Quite a few talents provide the ability to re-roll d20s from a skill test. There doesn’t seem to be a rule prohibiting a player from re-rolling a d20 that had generated a Complication.
On the one hand, the ability to re-roll a die that generated a Complication is one nice benefit of that talent. On the other hand, not being able to re-roll Complications sounds significantly more interesting for the story.
Am I correct that there’s no rule preventing a player, that has the ability to re-roll a d20 from a test, to re-roll a d20 that has generated a Complication?
What’s everyone’s thoughts on this? Do other Conan GMs allow their players to re-roll Complications?
When a talent, ability, item, or circumstance grants a re-roll, the player or gamemaster chooses which die to re-roll, and rolls it (or another die of the same kind) in its place. This replaces the original result entirely. The new results stand, even if they’re the same as, or worse, than the original results.
And that means that a complication created by the original roll is also gone.
Fair enough, but on page 95 it is stated that “Whenever a result of a 20 is rolled on any d20 in a skill test, the gamemaster immediately creates an impediment or problem — called a Complication — that is applied to the situation or the specific character that made the original roll.”
But page 94 clearly says that a re-roll replaces the original result. And the complication is part of the original result.
I think the statement on page 95 means that the GM must create this complication directly after the final result of the test is determined. He may not delay the creation of this complication.
page 94 conan core. It swaps the value entirely and happens before any adjudication takes place. Yeah, you can dodge a complication this way but before someone mentions doom, doom is a GM adjustable fee, so if a character is thinking to use a cheap doom spend to avoid paying the fee to avoid the complication the GM can say “nice try” and charge the usual 2 Doom.
In short the reroll means that the dice didnt roll a complication at all.
I will second Benn’s comments here - if you had a die that rolled a 20, and re-rolled it, it isn’t a complication unless it rolls a 20 again. But similarly, if you re-rolled a die and got a 20 on the second roll, you’re stuck with it.
As a bit of guidance, I tend to finish resolving the skill test (including the player spending Momentum on that result) which created the complication before I address or discuss the complication at all. This is to avoid the complication interfering with the success or failure of the skill test’s outcome.