Aspiring Emperor Quest General Pastebin #4

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Aspiring Emperor Quest General Pastebin
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This pastebin will contain general gameplay information. Descriptions that have been posted, explanations of any gameplay mechanics the players can be expected to know and many other things will be here.

Lorebin: http://pastebin.com/z7RSgixA
Q&A Pastebin: http://pastebin.com/njwWGgj8
PC Character Sheet: http://pastebin.com/amF8s7CX
NPC Character Sheets: http://pastebin.com/FjNRvWjh
Recap Bin:
Past Threads: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Aspiring%20Emperor%20Quest

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OTHER EDITIONS
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This is the Thread VII edition of the general pastebin of AEQ.

A master pastebin with links to all editions for all bins is below.

http://pastebin.com/6Su7M3fh

NB: All content added since the most recent edition has a #NEW# tag above it. Use Ctrl+F to find new content this way.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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1. Basic Quest Rules/Mechanics
2. Harrowmont
3. NPC List
4. Current Army
5. Provincial Information
6. PC Stats and Skills Explanation
7. D20 Probabilities

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1. BASIC QUEST RULES/MECHANICS
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1. Please quote the post you are voting against or rolling against.
2. If a chance is posted next to an option, it is giving you a guide to what the DC of the roll that option will immediately lead to. If that option wins the vote, a new post will be made with the corresponding DC. See Section 5 below for a correlation of probabilities of success and DC.
3. Rolling involves at least three posts correctly rolling a D20 and quoting the post with the DC requirement. If there are less than three rolls after some time, the QM may roll the remaining dice. If more 1s are rolled than 20s, a Dramatic Failure occurs and if more 20s are rolled than 1s, an Exceptional Success occurs. Rolling equal to or above the DC is otherwise a success - if one 20 and one 1 is rolled, it also counts as a success.
4. Voting is on a plurality basis and will end after 10-15 minutes depending on activity. If a tie-breaker is needed, the QM will roll a die to resolve it and that will be final. Votes may cut off at any time and may not be public.

#NEW# Contentious voting rules added

5. There are contentious voting rules, for where a vote attracts an oddly high amount of votes and the vote itself appears to be contentious. The QM will either discard some very suspicious votes (the rare option) or declare a new vote with harsh rules. This new vote requires voters to quote the QM's new post on one line and post with a number (e.g. 1) with no other text at all (no greentexting etc). All votes not adhering to these rules will be discarded. Voting will last 5 minutes from the first vote.
6. Combat and other major challenges can sometimes appear to have much too high a DC, but this is because you can sometimes get additional chances. E.g. if you fail the first roll, you can still win the fight on a second. Also, some challenges might require multiple successes in a row to be won.
7. There is HP, MP and Fate Point tracking behind the scenes. NPCs also have an invisible respect meter. Screwing up combat or conversation will lower HP and respect. Using sorcery/powers uses MP. HP regenerates over time and also with magic, MP regenerates over time but respect must be built up again if lost. Fate Points are burnt if something occurs that would end the quest. I may also present an option to the players to burn a Fate Point if they screw up something big (like, say, pissing off an Archmage by accident). Generally, burning a Fate Point will have dire consequences - a major NPC might take a mortal blow intended for the PC, or you may lose a lot of respect from other NPCs. The number of Fate Points changes over time.
8. All bonuses from actions/sorcery etc are incorporated into a DC. There are some calculations taking place behind the scenes.

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2. HARROWMONT
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NB: This section will change over time as the PC changes the fortress.

Description: A large fortress built forty years ago during the heyday of Darlesia. It was initially built to maintain the eastern front of the nation, but the border expanded faster than expected and the castle was abandoned shortly before it was completely finished. A noble from Vitria decided to claim the fortress for himself with the near complete collapse of Darlesia and his excavation team have reportedly discovered a Source. Whether the noble knows exactly what he found is unknown, but whoever takes control of it will have the only functional Source in existence. The fortress itself is large, containing an outer wall, inner wall and a keep. It backs into a cliff side, making it easily defensible once it is repaired.

Very rough map, the boxes are gatehouses: http://imgur.com/47q9Vha

>[X] signifies the area is under your control
>[/] signifies the area is contested
>[] signifies the area is not under your control or contested

OUTSIDE THE WALLS [X] – this is immediate surroundings of the outer wall of the fortress, up to the cliffs. It is currently overgrown.
OUTER WALL [X] – this is the outer wall of the fortress, which stretches downhill into the fields before returning to the cliff side. It is currently highly damaged and provides no defensive bonus.
+ Outer courtyard, lower area [X] – the outer courtyard stretches between the two main gatehouses and is separated into lower and upper areas by some manmade platforms.
+ Outer courtyard, upper area [X] – the upper area consists consists of a mix of the space on top of the platforms and the natural incline.
+ Merchant area [X] – separated from the courtyard by a short wall, there is an area of housing and structures that was clearly intended to be used by merchants. It has its own small gatehouse in the outer wall. It also connects to the noble manors on the other side of the inner wall.
+ Residential area, north [X] – a tall stone wall with no battlements or rampart access separates the courtyard from the main residential area in the fortress. Fully half the outer area of the fortress is dedicated to this sprawling ruin of housing. The north side is closest to the courtyard. The only access to this area is from the courtyard.
+ Residential area, south [X] – The south side stretches into the cliff side. The residential area has no access to outside the fortress, but the south side does have a small gatehouse that leads to the inner courtyard.
INNER WALL – this is the inner wall of the fortress, protecting an inner courtyard and the keep. The wall is also highly damaged, but the defenders have hastily erected wooden palisades around larger holes.
+ Inner courtyard [X] – The inner courtyard surrounds the keep, which is itself built into the cliff side. The entire courtyard is paved with flagstones, which are overgrown with moss and weeds, and many are missing making for a treacherous battlefield.
+ Noble manors [X] – the fortress has a dedicated area for three small manors, all of which are in ruin.
KEEP [X] – Harrowmont’s keep is a large, multi-level castle with many rooms and supply stores. The keep interior has been restored to a structurally safe state, but the outside is still in need of repair. The keep itself extends into the cliff.
+ Lower floors [X] – The lower floors include audience chambers, guard rooms and supply rooms for the most part. It is the working area of the keep. Most rooms are empty and dirty.
+ Upper floors [X] – the upper floors are where all the bedrooms and private hearing rooms are. Most rooms are empty and dirty.
+ Underground [X] – vaults and supply stores lie under the keep. Not all of these areas are structurally sound.
+ Source vault [X] – The lowest floor that was recently excavated is a sturdy vault that contains the Source. The Source itself is a large prismatic stone inside a large room on this floor - there is an illusion over the Source to prevent people from seeing its natural form and freaking out.

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3. NPC LIST
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#NEW# Added info on her berserk rage

CAITLYN / SIR LYNN
Sex: Female
Race: 'Natural' Feldragon
Age: 19
Class: Dragon Knight
Title: Sole member of General Talon's Personal Guard
Attitude to Talon: Very friendly; highly respectful and supportive

A young girl with a love of battle and fighting. Dusty blonde hair, 5’ and a small frame but is capable of literally ripping a man limb from limb. Uses a sword almost as big as her and a large shield. She wears a set of chainmail armor with a fully enclosed helmet (which also modifies her voice) and so many people often mistake her for a man (called Sir Lynn). She always seems to have a smile on her face and her voice rings pleasantly even in the thick of battle.

She is a natural feldragon, which appears to mean that the otherwise separate draconic and humanoid forms of her erstwhile kin are combined in her human form. She has a pair of black wings and her sorcery appears to be some form of instictive draconic magic. She appears to be quite happy to fight alongside you and act as your personal guard. Not much in the way of manners, but appears to be wealthy. She would prefer to keep her draconic heritage a secret for as long as possible. Her father is the first feldragon, Tylarne, who is also known as the Font of Eternity. She recently fell into a berserk rage when wounded which may be linked to her dragon ancestry, but is working to control it in the future.

GENERAL ARAIL MALAINE
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 24
Class: Mage-knight / Mage (Adept-rank)
Title: General of Harrowmont
Attitude to Talon: Respectful

Arail is a young and extremely capable soldier. If Darlesia had been in better times, he would have been knighted. As it was, his strength and skill was vital to enabling the nation to hold on as long as it did. Arail is unsurprised by the failure of Darlesia, having matured during its decline. He is interested to see how far the PC can go and is oddly copacetic even during dark times. He has been recently promoted to general in recognition of his capability.

MAGE-KNIGHT CAPTAIN TERRENCE GLYNN
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 41
Class: Mage-knight
Title: Mage-knight Captain, Infantry
Attitude to Talon: Respectful

Glynn is the current head of the infantry mage-knights. He's a gruff and strong-headed. He's probably the most loyal to Darlesia, despite it's fall, but also recognises that the queen would not have abandoned the city and asked Talon to lead the siege without good reason. Has a particular hatred for Taour.

MAGISTER GARETH
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 57
Class: Mage (Magister-rank)
Title: Magister of Harrowmont (no tower)
Attitude to Talon: Respectful

The last remaining magister from the Darlesian mage towers. Gareth is past the prime of his life and saw Darlesia’s fall through that prism. He possesses a love of legends and of heroes and believes that the PC could very well become one. Reasonably talented as a mage, Gareth is widely studied but lacks mastery of any disciplines. He handed over his title of archmagister to Maloric and has summoned an earth elemental familiar called Bartom.

ARMS MASTER CORMANN
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 49
Class: Soldier / Scribe
Title: Arms Master of Harrowmont
Attitude to Talon: Highly respectful and supportive

An old soldier who now takes care of logistics. Not much of a fighter. He is a gruff no-nonsense bloke. Has a lot of respect for the PC and has fought under him before. Didn’t fight for Darlesia.

#NEW# More details on her attitude towards her sisters.

UNDINE
Sex: Female
Race: Pure Water Elemental
Age: ??
Class: Champion / Pure Water Elemental
Title: Champion
Attitude to Talon: Dutiful and extremely loyal; highly respectful and supportive

A pure water elemental that was summoned by the Vitrian mages at Harrowmont - she refused to move until somebody worthy of being her master arrived. Upon seeing Talon, she chose him as her master and has been strongly loyal since. She looks like an ordinary woman - if an attractive one, at about 5'4, with brown hair and blue eyes and always appears to be wearing some form-fitting black clothes. Is apparently young for a water elemental, and has a short temper. According to Maloric, she is one of the four Great Elementals - meaning she is recognised as the most powerful water elemental alive. She believes that is untrue, and may be harbouring an inferiority complex towards her older sisters. Further investigation shows that she misses her older sister, Gnome, but doesn't get along with other two sisters, finding Salamander to be arrogant and Sylph to be flighty.

MALORIC REEGAN
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 36
Class: Mage (Magister-rank)
Title: Magister Errant of the Tower of Sacrament; Archmagister of Harrowmont
Attitude to Talon: Confidante; highly respectful and supportive

Talon's oldest and truest friend, Maloric is a sarcastic mage with no small amount of talent. He can be a bit boastful though - his greatest boast being that he could be a grand magister if he merely spent some more time at his tower, though the truth of this is questionable. He is a tall man, at more than 6', and keeps his black hair short with a slight fringe - he prefers elegant and showy black robes. His talent and knowledge in the magical domain is great - his speciality is in magical theory and the direct manipulation of masses of magical energy via evocation. This makes him a talented enchanter, capable summoner (though he loathes using this skill in battle) and highly talented medium-distance battle-caster. He is a stereotypical squishy wizard though, and is nearly useless if a strong enemy closes with him.

SARAH HAWKINS
Sex: Female
Race: Human
Age: 18
Class: Noble / Mage (Journeyman-rank)
Title: Head of House Hawkins of Vitria; Vassal to Imperator Talon York
Attitude to Talon: Impressed and interested; apathetic

Supposedly, this young girl is the head of House Hawkins of Vitria - one of the four ruling noble houses in the city. Oddly, nobody in your retinue appears to know of when she took this position. She is supposedly a very talented mage and was responsible for funding and pushing for the excavation that found the Source at Harrowmont. She was extremely upset over Undine choosing Talon over herself as a master. She has chosen to swear allegiance to Talon and appears to be rather enthusiastic in her work.

GENERAL FELIX TARN
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 31
Class: Knight
Title: General of Harrowmont; Knight Errant of the Order of the Diamond Fox
Attitude to Talon: Apathetic

The leader of a small group of errants from the multinational knightly order, the Order of the Diamond Fox. He has sworn allegiance to Talon and acts as a general in charge of Sarah's Vitrian forces. He says to be interested in better himself through combat and leadership and has no other apparent motives for involving himself in this war.

ARCANE ARCHER CAPTAIN MATTHEW MOSS
Sex: Male
Race: Human
Age: 40
Class: Arcane Archer
Title: Arcane Archer Captain
Attitude to Talon: Respectful

Formerly one of Glynn's lieutenants and the head of the longbowmen, with the advent of arcane archers he has been promoted to full captain.

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4. CURRENT ARMY
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45 Darlesian Flying Mage Knights (Vet.)
55 Darlesian Mage Knights (Vet.)
50 Darlesian Longbowmen (Vet.)
50 Arcane Archers (Vet.)
420 Darlesian Men-At-Arms (Vet.)
23 Battlemages (Reg.)
90 Vitrian Mercenaries (Reg.)
25 Vitrian Mage Knights (Reg.)
140 Vitrian Mage Knights (Grn.)
370 Vitrian House Soldiers (Grn.)
Satisfactory support and logistics corps

<Descriptions of units to come later>

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5. PROVINCIAL INFORMATION
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///5.1. Notes

This information is being presented in this format in the interests of abstraction and to limit the amount of detail players must be aware of. It is important to note that the scale of the quest is increasing, such that trying to involve each major town and castle in a province would be too unwieldy - each hex on the region map is more than 2,500 square miles, contains several castles and almost twenty towns on average.

As such, resources (except major ones and location specific ones) can be assumed to be present (e.g. food) and conquest of provinces is based more around routing the enemy military presence and seizing major landmarks, then following through with occupation and force projection within the territory (i.e. put men in said landmarks and have them start collecting taxes, enforcing the law etc). Similarly, unless the players have a particularly brilliant idea, it can be assumed economics will be handled normally with player interaction taking place at a high level (e.g. taxation levels). This quest is about being an emperor, not the lord of a manor or a bureaucrat.

///5.2. Legend

Name: The province name. This corresponds with the name of the hex on the map.
Owner: The name of the faction controlling this province.
Control: The level of control the owner has. The lower it is, the lower their ability to collect taxes, enforce tarriffs and catch dissidents. Related more to military presence (and size) than governance.
Order: How unruly the residents of this province are. The lower it is, the more likely they are to revolt or refuse to pay taxes or provide labour.
Population: The approximate number of people in this province.
Military Presence: How large the military in this province is and how capable (e.g. "Very large; weak")
Resources: Any major resources available in this province.
Notable Locations: A list of castles, cities and towns of note in this province with a description. Generally, these must be captured (or the enemy routed from them) to take control of the province.

#NEW# Updated map

///5.3. Darlesian Region Map

Map Link: http://i.imgur.com/LD0s1NL.png

COLOURS:
Light Blue: Player Territory / Harrowmont
Green: Independents
Yellow: Vitria
Purple: Taour
Tan: Royal Seraphi Kingdom
Blue: Magi League
Orange: Farun (minor royal city)
Grey: Impassable terrain
Red borders: Impassable border except for flyers

HEX COLOURS:
Light Blue: Player Territory / Harrowmont
Green: Independents
Yellow: Vitria
Purple: Taour
Tan: Royal Seraphi Kingdom
Blue: Magi League
Orange: Farun (minor royal city)
Grey: Impassable terrain

BORDER COLOURS:
Red: Impassable border except for flyers
Blue: Borders the sea
Black: A regular border

///5.4. Darlesian Region Information

NB: Some regions have been left off this list as they are not currently relevant. They will be added if they become relevant.

Name: Harrowmont
Owner: Harrowmont
Control: Very Low
Order: Moderate
Population: 200,000
Military Presence: Very Low; Moderate
Resources: N/A
Notable Locations:
	Harrowmont (Fortress) - a large but decrepit fortress containing a Source. Reasonably close to the north of the province and against some bluffs.

- - - - -

#NEW# PC has just seized this province

Name: Mier
Owner: Harrowmont
Control: Very Low
Order: Very Low
Population: 500,000
Military Presence: Very Low; Very Weak
Resources: Extensive mine network; high quality quarries
Notable Locations:
	Curton - an odd fortress-town that lines the area bordering the Marnn mountains and much of the mine network there. Despite the seeming size of the fortress, the walls are not stone and the populace is relatively small - it is simply long to protect the mines.
	Toulon - a large trading town on the main road to Vitria, Toulon has some high quality smiths and other manufactures.

- - - - -

Name: Olmm
Owner: Independents
Control: Very Low
Order: Very Low
Population: 500,000
Military Presence: Low; Moderate
Resources: Mine network; quarry
Notable Locations:
	Fort Locke - a small fortress that overlooks the mines and quarry of the province.
	Niorte - the largest town in Olmm. It lies close to the southern border, on the highway to the RSK ports. It was the largest town in the former Darlesian territory and has high walls and a sturdy castle.

- - - - -

Name: Vale
Owner: Vitria
Control: Moderate
Order: Moderate
Population: 500,000
Military Presence: Low; Weak
Resources: Small mine network; quarries
Notable Locations:
	Argyle Estate - House Argyle is the largest non-ruling house in Vitria. They maintain a sprawling estate with a large castle - one of the few remaining areas in Gauron with serfdom.
	Castle Gimbon - a castle built by Vitria at the same time as Harrowmont - it was much less ambitious and is better maintained. Even so, its age and quality shows and it will not the hold the pass through to Vitria very well. Gimbon Valley is the only way to Vitria that doesn't involve travelling through much of Vale itself.

- - - - -

Name: Port Temby
Owner: Vitria
Control: High
Order: High
Population: 280,000
Military Presence: Low; Weak
Resources: Large port and fishing piers; mage tower
Notable Locations:
	Port Temby (town) - a large port town that handles a lot of trade and fishing. A lot of trade with the RSK takes place here.

- - - - -

Name: Craol
Owner: Vitria
Control: High
Order: Moderate
Population: 460,000
Military Presence: High; Moderate
Resources: Fishing piers
Notable Locations:
	Trembin - a large fortress-town that borders Taour and Farun territory, Trembin is made for large musters and for defense. A sizeable part of the Vitrian military is always here in case of attack.

- - - - -

Name: Vitria
Owner: Vitria
Control: High
Order: Low
Population: 700,000 (220,000 in city)
Military Presence: Very high; Strong
Resources: N/A
Notable Locations:
	Vitria - an enormous port city. After Vitria was freed, the extravagant nobles had much of the city rebuilt in western fashion - tall, winding spires and bridges between towers hundreds of metres in the air. The city itself is not walled but the design makes it highly defensible nonetheless.
	Gimbon Falls - Gimbon Castle's sister fort, Falls is smaller but was built recently. It is positioned so that it can be bypassed on a march to Vitria but it enables easy mustering and protects arable land in the hills. As such, bypassing it could make for supply chain difficulties.

- - - - -

Name: Darlesia
Owner: Taour
Control: Very Low
Order: Nonexistent
Population: 600,000 (250,000 in city)
Military Presence: High; Strong
Resources: N/A
Notable Locations:
	Darlesia - A city in ruins, once a great capital. The vampires are no doubt tearing down much of the city and trying to maintain order. It unknown what the true state of this city is.

- - - - -

Name: Crece
Owner: Taour
Control: Low
Order: Low
Population: 440,000
Military Presence: Moderate; Moderate
Resources: Small mine network; quarries
Notable Locations:
	The Wall of Lesia - The Marrn range stretches into this province, making movement of large armies difficult except through two large valleys. One borders Coventry and is guarded by a powerful mage fortress, the other is guarded by this wall. Built more than a century ago and still maintained, Lesia spans almost four miles with tall, thick magically reinforced stone and has a large fortress in the centre.

- - - - -

Name: Taour
Owner: Taour
Control: Very High
Order: High
Population: 840,000 (340,000 in city)
Military Presence: Moderate; Strong
Resources: N/A
Notable Locations:
	Taour - A relatively new city, Taour is named after its predecessor city that was razed to the ground in the first mage rebellion. It is built tall and dense, with large underground areas and grassy areas lying on top of a hundred metres of buildings below. The structure of the city likely represents the social structure of the populace.

- - - - -

Name: Raupe
Owner: Taour
Control: High
Order: Moderate
Population: 480,000
Military Presence: High; Moderate
Resources: Salt mine
Notable Locations:
	Castle Dalrec - named after the vampire who had it constructed, this castle and the town surrounding it aren't actually part of Taour land. An independent vampire lays claim to it and so far has had their claim upheld.
	Hiien - despite its extraordinary size, this town is clearly not a city. It is instead a huge blood harvesting station of humans for the rulers of Taour. It is heavily guarded - probably the most heavily guarded site in Taour aside from the city itself.

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6. PC STATS AND SKILLS EXPLANATION
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///Their Role: Stats and skills are used in calculating DCs behind the scenes. Modifiers are incorporated into DCs (as there is no functional difference between applying a modifier and changing a DC).

///Stat Range: A commoner might have STR 0, a soldier STR 1, a strong soldier STR 2. STR 3 is around normal human peak, but exceptional humans can get to STR 5 in this world without becoming magical. The same applies to all stats, with the exception of MAG and RES. They are magical in origin so don't have normal limits.

///The Stats:

The physical stats are relatively clear-cut. STR is raw physical power, SPD is a combination of speed, dexterity and agility, END is hardiness (and affects HP), INT is more about wits, perception and planning ability than magical ability.

MAG is a combination of raw magical power and magical talent but isn't always used for magic use. The Knight PC doesn't use his MAG to fight in melee, even if he's using sorcery a lot. He might use it if he's doing something trickier, like using barrier-break in a fight. It's possible to do powerful things with magic with a low MAG stat, but you might be countered by dedicated mages.

RES is a mixture of magical countering ability and sheer willpower. You don't necessarily need to use magic to shrug off some magics. Again, END might be used in some cases rather than RES - not getting incinerated by a fireball might be END or SPD rather than RES.

///Skill Levels:

Skills go up exponentially as you improve them. Sorcery II lets you do much better things than Sorcery I. Level IV is the highest a skill or ability will typically go.

///Levelling Up Stats and Skills:

In order to level up stats and skills, you must actively use them. The actions you choose to take will earn you between 0.5 and 3 points for the stat or skill (with stats earning more than skills generally) - some actions may earn points for more than one stat or skill. The amount of points required to increase a stat or skill doubles each level, with skills requiring more than stats (as they top out earlier). There may also be ways to increase your stats and skills without using time later in the quest, but they will have consequences.

///Learning New Skills and Abilities

This can happen either from plot events or from interacting with NPCs about what they can teach you. Not all new abilities and skills may be that useful, but they will be added to the character sheet regardless.

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7. D20 PROBABILITIES
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NB: Just for fun.

Dramatic Failure = 12.9% (Chance of rolling more 1s than 20s)
Exceptional Success = 12.9% (Chance of rolling more 20s than 1s)

[NB: Success chance include possibility of dramatic failure and exceptional success.]

///Chance of Success

DC1 = 87.1%
DC2 = 87.1%
DC3 = 87.1%
DC4 = 87.0%
DC5 = 86.8%
DC6 = 86.3%
DC7 = 85.6%
DC8 = 84.4%
DC9 = 82.8%
DC10 = 80.7%
DC11 = 78.0%
DC12 = 74.6%
DC13 = 70.4%
DC14 = 65.5%
DC15 = 59.7%
DC16 = 52.9%
DC17 = 44.9%
DC18 = 35.9%
DC19 = 25.7%
DC20 = 14.2%