Savage Worlds is a generic RPG from Pinnacle Entertainment Group. The core values of the system are explicitly stated as, "Fast! Furious! and Fun!"
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As a GM, how does one deal with all of the players playing nearly identical characters?
I'm running a Deadlands campaign with players who come entirely from D&D and have never played Savage Worlds before. All five people in the group have made nearly identical characters ...
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5answers
2k views
What are the things every Savage Worlds player should know?
I'm playing in my first savage worlds next week, and I have no idea what the system is like. What should I know going in?
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4answers
737 views
How do you plan Savage Worlds combats based on PC ability?
Last night I ran my first Savage Worlds combat, to try to get a feel for the system. The combatants were two sword-wielding fighting men against three orcs (extras) and their chieftain (a wild card). ...
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4answers
645 views
How to reduce Whiff & Ping
In Savage World there is a problem of Whiff (I miss) and Ping (I hit but bounce off the armour).
We have had several long combat encounters where the PC and NPC have basically done almost nothing for ...
15
votes
2answers
313 views
What happens when you deal damage with a raise but the victim is already shaken?
Let's say a wild card foe gets shaken (either through damage or other means). Per the rules, if she gets "shaken again" through successful damage, she gets a wound instead (and remains shaken).
What ...
15
votes
1answer
254 views
Does a magic weapon's bonus increase Parry as well as Fighting?
So the lovely DM gave out a magic sword, which my character has gobbled up. Let's say the weapon is +1/+1, meaning I get +1 to Fighting and +1 to Damage. Since Fighting is intrinsically tied to ...
13
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5answers
672 views
Downtuning lethality in Savage Worlds
My groups go-to system is Savage Worlds, and it works pretty well for our needs. But the system uses exploding dice, and that means that sometimes a casual encounter that should be a cakewalk for the ...
13
votes
2answers
375 views
Can you fire a double barrelled shotgun at two different targets in one action?
In Savage Worlds a Double Barrelled Shotgun has a Rate of Fire of 1 or 2. Under the descriptive text is says that you can fire both Barrels together and roll to hit twice. One of my player wanted to ...
12
votes
2answers
423 views
Does an Edge require you to take a Hindrance?
I'm looking at the Savage Worlds Test Drive and it provides a list of Hindrances and Edges. Do I have to take an equivalent Hindrance for each Edge or do I get some Edges for free?
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4answers
441 views
How can one prevent the gadgeteer edge in Savage Worlds from becoming overpowered without banning or nerfing it into oblivion?
According to the text in the Deluxe Edition of Savage Worlds, the Gadgeteer edge available to weird scientists (WS) allows a player to indefinitely accumulate devices at a rate of one per session, ...
12
votes
2answers
296 views
When a skill has a flat bonus, does that apply to the Wild Die as well?
I recently played an expert surgeon with the Healer trait and Professional Healer. That meant I rolled 1d12+3 for healing checks.
So if I rolled my check as d12 (skill) and d6 (wild) and I rolled a ...
11
votes
6answers
329 views
Group Stealth Rolls
The rules says that when a group is sneaking up to another group, both sides get a Group Roll. There are two sorts of group rolls. The NPCs one where you roll once with their skill die and treat the ...
11
votes
5answers
252 views
In combats that take two sessions, what about the Bennies refresh?
Sometimes combat can last a long time. If a long combat happens in Savage World, so long, say, that it can't be completed in one session. Should the players get new Bennies at the start of the next ...
11
votes
4answers
452 views
How to challenge legendary characters?
As characters get to Legendary in Savage World (Fantasy) they abilities soon seem to out class the Powers the creatures have. For example, most powers are saved with a attribute, say Agility, if you ...
11
votes
3answers
294 views
What is the “average human” stat for Savage Worlds?
I just started running Savage Worlds (SW:EX) and ran into a minor issue on my first session. The SW:EX book says in the Character Creation section that an average human has a d6 for any given stat. ...
11
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1answer
409 views
Can running dice explode?
In Savage Worlds you run by rolling a d6 + your pace for movement. Can this d6 ace (otherwise known as explode)?
11
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3answers
765 views
Is the Wizard in Savage Worlds too powerful?
I have a long running fantasy campaign with Savage Worlds and I wonder if the Arcane Background (Magic) is too powerful. The wizard can quickly overwhelm the fighter types with the ease that they hit ...
10
votes
5answers
342 views
Aced d4s vs skill development in Savage Worlds
Is there errata covering aced rolls when skills are at low levels vs higher?
I've heard of players staying at rudimentary skill in order to reward themselves with aced rolls more frequently than ...
10
votes
3answers
261 views
Sword and Spell Casting?
If a Wizard has a Rapier in one hand and then casts a spell, do they get the off hand penalty?
That is do they have to use there other hand to cast the spell.
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votes
2answers
453 views
How can characters with low Fighting and Shooting contribute in combat?
I've run a few rounds of Savage Worlds, and I like the quick character generation and minimal bookkeeping. I'm a little frustrated with a phenomenon which is hardly unique to the system: in combat, ...
10
votes
3answers
535 views
How are Magic Items created in Savage Worlds?
In the Savage Worlds Fantasy Companion there is an Alchemist that can create a limited number of potions up to their power points. Unless there is a special Edge (like Wizard) there is no way for ...
10
votes
1answer
116 views
Where are the snapfire rules?
On the weapons table, I see references to snapfire (for instance, the Barrett .50 lists it). I could not find any explanation of what it means in terms of game mechanics.
Can anyone point me to the ...
10
votes
3answers
337 views
Savage Worlds Edges for bodyguard-type fighters
I'm looking for Edges/Hindrances to allow a player to play a character who focuses on defending other characters. We don't use miniature combat a lot (thus far they've been fairly small), and I don't ...
10
votes
2answers
128 views
Can you use a Power to do Suppressive Fire?
Can Powers be used for Suppressive Fire? For example, can you cast a Bolt Power to do Suppressive Fire on an area?
10
votes
1answer
201 views
Does a skill at d4-2 count for the wild die too?
I've seen that with skills with a +x bonus, it applies to both the skill die and the wild die. How about if you have an untrained skill at d4-2. Does the -2 also apply to your wild die?
10
votes
3answers
179 views
Do powers (especially miracles) require concentration?
A character that goes Berserk...
cannot use any skills, Edges, or maneuvers that require concentration,
including Shooting and Taunt, but not Intimidation
How does this affect the use of ...
10
votes
1answer
288 views
What is the recent edition history for Savage Worlds and major differences between them?
I'm new to Savage Worlds and using the "Explorer's Edition" that came out in 2007-2008(?), usually abbreviated "SW:EX".
Can anyone briefly summarize the edition history of SW for the last few years, ...
9
votes
2answers
246 views
Savage Worlds wild dice and attacking with two weapons
If you use 2 swords in Savage Worlds, do you get a wild die for each attack in one round, or do you just get one for the main hand attack and none for the offhand? I know it would be the same kind of ...
9
votes
1answer
213 views
Arcane Background: Backlash on a roll on “1”?
A lot of the Arcane Backgrounds something happens on a roll of '1' on your Spellcasting die. I originally read this to mean that only if your total was a natural '1', i.e. your first roll was a ...
9
votes
1answer
98 views
How do vehicle critical hits work?
On page 101 of Savage Worlds Deluxe is a table for critical hits when dealing with vehicles. However, I can't find what would cause you to roll on this table. How do critical hits on vehicles work?
8
votes
3answers
317 views
How would you mechanically model the effect of spraying a CO₂ fire extinguisher in someones face?
I have a scenario where it is likely that one of the PCs will be using a CO2 fire extinguisher as an offensive weapon. I need to come up with how this would work mechanically using Savage Worlds.
...
8
votes
2answers
215 views
Using a Rapier in your Off Hand?
You get a +1 to Parry using a Rapier. If you hold a Rapier in your Off Hand do you still get the +1 to Parry?
8
votes
4answers
175 views
Messing with the Wild Die?
I'm planning on running a post-apocalyptic setting for my Savage Worlds campaign, and one thing I want to do is to make Wild Cards have less of an advantage over the average inhabitant of the ...
8
votes
3answers
256 views
Savage Worlds Bestiary Toughness
I have noticed that some creatures in the bestiary have a second number along side their toughness. IE: Toughness: 9 (2). What is the second number from? Armor? Size Modifier?
8
votes
2answers
186 views
Savage Worlds Incapacitated Vigor Test
When you become incapacitated you are supposed to make a vigor roll – is this roll subject to wound penalties?
I am inclined to say yes, but to me it seems too lethal.
8
votes
3answers
691 views
What happened to Adventure Cards?
I kept seeing references to adventure cards and the adventure deck, then I noticed PEG used to sell a deck of adventure cards. Lots of people seemed to like it, but I can't find it for sale anymore.
...
8
votes
1answer
137 views
What size is Savage Worlds Kerberos Club?
Is the Savage Worlds edition of The Kerberos Club sized the same as the Explorer Edition and Superpowers Companion, or is it a more traditional 8.5"x11" sized book?
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votes
1answer
523 views
Advice on converting a D&D adventure to Savage Worlds Fantasy
Are there any useful rules, tips or suggestions for converting a D&D adventure to Savage Worlds with the Fantasy Companion?
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votes
3answers
217 views
Can I use a barrier power to create a bridge?
If you have a pit of fire or lava, is there any reason to not allow the barrier power to be used to create a bridge over it?
7
votes
2answers
232 views
What happens when an Extra is Incapacitated but survives?
Tonight in my Savage Worlds (Explorer Edition) game, several of the bad guys, all Extras, were shot, took damage exceeding their Toughness, and were put out of the fight--which I believe is ...
7
votes
1answer
133 views
Face cards or better?
In the Savage Worlds RPG I have seen the phase "Face cards or better".
Does this mean Joker and or Aces as well as Jack, Queen and King?
Is this defined anywhere in the rule book?
7
votes
2answers
94 views
Does Full Defense assume you're also Defending?
The Full Defense action is, mechanically, somewhat unreliable compared to the Defend action: Defend gives you a straight +2 Parry, while Full Defense lets you roll Fighting+2 to set your Parry. Since ...
7
votes
3answers
124 views
How do Berzerk and Shaken interact?
If a character with the Berzerk edge takes damage and goes berzerk, they cannot perform any actions that require concentration. Is the Spirit test to recover from being Shaken considered to be a task ...
7
votes
2answers
318 views
Multiple-arms and ambidextrous?
In an effort to cheese out a high-powered game, we've allowed the race builder from SW Deluxe. One of the characters is a 4-armed gunslinger. We're trying to figure out the penalties to shooting 4 ...
7
votes
1answer
102 views
What happens to my caster roll when maintaining a power that targets 5?
In Savage World, every 1 Power you maintain is a -1 to your casting roll. If I have a power that targets 5 (and which requires maintaining), is it considered as maintaining 1 power or 5 powers?
7
votes
1answer
222 views
What if two mages use the “beast friend” spell on the same creature?
What happens if a second mage attempts to "Beast Friend" a creature that has already been "Beast Friend"-ed by another mage?
7
votes
1answer
62 views
Savage Worlds: Safety Harnesses and Airbags?
So I just got Savage Worlds (Deluxe Edition) last night, and in true form, I started a cover-to-cover read, basically just hitting everything on the way through. It's all been pretty clear throughout, ...
7
votes
1answer
186 views
How to create a new Ray Gun with Weird Science?
If a character with the Arcane Background (Weird Science) edge takes a new Power, say Bolt, do they need to roll a skill check to create their Ray Gun?
7
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1answer
280 views
One-sheet Savage Worlds adventures: do they only require the core rules?
Do the one-sheet Savage Worlds adventures only require the core rules, or do they generally use some setting-specific rules?
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4answers
162 views
Can Arcane Powers be used with double action?
Is there anything preventing someone with Arcane Background from using two Powers in one turn, taking a -2 penalty to each cast attempt?
Using Powers
As an action, a character may use a ...
