Trinity:Luck Ability

The mechanics behind Luck differ greatly from most other mechanics. This is because luck is a metaphysical concept - and since I believe the mechanics should reflect flavor, the metaphysical nature of luck is translated into a metagame mechanic. Characters may or may not believe in luck, but they have a luck score (if it is used) all the same.

Luck

Luck (Luc) is not traditionally used in Trinity. However, it can be used in games or campaigns in which the concept of luck or fate is useful and relevant.

Unlike traditional ability scores, no race or region modifies the Luck ability score. This is due to its metaphysical nature.

Luck is Used for...

Obligatory

Some of the obligatory uses for Luck are dependent upon a character's Luck score: Luck has different effects if the character has a positive Luck modifier or a negative one.

• Avaocraft, Gamble, and Use Force Item (Chaotic). These three skills are based on Luck, rather than other ability scores.

Positive Luck

• Luck Points. All characters with positive Luck modifiers have a pool of luck points, which is equal to their Luck modifier.

Negative Luck

• Ability Penalties. At the beginning of each session, randomly distribute penalties to your ability scores (other than Luck) equal to your Luck modifier. For that session, you suffer a Luck penalty equal to the number of times a given ability was selected to all checks (attack rolls, skill checks, saving throws, initiative checks, damage results, and so on) that are based on that ability.
• Critical Confirmation and Miss Chance. All characters with negative Luck modifiers suffer a penalty to all critical confirmation and miss chance rolls equal to their Luck modifier.
• Degrees of Failure. When a character with a negative Luck modifier fails a skill check that has degrees of failure, all degrees of failure are reduced by the character's Luck modifier.
• Fumbles. A character with a negative Luck modifier fumbles on an attack roll if the die roll is equal to or lower than 1 + their Luck modifier.
• Rerolls. A character with a negative Luck modifier suffers a penalty to all rerolls of any sort equal to their Luck modifier.

Options

• Initiative. A character may opt to use their Luck modifier for Initiative in place of Dexterity.

Luck 0

A creature with a 0 Luck is absurdly unlucky. All rolls the character makes are automatically minimized.

Luck Force Effects and Items

HARE'S LUCK
Transmutation
Level: Brd 2, Sor/Wiz 2
Components: V, S, DF
Casting Time: 1 standard action
Range: Touch
Target: Creature touched
Duration: 1 min/level
Saving Throw: Will negates (harmless)
Spell Resistance: Yes

The affected creature gains the luck of a hare. The spell grants the subject a +4 enhancement bonus to Luck.

HARE'S LUCK, MASS
Transmutation
Level: Brd 6, Sor/Wiz 6
Range: Close (25 ft + 5 ft/2 levels)
Targets: One creature/level, no two of which can be more than 30 ft apart

Hare's Luck, Mass works like Hare's Luck, except it affects multiple creatures.

Vest of Luck

This light and fashionable vest has fine mystic symbols engraved throughout. While worn it grants the wearer with an enhancement bonus of +2, +4, or +6 to their Luck score.

Moderate Transmutation: CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item, Hare’s Luck; Price 4,000 gp (+2), 16,000 gp. (+4), 36,000 gp (+6); Weight 1 lb

Manual of Legendary Luck

This thick tome contains epic stories of daring and luck, but entwined within the words is a powerful magical effect. Anyone that spends a total of 48 hours over a minimum of six day gains an inherent bonus of +1 up to +5 to their Luck score. Once read the magic disappears from the pages and it becomes an ordinary book.

Strong Evocation (if Miracle is used); CL 17; Craft Wondrous Item, Wish or Miracle; Price 27,500 gp (+1), 55,000 gp (+2), 82,500 gp (+3), 110,000 (+4), 137,000 (+5); Cost 1,250 gp + 5,1000 xp (+1), 2,500 gp + 10,200 xp (+2), 2,500 gp + 15,300 xp (+3), 5,000 gp + 20,400 xp (+4), 6,250 gp + 25,500 xp (+5); Weight 5 lb

Luck Points

A character with a positive Luck modifier gains a pool of Luck points at the beginning of each session. You cannot save Luck points; at the beginning of each session, your Luck points refresh.

Temporarily increasing your Luck score grants you temporary Luck points.

Luck Point Uses

You can use Luck points for the following uses.

• 1 Point: You can gain a +1d6 Luck bonus on an attack roll, ability check, skill check, saving throw, or initiative check. When you reach 8th and 15th levels, you can roll an additional 1d6, taking the best die result as your bonus.

	  Luck
Level	  Dice
1 - 7	  1d6
8 - 14	  2d6
15 - 20	  3d6

• 1 Point: You can use your Luck modifier in place of any other ability score modifier for any type of check.
• 2 Points: You can reroll any roll you make: an attack roll, ability check, skill check, saving throw, initiative check, damage result, or force-user check.
• 3 Points: You can negate a critical hit against you; to reroll a healing effect used on you; or to reroll a critical confirmation roll.
• 4 Points: You can cause an attack roll against you, a saving throw against an effect you produced, or a skill check used for an opposed skill check against you to suffer a -1d6 Luck penalty; when you reach 8th and 15th levels, you can roll an additional 1d6, taking the best die result as the penalty levied. You do not need to see the origin of the effect, nor do you need to be aware of what is happening to you.

	  Luck
Level	  Dice
1 - 7	  1d6
8 - 14	  2d6
15 - 20	  3d6

• 5 Points: You can maximize a single roll of any sort, to automatically succeed at stabilization, or to cause a randomly-determined effect to be rerolled (such as the intersection hit by a thrown weapon).
• 6 Points: You can cause an attack roll against you, a saving throw against an effect you produced, or a skill check used for an opposed skill check against you to be rerolled.
• 7 Points: When you make a Luck-based reroll, you decide which of the two results to use.
• 8 Points: You can gain another use of a limited ability you have, such as a per-day ability, per-encounter, or similar. You cannot regain spell slots, power points, or other force-based abilities with this effect.
• 10 Points: You can avoid death: if an attack or effect would reduce you to -10 hit points, and you have at least 1 hit point, it instead reduces you to -9 hit points, and you are stable.