N0-1_H3r3 said:
Also remember that if both sides fail, then the stalemate can (if the GM deems it appropriate for the test - personally, I go this way with most opposed tests, see below) force a re-roll for both sides until somebody passes (the other alternative is a stalemate where neither side does anything, but realistically, that resolution doesn't make sense in regards to most opposed tests, or you end up with noisy assassin, deaf guard syndrome). Resultantly, we can flat-out ignore the chances of both sides failing - because you re-roll those tests until someone does pass.
I agree that the idea of a stalemate in an opposed test is ludicrous under most circumstances where there would be an opposed test (someone is either spotted or they aren't, you either stop the door from opening or you don't, etc) but instead of rerolling, wouldn't it be easier to simply decide that whom ever scores the highest DoS or least amount of DoF (if no DoS' were scored) wins?
As for the debate on hand, a lot of problems with the Unnatural stat seems to come from how it's viewed as opposed to what it dose.
I view them as icing on a stat cake, a fuel injector on the v-8 that is the stat. It's just an extra bit of oomph to give the number a little extra edge to it that is a bit beyond normal. The stat it's self is still the important indicative marker of what the stat means in relation to others. A Str 30 (x2) is just a bit better then a str 30 (x1) but is not as defined nor strong as a Str 40; it just has an extra bit of punch that most 30's (and even 40's) don't have. It's an unpredictable boost and the more of it there is the more strange it seems. It's like a skinny crazy kid tweaked out on PCP who takes 5 cops to restrain despite being scrawny.
If you were needing a massive muscle bound giant (say an Ogryn) then they would first off need a high str to represent this. If you need them to have an odd extra punch to the muscles, give them the unnatural trait, but it's just icing to add kick. An Ogryn with str 65 seems about right. That is the human maximum, and by that I mean a human from the strongest types of people on a feral world who was born the strongest that he/she could possibly be born (got a 20 for str) then worked to be the biggest strongest person they could possibly be (bought all 4 strength increases). If that's what an Ogryn is naturally without having to be so all fired special like the human and have to work at it as hard as the human, well, it seems about right to me. On top of that, they have unnatural strength with is just icing on the cake.
Granted, that dose leave the door pen for some odd results such as a str 15 human winning an opposed roll against the 65 str monster, but that is there whether you have unnatural characteristics or not. It's a small flaw in the system it's self and only exists if the GM allows it to. Simply calling for the need of multiple DoS in an opposed test (such as arm wrestling) will help iron out odd fluke results. If they had to roll until one of them got 5 DoS, the chances of skinny str 15 winning will suddenly fall through the floor. A 55 human would still stand an even chance of winning (without counting in the Ogryns unnatural strength), but then again, some massive monstrously muscled out fella like that deserves a chance to win an arm wrestling match with an Ogryn.
If, however, you need it to be some huge 20 foot tall monstrosity, then I don't think any amount of unnatural strength is going to model it. It needs a massive stable base to work from, one above 100. That's the only way such would make sense.
Dose it actually state anywhere in the published materials that no state anywhere can ever go above 100?