Black Tides RPG Skillchecks

CORE MECHANICS

This game works on what I like to call the Bellcurve System, which is primarily descended from the FATE system and the d20 systems. Anything in the game can be done as a Test, which determines the result. To preform a Test, the payer rolls two d20 (2d20) as the determining method, adds and detracts any modifiers, and then compares it to the difficulty on the table with the objective of having a total higher than the test difficulty. Failing a Test does not mean automatic failure, however it does mean that the task is not accomplished well, or even accomplished according to the letter or spirit it was intended in.

TEST DIFFICULTY TABLE
Impossible: +40 (ex. surviving a headshot, pushing a Yugo to 120 mph on a level surface)
Legendary: +35 (ex. rebuilding an engine without spare parts, designing a good ship from scratch)
Challenging: +30 (ex. negotiating with a hostile NPC, taming a Spook)
Difficult: +25 (ex. navigating a archipelago in the day, making a boarding into a fight)
Hard +20 (ex. most Command tests, SAN checks, cross-zone shots on ships)
Normal: +15 (Cooking a dinner with ingredients in a galley, cleaning a new gun, difficult maneuvers in full armor)
Easy: +10 (Boarding a ship unopposed, handling a Small Craft, noticing something unusual about your ship)
Basic: +5 (Doesn't need to be rolled in most circumstances)

CRITICAL SUCCESS/FAILURE

In the event that a player rolls a natural 40 or natural 2, things get hairy. In the case of a Critical Success, the character gains an Ability which reduces the difficulty level of all tests related to the one they just made critical by two levels. In the case of Critical Failure, the character gains a Phobia which increases the difficulty of any future tests on the one the just critical by two levels.

ex Critical Success: Lee needs to communicate with a Japanese person, but they do not share a language. Lee rolls a Knowledge Test (Challenging), and gets a crit. Lee manages to hold a fairly good pidgin conversation learning all he needs, and along the way picks up the Ability: Pidgin Language (Japanese), allowing him to speak the language on simple matters without a test, and reducing the point cost to buy ability: Language (Japanese) by 10.

ex. Critical Failure: Bo needs to drive a Small Craft (Zodiac) to pick up the boarding party who scavenged a Small Fisher in a medium chop. He rolls a Seamanship Test (Hard), and gets a crit fail. Bo goes out pushing the Zodiac past what he can command, and pancakes across a wave, flipping the Zodiac and dumping him in the drink. He then makes a Seamanship Test (Normal) to right the Zodiac, passes, and gets in, but has developed the Phobia: Rough Weather (Small Craft), and can no longer pilot Small Craft in weather above a Low Swells along with tests to conn anything smaller than a Medium Ship in anything above Light Chop increased by one level of difficulty.

DEGREES OF SUCCESS/FAILURE

Degrees of Success and Failure are when an individual manages to pass or fail a Test with bonuses by more than five points, giving them beneficial or detrimental effects. In cases where there is no ship, substitute with the environment of the area where the test is occurring.

One Degree of Success/Failure: Less or more materials are consumed than expected.
Two Degrees of Success/Failure: Many more materials are consumed than expected.
Three Degrees of Success/Failure: There is a great decrease in time and material required or a great increase.
Four Degrees of Success/Failure: There is a great decrease in time and material use or there is a mild injury to a worker in addition to additional material consumption.
Five Degrees of Success/Failure: There is an incredible decrees in time and material use or there is mild injury to a worker in addition to delays and increased material costs.
Six Degrees of Success/Failure: There are miraculous savings in time and material use or there is a moderate injury to a worker in addition to delays and increased material costs.
Seven Degrees of Success/Failure: There are new skills learned during the project while coming in under the estimate for time and material required or there is severe to fatal injury of a worker and possible damage to the ship.
Eight Degrees of Success/Failure: Great knowledge is gained by all involved in the project for all involved while coming in under budget in all respects or there is calamity, resulting in fatalities and severe damage to the ship which may result in it's sinking.

LUCK AND FATE

Each character has a set pool of Luck and Fate. Fate can be used temporarily to re-roll critical Tests, gain uncanny foresight, or debuff enemies. Luck, when triggered, adds one d6 to a characters Test roll, making the following dice pool to be rolled 2d20+1d6. Fate may be permanently spent to avoid character death, however, it is not a surefire means of preventing this.