This tool is quite helpful for calculating the odds of various dice rolls for comparison of how traits can be used to change the odds under different dice mechanics.
In this approach the number of dice you roll is equal to your trait value (some skills might start with one die). These are all rolled to achieve at least one die with a given value. We'll call these changes to succeed "easy," "normal," and "hard." In addition you could change the probabilities by requiring more than one success roll out of the pool...this starts to get complicated. But it’s undoubtedly fun to roll a fistful of dice.
| 4-6 (Easy) | 5-6 (Normal) | 6 (Hard) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1d6 | 50% | 33% | 17% |
| 2d6 | 75% | 56% | 31% |
| 3d6 | 87% | 71% | 42% |
| 4d6 | 94% | 80% | 52% |
| 5d6 | 97% | 87% | 60% |
| 6d6 | 99% | 91% | 66% |
In this approach you roll 2d6 and add the trait, trying to reach a target number. Aligning to the dice pool mechanic above, you would choose 8+ for easy, 9+ for normal, and 11+ for hard. Unlike the dice pool case, you have two more options for targets with this approach (above easy).
| 6+ | 7+ | 8+ | 9+ | 10+ | 11+ | 12+ | |
| 0 | 72% | 58% | 42% | 28% | 17% | 8% | 3% |
| +1 | 83% | 72% | 58% | 42% | 28% | 17% | 8% |
| +2 | 92% | 83% | 72% | 58% | 42% | 28% | 17% |
| +3 | 97% | 92% | 83% | 72% | 58% | 42% | 28% |
| +4 | 100% | 97% | 92% | 83% | 72% | 58% | 42% |
| +5 | 100% | 100% | 97% | 92% | 83% | 72% | 58% |
| +6 | 100% | 100% | 100% | 97% | 92% | 83% | 72% |
Numenera has named the challenge levels pretty well, from these we could do:
| 6+ | simple |
| 7+ | standard |
| 8+ | demanding |
| 9+ | difficult |
| 10+ | challenging |
| 11+ | intimidating |
| 12+ | formidable |