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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kenada" data-source="post: 9098674" data-attributes="member: 70468">I’m not sure I follow, though maybe it’s because I’ve omitted something, and we’re still on different pages. The efficacy of the action is known because my homebrew system uses static¹ difficulties. The players know what modifiers they have as well as what resources they can bring to bear in a situation. Sometimes the method is constrained by what’s at stake, so you can’t just declare actions willy-nilly. I’m not seeing where the negotiation between players² is, but again I may be missing something or misunderstanding. Perhaps an example would help clarify.<a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/commentary-thread-for-that-“describe-your-game-in-five-words”-thread.682741/post-9084104" target="_blank">Last session</a>, the PCs wanted to entice a bulette with a horse, so they could surprise attack it while it was distracted. Enticing or tempting a target with something it wants is Seduction, and there’s just no way around that unless you want to use a different method to accomplish your goals. Because none of them had ranks in that skill, they couldn’t³ just roll for it. They suggested sacrificing⁴ the horse (meaning it was no longer a consequence that the horse could be lost but that it definitely would be lost, and other consequences would need to be on the table).Essentially, what happened:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Players expresses a goal of getting surprise on the bulette (setting the stakes);</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">The method and approach are decided. The method (Seduction) in this case is determined by the plan. The approach is having Deirdre take point and use her experience with animals (Wisdom).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">That yields a modifier of −3, which sucks. The players see that it sucks and need to figure out how to compensate. They could have tried to Work Together, but all of them variously⁵ suck at it. Instead they decide to sacrifice the horse, which effectively takes any kind of failure off the table, but it also guarantees the loss of the horse.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Deirdre’s player rolls and does well enough that they get surprise, causing the bulette to lose its equip phase. The best it can do when it acts is retreat, but it doesn’t because it succeeds on its morale check.</li> </ol>[HR][/HR]<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Technically, it supports the idea of difficulty quality. If something is established as low quality, the target is −6. If it’s high quality, it’s +6. If it’s exceptional quality, it’s +12. The quality of the obstacle needs to be known to the players. It’s not been used very much so far. I don’t know whether I’ll keep it, though I hesitate to drop it right now.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If you mean the referee, they’re only performing an adjudication role during Skill Checks except when prompted to provide consequences. One of the things I try to do is partition when the referee is adjudicating versus acting as a player (of the setting, monsters, NPCs, etc) to protect the idea of the “neutral referee”. I sometimes call this “campaign as science experiment” (with the idea you shouldn’t be interfering with the experiment because that messes it up).</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Well, they could, but they would have done so at −4 + the attribute, which is terrible.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">You can sacrifice something to increase the degree of success by +1. If it’s large, it increases by another +1. If it’s HQ (high quality), it increases another +1. These can stack, so the maximum increase is +3.</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">None of them have ranks in Seduction, though Tama could have cast Guidance, which would have allowed her to use her Mage rank to Work Together. That would have put her at +2 or +3 depending on the approach. However, Deirdre would have gained +1 stress because of her Magic Intolerance.</li> </ol></blockquote>

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