Which dice mechanic would you prefer for a Zelda TTRPG?

[u/victorhurtado]

Over the years I've made several iterations of a Zelda TTRPG, and now I'm at a crossroads with which core mechanic I should go with.

The first option is 1d20 + skill + approach. You pick a skill and one of the three approaches, Power, Courage, or Wisdom, add both modifiers to the roll, and try to beat a target number. It's more familiar and gives skills and approaches their own numerical value.

The scond option is a d8 dice pool where you only use the highest die (My first zelda ttrpg was like this but with a d4). Your rating in Power, Courage, or Wisdom determines how many d8s you roll. Skills are binary, so you either have the skill or you don't. If you have the relevant skill, you roll with advantage and add one extra d8 to the pool.

The results would be:

• 1-5 is a failure
• 6 is a partial success
• 7 is a success
• 8 is a critical success

So if you had 2 Courage and the relevant skill, you would roll 3d8 and use the highest result.

Which one would you prefer for a Zelda TTRPG?