Take X (3.5e Variant Rule)
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Contents
Take X[edit]
Introduction[edit]
In regular games, when a character needs to resolve an obstacle in a nonstandard manner - that is to say using skill checks to circumvent, solve or otherwise decide the matter in favor of beating it to submission with brute force - they often take 10 or take 20. This has proven to be an adequate measure as long as a character has sufficient time available to perform the action, and isn't currently threatened by combat. However, between taking 10 and taking 20, there is a rather huge gap to be exploited. What if you could use just as much force, skill or luck as is needed to succeed, and not more?
Rule Mechanics[edit]
The duration of any difficult check you make depends on its DC. While actions at a DC below or equal to your appropriate skill or ability modifier +1 are still trivial and cannot fail, and actions at a DC over your appropriate skill modifier +20 cannot be completed by you under this particular situation, a check whose DC you can overcome by rolling a d20 and applying the appropriate skill modifier requires just as many tries as is needed to roll at least the necessary number with a 65% probability. For example, the chance of rolling an 8 or higher on a single d20 roll is 65%, and as such, a skill check that you require natural 8 or less to beat takes no extra time to complete while not under any immediate danger. See the below table for the time required to 'take X'.
| X | Time Multiplier* |
|---|---|
| 1-8 | 1 |
| 9-12 | 2 |
| 13-15 | 3 |
| 16 | 4 |
| 17 | 5 |
| 18 | 7 |
| 19 | 10 |
| 20 | 20 |
| |
Rolling Immediate Skill Checks vs Taking Applied Skill Checks[edit]
This variant rule attempts to introduce the concept of dynamic time to the undertaking of skillful actions. For this reason, consider the difference between 'immediate' skill checks and 'applied' skill checks.
Immediate skill checks are actions that need to succeed on the spot. If you fail to Hide properly, the enemy spots you. If you fail to Move Silently by stepping on a twig, the enemy hears you. At the same time, you can only Listen or Spot once, as the source of the sight or sound that prompted the skill check is only there as the opposed checks occur. In other words, immediate skill checks have immediate results, generally allow no retries, and cannot usually be attempted at leisure. Furthermore, actions that provoke opposed skill checks are generally immediate in nature, even if they allow retries. As such, immediate actions can only be resolved by rolling the dice and you generally cannot Take X on them under any ordinary circumstance.
Applied skill checks are actions that can take a while to resolve. They have no immediate consequences for failure, so the user can keep attempting the appropriate skill without pausing. For example, picking a simple lock on a locked door using the Open Lock skill has no consequence for failure and can be attempted for any amount of time. When you're not in combat or in some other immediate danger, you may Take X on applied skill checks. Similarly, if you're in the process of Taking X on a skill check, any sudden hazard or hostile action against you will cause it to fail and you will lose any progress of time you've made.
In a situation where a character can Take X, the check DC needs not be known: the character can start taking X and take as much time as is needed to hit the required DC as per the above table. The difference between success and failure is often merely the amount of time and energy one is willing and able to dedicate to the endeavour.
Applied Skill Checks[edit]
The following actions are considered applied skill checks under the listed circumstances and can be used in conjunction with the Take X rules with little to no additional rules. You can only take X when out of danger and only on skill checks involving trained skills unless noted otherwise. Under any circumstance where you can naturally take 10 on an action, you can also take X on it even if the associated skill is untrained.
- Autohypnosis checks for memorizing information.
- Climb checks when possessing a climb speed. Usable untrained.
- Control Shape checks for voluntary change.
- Disable Device checks where failure does not cause you danger or harm.
- Escape Artist checks where failure does not cause you danger or harm.
- Gather Information checks.
- Handle Animal checks for the purpose of teaching, training or rearing animals.
- Open Lock checks, unless the lock in question is booby-trapped.
- Program checks.
- Swim checks when possessing a swim speed. Usable untrained.
DM Notes: Further applications of Take X[edit]
Due to how various core skills are written to work, allowing to take X on them, even under specific circumstances, will probably require some minor additional rules and caveats. For example, you might want to allow your players to take X on certain actions provided a source of information pertaining to the action is available. Depending on the nature of a campaign or the current in-game situation you might wish to allow certain specific uses of Take X. Written below are several skills that could go either way, or that could be considered usable additions for the Take X variant rule only if you are willing to add some contingent rules to support them.
- Appraise: Appraising items would generally allow a character to try for very long periods of time provided they possess the knowledge and the tools to do so. However, a merchant will likely not wish to give the character ample opportunity to appraise an item he intends to sell and may actively prohibit lengthy study of the item or even try to misdirect potential buyers with something like Bluff or Sleight of Hand before the item is sold, potentially turning the action into an immediate opposed skill check instead. If there are no outside factors prohibiting prolonged study of an item, such as when the item is in the character's possession, you may wish to allow taking X on appraisals.
- Search: It should probably be possible to take X on Search checks by default, but this skill is listed separately because the amount of time a character spends on searching an area should generally be left up to the player's discretion. For this reason, Search DCs should be kept ambiguous, and players should be allowed to draw their own conclusions about specific rooms or locations that might contain secret doors or other valuable hidden loot. For example, a party that enters a simple dungeon room might be disinclined to search thoroughly and simply make a basic Search check. However, if a character has a reason to believe there's a hidden passageway leading to riches somewhere in the basement of a ruined castle, they will want to search thoroughly. In the event that a character wishes to search thoroughly, taking X is applicable. This makes it so lucky or persistent parties can stumble upon unexpected riches, but also enables a character with specific foreknowledge to find what they need to find.
DM Notes: Take X in Knowledge, Profession, Learning and Studying[edit]
Knowledge skills are a whole can of worms at times, due to the poor implementation of learning and study in D&D. Generally though, knowing something can be seen as an immediate action; you make a Knowledge check and you either know or don't know it. However, you may wish to allow players to take X on Knowledge checks when they are learning or studying. When a character wishes to learn or study for a specific subject that is a subset of a specific Knowledge skill, they may take X provided enough research materials are available.
The time spent trying to learn desired information using Take X depends on the Knowledge DC of the subject, the level of expertise required and how rare the desired information is to come by, as per the below table.
| Desired Information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Common | Uncommon3 | |||
| Subject (Base DC)2 | General | Specific (DC +5)2 | Exclusive (DC +10)2 | Secret (DC +15)2 |
| Basic | 1 minute | 10 minutes | 1 hour | 1 day |
| Intermediate (DC +5)2 | 10 minutes | 1 hour | 1 day | 1 week |
| Expert (DC +10)2 | 1 hour | 1 day | 1 week | 1 month |
| ||||
Taking X for the purpose of learning can be interrupted safely without losing progress, though possibly at the cost of time. If the duration is measured in days, one day equals 8 hours of study. Studying more than 8 hours on any given day does not count as more than 1 day, though 1 day's worth of studying can be spread freely over multiple days. The same holds for duration measured in weeks or months: one week equals 5 days of study, but studying more than 5 days in any given week does not count as more than 1 week, and one month equals 4 weeks of study.
Examples of Information Types[edit]
Below follows an overview and examples of information grades and specificity as outlined in Table: Duration of Study, and their standard Knowledge DC. In the end, you have to decide how hard a specific knowledge is to come by in your campaign.
Basic Information[edit]
General Basic Information (DC 10): Your very easy kindergarten, early elementary school and general slice-of-life stuff. For example, counting, basic arithmetic and problem solving, seesaw puzzles, basic information about well-known public figures, simple geography, national or global politics, elementary reading and writing.
Specific Basic Information (DC 15): More in-depth stuff about simple topics and late elementary to early secondary-middle school information. For example, general arithmetic, averages and large numbers, basic logic, topography and weather patterns, in-depth information of public figures, pattern recognition, some very basic chemistry, local geopolitics, information about people and places, insider details of companies, simple literature and rhymes, et cetera.
Exclusive Basic Information (DC 20): This information isn't necessarily difficult to learn or understand, but is exclusive due to legislation, lack of documentation or simply the danger involved. Examples: information to make simple roofies or toxins out of household materials, knowledge of restricted areas, contact information of strangers, basic courses in arcane magic, compromising information about public figures, et cetera.
Secret Basic Information (DC 25): Basic information that is actively censored, unpublished or kept secret for various reasons. A child today could tell you that the world is round and the earth revolves around the sun, and supply basic logic to explain why that is so, but during Galileo's period the heliocentric school of thought was actively suppressed by the governments and the church. This category deals with similarly censored basic truths and other such things. Examples: incriminating information on business magnates, secret codes, closely guarded magics, confidential records and administrative information regarding individual people.
Intermediate Information[edit]
General Intermediate Information (DC 15): Secondary and high school knowledge, simple information about readily available professions. Examples: Basic algebra, polynomials, trigonometry, high school biology and chemistry, simple physics and mechanics, basic probability and statistics, poetry, astronomy, antropology, intermediate literature, basic programming, economics and currency, foreign languages, basic theology and mythology, basic planar cosmology, alchemy, general historical information, genealogy and coats of arms of influential persons, social studies, practical profession-based knowledge, et cetera.
Specific Intermediate Information (DC 20): Basic college-level courses, tricks of the trade, and in-depth details on cultural and social topics. Examples: mathematical analysis, set theory, matrices, linear algebra, ordinary differential equations, combinatorics, fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, kinetics and kinematics, special relativity, biochemistry, cellular biology, nuclear chemistry, prediction models, advanced literature, subroutines and encryption, economic theory, specific divinities, knowledge of advanced spells and metamagic, rare languages, folklore tales and mythological figures, in-depth regional historical information, nobility and royalty inter-familial relations, archaeology, in-depth profession-based knowledge, et cetera.
Exclusive Intermediate Information (DC 25): Advanced information that is made exclusive due to personal, corporate or governmental interests, or largely monopolized by its owners, but not outright censored or secret. Examples: the recipe for crystal meth, data from corporate dossiers, local anthropology, archaeological finds, old criminal case files, local urban legends, cult activity, insider knowledge of companies or schools that teach highly exclusive courses, et cetera.
Secret Intermediate Information (DC 30): Advanced information that is kept strictly secret by its owners. Examples: Closely guarded trade secrets, such as the recipe for Coca-Cola. Insider knowledge of secretive cults and sects, advanced spells and rituals belonging to specific wizarding families, knowledge of highly secretive governmental agencies, et cetera.
Expert Information[edit]
General Expert Information (DC 20): University-level knowledge, information about academic, scientific and arcane professions. Examples: Function analysis, manifolds, quantum mechanics, general relativity, engineering, cybernetics, genetics, magical formulas, economic modeling and statistics, meteorology, simulation, ancient and dead languages and cultures, artifact study, advanced planar cosmology and outer plane knowledge, expert-level profession-based knowledge, et cetera.
Specific Expert Information (DC 25): Advanced university-level knowledge, knowledge of high level spells and other high-level class abilities, and other in-depth scientific and arcane information. Examples: Astrophysics, string theory, theoretical physics, historical and cultural knowledge concerning individuals, magical theory, in depth knowledge of outer planes and expert-level professions, et cetera.
Exclusive Expert Information (DC 30): Exclusive or brand-new knowledge of the highest order. Examples: the functionality of Einstein-Rosen bridges and entangled spaces, the properties of the Higgs boson, quantum chromodynamics, artificial intelligences, unification theory, recent advancements or discoveries in higher science, history, archaeology and magic, information, goods and relics from recently explored locations, newly discovered planes and dimensions, magical formulacraft, top-level and deific magic, specific knowledge about deities and God-like beings, et cetera.
Secret Expert Information (DC 35): This knowledge is either secret to all but a handful of people around, or might simply not even exist yet. Discover something new belonging to this category and perhaps you will get a Nobel Prize. Examples: Extraterrestrial lifeforms, the contents of Area 51, newly discovered particles, proofs to unsolved mathematical problems, undiscovered innovations to academic professions, et cetera.
| Author | Sulacu + |
| Identifier | 3.5e Variant Rule + |
| Rating | Undiscussed + |
| Title | Take X + |
