Lockpicking with GAMBLING and MATH

Lockpicking in RPGs has always bothered me for reasons many have expressed before, so I made my own system, based on Errant's/Telecanter's.

The System

You need a pick and a few moments to pick a lock. The referee rolls at least three d4 in secret, more if the lock is complicated. The referee then tells how many dice were rolled and the sum of the faces, but keeps the dice themselves hidden.

The lockpicker guesses how many of the dice share a face. They don't guess the face itself, just the number of dice sharing one. In combat, each guess requires one action/turn/etc. If the guess is correct, the referee reveals a corresponding set of dice sharing the same face. If multiple corresponding sets are available, like two 2s and two 4s, the referee reveals only the one with the smallest shared face. After revealing the set, the referee announces the sum of the remaining dice. The lock is picked when all dice are revealed.

First wrong guess stiffens the lock, second jams it and makes picking impossible. A worn lock ignores the first wrong guess. A secured lock jams on the first wrong guess. A trapped lock triggers on a wrong guess, depending on the trap.

The Fibonacci Method: A New Year's Resolution Mechanic Revisited

In January Prismatic Wasteland posted a design challenge for a new universal resolution mechanic. I "contributed" with a low-effort shitpost, and now that I have a blog, decided to share my creation.

The Fibonacci Method

Whenever you need to roll to accomplish something, you roll a die from d20 to d4 depending on your skill level. The better the skill, the lower the die.

The roll is successful if the die shows a number found in the Fibonacci sequence: 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13...

One of the Ones is a Bad One, and signifies a critical failure. The GM decides which One you rolled.

Rules for Quick & Dirty Overland Travel

These rules are from my upcoming Cairn hack, Lovi, and are designed for simple hex-based travel.

Time

The day is split into three watches: morning, day, and night. One watch must be spent resting to avoid fatigue.

Weather

Roll d6 daily on the table below to determine weather. "Extreme" can either be a seasonal phenomenon (blizzard, monsoon, heat wave, etc.) or something more magical, like the sun forgetting to rise or a wind that bites off your nose.

d6	Spring	Summer	Autumn	Winter
1	Calm	Calm	Calm	Calm
2	Windy	Calm	Windy	Calm
3	Windy	Windy	Windy	Windy
4	Windy	Rainy	Rainy	Rainy
5	Rainy & Windy	Rainy & Windy	Rainy & Windy	Rainy & Windy
6	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme	Extreme

Player Actions

Each player may choose an action to do during each watch. An action might be moving, resting, gathering food or other resources, maintaining gear, surveying your surroundings, etc.

Only one player has to move in order for the whole party to move, but some actions might not be possible if the party is moving. For example, you might not be able to rest while moving, unless you have a wagon or a boat.

Movement Speed and Getting Lost

Speed is measured in miles. Your speed begins at one mile per watch, and you gain more miles according to the following table:

Circumstance	Extra Miles
Decent weather	+1 mile
Moderate or easy terrain	+1 or +2 miles
Road or river	+2 miles

If you're moving slow, like during the night, by wagon, or upstream, halve your total speed. If you're moving fast, like on horseback or downstream, double your total speed.

If there is a chance of getting lost, roll d10 and add your extra miles. On a five or lower you get lost and move full speed off course, 30 degrees left or right of the intended direction.

Event

After the players have decided what they will do during the watch, roll d6 and consult the table below. Here are some resources for interesting encounters and locations: Prismatic Wasteland's Encounter Checklist, d4 Caltrops' Wilderness Hexes.

d6	Event
1	Encounter: Monsters, travelers, other creatures
2	Sign: A clue of a nearby location or encounter
3	Environment: Weather or terrain changes
4	Obstacle: Passive hindrance, move through by spending time, resources, or health
5	Loss: Ration expires, torch gets soaked, etc.
6	Location: Natural, artificial, inhabited, abandoned, magical