20 and then 3d20. Ect ect ect?

Also it sounds a little bit like a "luck" mechanic.... or rather unluck. xD

[Cam]

I like the idea of designing a particular dungeon crawl to work like this. It sounds like it could be a lot of fun in a particularly abnormal environment -- like the deep wererat sewers of Richemulot or something like that, where the PCs should rightly expect lots of horror that is truly random to turn up in odd places. I also like the idea of cursing a single PC with a Dread Pool. It could be a curse of unluckiness, attracting him to lots of awful things. And using a single PC would prevent the dice pool from growing too fast.

I don't think I would use this mechanic all the time in a campaign, however. In a climactic social confrontation with a suave NPC, for example, it might be inappropriate for some random horror to show up when a PC does something mundane. It can be great for random horrors to show up in such situations, but not if it would distract the PCs (and the players) from a scripted encounter that is supposed to be more subtle.

Good idea! If anyone uses this in a game, please post how it goes.

[Jester of the FoS]

I'm unclear but are you saying beginning session is 1d20 and then it grows to 2d20 and then 3d20. Ect ect ect?

Also it sounds a little bit like a "luck" mechanic.... or rather unluck. xD

Exactly. It grows as the chances for something bad happening increase.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

I like it. Which is odd, because I'm usually a bit of a simulationist, and like my mechanics to model reality. But for Ravenloft, I think this works. It's a reminder to the DM to keep things creepy, and an excuse for the players to let their characters act like horror movie protagonists and not paranoid, ready for anything, always prepared heroes. It's not modelling anything in particular. Just the tendency of creepy stuff to happen in a creepy world. Very intriguing...

[DeepShadow of FoS]

I would probably just use a single die, and have the chance increase each time. First time, only a 1 would mean bad luck. Then a 1 or 2, then 1-3. Once the bad luck hits, it resets to 1 again. I use hand out tokens that people can use to adjust the game, so this would be another way to earn tokens. You can opt for the easy way, or you can "press your luck" and earn a token. Each person makes it harder for the next person to get a token, though, so it's somewhat self-regulating.

To simulate that you the event is truly BAD, I might call this the disaster die.

[Jester of the FoS]

I would probably just use a single die, and have the chance increase each time. First time, only a 1 would mean bad luck. Then a 1 or 2, then 1-3. Once the bad luck hits, it resets to 1 again. I use hand out tokens that people can use to adjust the game, so this would be another way to earn tokens. You can opt for the easy way, or you can "press your luck" and earn a token. Each person makes it harder for the next person to get a token, though, so it's somewhat self-regulating.

To simulate that you the event is truly BAD, I might call this the disaster die.

The growing pool of dice adds to the effect. There's a psychological element to rolling 3d20s and knowing you now have an increased chance for a "1". The dice pool grows and there's that singe visual reminder.
Plus tracking is easier.
After a moment of dread, the dice should drop a step. As tension lowers.

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

The growing pool of dice adds to the effect. There's a psychological element to rolling 3d20s and knowing you now have an increased chance for a "1". The dice pool grows and there's that singe visual reminder.

Another way to add this feeling of dread would be to skip the dice and use a bag of glass tokens. Fill it with 19 clear tokens and 1 black token. Players reach in and pull a token instead of rolling. Black token is a disaster. Then add a black token to the bag each time the pool grows. And/Or don't return clear tokens to the bag when they are pulled.

Reaching into the unknown is always a bit scary....

[Zilfer]

Also don't tell them how many black tokens there are and how many clear tokens.... lol I'd dread even the first draw from the bag. xD

[Jester of the FoS]

The growing pool of dice adds to the effect. There's a psychological element to rolling 3d20s and knowing you now have an increased chance for a "1". The dice pool grows and there's that singe visual reminder.

Another way to add this feeling of dread would be to skip the dice and use a bag of glass tokens. Fill it with 19 clear tokens and 1 black token. Players reach in and pull a token instead of rolling. Black token is a disaster. Then add a black token to the bag each time the pool grows. And/Or don't return clear tokens to the bag when they are pulled.

Reaching into the unknown is always a bit scary....

That's a good idea but less of a constant visual reminder.
But I'll keep that in mind for future games.

[MichaelTumey]

Not if you place the bag of tokens in front of the GM's screen where all can view it easily, and every once in a while grab the bag and shake it, especially as the party enters a new chamber or new place of possible hazards. I think this is more effectively scary than a visible pool of d20's on the table...

[Gonzoron of the FoS]

Also don't tell them how many black tokens there are and how many clear tokens.... lol I'd dread even the first draw from the bag. xD

Or secretly switch the bag with with an identical bag full of peeled grapes! (Can you tell I skimmed Chilling Tales recently? )

[Zilfer]

zomg.... that's awesome! Though I think i'd still put a few coins (or in my case poker chips)