Hey there, friends! I’ve been working on this off and on for a bit, and I finally buckled down and got all the way to 10, so I wanted to share the mathematical fruit of my mystical labor!
So, oftentimes around here, we find ourselves discussing Force ratings, and in particular, Force points and how common they are. Typically this is in relation to starting characters, with their Force ratings of 1, but sometimes, especially with masters of the spiritual arts, Force ratings can get rather high. So, it behooves us to be able to talk precisely about the odds of certain things. There’s no point in musing on hypothetical examples of play unless they actually have a chance of occurring, and humans (and togruta!) have a nasty habit of assuming the theoretical maximum is not-much-less-likely than the theoretical average.
And it’s with that in mind that I bring this thread to you! I have calculated the entire range of probabilities for all Force ratings between 1 and 10, for both characters who draw from white pips, and those who draw from black. I’m presenting them in two specific ways: first, the chance of rolling exactly the specified number of pips. Secondly, the chance of rolling the specified number of pips or higher with a certain number of Force dice. While the first chart will be more of use to academics, the second will likely be more use in play. Determine how many pips you need to pull off the crazy Force stunt you’re attempting, run across to your Force rating, and that’ll give you the general odds that you’ll succeed (without the need of a Destiny Point, importantly).
But first! I want to discuss something else, which is the average, or statistical mean, of Force points rolled for both Light- and Dark-siders.
Average Force Points
So, while the charts below give the odds of rolling a certain number of Force points on any one given roll, another useful metric is the average number of Force points over an arbitrarily high number of rolls. And here is where the duality of Light and Dark coalesces.
If we take a single Force die and roll it twelve times, averages say it will generate us 16 pips: 8 white, and 8 black. Yes, the white pips will be clumped together and the black ones spaced out, but the number of both are equal on the die. This means that, whether you’re a Light-sider or a Dark-sider, your average result on a Force power check will be 2 / 3 times your Force rating.
So FR 1 = 2 / 3 ; FR 2 = 1- 1 / 3 ; FR 3 = 2; and so on.
As a personal house-rule, I allow all Force users who are neither pressed for time or in any danger to perform any Force powers that don’t require an additional roll using the average number of pips. Basically a “take 10” for the Force. For regular skills you don’t generally roll Simple difficulty checks, so I establish that this level of Force use is considered “Simple.” Of course, if they NEED to jump this building in a limited amount of time, there’s pressure to succeed, or blaster bolts winging by their face, or if they simply want to get more pips o they can activate those Strength upgrades and get the X-Wing out of the swamp, they have to roll as normal.
But now, let’s get into the best part of this thread: CHARTS!
Percent Chance for Specific Number of Pips – Light Side
Pips | FR 1 | FR 2 | FR 3 | FR 4 | FR 5 | FR 6 | FR 7 | FR 8 | FR 9 | FR 10 |
00 | 58.33 | 34.03 | 19.85 | 11.58 | 0 6.75 | 0 3.94 | 0 2.30 | 0 1.34 | 00 .78 | 00 .46 |
01 | 16.67 | 19.44 | 17.01 | 13.23 | 0 9.65 | 0 6.75 | 0 4.60 | 0 3.06 | 0 2.01 | 0 1.30 |
02 | 25.00 | 31.94 | 30.38 | 25.52 | 19.99 | 14.96 | 10.84 | 0 7.66 | 0 5.31 | 0 3.63 |
03 | 00.00 | 0 8.33 | 15.05 | 18.09 | 18.12 | 16.31 | 13.70 | 10.94 | 0 8.43 | 0 6.30 |
04 | 00.00 | 0 6.25 | 13.02 | 17.70 | 19.72 | 19.52 | 17.84 | 15.40 | 12.72 | 10.16 |
05 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 3.13 | 0 7.75 | 12.00 | 14.81 | 15.97 | 15.72 | 14.47 | 12.67 |
06 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 1.56 | 0 4.69 | 0 8.45 | 11.86 | 14.27 | 15.45 | 15.48 | 14.62 |
07 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 1.04 | 0 3.33 | 0 6.35 | 0 9.38 | 11.84 | 13.41 | 14.02 |
08 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .39 | 0 1.57 | 0 3.59 | 0 6.11 | 0 8.70 | 10.91 | 12.47 |
09 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .33 | 0 1.28 | 0 2.93 | 0 5.08 | 0 7.37 | 0 9.47 |
10 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .10 | 00 .50 | 0 1.40 | 0 2.84 | 0 4.68 | 0 6.68 |
11 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .10 | 00 .46 | 0 1.24 | 0 2.46 | 0 4.06 |
12 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .02 | 00 .16 | 00 .52 | 0 1.22 | 0 2.29 |
13 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .03 | 00 .16 | 00 .49 | 0 1.10 |
14 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .01 | 00 .05 | 00 .18 | 00 .49 |
15 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .01 | 00 .05 | 00 .18 |
16 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .01 | 00 .06 |
17 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .02 |
18 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
19 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
20 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
Percent Chance for Specific Number of Pips – Dark Side
Pips | FR 1 | FR 2 | FR 3 | FR 4 | FR 5 | FR 6 | FR 7 | FR 8 | FR 9 | FR 10 |
00 | 41.67 | 17.36 | 0 7.23 | 0 3.01 | 0 1.26 | 00 .52 | 00 .22 | 00 .09 | 00 .04 | 00 .02 |
01 | 50.00 | 41.67 | 26.04 | 14.47 | 0 7.54 | 0 3.77 | 0 1.83 | 00 .87 | 00 .41 | 00 .19 |
02 | 0 8.33 | 31.94 | 35.59 | 28.45 | 19.34 | 11.93 | 0 6.90 | 0 3.81 | 0 2.03 | 0 1.05 |
03 | 00.00 | 0 8.33 | 22.92 | 29.51 | 27.73 | 21.85 | 15.38 | 10.01 | 0 6.15 | 0 3.61 |
04 | 00.00 | 00 .69 | 0 7.12 | 17.39 | 24.37 | 25.63 | 22.60 | 17.68 | 12.69 | 0 8.53 |
05 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 1.04 | 0 5.90 | 13.61 | 20.17 | 23.04 | 22.18 | 18.92 | 14.74 |
06 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .06 | 0 1.14 | 0 4.87 | 10.87 | 16.75 | 20.38 | 21.06 | 19.29 |
07 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .12 | 0 1.11 | 0 4.03 | 0 8.80 | 13.96 | 17.86 | 19.55 |
08 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .15 | 0 1.03 | 0 3.35 | 0 7.19 | 11.67 | 15.55 |
09 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .01 | 00 .17 | 00 .92 | 0 2.79 | 0 5.92 | 0 9.79 |
10 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .02 | 00 .18 | 00 .82 | 0 2.33 | 0 4.91 |
11 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .02 | 00 .18 | 00 .71 | 0 1.96 |
12 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .03 | 00 .17 | 00 .62 |
13 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .03 | 00 .16 |
14 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .03 |
15 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
16 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
17 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
18 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
19 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
20 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
So, what do we get from these? Well, first, we can note that, as Force rating increases, the chance for getting a maximum result drops precipitously. Even for Light-siders, who are better at getting those bursts of inspiration, high-pip results occur less than 1% of the time. Dark-siders have an especially hard time getting their maximum, or even a higher-than average, roll.
On the other hand, we can see that the Dark side lives up to its “quicker, easier” reputation. Dark siders, once they get to Force rating 3, have a negligible chance of rolling no pips. What’s more, their results cluster strongly around the average, meaning that they can trust that when they thrust their hand forward, they can have confidence in how much oomph! their Force push is going to have. Light-siders, on the other hand, can have trouble maintaining their poise and center in stressful situations, leading to some inconsistencies in their abilities under strain.
Okay, next up is the chance for minimum pips.
Percent Chance for Minimum Number of Pips – Light Side
Pips | FR 1 | FR 2 | FR 3 | FR 4 | FR 5 | FR 6 | FR 7 | FR 8 | FR 9 | FR 10 |
01+ | 41.67 | 65.97 | 80.15 | 88.42 | 93.25 | 96.06 | 97.70 | 98.66 | 99.22 | 99.54 |
02+ | 25.00 | 46.53 | 63.14 | 75.19 | 83.60 | 89.31 | 93.10 | 95.59 | 97.21 | 98.24 |
03+ | 0 0.00 | 14.58 | 32.75 | 49.67 | 63.61 | 74.35 | 82.27 | 87.93 | 91.89 | 94.61 |
04+ | 0 0.00 | 0 6.25 | 17.71 | 31.57 | 45.49 | 58.04 | 68.57 | 76.99 | 83.46 | 88.30 |
05+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 0 4.69 | 13.87 | 25.77 | 38.52 | 50.73 | 61.59 | 70.74 | 78.15 |
06+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 0 1.56 | 0 6.12 | 13.78 | 23.70 | 34.76 | 45.87 | 56.27 | 65.48 |
07+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 1.43 | 0 5.32 | 11.84 | 20.49 | 30.43 | 40.79 | 50.86 |
08+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .39 | 0 2.00 | 0 5.50 | 11.11 | 18.58 | 27.38 | 36.84 |
09+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 0 .42 | 0 1.91 | 0 4.99 | 0 9.89 | 16.47 | 24.37 |
10+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .10 | 00 .63 | 0 2.06 | 0 4.81 | 0 9.10 | 14.90 |
11+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .12 | 00 .65 | 0 1.97 | 0 4.42 | 0 8.21 |
12+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .02 | 00 .19 | 00 .73 | 0 1.96 | 0 4.15 |
13+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .03 | 00 .22 | 00 .74 | 0 1.86 |
14+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .01 | 00 .06 | 00 .25 | 00 .76 |
15+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 0 .01 | 00 .07 | 00 .27 |
16+ | 00 .00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .02 | 00 .08 |
17+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 0 .00 | 00 .02 |
18+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 0 .00 | 00 .00 |
19+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
20+ | 0 0.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
Percent Chance for Minimum Number of Pips – Dark Side
Pips | FR 1 | FR 2 | FR 3 | FR 4 | FR 5 | FR 6 | FR 7 | FR 8 | FR 9 | FR 10 |
01+ | 58.33 | 82.64 | 92.77 | 96.99 | 98.74 | 99.48 | 99.78 | 99.91 | 99.96 | 99.98 |
02+ | 0 8.33 | 40.97 | 66.72 | 82.52 | 91.21 | 95.71 | 97.95 | 99.04 | 99.55 | 99.79 |
03+ | 00.00 | 0 9.03 | 31.13 | 54.07 | 71.87 | 83.78 | 91.05 | 95.23 | 97.52 | 98.74 |
04+ | 00.00 | 00 .69 | 0 8.22 | 24.55 | 44.14 | 61.93 | 75.67 | 85.22 | 91.37 | 95.13 |
05+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 0 1.10 | 0 7.16 | 19.77 | 36.29 | 53.07 | 67.53 | 78.68 | 86.60 |
06+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .06 | 0 1.26 | 0 6.15 | 16.12 | 30.03 | 45.35 | 59.76 | 71.86 |
07+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .12 | 0 1.28 | 0 5.25 | 13.28 | 24.97 | 38.71 | 52.57 |
08+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .17 | 0 1.22 | 0 4.48 | 11.01 | 20.85 | 33.02 |
09+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .01 | 00 .20 | 0 1.13 | 0 3.82 | 0 9.17 | 17.47 |
10+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .02 | 00 .21 | 0 1.02 | 0 3.25 | 0 7.68 |
11+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .03 | 00 .21 | 00 .92 | 0 2.77 |
12+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .03 | 00 .20 | 00 .81 |
13+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .03 | 00 .19 |
14+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .04 |
15+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .01 |
16+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
17+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
18+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 | 00 .00 |
19+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
20+ | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00.00 | 00 .00 |
Okay, there we go! Whew! Lots of awesome charts !
So! I hope these are helpful! Any questions, comments, whatever? Let me know! I’m glad to help!
However, some of you may be wondering…what’s next for this thread? Is it just a post with no real future? No, of course not! I was thinking we could use this space to discuss the ramifications, both mechanical, narrative, and in-universe, of this structure. Also, I’ll be adding new charts occasionally. The next one I’m working on is a “grey pip” chart, showing the chances of getting however many pips regardless of color, such as you might want if you’re okay with spending a Destiny Point, or if you’re using a house-rule that allows you to use both pip colors at the same time, for whatever reason.
Also, I stopped at 10 because that’s currently the highest Force rating a character who doesn’t go outside of their career can go. A Consular with all 7 ranks of Force Rating in the Consular specs, and both Force-Sensitive specs, can get to a Force rating of 10. I’m assuming that the Mystic will be able to get their, too, but we’ll have to wait and see on that … But! I find it very unlikely that there won’t be another Force-Sensitive universal in Dawn of Rebellion , and technically high-powered vergences (and the Bardottan Sphere) can increase one’s Force rating temporarily, so adding extra columns will eventually be a thing . And if you want to help with the adding of extra columns, I can post the equation I used to calculate these for you.
But for now, I hope you all enjoy, and that you find this helpful in guiding both your discussions, character building, and tactics!
Edited by Absol197