Target Number Category Difficulty Example 9 Easy Simple disguise so the character looks different within his/her own race
15 Average Average disguise so the character can alter the gender appearance within his/her own race
21 Difficult Taking on a disguise of a specific person somewhat known
27 Hard Taking on a disguise of a specific person familiar to others
36 Heroic Taking on a disguise of a specific person well known to others
48 Impossible Taking on a disguise of a specific person intimately known to others.
Example: Since Regis failed to train the pet spider monkey and recently failed to climb into the building, he decides to disguise himself as one of the guild members to gain entry. This is a specific person and carries a base target number is 21. Regis’s Disguise skill is 15. He will need to roll a sum total of 6 or more to make himself look like that specific person. He rolls a 5, 8, and 8. With the skill of 15, he is able to reroll the two 8’s and add them to his total. He rolls an 8 and a 5. His total roll is 34 and exceeds the target number by 28 points. He would have also succeeded if the difficulty category was hard (27) by 22 points, category Heroic by 7 points, and category Impossible, like Baron Tensley, by 1 point. Baron Tensley is a lifelong friend of the person Regis has impersonated. He stopped Regis in the hall and started talking to him. Some of the responses Regis gave did not match the responses Tensley would have expected. Based on his intimate knowledge of the person, Tensley would have a target difficulty of 10 to see through the disguise (base 9 +1 point of Regis’s success over what was needed). Tensley’s cognizance is 12. He needs only roll higher than a 1 to succeed, assuming he does not roll natural 2,2,2.
Enigmas
Related Attribute: Knowledge
Requirements:
This skill helps a character solve riddles, puzzles, or other mind games. Players are encouraged to solve riddles, puzzles, or other mind games on their own.. But in the event the player is “stumped” for an answer, the Narrator may, at his own discretion, allow characters with the Enigmas skill to roll for a chance to solve the puzzle. The Narrator first determines the difficulty of the riddle (target numbers below). The character may then subtract his skill from the target number
to determine the total sum
needed to roll on 3d8. (While
we consider this a copout,
we are also aware that some
riddles are just plain hard. This
allows the Narrator to have a
way for the character to solve
the problem without having to
“fudge” an answer.)
Escape Artist
Related Attribute: Manual
Dexterity
Requirements: None
This is a character’s skill to
escape from being bound
(i.e. ropes, chains, binders,
shackles, and the like). The
skill is limited to actual
bindings on the person.
Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy Rope
15 Average Chain
21 Difficult Metal wrist shackles
27 Hard Metal wrist shackles with rope support
36 Heroic Metal wrist shackles with chain support
48 Impossible Bolted shackles (shackles that are bolted together by the use of a crimper that “molds” the shackle tight, and often uncomfortably, around the wrist, legs, or other locations)
Example: Regis is bound by rope in the basement of the guild house. A normal person would be upset that his disguise didn’t work. Regis, however, remains calm. His escape artist skill is 15. He knows that simple ropes will not hold him with a sum total of 1 needed to succeed (not counting auto fail).
First Aid
Related Attribute: Knowledge
Requirements: First Aid Kit
This skill allows a character to provide aid in reducing bleeding, bandaging wounds, servicing minor burns, and other nominal tasks that can aid in a character’s healing. While Doctors are able to create different kind of healing salves, someone trained in first aid knows how to use them. The primary use for first aid is to stabilize a dying character. A successful skill roll means that the target is stabilized. The second use of First Aid is to help with the healing of another. Upon a successful skill roll, the difference in the successful roll may be healed double the standard time.
Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy Master first aid kit
15 Average Exceptional first aid kit
21 Difficult Good first aid kit
27 Hard Average first aid kit
36 Heroic Poor first aid kit
48 Impossible No first aid kit
Example: Leevant has been wounded. He is unconscious and losing health points. John has reached Leevant in time. His first aid skill is 10. John is carrying a good first aid kit which gives a base target number of 21. With his skill, the total sum needed is 11. John rolls a 15, so. Leevant is stabilized and is no longer losing life. John then makes a second roll to help with Leevant’s healing. Again, the base target number is 21. John rolls a 20. Leevant may heal 9 hit points and 9 Health Attribute Points (core damage) twice as fast. The remaining damage heals at the normal rate.
Fishing
Related Attribute: Agility
Requirements: Fishing rod or other equipment
With this skill, a character can find a water source and, if there are fish in it, find a way to pull one out.
Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy Fishing rod, good bait/large net
15 Average Fishing rod, poor bait/medium net
21 Difficult Fishing rod, no bait/small net
27 Hard Fishing spear
36 Heroic A pointed stick or staff
48 Impossible By hand
Fly
Related Attribute: Agility
Requirements: Must have natural method of
flying, such as wings
There was once a saying that all men were
created equal. That may be true in the world
of the Adam. In Soterion, the truth is that
all creatures are not created equal. This skill
represents one of those times. Gabad and
Nepsah are the only two playable races that
have the potential of flight.
Much like normal movement, flying
has three “speeds”: hover, moderate, fast.
• Hover: Character height in feet multiplied by 4 equals the character’s hovering distance in feet pr round.
• Moderate: Character height in feet multiplied by 12 equals the character’s moderate flying distance in feet per round.
• Fast: Character height in feet multiplied by 40 equals the character’s fast flying distance in feet per round.
Unlike standard movement, the character’s agility plays a substantial part in flying. Agility equals maneuverability. A character can perform up to 8 of the following maneuvers in one action while flying: stop, go, and make a 45 degree turn.Also, the character can only perform 1 maneuver per three Agility points. The other difference from standard movement is that a flying character has three dimensions to maneuver in.
Example: Tipiliki, a Nepsah, is a portly fellow given to frivolities. As a result, his agility is 9. This means that Tipliliki can perform up to 3 maneuvers a round while in flight. He’s flying from one side of town to the other in an attempt to exercise until he spots a freshbaked blueberry pie. In one round, he is able to change his direction up to 135 degrees. Assuming he stays on the same vertical plane, it will take him two rounds to make a 180 degree turn and go back to the pie. Where as Ikilipit, his brother, has an agility of 24 and may perform 8 maneuvers. In one round, Ikilipit made the 180 degree turn, adjusted his angle down by 45 degrees, and is ready to swoop down on the pie.
The fly skill, then, becomes an issue when the character wishes to perform a maneuver for tha
t round that would exceed the character’s allotted maneuvers. Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy 1 maneuver over ability
15 Average 2 maneuvers over ability
21 Difficult 3 maneuvers over ability
27 Hard 4 maneuvers over ability
36 Heroic 5 maneuvers over ability
48 Impossible 6 maneuvers over ability
The flying skill incorporates the character’s ability to perform tricks or moves. Forgery
Related Attribute: Manual Dexterity
Requirements: Forgery Kit
With forgery, a character can copy the writing style of another, most often used by individuals who wish to create “official” documents signed by a specific person for a specific purpose. In order to attempt a forgery, the character must have a writing sample he wishes to copy. As with disguise, a character may warrant a cognizance attribute check if there is something that would cause doubt as to the authenticity of the writing. This is based on how well that individual is familiar with the “signor.” Because the skill deals with a written document and not a personality, the starting difficulty to forge a writing is average (15) to forge a specific writing.
Target Number
9
15
someone
Category Difficulty Example
Easy Simple writing change so the writing looks different Average Writing change so as to resemble the writing of
21 someone slightly known
Difficult Writing change so as to resemble the writing of
27 someone somewhat known
Hard Writing change so as to resemble the writing of
36 someone familiar to others
Heroic Writing change so as to resemble the writing of 48 Impossible someone
well known to others
Writing change so as to resemble the writing of
intimately known to others Example: Alcove has forged a written order for entry into the king’s treasury. His forgery skill is 20. He would need to roll: 1 or more for easy; 1 or more for average; 1 or more for difficult; 7 or more for hard; 16 or more for heroic; or 28 or more for heroic. Alcove rolls a 3, 8, and 8. With his two extra rolls, he receives a 5 and 3. This makes his sum total 27 (3+8+8+5+3=27). He walks up to the first set of guards. They look at the order and let him pass no questions asked. Alcove approaches the next set of guards, hands them the order, and they let him pass no questions asked. Alcove confidently approaches the third set of guards who just happen to be manned by the king’s firstt steward, Frederick. Frederick intimately knows the writings of the king as first steward. Needless to say, Alcove is arrested and the first two sets of guards have been fired.
Gather Information
Related Attribute: Personality
Requirements: None
With this skill, a character may question a target to obtain detailed information. There are many styles and tactics to questioning. Ultimately, the purposes of questioning is to get the target to slip up and reveal information he or she did not intend to reveal. Unlike torture or physical abuse, the character uses wit, charm, persuasion, or any other verbal forms of questioning to obtain the information. The target need not intend to keep information secret. Much like an investigator, the character must use skill in obtaining the facts. Information can range from nominal (where Scott the Baker has his store) to specific, depending on the information the character is trying to obtain.
Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy Target is friendly and willing to share information
15 Average Target is neutral and may or may not want to share
21 Difficult Target is fearful and does not want to share
27 Hard Target is agitated, could care less about the character, and has information he or she would really like to be kept unknown.
36 Heroic Target is hostile. The character is seen as a threat or that, if any information is revealed, the target would be in imminent physical danger or loss of life.
48 Impossible Target is combative. The target knows that death comes to those who talk too much. Target is willing to initiate combat rather than reveal any information. Haggle
Related Attribute: Personality
Requirements: None
Most commonly used by merchants, this skill allows the character to adjust prices or services at an increased or decreased cost. This skill, unlike most, requires the character and target to make a haggle skill roll. Both parties compete with each other for the price. The person who scores the highest wins, and the price is adjusted by the amount of success. It is the art of doing business. The more resistant one party is to discussing differences in price, the harder the character’s target number is. Some targets will not consider haggling for any reason, with a take-it–or-leave-it attitude. Also, unlike other skills, the target’s attribute does not count within the target roll. For the haggling process, both parties determine the base difficulty level. Once determined, both roll their haggle skill adjusted by their own ability modifier. The price shifts in favor of the person who succeeds by the higher number. A natural die roll of 2, 2, 2 is not considered an automatic failure for this skill. The character’s target number is based on the target’s willingness to haggle.
Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy Both parties are amiable to haggle about the price
15 Average One party is amiable to haggle about the price while the other is neutral.
21 Difficult One party is amiable to haggle about the price while the other is adverse
27 Hard One party is amiable to haggle about the price while the other party is unwilling
36 Heroic One party is amiable to haggle about the price while the other is set against it
48 Impossible One party is amiable to haggle about the price while the other party refuses to consider it.
Example: The merchant is selling a gem at a price higher than what it should sell for, and Regis is trying to haggle the price down. Regis’s target number is 21 (category difficult) because, while he is willing to haggle, the merchant is averse to haggling. Regis’ haggling skill is 25. Regis needs to roll a sum total of 1 or higher to succeed.
The merchant’s target number is 9, and he needs to roll a sum total of 1 or higher to succeed.
This begins the bidding war. The price of the item can be in flux for however long the parties haggle. The price of the item is adjusted 2% of offered value for every point of success to a maximum of 20% of the base value. if the target (initiatee) is not amiable to haggling, the value does not increase above the asking price unless the target (initiatee) beats the character’s roll by 20 or more. The price increases 2% of offered value for every point of success the target has above 20 to a maximum of 20% of the base value. After the round of talks, any modification of the value becomes the new base value. A new round of haggling can begin. At any time one party is averse to haggling, the difficulty to the initiatee increases by one category.
Example: Regis wishes to continue the haggling process while the merchant would rather part company. Since the merchant is unwilling to haggle, Regis’s new target number is 27. As a result Regis needs a sum total of 2 or higher to succeed in haggling. The merchant’s target number stays the same. If Regis wishes to push it to another round, his target number increases to 36. He would need a sum total of 11 or higher to succeed while the merchant would remain at 1. If Regis rolls low and the merchant rolls high, the merchant will increase his price to spite Regis for wasting his time.
For parties that are amiable to haggle, there is a straight 2% value cost per point difference in favor of the person who succeeds by more points to a single round, maximum of 20% of the value. This is fun for the parties. It isn’t always about the price but rather the verbal jousting of what the price can be.
Hide
Related Attribute: Physical Agility
Requirements: None
This is the character’s ability to hide out of sight,
most commonly using shadows or darkened spaces of the environment to blend in. Camouflage can also be used to increase the category difficulty. The category increases in difficulty depending on how the character is dressed. (No change if matching, 1 step if slightly matching, 2 steps if half- way matching, 3 steps if directly opposite of the environment (e.g. black clothes on snow). However, camouflage may decrease the difficulty depending on the type of camouflage (1 step decrease if slightly matching, 2 steps if halfway matching, 3 steps if specifically matching (e.g. white on snow).
Specific clothing for daylight or broad daylight tends to be more environmental (e.g. camouflage that blends into wooden surroundings if in a forest).
Rule of thumb: Hiding can be a very valuable skill; however, always keep an eye on the situation. A character cannot hide in shadows if there are no shadows or cannot hide if wearing black on a cotton-white sheet of ice. Nor can a character “hide” if his opponent is five feet away from, looking straight at him, and carrying on a conversation.
Target Number Category Difficulty Example
9 Easy Darkness, no moon
15 Average Darkness, half moon, or area lit by a few candles
21 Difficult Full moon or area lit by torches
27 Hard Morning or dusk, long shadows
36 Heroic Daylight, moderate shadows
48 Impossible Broad daylight, no shade
Example: Alcove is sneaking his way through the king’s courtyard early in the morning. He is wearing a camouflage suit that naturally blends well in that environment. Normally, hiding in morning has a target number of 27 (hard), but since Alcove is wearing clothing that specifically matches the environment, it is reduced three categories to 9 (easy).
Bridge Worlds: Soterion Page 17