What is FFDC?

FFDC stands for Free-form Difficulty Class, it's a simplified version of the d20 system's game mechanic on the chances of success. FFDC (or FDC for shorter) was made mainly to solve disputes, the whole 'did my attack win or not' and general stalemates caused by roleplay battling with no rules.

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How does it work?

FFDC uses a d20 die as the random roll plus the positive and negative modifiers that increase and decrease the roll when certain factors come into play.

1/20th of 100% is 5% chance for each value of the die. The only exception that 'natural rolls' of 20 and 1 yield an automatic success and failure respectively, ignoring face value and modifiers.

The attacking player specifies the DC (difficulty) telling their opponent on how hard it will be to defend or dodge it, the defending player then adds any modifiers that could make it easier or harder to defend. After the DC and modifiers are set, the d20 is rolled and if the defender rolls equal or greater than the DC, the opponent's attack fails.

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That's way too complicated, how do I use it?

	If the description is a little too boring, here is the summary;
	* Character A attacks, mention DC, mention modifiers
	* Character B defends, mention modifiers
	* Roll d20, calculate
	* Winner may write their version of the outcome (attack succeeds/defender evades)

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I'm afraid this would just clutter up my posts, is there an easier way?

FFDC doesn't clutter posts up as much as you think, instead of phrasing it like you would talk in a table-top RPG just write a number at the end of your sentence, it's a good way of describing a reason for modifiers too if it's done in this way. Here's an example for you;

Character A: <writes a post attempting to attack B> [DC8]
Character B: <writes a post detailing how B defends or dodges A's attack, adding any extra 	information to justify any modifiers applied> [+2]
ROLL: 10+2 = 12
Character B: <writes his next post as if he dodged the attack successfully>

If the attacker wants to add modifiers to his DC, they can write the DC as [DC8-2] or simply write the result as [DC6], 8 minus 2. If the defender has more than one modifier to apply, they can write a number [+-#] for each sentence written for each modifier.

Character A: <Attacks, catching their opponent by surprise> [DC8+2] OR [DC10]
Character B: <Defends, even though he has a cut arm [-2] and stumbled over some loose rocks [-2]

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How do I know I'm using the right values for DC and modifiers, going too high or low?

	If you follow these guides, you can decide for yourselves on what is fair;

	DCs
	Easy		5
	Moderate	10	Reccomended level of difficulty
	Hard 		15	Use responsibly
	Phohibited	20	Only for seemingly impossible tasks

	Modifiers
	Slight		1	
	Minor		2
	Moderate	4	Reccomended highest
	Major		8	Use sparingly
	Intense		16	You better have a good reason to resort to this

Remember that each value is the equivilant of 5%, make sure any modifiers you use would be significant enough to affect the outcome by 5%. Using hundreds of tiny modifiers for trivial things is as bad as using high DC/Mods for trivial things.

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What about if my character is proficient at...?

It's quite natural that characters would be more profienent or more skilled in some encounters than others. If a character is a martial artist and a melee-type DC were to come his way, their player is allowed to apply a modifier on the basis that they're 'skilled' in that area.

Characters can have a consistant modifiers if they're skilled in an aspect of battle (hand-to-hand), in relation to weapons (swords, guns) plus any special effects in play, like magic. The modifier must be adjusted to the level of skill the character possessed, this list should help give you a feel for what is right;

	Inducted, just started	0
	Amataur, learning	1
	Novice, learning well	2
	Skilled			4	Reccomended highest
	Expert			6	Use rarely on responsible characters
	Master			10	Don't even think about it.

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Can I use an attack that can't be blocked or dodged?

Attacks should allow the defending character to have a chance to avoid pain and death, forcing an unblockable and dodgable attack is actively god-modding and is not allowed.

However!
Having attacks that are dangerous to block or too difficult to dodge are still options you can take, so long as they're not both unblockable and undodgable.

One attack could have a condition that if the attack is blocked instead of dodged, they can rack up the DC by a fixed amount as a penalty for not taking the correct choice in defending themselves. If the defender instead dodges, the DC of the previous attack stays the same.

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My opponent keeps racking his DCs too high and countering all my modifiers, what should I do?

	Kick their ass, no really, kick their ass off the channel. Unless it was just a joke, it only proves they're what I call a 'god-modding bastard' and exposes them for what they are. FFDC was designed to solve disputes fairly, but like any other system, if people abuse it, there's not much we can do except exclude them from play.

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I think my opponent is fixing rolls/How can I make d20 rolls fair and accountable?

When it comes to dice rolls, I always use random.org's integer generator on Advanced mode, this can be found at http://random.org/integers/?mode=advanced

In advance mode you can set true-random generations (as opposed to fake random rolls by computer programs) to a keyword that can be retrieved later on for accountablity.

Set Generate ____ random integers to 1,
Set values between 1 and 20,
Select 'Use pregenerated randomization based on persistent identifier'

The best practise is to decide on a name like testbattle then add three digits on the end '001', the three digits represent the amount of times you have rolled, so if a dispute on the legality of the dice roll is concerned, you can link a URL with the result intact.

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I keep getting whipped by low rolls, how do I force a success without cheating?

Just because you are unlucky doesn't mean you're allowed to force a success, that's cheating. However an optional element to FFDC can be used called ACTION POINTS (full capitalisation curtosity of Lazo)

A character has a set amount of ACTION POINTS (AP for short) which they can use to make free modifiers to their rolls. If the defender is three points short of succeeding, they may pay  three AP to succeed. The amount of points for each character can be decided at the start between players.

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How should I do combos, specials or elaborate moves with FFDC?

FFDC wasn't really designed for turn-by-turn use but for moves that are more complex or drawn out than single strikes are possible and equally simple.

For combos, you could do it in stages with increasing DC requirements, [DC6,10,15]. 6-9 first hits connect but lose the finisher, 10-14 all hits connect, 15 all hits connect with a powerful finisher. You can use comma-seperated DCs [DC#,#...etc] for critical hits on normal attacks if you wish.

For elaborate/special moves, you could do it as a single DC event with only one connection, if the defender fails the attacker's entire attack would be to full effect.

You can do it in stages or as one connection, you may choose method for you own actions.

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What's this 'connection' stuff you kept mentioning in the above FAQ?

A 'Connection' is when an attack successfully strikes the defender and no more attempts at defending can be made. In order for special attacks to work as intended, connections are required to ensure the defender 'takes it' how they should, unless specified. It's not a connection unless the defender fails to roll equal or greater than the DC.

When it comes to writing a successful connection post, the attacker must NOT control other characters directly to make their attack work. Forcing a character to stand and stare for a while is disallowed, but you can make them 'trip up on something' or 'stunned' as a reasonable explaination.

What would the best use for modifiers?

The best use for modifiers in the higher ranges would be for attacks that have certain weaknesses or exploits. For instance, if a character shoots a fireball at another character, a large positive modifer could be applied if the defending character shoot water at said fireball, therefore giving a great chance it would fizzle into steam.

In reverse, if the defender defends themselves in a completely dangerous way, such as trying to stop a bolt of lightning with their bare hands, they would recieve a big negative modifier for defending themselves in a very 'wrong' way.

Consistant modifiers can be applied for things like injury or fatigue, most characters cannot function as well as they do injured or tired, this guide should give you some idea on how to use this aspect;

	Slight injury	0
	Minor injuries	-1 to -2
	Moderate	-3 to -4
	Serious		-5 to -8
	Critical	-9 to -16

	Slight fatigue	0
	Light		-1
	Moderate	-2
	Heavy		-4
	On empty	-8

See 'Can I use an attack that can't be blocked or dodged?'