Fudging the Rolls as a GM... How do I?

[Gix]

So I have a big bad boss who I fully expected to deal huge damage and move the story along in a particular direction... however... there have been soooo many improbable successful saves.... now this is cool for the players and I normally wouldn't step into it, but I really counted on at least one of them failing... rather than re-orchestrating the campaign I want to "cheat."

I know, I know, I'm evil.

But how do I do I roll a saving throw for a PC which I want to fail... pops up a 9 or something?

[Zacchaeus]

Go into options and in the first section you’ll see the manual dice option. Turn it on. You can now fudge any roll you want.

[Gix]

Go into options and in the first section you’ll see the manual dice option. Turn it on. You can now fudge any roll you want.

Thank you!

Other than toggling it, is there some key combo that will allow it for a specific roll rather than all of them?

[Stormhound]

Enable the Dice Tower option. I seem to recall that dice thrown into the tower (rather than the chat box) are visible only to the GM (which also means you can have the players do rolls that only you see).

[GunnarGreybeard]

Like Stormhound mentioned, enable the Dice Tower and have players make roll in there. For those rolls, they should not see the results, only the shadow of their dice rolling across the chat window.

[Andraax]

Thank you!

Other than toggling it, is there some key combo that will allow it for a specific roll rather than all of them?

When it's turned on, the window will pop up for each roll. There is a "die" button on the window - if you click this, it will roll randomly as normal.

[Gix]

All, I appreciate the suggestions.

I am aware of the dice tower, however, that isn't what I mean.

When you use, say an Imp... it rolls to hit...then rolls for damage... then rolls a saving throw on behalf of the player vs poison, then damage on that poison and halves it if they succeed. These are all just double-clicks on the monster's ability list in the combat tracker.

Zaccheus's answer is the "correct" one in regard to what I wanted to accomplish; when "manual dice" is on it allows me to force a roll to be a specific thing, yet still rolls for the person.

Example:
- Roll to hit for Imp, pops up a prompt where I can roll as usual or assign a result
- Roll for damage (don't think manual dice does this one, but I can't remember)
- Roll for CON saving throw, pops up a prompt where I can roll or assign a result.
- Roll for poison damage...

Normally I want to just take things as they come, regardless of the outcome. But, if it is critical to the story that a player fails against a charm effect or whatever (not arguably the best way to run a story) I want to be able to override the player's roll so they SEE the result, but it is one I chose.

So my second question was only, short of toggling the manual roll feature, is there a way to CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+WINDOWS KEY+SPACE+Click to have that particular roll be manual. :P

You know, one of those easy to remember shortcuts :)

[Zacchaeus]

There is no shortcut key. You would need to toggle the option.

[celestian]

There is no shortcut key. You would need to toggle the option.

Does control, shift or alt have any effect on dice rolls as of right now? Shift seems to be "opportunity attack", alt makes the dice drop dead, control doesn't seem to do anything.

Hum, perhaps an extension can do this. Allow for manual roll conditions with control to trigger where OptionsManager.isOption("MANUALROLL", "on") is tested for as well.

CoreRPG, scripts/manager_actions.lua


function roll(rSource, vTargets, rRoll, bMultiTarget)
if #(rRoll.aDice) > 0 then
if not rRoll.bTower and (OptionsManager.isOption("MANUALROLL", "on") or Input.isControlPressed()) then
local wManualRoll = Interface.openWindow("manualrolls", "");
wManualRoll.addRoll(rRoll, rSource, vTargets);
else
local rThrow = buildThrow(rSource, vTargets, rRoll, bMultiTarget);
Comm.throwDice(rThrow);
end
else
if bMultiTarget then
handleResolution(rRoll, rSource, vTargets);
else
handleResolution(rRoll, rSource, { vTargets });
end
end
end


I tested it and it worked. Needs tweaking to work with drag/drop but if you hold control and double click a dice it'll popup the manual box and let you do it.

Maybe I'll make the mod but kinda buried under day job right now.

[Zacchaeus]

SHIFT with damage forces critical damage and as you have discovered Shift with attack designates opportunity.

[Niles]

So I have a big bad boss who I fully expected to deal huge damage and move the story along in a particular direction... however... there have been soooo many improbable successful saves.... now this is cool for the players and I normally wouldn't step into it, but I really counted on at least one of them failing... rather than re-orchestrating the campaign I want to "cheat."

I know, I know, I'm evil.

But how do I do I roll a saving throw for a PC which I want to fail... pops up a 9 or something?

You're not evil. I totally understand wanting this option. I am a story telling DM too and am invested in story outcomes. I don't want to control every single roll, just ones crucial to the story. There was an extension that would allow you to put in the number that you actually wanted the player to roll and they'd roll it, but not the 3D die, only the text roll that came up in the chat window. If the players weren't watching, and didn't compare their 3D roll to the text roll, they'd never know the difference. The problem with the manual roll option now, is that the players know they're using it. And if they roll in the tower, well they know the DM could say the outcome is whatever he wants. I always wanted this option so the players think THEY rolled the dice and that was the outcome.

[celestian]

I tested it and it worked. Needs tweaking to work with drag/drop but if you hold control and double click a dice it'll popup the manual box and let you do it.



Keep in mind the stuff I am talking about only allows the DM to manually input his own dice, not alter the result of player's rolls. That's a bit... naughty and I wouldn't even begin to do that ;(

[Gix]

The script is cool man! Also, after you drag damage (from a spell) (left-click + drag) you can keep the left button down and then right click, which will add a level of damage to that spell ... like casting a level 1 spell at level 2 for example

[Gix]

Keep in mind the stuff I am talking about only allows the DM to manually input his own dice, not alter the result of player's rolls. That's a bit... naughty and I wouldn't even begin to do that ;(

Read the OP. Sometimes a GM needs to cheat. (Though I avoid that as much as possible.)

[Gix]

Does control, shift or alt have any effect on dice rolls as of right now? Shift seems to be "opportunity attack", alt makes the dice drop dead, control doesn't seem to do anything.

Hum, perhaps an extension can do this. Allow for manual roll conditions with control to trigger where OptionsManager.isOption("MANUALROLL", "on") is tested for as well.

CoreRPG, scripts/manager_actions.lua


function roll(rSource, vTargets, rRoll, bMultiTarget)
if #(rRoll.aDice) > 0 then
if not rRoll.bTower and (OptionsManager.isOption("MANUALROLL", "on") or Input.isControlPressed()) then
local wManualRoll = Interface.openWindow("manualrolls", "");
wManualRoll.addRoll(rRoll, rSource, vTargets);
else
local rThrow = buildThrow(rSource, vTargets, rRoll, bMultiTarget);
Comm.throwDice(rThrow);
end
else
if bMultiTarget then
handleResolution(rRoll, rSource, vTargets);
else
handleResolution(rRoll, rSource, { vTargets });
end
end
end


I tested it and it worked. Needs tweaking to work with drag/drop but if you hold control and double click a dice it'll popup the manual box and let you do it.

Maybe I'll make the mod but kinda buried under day job right now.

How would I turn this into a mod or something so that it doesn't trigger an update notice?

[celestian]

How would I turn this into a mod or something so that it doesn't trigger an update notice?

I've written this into AD&D Core, when I get a window I'll see about making it a extension. Should work fine with any CoreRPG ruleset.

[Gix]

I've written this into AD&D Core, when I get a window I'll see about making it a extension. Should work fine with any CoreRPG ruleset.
Thanks man! You rock!

[celestian]

Thanks man! You rock!

Here is the On Demand Manual Dice (https://www.fantasygrounds.com/forums/showthread.php?43751-CoreRPG-based-On-Demand-Manual-Dice-(DM-only)) extension.

It won't let you roll for players tho, just FYI ;)

[k410]

Gix, I'm glad you received some answers to your question as asked. Unfortunately I don't have one ("Why can't some people just answer the question?!!!" ;-) )

I could only think of things in the story-embellisment direction, such as: if the boss got killed, there might still be another round of damage from toxic gases being released from its body, or corrosive blood spritzing the PCs, or maybe one of the boss's relatives comes in to see what all the commotion is about ...

This wouldn't necessarily be cheating -- it would just be your contribution to the unfolding story ... ;-)