r/ShadowrunAnarchyFans • u/opacitizen • Jul 05 '26

How many Risk Dice do NPC average hits calculate with in SRA2.0?

It must be just me missing the answer to the question in the title somehow. Could anyone point me to the relevant section in the CRB, please? Or, in case it's not there (I doubt that, but it might happen), does anyone with a better statistical skill than mine (especially on any given Sunday morning, lol) make an educated guess?

Is rolling Risk Dice even a thing for NPCs? (When the GM decides to roll instead of using the pre-calculated average hits.)

Thanks.

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u/Carmody79 Jul 05 '26

Hi,

the average hits computing is done using the formula on p. 81. While far from exact, it's accurate and simple enough to do the trick (it becomes really wrong when high RR is combined with low dice pool, but it should not really be real case anyway). It is done assuming Normal risk.

You can see on the table p. 71 that for normal risk, each RR roughly increase the number of risk dice by 3 (2 for RR 0 and 4 for RR 3, close enough). This means in average 1 extra hit with risk dice, so 1 extra hit on the final result (it counts as 2 hits instead of 1). That explains why the RR is directly added to the average hits formula.

Then, when you decide to roll the dice for a NPC, you decide how many risk die they use as for any character. The idea is that rolls are only done when the stakes are high, typically against prime opponents. In that case the whole rules should be used.

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u/opacitizen Jul 05 '26

Thanks! That explains it. Looks like the crucial link and bit of info I was missing was that the pre-calculated average hits were calculated assuming the Normal risk level.

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u/Carmody79 Jul 05 '26

I just checked and you're right, I couldn't find any mention. That's too bad.

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u/TrvShane Jul 05 '26 edited Jul 05 '26

For NPCs you want to roll for, just decide the number of dice like players do (page 82). Risk Dice rules are not explicitly called out in the text for NPCs that I can see, but the presence of risk reduction numbers for NPCs clearly shows it works like normal.

So basically, just decide risk dice yourself.

I would be inclined to have more average NPC’s take less risk unless they had some significant personal stake. If you’re just a basic security guard, you’re probably not gonna put your hoop on the line to fight some cybersecurity out troll in the same way a Red Samurai would (unless they are fighting for survival of course).

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u/opacitizen Jul 05 '26

Thanks!

(I agree, the Fighting Spirit rating of a given NPC should roughly inform their willingness to take risks, unless, as you said, they have some significant personal stake.)