The Dresden Files > DFRPG

OK, about shifts

(1/3) > >>

MacsNewBrew:
I just don't get it. I am a complete pen and paper n00b, so can someone explain it to me ???

LCDarkwood:
Shifts are just a concise way of measuring how effective your particular attempt at something is, or a particular effect is.

On a dice roll, it's the difference between the difficulty and what you rolled. So if you need a Fair (+2) to succeed and you get a Great (+4) roll, you succeed and have two shifts.

For some actions, it's important to have shifts (like pretty much everything in a conflict), because they govern how much damage you do with an attack, or how far you can move, etc. It just depends contextually on the action. For some actions, it doesn't matter as much, or having shifts lets you do something quicker than usual, or some other special effect.

For stuff like magic, you just talk about shifts directly without making a roll, and they just have a certain effect depending on what kind of action you're performing. So, like, when you summon power for an evocation attack, you just state it as a number of shifts. Those shifts translate directly to damage.

So I want five shifts of power for my attack, right? That means my spell will do at least 5 stress damage no matter what I roll, provided I hit my target.

Does that make sense? Do you have a specific question I can answer that might help more?


-L

MacsNewBrew:
So, if my PC does action A, I can move shifts into effect B?
Examples with 2 shifts here:
1. PC jumps off house roof to attack two thugs below. Thug 1 gets it in the back, down but conscious, thug 2 drops gun in surprise
2. PC unleashes force attack on thug 1. Thug 1 flies into bookcase, bookcase falls on thug.
3. PC goes all fuego on a just made RC vamp. Fire goes through rampire, injures the one behind him.

Is this right, or am I still not getting it a complete doofus?

Examples help  ;D

iago:
The stuff you're asking about is "Overflow". You should be able to find your way to references to that concept in the index, etc.

MacsNewBrew:
Ok, thanks Fred, that helps with what they aren't, but I still don't get what shifts are.

and I *am* rather thick-skulled sometimes....

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page