August Radiance Thread

[Oedipussy Rex]

Monsters don't bother with skills. If a monster needs, and has the intelligence, to perform some action, it performs the action whether it has the relevant skill or not. Because it doesn't. Because monsters do not bother with skills. It's a monster and the GM has more important shit to do than waste time and energy keeping track of which hobgoblin has the tracking skill and which has observation and if this one can tie knots well or if that one has the culinary skills to perfectly slow roast a leg of lamb with garlic, thyme, rosemary, and dijon to an internal temperature of 130° and serve with a chilled watercress yogurt soup. All monsters can track and see and fight and even serve up gustatorial delights when such skills are necessary.
When monsters perform a skill, which they don't have, they roll "full" pools, so instead of some cumbersome notation like, "Brawn: 20 (d8), Stamina: 15 (4 dice)," we'll just use "Br/St: 4d8."

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Ranged Weapons (Combat, Cost: 2CP)
Needless to say, although I will, all dice in a ranged weapon's pool can be used only for the attack. All ranged attacks are against the Defense with only shields (and magic) being able to reduce damage, but the defending character needs to be aware of the attack and facing the right way to defend. Characters cannot "slap away" attacks. It may look cool on the screen, but we're dealing with the real world here -- populated with orcs and dragons. Shut up.

Ranged weapons have three ranges of affect, short, medium, and long, where each subsequent range is double the range of the previous. For each range beyond short, the an additional Success is required.

Attack pools from ranged weapons on a single target can be combined.

Weapon - Short Range in feet
Atlatl 300
Axe, Throwing 30
Big Frickin' Rock 20
Blowgun[1] 30
Blowgun, Hunting[1] 45
Boomerang[1][2]
Crossbow, Heavy[3][4] 240
Crossbow, Light[3][4] 180
Dagger, Throwing 25
Dart, Military 30
Great Bow, Flight Arrows[5] 240
Great Bow, Sheaf Arrows[5][6] 210
Hammer 30
Harpoon 30
Javelin 60
Longbow, Flight Arrows[5] 210
Longbow, Sheaf Arrows[5][6] 150
Shortbow 150
Sling, Bullet[5] 150
Sling, Stone[5] 120
Spear 30
Tankard, Empty[7] 10
Tankard, Full[7] 15

[1]Weapon Skill need only be taken once, not for each variation.
[2]Every boomerang has a fixed flight distance that before returning. They're like harmonicas that way. If you want to play "Born Under a Bad Sign," don't use a C Harmonica, and if you want to hit something 90 feet away, don't use a 40-foot boomerang.
[3]Only costs 1 BP to add a d4.
[4]Can only be fired every other round in combat.
[5]Different types of ammunition do not require a new skill.
[6]The target's Defense is considered 1 lower when sheaf arrows are used.
[7]Cannot take as a skill.

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Tumble - Finesse - Control falls, minimizing harm. Armor worn can affect the required number of Successes.

Leather +0
Scale +1
Banded +2
Chain +2
Brigandine +1
Plate +3

Falling Damage
Roll Tumble for every full 10' fallen. The target number is dependent on the landing surface. The number of Successes required is 1 for the first 10', 2 for the second 10', 3 for the third, etc., to a maximum of 10 for the tenth and each additional 10' of the fall. Example: falling 30' requires rolling to get 1 Success for the first 10', rolling again to get 2 Successes for the second 10', and rolling a third time to get 3 Successes for the last 10'. For each Success not achieved, the falling character takes a Wound. Successes in excess of the required number only carry over if the number is sufficient for Full Success for the next 10'.

Surface TN
Bramble/Briar 5
Dirt/Grass 4
Gravel 6
Mud 3
Sand 4
Spikes 7
Stone 8
Water 2

-A 30' fall onto gravel while wearing brigandine has a TN 6 requiring rolls of 2, 3, and 4 Successes. The first roll results in six Successes, which is a Full Success for the first two checks. A roll is not needed for the second check. The third check (second roll) gives only one Success and the character takes 3 Wounds.


Dropping/Diving
Falls are involuntary; drops/dives are intentional. Roll Tumble in the same manner as falling but for every 20' instead of 10', ignoring the first 10'. Also reduce the Target Number for a Success by 1. When diving, the water must be at least 10' deep for every full 30' of the dive, otherwise it is considered a headfirst fall for the difference.

-Butch and Sundance "dive" 130' into a 20' deep river. The river is 20' too shallow, so the plunge is considered a dive for the first 70' and a fall for the last 60'. They need 1 Success on a TN 1 for the first 30' of the dive, 2 Successes down to 50', and 3 Successes for the rest of the dive. Then they need 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 Successes on a TN 2 for the subsequent six checks on Tumble for the last 60' of their plummet. Had they been wearing  chain armor, they would need an additional 2 Successes on each roll to avoid taking any damage.

[Oedipussy Rex]

Calling in my bonus.

Fatigue: The number of Turns a character can perform a strenuous task is the character's |Stamina|. After this point must rest or suffer a penalty to further skill rolls of an increase of all Target Numbers by 1, cumulative. Also, for each +1 of fatigue, decrease the number of Turns between fatigue "checks" by 1. Full rest for a number of Turns equal to the fatigue penalty is required to alleviate the penalty by 1.

- A +3 fatigue penalty requires six Turns of full rest to eliminate the penalty, but only three Turns are necessary to drop it to +2. 

The Turn in question is the longest time frame to create the fatigue. If all fatigue was from combat then Combat Turns are needed to recover. But if combat was preceded by a forced march, then Travel Turns worth of rest are needed to recover, even if the march only accounts for 1 point of penalty.

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Definition
Full Success: Rolling as many Successes as are required for a task.

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Ambush - Finesse - For each Success, gain a free attack. Used only before combat starts against an opponent that is either unaware of the character or does not have a drawn weapon. TN: opponent's |Intellect|+|Finesse|.

Culinary Arts - Knowledge - Mmmmm, food. Characters not only know how to cook, but also which varieties, what parts, of foodstuffs are edible. For example, tomatoes are edible, the rest of the plant is not, and shiitake mushrooms are good while death caps are appropriately named. Choose a cuisine.

Current Affairs - Knowledge - Keep informed of recent power dynamics, military campaigns, as well as general scuttlebutt. Specialize in the region and class in which the character has associated primarily for at least a month. Specialization can change throughout a character's career.

Dodge - Finesse - Avoid getting hit by stuff. In combat, you can dodge or you can fight. You cannot do both.

The TN in mêlée combat is the opponent's |Brawn|+|Finesse|+R(Weapon) needing a number of Successes equal to the number of the Successes of the attack. Failure to fully Succeed results in full damage from the attack. If attacked by multiple opponent's use the largest stats value of the opponents to determine the TN. If the number of Successes for the Dodge roll matches the largest number of Successes for the opponents, that attack is successfully dodged, and each additional Success dodges another opponent's attack regardless the number of Successes the opponent has.

Outside combat, the TN and required number of Successes varies by situation.

Success Adjustment by Armor
Armor     Successes
Leather 0
Scale +1
Banded +1
Chain +2
Brigandine +1
Plate +3

Forgery - Finesse - The character is able to make convincing copies of items, whether paintings, documents, handwriting, currency, haute couture, etc.

Orate - Finesse - Sway crowds or an individual with the power of persuasive speech. Can be used as a call to action or to induce an emotional response.

Plant Lore/Herbalism - Finesse - Better than Culinary Arts for knowing the usefulness and dangers of plants. Far worse for making a cheese soufflé.

Poison Lore - Finesse - Herbalism may let you know which plants are toxic, but Poison Lore has this plus more, including knowledge of animal venoms, chemical poisons, which poisons kill, which only induce sleep, antidotes, how to create/distill/extract poisons, how to deliver/administer, etc. The skill also allows the character to identify what type of poison was used examining its affects.

Ride - Finesse - Anyone can ride a mount from point A to point B. This skill is for the tricky stuff like jumping, dressage, or the only memorable scene in The Man from Snowy River.

Search - Finesse - A hands-on skill requiring feeling around, moving things, and touching. You Observe a draft disturbing dust. You search for a latch to for a secret door.

Trip Attack - Combat - TN: Opponent's Defense+|Finesse|, Successes: Opponent's attack Successes. A Trip Attack is an attack, delivering damage as usual, and is defended against like a normal attack. When attempting a Trip Attack, no dice may be used for parry. If the attack is Fully Successful, the opponent is tripped and must spend the next Turn getting up. Attacks on fallen opponents are against Defense plus any magical bonuses they may have. Opponents may attempt a Tumble check on the their next Turn to be able to use a shield in defense with TN: |Successes of Trip Attack|, Successes: 4. Trip Attack can only be used against two-legged opponents.

[Oedipussy Rex]

History - Knowledge - Choose society/region/era. Knowledge of who succeeded whom, which defeat what, why which went where, etc. The historian doesn't deal with legends except insofar as there is documentation and (likely) reliable sources. King Arthur would be considered an entertaining story, but King Henry VIII is a topic to be studied. The historian also has the skills to research a topic provided the proper resources and time.

Listen - Finesse - A focused sense of hearing to listen in on a conversation, determine the number of monsters at the end of a corridor, etc. The skill isn't used to detect something unusual; the character must have some sound on whichb to focus. The proper response to "I listen," is, "For what are you listening?" Correct usage would be, "I'm listening at the door to hear if there is a noise coming from the other side." Or if the character is certain of being followed in the woods, "I listen for the snap of a twig or branch." A Listen check is used to determine if that whisper-like noise is actual words or just the breeze blowing through the leaves.

Loot - Finesse - Grab all the good stuff even if hidden, like under a loose floor board, or in a hollow table leg. The looter knows all the possible hiding spots and can make a quick determination of what is valuable and what isn't.

Observation - Finesse - Detect or sense things of note or are obscured. The skill uses more than just sight. An Observation check can reveal the smell of rot under a heavy scent of lilacs, feel tiny protuberances on a table top, hear that whisper-like noise, savor that bitter almond flavor in the moments before death.

Set Trap - Finesse - The player determines how complex (TN) a trap is and rolls to determine how successfully the trap was set. The Target Number to detect a trap is the same as used to set it.
If you can set a trap, you can disarm a trap. Using the same TN, a disarm check must roll the same number of Successes as were rolled in setting of the trap. If not fully successful, any 1s rolled in the check indicate the character set the trap off and was caught in it.

[Oedipussy Rex]

If not fully successful, any 1s rolled in the check indicate the character set the trap off and was caught in it.

What? No. No.

NO.

That's no good. Sure, let's make it more likely that characters will get caught in traps the more skilled they become.

Disgraceful.

If not fully successful, if the number of 1s rolled is greater than the number of Successes rolled in the check then the character set off the trap and was caught in it, otherwise the trap was not disarmed and the character cannot attempt another disarm until the pool has been improved.

Setting and disarming traps allows multiple rolls for as long as a roll results in a Success.

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Multiple Rolls for Skills: When allowed for a skill, as long as a roll results in a Success, additional rolls of the pool are allowed, excluding any dice that rolled 1. For purposes of earning Character Points, only the initial roll of the pool is considered.

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Animal Call – Finesse – Mimic the calls of animals of the character's size or smaller.

Berserk – Brawn – The character ignores all damage in combat for one Turn for each Success of the roll, after which all damage upon the character is assessed.

Bluff – Finesse – Deceive others as to your intent or abilities. TN: Opponent’s |Intellect|, Successes: Opponent’s |Knowledge|/2, round up. Multiple rolls allowed.

Haggle – Finesse – To bargain over the price or value of goods or services. The skill only works with those who are willing to haggle: a merchant at market is inclined to haggle; a ferryman isn’t. Both sides roll on Haggle with a TN of the other’s |Intellect| then compare the number of Successes. The side with more Successes has the advantage, the greater the difference, the greater the advantage. The player may quit at any time, paying or receiving the current agreed amount. NPCs quit haggling when they have a roll with no Successes and almost always quit when down by five Successes total.

Mime – Finesse – The art of justifiably getting punched in the face. Includes clowning.

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Astrology/Fortune Telling – By reading the heaven's prophecy written in the planets and stars, or studying the dark intentions revealed in the entrails of a foal strangled by the umbilical chord in birth (wow that shit went dark quickly), or looking at chicken bones left at the bottom of a teacup, the character attempts to foretell the future. The player makes a number of predictions equal to the number of dice in the skill. The GM then makes the roll in secret for the player - a single roll with no adding of small dice. For each failure, the GM ensure that a prediction comes true in a negative way for the subject of the prediction. “An event will result in joining with old friends,” could be interpreted as the character’s best friend died leading to a reunion results at the funeral. For the Successes, the GM ignore the rest of the predictions, if they happen, they happen because of coincidence or because the players worked and planned to make the predictions come true.

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Navigate – Finesse – Yes, the captains of ocean-going rely on navigation to get from port to port, but desert nomads need to navigate from oasis to oasis, barge captains like to avoid sandbars and take the correct tributary, etc. Roll once every Turn (usually Travel). If not fully Successful, adjust direction of travel and/or believed location by an appropriate amount; a 15° change in direction becomes obvious very quickly when it's a boat on a river, but a 10 mile shift may not.

TN: 6, Successes: 3

Condition - Additional Successes
Unfamiliar area +2
Choose most appropriate:
Cloud cover +1
Light precipitation (rain, snow, hail, sleet, etc.) +2
Heavy precipitation +3
Light fog +2
Heavy fog +4