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Torchbearer 2nd ed actual play
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<blockquote data-quote="pemerton" data-source="post: 8545673" data-attributes="member: 42582"><p>The use of an Instinct makes sense (but neither Tharin nor Gondolf has such an Instinct).</p><p></p><p>On the other hand, the idea of a test not counting against the Grind - in the absence of an Instinct - does not seem to be orthodox in 2e. This seems to be reinforced by SG p 40:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">A turn contains a test or a conflict . . . Each test made and each conflict fought costs a turn . . .</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">There’s always an exception. If the game master springs a trap or an environmental-based test and multiple characters are required to test individually, it takes one turn.</p><p></p><p>Pages 30-32 of the SG have this ongoing example, illustrating various concepts:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Above you looms a slick rock wall. There’s a small dark opening at the top—your only hope of escape. You can hear Gnolls’ barking in the caves, getting closer and closer. What do you do?</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">After hearing the description of her predicament, Merrill says, “I clamber up the rock wall as fast as I can!”</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Thor consults the skills chapter and replies, “Climbing slick rock walls underground…that calls for the Dungeoneer skill. The factors list says one person ascending a vertical pitch is Ob 2.”</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">The game master, Thor, has indicated that Merrill’s magician Cisneros must pass an Ob 2 Dungeoneer test. Fortunately, Cisneros has a dungeoneer skill rating of 2. Merrill rolls two dice and gets a 4 and a 5: two successes. She passes.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">As Cisneros clambers up the rock wall, Thor describes the barking of Gnolls growing closer. So McFerren describes their warrior, Gudrun, rushing to the door of the room and shouldering it closed before the Gnolls come.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Thor nods and calls for a versus test between Gudrun’s health 5 and the Gnoll’s Ambushing Nature 5.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Thor rolls three successes to McFerren’s two. He describes Gudrun reaching the door just as a massive black snout pushes through. After a brief struggle, Gudrun is thrown back, and the Gnoll bursts in.</p><p></p><p>So putting this together with p 40, two turns pass here: one for Cisneros's climb, and one for Gudrun's attempt to hold the door.</p><p></p><p>I think what I need to do, in my situation, is adjust my twist a little bit. I think I'm coming too close towards framing into a conflict than is appropriate, especially given the success for the PCs in the Drive Off. So I think I should recharacterise the twist as <em>You hear the chittering of the mutant moles - it sounds like they're about to swarm out again of the rubble and other hidey-places that they fled too</em>. In the fiction, this creates a feasible space for a new torch to be lit, or for Gondolf to case Wyrd Lights (analogous to Gudrun trying to hold the door against the Gnolls). And it can count as a turn for the grind.</p><p></p><p>The Survivalist test to light the torch looks like it would be Ob 3, as you say - Ob 2 for starting a fire in bad conditions (ie as moles swarm in) +1 for dim light (there is some daylight coming through a crack in the wall). I think Gondolf is Survivalist 2 and has a tinderbox. Though I think more optimal call might be Tharin's Beginner's Luck: Health 5 +1D from tinderbox +1D from Gondolf's Darkness-wise is 7D, halved is 4D.</p><p></p><p>Though Gondolf could go 3D (including Tinderbox), +1D for help from Tharin (Delving Nature seems applicable), and then use Fate for rerolling a traitor via Darkness-wise. Which is better again.</p><p></p><p>For completeness, in terms of 2nd ed rules - here's the example, from the p 56 on eating to recover Hungry and Thirsty, that seems to confirm that being swarmed by mutant moles is bad conditions for lighting a torch:</p><p></p><p style="margin-left: 20px">Our thirsty adventurers flee from an ogre only to stumble into a round room containing two hovering glowing orbs.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">“Can we drink here?” Asks Joss.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">“There’s no time. The orbs react to you. You need to flee or act.” says Luke.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">“F! Run! We run!” Joss knows the group is beat up and needs a moment to rest.</p> <p style="margin-left: 20px"></p> <p style="margin-left: 20px">Merrill consults their map and manages to navigate the group to an empty hallway.</p><p></p><p>The orbs reacting seems analogous to the moles coming out again and reforming their swarm. <em>There's no time to drink - you need to act</em> seems analogous to <em>there's no opportunity to light your torch for free - you need to act</em>, whether by casting Wyrd Lights or testing Survivalist to get it lit in a hurry.</p><p></p><p>Or flee, of course.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="pemerton, post: 8545673, member: 42582"] The use of an Instinct makes sense (but neither Tharin nor Gondolf has such an Instinct). On the other hand, the idea of a test not counting against the Grind - in the absence of an Instinct - does not seem to be orthodox in 2e. This seems to be reinforced by SG p 40: [indent]A turn contains a test or a conflict . . . Each test made and each conflict fought costs a turn . . . There’s always an exception. If the game master springs a trap or an environmental-based test and multiple characters are required to test individually, it takes one turn.[/indent] Pages 30-32 of the SG have this ongoing example, illustrating various concepts: [indent]Above you looms a slick rock wall. There’s a small dark opening at the top—your only hope of escape. You can hear Gnolls’ barking in the caves, getting closer and closer. What do you do? After hearing the description of her predicament, Merrill says, “I clamber up the rock wall as fast as I can!” Thor consults the skills chapter and replies, “Climbing slick rock walls underground…that calls for the Dungeoneer skill. The factors list says one person ascending a vertical pitch is Ob 2.” The game master, Thor, has indicated that Merrill’s magician Cisneros must pass an Ob 2 Dungeoneer test. Fortunately, Cisneros has a dungeoneer skill rating of 2. Merrill rolls two dice and gets a 4 and a 5: two successes. She passes. As Cisneros clambers up the rock wall, Thor describes the barking of Gnolls growing closer. So McFerren describes their warrior, Gudrun, rushing to the door of the room and shouldering it closed before the Gnolls come. Thor nods and calls for a versus test between Gudrun’s health 5 and the Gnoll’s Ambushing Nature 5. Thor rolls three successes to McFerren’s two. He describes Gudrun reaching the door just as a massive black snout pushes through. After a brief struggle, Gudrun is thrown back, and the Gnoll bursts in.[/indent] So putting this together with p 40, two turns pass here: one for Cisneros's climb, and one for Gudrun's attempt to hold the door. I think what I need to do, in my situation, is adjust my twist a little bit. I think I'm coming too close towards framing into a conflict than is appropriate, especially given the success for the PCs in the Drive Off. So I think I should recharacterise the twist as [i]You hear the chittering of the mutant moles - it sounds like they're about to swarm out again of the rubble and other hidey-places that they fled too[/i]. In the fiction, this creates a feasible space for a new torch to be lit, or for Gondolf to case Wyrd Lights (analogous to Gudrun trying to hold the door against the Gnolls). And it can count as a turn for the grind. The Survivalist test to light the torch looks like it would be Ob 3, as you say - Ob 2 for starting a fire in bad conditions (ie as moles swarm in) +1 for dim light (there is some daylight coming through a crack in the wall). I think Gondolf is Survivalist 2 and has a tinderbox. Though I think more optimal call might be Tharin's Beginner's Luck: Health 5 +1D from tinderbox +1D from Gondolf's Darkness-wise is 7D, halved is 4D. Though Gondolf could go 3D (including Tinderbox), +1D for help from Tharin (Delving Nature seems applicable), and then use Fate for rerolling a traitor via Darkness-wise. Which is better again. For completeness, in terms of 2nd ed rules - here's the example, from the p 56 on eating to recover Hungry and Thirsty, that seems to confirm that being swarmed by mutant moles is bad conditions for lighting a torch: [indent]Our thirsty adventurers flee from an ogre only to stumble into a round room containing two hovering glowing orbs. “Can we drink here?” Asks Joss. “There’s no time. The orbs react to you. You need to flee or act.” says Luke. “F! Run! We run!” Joss knows the group is beat up and needs a moment to rest. Merrill consults their map and manages to navigate the group to an empty hallway.[/indent] The orbs reacting seems analogous to the moles coming out again and reforming their swarm. [i]There's no time to drink - you need to act[/i] seems analogous to [i]there's no opportunity to light your torch for free - you need to act[/i], whether by casting Wyrd Lights or testing Survivalist to get it lit in a hurry. Or flee, of course. [/QUOTE]
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