This section requires more work.
+Modifiers are any attribute of a Character which increases or decreases their chance of passing a Check.
For example: skills, damage, buff and debuff effects, etc.
+ Modifier names define the 'scope' they are relevant in. +
+Sources are anything which can provide Modifiers to a Character.
For example: items, buffs and debuffs, or the Character themselves.
Modifiers are any attribute of a Character which increases or decreases their chance of passing a check.
For example: skills, damage, buffs and debuffs, etc.
This section requires more work.
+ +This section requires more work.
+
+ Each Campaign can impose limits on which Characters can participate.
+
+ The common means to do so are detailed below.
+
This implementation is somewhat inelegant and is likely to change.
+This section requires more work, specifically better detail levels, and some character-sheet examples.
+ +
+ Balance is the current points spent improving a Character.
+
+
+ It starts at zero, and can go negative.
+
+
+ Any Modifier or Source which is intended as a permanent part of a Character counts towards Balance.
+
+
+ This includes everything the Player chooses.
+
+
+ Modifiers contribute their total value to Balance, meaning the sum of their + and - values. +
+ ++ Some Sources can also contribute to Balance, which are usually custom packages of Modifiers, such as racials. These are usually defined alongside a Balance-cost. +
+ ++ On the Character Sheet, a Modifier or Source which contributes towards Balance can be marked with a letter b at the end of the line to make this easier to track. +
++ Sources with a custom Balance-contibution can be marked as, for example b+4 or b-2 for plus 4 and minus 2 Balance respectively. +
+
+ The Storyteller should set a Balance limit for each campaign.
+
+ If a Character's Balance exceeds that limit, they are not allowed to participate in the Campaign.
+
The recommended default limit is 25.
+ +This section requires more work.
+ ++ Cognia is a measure of the mental weight required to include this Character in a campaign accurately. +
+ +Balanced-for Modifiers and Sources with - values increase Cognia (1 per Modifier/Source).
+ +
+ The Storyteller may set a Cognia limit for each campaign.
+
+ If a Character's Cognia exceeds that limit, they are not allowed to participate in the Campaign.
+
It is recommended to start with a conservative Cognia limit of 2 per Character.
+ +- Modifier names define the 'scope' they are relevant in. +
+ Anything a Character can attempt to do, but might not complete successfully is a Task.
+
+ Tasks are usually used with Checks, and don't need to be recorded otherwise.
+
+ Most Tasks are implicit, are communicated as part of a Check, are Ephemeral, and only have a Workload rating.
+
+ For more advanced Tasks, such as a long project, it may be worth communicating the Task explicitly.
+
+ Tasks are recorded as Sources, and defined by the following information: +
+ The Workload of a task is the total Progress required to complete it.
++ The Storyteller may choose to tell Players the Workload, especially if the Character would be able to ascertain it. +
+Sources are anything which can provide Modifiers to a Character.
For example: items, enchantments, or the Character themselves.
+ Ephemeral Tasks either Succeed or Fail as soon as they are progressed.
+
+ Most Tasks are Ephemeral.
+
+ Ephemeral Tasks don't usually need to be recorded.
+
+ Persistent Tasks can exist in a partially-completed state, and can be progressed by multiple Checks over time. +
+ ++ A Task's Complexity Rating is the minimum Success Rating required to make any progress in it. +
+
+ For example, for a Task with a Complexity of 6, if a Check to progress the Task has a Success Rating of 5, no progress is made.
+
+ If the Success Rating is 6, then 6 progress is made.
+
+ First, run a Check for the Character, to determine the Success Rating in this Task. +
++ If the Success Rating is greater than or equal to the Task's Complexity, add the Success Rating to the Task's Progress. +
++ If the Progress is greater than or equal to the Workload, the Task completes. +
+ ++ As the Progress of a Task approaches the required amount, a less-than-total conclusion can be reached, ending the Task. +
++ This is at the Storyteller's discretion, but should not be done if the Player wants to fully complete the Task. +
+ +Whenever a Character may fail at something they are trying to do, run a Check.
+Whenever a Character may fail at something they are trying to do, run a Check.
+Checks are usually run to determine the level of success a Character has at a Task.
-The Storyteller determines a Difficulty, usually between 1 and 10. @@ -420,16 +647,29 @@
The Storyteller may choose to tell Players the difficulty, especially if the Character would be able to ascertain it.
+
+ The Storyteller may choose to use a range of values, allowing partial success.
+
+ This is called Gradient Difficulty.
+
+
+ For example, a Check might give a better result with a Success Rating of 3 than with 1, even though 6 is required for a complete success.
+
+
This section requires more work.
+This section requires more work, particularly in presentation.
Find Modifiers which are relevant to this Check.
+
+ Use the highest Modifier per source, one for positive, one for negative.
+
+
The Storyteller determines whether Modifiers are relevant.
@@ -483,30 +723,23 @@
This section requires more work.
- The Character may choose to improve their chances by rolling any number of 6-sided dice.
+ The Character may choose to improve their chances by rolling 6-sided dice.
If the Storyteller agrees, any RNG method the Storyteller can see can be used.
- Thematically, the number of rolls represents exertion, and the roll results represent luck. -
-- Any roll can be discarded at the cost of taking 1 Stress Damage. -
- -
- If any of the non-discarded rolls are 1, the Character Blunders this Check.
+ If two 1's are rolled in a single check, no further rolls are allowed, and the result is a Catastrophic Failure.
- Check the Blunder section below.
+
+ This incurs a major detrimental narrative side-effect, unless none are applicable.
+
- Otherwise, the Character chooses one of their results: + Otherwise, using the most recent roll, apply the given effect:
| 6 | @@ -533,106 +766,109 @@⚁ | No Effect | |
| 1 | ⚀ | -Blunder | +Simple Failure |
- Roll a 6-sided di. -
- --
| 6 | -⚅ | -Bypass this Blunder for free, as if you had taken 1 Stress Damage to discard it | -
| 5 | -⚄ | -Simple failure | -
| 4 | -⚃ | -Moderate undesired side-effect | -
| 3 | -⚂ | -Severe undesired side-effect | -
| 2 | -⚁ | -Very severe undesired side-effect | -
| 1 | -⚀ | -
- Cosmic Blunder
- - Roll another 6-sided di. - - Every roll produces undesired side-effects which can originate from or affect anything in the universe. - - The effect is worse the lower the roll result. - |
-
+
The Success Rating is compared to the Difficulty, and if it is greater or equal, the Challenge is successful, otherwise it fails.
+
+ The Storyteller determines the outcome by comparing the Success Rating to the Difficulty.
+
+ The result can be failure, partial success, or complete success.
+
+ The Success Rating of this Check can now be used, including to progress a Task. +
+This section requires more work.
+Vigour may be renamed, likely to "Cohesion" or "Stability".
+Keep track of a Modifier called "Vigour", which starts at zero, and applies to all Checks.
+ +This section requires more work.
+When a Character enters a comfortable situation, coming from a tense or hazardous one, they gain 1-3 Vigour depending on the level of comfort.
+ +This section requires more work.
+When Vigour gets low enough, the Character collapses, and cannot take actions.
+ +This section requires more work.
+At any time, a Character can spend 1 Vigour, to "switch focus" to a new Modifier named at their choice, which has +2.
+ +This section requires more work.
- -This section requires more work.
- -This section requires more work.
- -This section requires more work.
- -This section requires more work.
This section's title should be improved.
+This section requires more work.
+ +This section requires more work.
+ This is intended for Characters with human-like sensory systems, in Campaigns running at relevant timescales. +
+ ++ If a Character is confronted by a sudden change of circumstances for which they need to gather information using their senses in preparation for a potential reaction, the Storyteller can initiate an Instant Reaction. +
+ ++ An example of an Instant Reaction scenario is opening a door whilst expecting combat. +
+ +
+ The Player is told what they can sense in the first tenth of a second.
+
+ This will usually be very vague and general information about shapes, layout, etc.
+
+ The Player can either choose to act instantly on the limited information, or wait a tiny bit longer for much more detailed information.
+
+ The delay should be half a second for humans, and an equivalent time for different Characters.
+
+ Players are naturally motivated to remember Modifiers with + values, but not so for the - values. Given this, the Storyteller needs to always remember which Modifiers may apply, not just during Checks but during any interaction to which the Modifier might be relevant. +
++ A Campaign with 5 Player-Characters, each of whom have 3 Negative Modifiers, would require the Storyteller to reliably remember 15 Modifiers at all times. This would be difficult, and thus this mechanism helps regulate this potential excess. +
+