Post originally by Constantine at 2003-04-23 11:34:49
Converted from Phorums BB System

I agree.

The EML or skill chance in Basic Roleplaying games like Cthulhu or RQ, are reflections of your overall capability. Modifiers can be applied to reflect extremes of circumstance, but its usually not necessary.

For example a character with 05% in Climb is likely to lack the strength, confidence and agility needed to climb anything more adventurous than a very secure step ladder. If he is unwise enough to make the attempt, then a skill roll will, 95% of the time, go against him. There's no need to apply additional modifiers, and therefore no requirement for bell-curve distribution. Its the EML that's the important mechanic: not the type of dice used to resolve it.

Where a skill is being matched against a target number, and where the skill and resolution ranges are low in scale (typical in systems that use d6 for resolution), then yes, bell curve distribution plays a greater part. In a d100 environment it is much less important.