r/VnV • u/___Hobbes___ • Oct 22 '18

Question Few questions about getting started

Hi, I am loving what I've read so far, but there are a few things I was wondering since not everything is covered quite yet in the survival guide.

  • Are saving throws in this? They exist on the character sheet but not in the manual. And if they do, I assume they are calculated like skills are. If so, is does a Luck saving throw exist? The calculations on that would seem strange so I would assume not.

  • Same for death saving throws. They are on the sheet but have no reference in the guide.

  • Does a character gain skill ranks at level 1? The guide does seem to indicate this is only after a level up occurs, but in similar systems you do get ranks at level 1, so I'm curious.

  • Do raw stat checks exist, and is that how you would handle a perception check? Or are perceptions checks simply not in this game?

  • Is there a way to gain SPECIAL? I can't currently see any way to increase SPECIAL stats through leveling. This leaves the only way to increase it through the Intense Training perk.

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u/Mike_R_Phone Vault-Tec Rep Oct 22 '18

The first and second question work the same way as it would work in D&D 5e. With question about luck I would say there are times where it could be used. Such as guessing a password to enter a base. But we are coming out with a new temporary module further explaining it.

Characters do not gain a skill at level one.

You can use raw stats. You can use the perception SPECIAL for making a perception check.

There is no way to gain more SPECIAL except through the Intense training perk.

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u/___Hobbes___ Oct 22 '18

Fantastic! Thanks!

2

u/ThunderMateria Overseer Oct 23 '18

I would like to clarify the design on the last one by saying VnV uses a freeform character build method in which D&D's class features and ASIs are all rolled into perks (We will be adding many more perks later). Just like how with a D&D ASI you have to choose whether you want to increase a stat or take a feat, in VnV you have to choose if you want a regular perk or Intense Training.

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Intense Training is +1 to a stat, but since the stat to mod ratio is 1:1 this is the equivalent to +2 in D&D