Legacy:Botch die
Version 1
Date: 2008-03-15 21:37:58 GMT Author: pm Comment: Initial version
When failing a die roll in stressful situations, that is, if a [[Stress Die]] comes up with a 0 (or 10), players usually have to roll a certain number of botch dice for their characters. The amount of botch dice that have to be cast is usually not set in stone, but is assigned by the [[Story Guide]] as the case arises according to the situation, a more stressful situation calling for more botch dice. Certain [[Virtue|virtues]] and [[Flaw|flaws]] modify the number of botch dice, as do some talents, such as [[Spell Mastery]]. To determine whether a character botches, the assigned number of ten-sided dice is cast. If one or more zeros (or tens) come up, the character has botched. The actual outcome of a botch, too, is completely up to the [[Story Guide]], but should reflect the situation at hand. Spell casting botches usually result in dramatic effects as well as [[Warping]].
Version 2
Date: 2009-05-09 01:02:54 GMT Author: AndrewGronosky Comment: Added Reading Botch Dice, Number of Botch Dice
When failing a die roll in stressful situations, that is, if a [[Stress Die]] comes up with a 0, players usually have to roll a certain number of '''botch dice''' for their characters. The number of botch dice that have to be cast is usually not set in stone, but is assigned by the [[Story Guide]] according to the situation. = Reading the Botch Dice Botch dice are 10-sided (just like all dice in Ars Magica). Reading them is simple: if any botch die comes up zero, a [[Botch]] has occurred. If more than one botch die is zero, this is called a "double botch," "triple botch," and so forth. The effects of a botch are generally left up to the [[Story Guide]]. = Number of Botch Dice Different editions of Ars Magica give different guidance on how many botch dice should be rolled under particular circumstances. These are always presented as suggestions rather than strict rules. Earlier editions of Ars Magica generally recommended more botch dice than does ArM5. Certain [[Virtue|virtues]] and [[Flaw|flaws]] modify the number of botch dice, as do some [[Abilities]], such as [[Spell Mastery]]. The number of botch dice for magical effects is influences by the magus's [[Bond Score | bond with his familiar]], the prevailing supernatural [[Aura]], and so on. == Botch Chance Table Ars Magica Fifth Edition contains a table showing the probability of a [[Botch]] according to the number of botch dice. The purpose of this table is simply to help players get a feel for how the chance of a botch increases with the number of botch dice. The numbers on that table are not meant to be used during play! For those who are interested, the Botch Chance table was calculated using the [[http://mathworld.wolfram.com/BinomialDistribution.html | binomial distribution]]. = References * Botch Dice, [[ArM5]] page 7.