Extra Dice Pools

[Stefan [GM]]

New Dice Pools - still under construction. Please comment.

This is a concept taken from the 3rd edition again.
In the 3rd edition, every character gained additional dice pools for all kinds of situations, that are based on their attributes and can only be used for certain situations.
Once used, the extra dice pool won't return until the next combat turn. Any leftover dice in the pool are lost at the end of the turn and can't be carried over to the next.

So what's the difference between this and Edge?
Edge reflects the character's luck, simply put. These Dice Pools however reflect the character's general confidence in her abilities.
For example, the Combat Dice Pool stands for the character's general understanding of tactics, combat situations, defensive stances and attack options, and of course her determination. So based on her attributes, rather than skills or luck, the character gains extra confidence (Dice) based on her quickness (agility), gut-feeling (intuition) and state of mind (willpower).

The pools are used in combat to reflect the rush of adrenalin, where the character acts out of reflex. Outside of combat, the pools can't be used (unless the GM allows it for a certain situation, that is stressful enough).

The dice pools are broken down into 7 categories and are calculated as following:

Combat Pool: Agility + Intuition + Willpower, divided by 3 (round down)
Astral Combat Pool: Charisma, Intuition, Willpower, divided by 3 (round down)
Piloting Pool: Reaction +2, divided by 2 (round down) (only available to characters with a Control Rig)
Hacking Pool: Logic + Response, divided by 3 (round down)
Spell Pool: Charisma/Intuition/Logic (Based on Tradition) + Willpower + Magic, divided by 3 (round down)
Adept Pool: Body + Willpower + Magic, divided by 3 (round down)
Resonance Pool: Charisma/Intuition/Logic (Based on Stream) + Willpower + Resonance, divided by 3 (round down)

The resulting dice pool can be added to any task within the catgegory, and the player can choose how many dice they want to add for any given task.

These pools give the characters (and NPC) a little boost, when they feel they really need it. In certain situations, however, the gamemaster may forbid the use of extra Dice Pools.

For extended tests the pool can only be added once, no matter how many turns would pass, but the player can choose how many dice he wants to add to any single roll within the test.

Combat Pool
Can be used for any combat related test within a combat turn, including defense, damage resistence and attacking. Once used, the dice pool will refresh the begining of the next combat turn.
(Note, that the dice pool can not be added to the first initiative roll, but they can be saved up to be used on the next initiative, if the character has at least one free action left at the end of the combat turn. This only counts towards physical initiatve. For astral, vehicle or matrix initiatve (VR), use the respective pool.)


Astral Combat Pool
Can be used for any astral combat test, while the character is astraly projecting. Again, they will refresh at the beginning of the next combat turn.


Piloting Pool
Can be used for any piloting-test. This also counts towards remote controlling, but not for any autonomous action, a drone might do (including damage resistence for the drone).
This pool is only available if the character has a control rig implant.


Hacking Pool
Can be used to any test related to using programs (but not command for the use of drones, since it falls under piloting). This does not effect resonance abilities; only computer actions done via commlinks and other hardware. It also helps with matrix damage.
(Note, that resisting damage from blackhammer and blackout programs can't be resisted with hacking pool. Use the Combat Pool for this kind of physical damage.


Spell Pool
Can be added towards any skill within the Sorcery and Conjuring groups. It also can be added to resist Drain.


Adept Pool
Can be added to power, the Adept has to roll for to activate it, and it can be used to resist drain.

Resonance Pool
Can be added to any Resonace related test. That includes the use of complex forms, resisting fading, compiling sprites, etc. It has no use towards programs or other, mundane matrix tests.
(Note, since technomancers don't have a matrix condition monitor, the resonance pool can be added to any damage resitence test, that inflichts Stun Damage and is done through the matrix. Against physcial (blackhammer) damage, only the combat pool helps.)

Example
Desmond has a combat pool of 3, resulting from his Agility 4, Intuition 4 and Willpower 3, divided by 3.
On his melee attack, he chooses to add 2 dice from his pool, so he is rolling 2 more dice to attack the guy infront of him. That leaves one more die in his pool, which he will use later this turn for a damage resistence test.

Asp would have a combat pool of 4, from her Agility 4, Intuition 5, Willpower 4. Although she is anything but a good fighter, she is able to think quick on her feet and gains a little boost (in her case 4 dice) to help her out during combat. Maybe she isn't a skilled warrior, but her instincts, quickness and state of mind allow her to act quickly in the heat of battle.


Please not that I'm not pulling this out of my ass. In SR3, you had something like Edge, called Karma Pool, and those extra Dice Pools. I'm simply translating this system into the 4th edition.
It is meant, for example, to help out runners like Asp, that can't fight worth shit, but should still be able to rely on their abilities to at least have a chance in combat - since this is something, any runner enounters at one point or another.

[infidelzombie]

Wait... so I could summon a force 8 spirit, and add my spellcasting pool die to resist the physical drain..... sweet! Also if I did that outside of combat, roughly how long would it take to recharge? Or are the pools only applicable in combat situations?

[Stefan [GM]]

"The pools are used in combat to reflect the rush of adrenalin, where the character acts out of reflex. Outside of combat, the pools can't be used (unless the GM allows it for a certain situation, that is stressful enough)."

Yes, you could do that, Nathan, if you summon within a combat-turn. You can also split the pool between the summoning and drain-resist.
Edit: let me actually check the corebook, 3rd Ed. It's called 'Spell Pool' actually and might not count towards summoning, I'm not sure.
I'm still trying to balance it, since I'm translating it from the 3rd editon, which had a whole different set of attributes, and skill-stats. For example, in the 3rd edition, all you could use for dodging ANY attack was your combat pool, so you'd think twice before adding any combat pool dice to an attack. In this edition, however, dodging is its own skill now, which is the reason I lowered the average Dice Pool (devided by 3, not by 2 as the 3rd Ed).
So, it's a work in progress and we'll see how it goes the coming sessions.

[Stefan [GM]]

Ah, just remembered ... there was a restriction to how many dice you can add to any give roll. You can't add more dice than the level of your skill (so a Pistols 2 skill can only add 2 more dice from the pool, even if it's a pool of 4).
So, to simply the whole thing and cut down on the math, the extra Dice are limited to the character's Willpower. In case if Rigging it's Reaction, and Logic for Hacking.

[Stefan [GM]]

Okay, I read it up. In the 3rd edition, the spell pool is only available to characters with the sorcery skills. So the pool only applies for sorcery, not summoning.