Help with complex macros

i'm trying to program a macro to simulate the old d6 west end games system (or mini-six, which is the current free version) i'm using /roll (?{how many dice?}-1)d6 +(1d6!) which to me feels super advanced. it prompts you to see how many dice you want and then rolls those dice, only one of which it automatically turns into an exploding die. now it seems to me, from what i understand of programming that there should be some way to classify the wild die as separate, some way to label the wild die and then some-way to write a macro script so that IF the wild die comes up a 1, it doesn't explode, and then a second script so that if it comes up as a 1 it also subtracts the highest die value from the full roll. i feel like this should be possible, but i don't for the life of me understand how to do it. any help?

to do everything you ask for there would require the api(mentor level only). you can set the exploding point with > or < and a number like this /roll (?{how many dice?}-1)d6 +(1d6!>2) that will explode on anything higher than a 2, the problem is it keeps exploding until you roll a 1. if you only want it to explode on a max roll then your original works just fine. to make it a little more tidy you can put everything in inline rolls like so /roll [[(?{how many dice?}-1)d6]] +[[1d6!]] and get just the numbers instead of all the rolls individually. then you can mouse over the boxes to see what exactly was rolled if you need to subtract the highest roll from the first set.

and to write an api, i'd need to know how to actually code, yes? i'm holding off on subscribing until i can actually determine what i'd use.

yes, you would need to know actual coding.

thanks "Roger A." you've been a huge help :)

You would need to know how to code, as Roger mentioned, but there are also a large collection of API scripts that people have already written and share up in the API forums. Modifying an existing script is infinately easier than writing a new one from scratch, yourself.

The API regulars are also usually happy to help write you something. If it's a simple script, you can probably ask for it and get a full working response. If it's complicated, you obviously won't be able to get something instantly, but the idea might spark someone's interest and turn it into a project.