Topic: Suggestion for Grindhouse Rules

I'm preparing for a LotFP campaign that starts in a couple weeks and was reading the rule books again last night. I realized for the first time that nowhere in the rules text (that I could find) does it expressly state that the DEX bonus should be applied to Initiative rolls or Ranged Attack rolls. Also, the same may be said with respect to STR bonuses: nothing expressly states that the bonus should be applied to a melee attack roll. The rules make some hints about application of the bonuses where they discuss the various abilities in general, but the only way I knew for sure was by looking at the explanation of the character sheet at the bank of the Rules booklet.

For most of us, application of these modifiers is instinctual, but where you have made some significant changes to the mechanics, I didn't want to assume that it was the case.

Anyway, if the Grindhouse rules don't already address it and if it's not too late, there's my suggestion.

By the way, I'm really looking forward to my upcoming game and the release of the "Grindhouse" edition.

Re: Suggestion for Grindhouse Rules

As far as I understand it, Strength and Dexterity bonuses do apply to melee and ranged attack rolls, but not damage. It states this within the ability descriptions on page 3 of the downloaded PDF rules, and has it noted on the character sheets too. Dex does affect initiative, and high Intelligence and Wisdom give bonuses to saving throws versus magic-user and cleric spells respectively.

Re: Suggestion for Grindhouse Rules

I'm not confused about the rules, I'm just trying to help make the new rule book as excellent as it should be. smile  I'm just saying that writing "Dexterity modifiers affect a character's ... ability to act first in combat" before the concept of Initiative (as a defined game term) has been introduced is not the same thing as expressly writing that you add your Dexterity bonus to your initiative roll or that a initiative roll is a d20 + dex bonus.  A reader shouldn't have to look to footnotes to a character sheet to find the key mechanics explained to them.