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The Top Secret Number for DMs (Extended) (Patreon)

Published:
2023-03-24 21:31:20
Imported:
2026-06
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Videos

Content

No, it's not 20. Or 10. Or 12. Guess again and watch.

If you have trouble viewing this content try a different OS or device.

--PDM

Files

Previews only

Secret Number.mp4

Comments

Bagel-Man

I’ve always been a fan of your “secrets DM’s need to know” type videos, so I’m excited to watch this.

Rob Edgar

Videos like this are why I can ignore the 500 WotC books we own and simply run Deathbringer with a little DM Scotty thrown in to boot (when I do eventually run!). Thanks for that PDM!

Staffaramus

Do like the reminder from ICRPG about Hard and Easy to adjust the DC. Good video for it makes me think about running smoother games with these hints / suggestions

Graham Kane

This is why I'm a patron, because you make my games easier to run!

Benjamin Marra

Brilliant. Thanks for this video. I'm going to be running XD20 out of the XDM book soon (on your rec) and the one hurdle I had about it was how to set the Target Number. In the XDM book, it says to use the players' individual stats as a basis, but this is great for universal checks.

MrGunn

Fantastic video PDM!

Brad F

I love the deep-dives you do into the math behind the game. It's really fascinating.

Jimmy De Ruysscher

This was a great analysis and something that I was thinking of lately as well. That and horde combat.

Lee Caddick

You just solved a very recent problem for one of my games. Thank you!

Jon Skupin

Love the crunched numbers! Thanks!

Jay

PDM, Brilliant Video! I learned a few things and found the rest very thought provoking. An assessment based on my humble opinion: Solid explanation of D20 game mechanics and setting target numbers without all the minutia of ability score and proficiency bonuses. The target numbers are boiled down regardless of character level and the examples brought in such as Index Card RPG +3/-3 make much more sense to me. Didn’t know they were the differences in Advantage/Disadvantage. Enjoyed the plug for Scotty’s luck dice. IMO, they make the D20 less swingy as many have seen games where players got nothing but horrible rolls. To me, consistently poor D20 rolls make expert heroes seem incompetent and why I prefer other dice systems that produce an average (AKA typical level of competency). Luck dice being the exception for me and why I will still play D20 games. They offset the swingy nature of the slot machine D20 and give players incentive as well as something they can see and use to their advantage by choice. So yeah, love the Luck Dice. I would gather PDM wasn’t invited to the WoTC Summit because Deathbringer isn’t a Beta who will tow the corporate line. For those who are going, I recommend Dungeons & Discourse “The Truth About D&D Influencers” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toDHrtl3C0o . It speaks to quid pro quo and how it affects an otherwise honest opinion as well as legal aspects of taking free stuff for a corporate event. Lastly, a fun fact. I was reviewing EZD6 and noticed the standard Target Number to hit is a 3 on a D6. That means heroes have a 67% chance of success much like the 68% chance of success in rolling an 8 or better on a D20. Coincidence or not one can only wonder. Also, I think your wife may be on to something here with a static number for ability checks. I agree it might be something worth looking into. As it deviates from what might be considered “the norm” some may reject it yet I’m always open to new ideas. Especially if they work and keep the game moving smoothly. Great video and thanks for the information.

Evil Chad

Wow !!!! This is just amazing (math). Keep it coming PDM.

Frederic Schmitt

I know how dice work too and man does it spoil the fun for me playing the game. That’s why I am the GM most of the time (all the time).

knghtbrd

Why do we want the characters to just automatically succeed more than they fail? We played Shadowdark with the house rule that you could accumulate luck points and we got to the end of our session and it was a real sweating bullets moment for the dice … and the luck got burned fast and furious EZD6 style to MAKE the needed outcome happen. It was a blast!

Curt Campbell

PDM, Thank you for this. I just played a session (5e) where we spent 90 min on one boss fight. Exciting, but entirely too long!

Curt Campbell

Question: I know you cap your player hit points at 20, and you divide monster hit points by 10, as the average damage of a first level hit is 10 points. Do you have a method of nerfing the damage of your monsters so that character death is possible but not automatic?

SJBehindtheScreen

Awesome. Combine this with the no hit points, or even use Hearts from ICRPG, and your combats will fly but lose no cinematic flair.

Steven Roman

It occurs to me that 8, 11, and 14 were important thresholds for playing Champions as well, given their place on a roll under 3d6 curve. Interesting.

Todd Sharp

Well structured video. You have mentioned the 65% ratio of success/failure before and that has been influential for me. For a 5e type game (everything determined by roll), grasping this is important. However, as I’ve matured in style, I’ve tried to get away from ‘everything being a dice roll’ as I’ve embraced old school gaming. I want player skill to matter more than character stats. Standard arrays suck. I think it’s better for the player and the game to have a skillful player run a flawed character.

Charles Fout

Setting a static ability score to roll over (8 or more) is the inverse of the White/Black Hack roll-under ability scores (13 or less). Bonuses/penalties can apply to the roll (roll over) or the ability (roll under). The one real benefit of the roll-under mechanic is that you never adjust the die roll. (And then there's the White Hack innovation of roll under your ability, but over the target's defense. Again, you never adjust the die roll.)