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Thread: Dodge...Is it worth it?

  1. #1

    Dodge...Is it worth it?

    Let me ask you all this.

    Is Dodge worth doing as opposed to basic defense?

    If a player declares: "Dodge, Shoot, Run" (-0/-0/-5) the PC rolls the Dodge first thing and then preforms his other stuff?

  2. #2
    Join Date
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    I am going to say that yes its worth it. I would rather have a player acting to defend himself than hoping for bad rolls that make me miss.. you never know when the rolls will be good enough to hit. Nor do the playes know what is being shot at them.. as in what setting.. if a player is hit by a setting 4 ouch.. setting 10 dont worry about it.. make a new character..
    May your worlds be at peace. Never assume, that the pointy eared first officer is Vulcan.

  3. #3
    Join Date
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    Oh boy is it ever worth it...
    Mass Effect Fate RPG | "Mass Effect meets Fate meets awesome = FREE"
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    "In every revolution, there's one man with a pizza."
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  4. #4
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    Indeed it is.....has saved the bacon of many a character in Qerlin's campaigns.....
    There was a time when people actually cared how they appeared on a moral and ethical basis to others.....

  5. #5
    So how does it run in your games, please give me an example. Thank you.

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    I guess it depends on your character.
    In the campaign I run I have a character who invested heavily in Dodge bonus edges and professional abilities. He routinely has a dodge of 15 to 20.
    Other characters would rather spend thier actions on attack and don't make a roll that only gives them an extra benefit some of the time.
    4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
    Evil Overlords Survival Guide

    There are few problems in the galaxy which cannot be solved by a suitable application of concentrated phaser fire.
    Capt. Coryn Windsabre

    I've always preferred photons myself.
    Cmdr. Marcus Aurelius Ferretti

  7. #7
    Well... From the sounds of the above... A key in the use of Dodge is your players noy knowing what Phaser Settings are being used, combined with a Narrator who is willing to kill 'Stupid' characters...

    Now if we forget that a Phaser beam should travel at speed of light and thus should not be able to be dodged in the first place... We can acknoledge it, but the on-screen narrative shows that dodging can indeed occur...

    OK, once past that point, we then ask why just use a characters basic defense...

    Now in a Phaser fight, chances are if you dont dodge the beam, the character will become a small pile of ash, and will have a very minor role in future episodes...

    But when it comes to fist fights... Ask yourself this, if in a punch-up or knife fight, would you want to 'take the hit' before responding, or rather would you prefer to avoid being hit/stabbed/cut/shot/bludgeoned... From a human self-preservation Point of View if they dont dodge then they are behaving contrary to human nature!

    The advantage of 'natural selection' will suddenly favour the characters who have points invested in the Dodge skill.
    DanG/Darth Gurden
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  8. #8
    Join Date
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    Let me see if I can break this down mathmatically:

    Dodge = Live.

    Don't Dodge = Roll 2D6. That's the Intellect attribute of your new character.

    I want to Dodge!
    tmutant

    Founder of the Evil Gamemasters Support Group. No, Really.

  9. #9
    Join Date
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    Rockville MD USA
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    The problem I have with this automatic assumption that everyone is going to want to dodge is that an average character rolling his dodge will only get a better result than his base defense maybe half the time. I speak from experience here, because the players in my campaign used to roll for dodge all the time. However after playing a few sessions most of them now don't. As I said I have a character in my game who bought the dodge edge and then used the trait upgrade edge to buy it again. Combined with his high DEX he gets an excellent result. Most of my other players don't have any extra bonuses to dodge (except for any DEX bonus which is already applied to base defense). Since the base defense is 7 plus DEX bonus the dodge is only useful if you roll more than a 7, otherwise you go with base defense anyway and have wasted an action. If you are unlucky you can spend courage to avoid becoming a big pile of dust.
    The picture changes when you start getting mods to your dodge, but if you don't have them then it can be more useful to get that second attack, especially if you have initiative. After all, he who shoots first often shoots last.
    4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
    Evil Overlords Survival Guide

    There are few problems in the galaxy which cannot be solved by a suitable application of concentrated phaser fire.
    Capt. Coryn Windsabre

    I've always preferred photons myself.
    Cmdr. Marcus Aurelius Ferretti

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    Worcester, MA USA
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    What makes Dodge useful:

    1)Not everyone's Dodge rating is the same as thier basic defense
    There is a Edge that improves the Dodge score.

    2) Characters can spend courage points to get a +3 bonus to thier Dodge score.

  11. #11
    Join Date
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    Originally posted by aelius
    Most of my other players don't have any extra bonuses to dodge (except for any DEX bonus which is already applied to base defense). Since the base defense is 7 plus DEX bonus the dodge is only useful if you roll more than a 7, otherwise you go with base defense anyway and have wasted an action
    That is only true if you assume a character who's bonus to dodge equals his Agility modifier.
    For a Dodge action you don't use Agility, but Quickness. As the Quickness score is based on the better of Agility or Perception that could be a difference of as much as 2 or 3 points even right out of character creation.
    And as Reactions are cheaper to raise with advancement picks than Attributes, the difference is likely to increase after a few advancements, especialy for those charcaters who's favored Raction is Quickness.

  12. #12
    Join Date
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    Originally posted by tonyg
    What makes Dodge useful:

    1)Not everyone's Dodge rating is the same as thier basic defense
    There is a Edge that improves the Dodge score.

    2) Characters can spend courage points to get a +3 bonus to thier Dodge score.
    Very true, and those of my players who made use of the appropriate edges dodge. Those who didn't, don't.
    4. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.
    Evil Overlords Survival Guide

    There are few problems in the galaxy which cannot be solved by a suitable application of concentrated phaser fire.
    Capt. Coryn Windsabre

    I've always preferred photons myself.
    Cmdr. Marcus Aurelius Ferretti

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 1999
    Location
    Worcester, MA USA
    Posts
    1,820
    Just the Courage points alone make Dodge useful. In a tough spot? Spend some courage points and get a very good dodge defense.

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