GURPS101: Luck Variant – Storing Dice Rolls

the Basic Set Luck advantage allows you to roll the dice two additional times (for a total of three rolls for one task) and take the result you want. This allows for turning a failure or critical failure into a success or failure (or vice versa in some situations like if you were attacking an ally because you’re mind controlled). You can also force an opponent to reroll their dice on rolls that specifically affect you. That’s all well and good, but I got to thinking . . . what if you could store rolls you’ve made? Here’s a proposed modifier to Luck to do exactly that:

Luck

See p. B66

A new modifier for the Luck advantage.

Special Enhancement

Stored Rolls: Instead of the normal effects of Luck, once per hour of real time you may “store” any damage, success, or reaction roll you make and use it later. You may store up to two such rolls and they go away at the end of the game session. At the start of every session you begin with two “stored” rolls of 11 which you can swap out normally. You may use these rolls at any point and for any reason. Higher levels of Luck increase the number of times you can store dice and the number of slots: Extraordinary Luck allows you to store a roll every 30 minutes of real time and store up to three rolls. Ridiculous Luck allows you to store up to four rolls! +100% if you can store rolls or use Luck normally (in which case your stored rolls become inert till you can use your ability again) or +50% if you can only store rolls.

Stored Rolls, Others: Like Stored Rolls, but you can only use your advantage on others. Subjects affected by this must be willing and you must be in their presence or otherwise able to perceive them when they make a roll you want to store or swap. You cannot use these rolls for yourself unless you purchase the Stored Roll advantage, in which case it costs +100% when combined with this modifier. +100%.

Stored Rolls, Leech: Like Stored Rolls, Others, but you can use it actively against anyone. This assumes hostile targets who must succeed on a Quick Contest of Will against you. You cannot use any stored rolls on this contest! +300%.

Examples

Example 1: John has Luck (Stored Rolls Only, +50%) [23]. He starts the game with two stored rolls of 11 each. While adventuring he rolls a 4 on his Survival (Woodlands) roll and since he has a skill of 13 on that opts to switch the 4 for an 11 to use later. Later on while fighting a giant pyroclast demon he chooses to swap his roll for the critical success he stored and stabs the demon in the heart killing it.

Example 2: John has upgraded his Luck from Stored Rolls only to being able to leech others rolls in his presence. While in town he gets in a fight with a slovenly knight who rolls a 6 to strike him with his sword. John opts to swap one of his stored rolls (a 14) for the knight’s roll (a 6). This requires he succeed on a Quick Contest of Will and if successful the dice are swapped.

Picking Over the Bones

I have no idea if this is balanced for play – it probably should be. (At least storing your own rolls and no others). The other two modifiers should probably be ok and allow for things like karma vampires and luck leeches. Anyways, if you use these in your campaign I would be very interested in hearing how it worked out.