Dice Pool: Composure + Animal Ken + equipment (trainer) versus Stamina + Resolve (animal)
Action: Extended and contested (the task demands a number of successes equal to the opponent’s Willpower; each roll represents one day of training)
Training an animal involves communicating a need, encouraging a type of behavior and/or discouraging unwanted behavior. It’s an extended and contested process. Make Composure + Animal Ken + equipment rolls for the trainer. Roll Stamina + Resolve for the animal. The number of successes that each participant seeks is equal to the other’s Willpower dots. Thus, if a trainer has 5 Willpower and the animal has 3, the interrogator wins if he accumulates three successes first. The animal wins if it accumulates five successes first. The winner breaks the opponent’s will to continue training or to resist the desired behavior. The trainer’s roll can be modified by equipment such as rewards (food) offered and abuse inflicted. Rolls made for the animal might receive a bonus based on how feral it is. A cat brought in from the wild might get a +3 bonus, for example. Likewise, non-mammals (lizards, birds) can be harder to train than mammals, imposing a penalty on a trainer’s rolls (say, -1 to -3). Some animals such as wolverines are so fierce that they simply can’t be trained.
Only one trick or type of behavior (house breaking, “attack,” or retrieving a certain item whenever it’s thrown) can be taught per extended and contested series of rolls. Alternatively, a few minor tricks such as “sit,” “shake” and “stay” can be combined in a single series of rolls. Should an extended and contested training session end in a tie, neither side applies its will over the other. The process must start again from scratch if the trick is to be learned.
If training for a type of behavior is interrupted for a number of consecutive days in excess of the animal’s Intelligence, all successes gained thus far are lost. Training for that trick must start again from scratch. Animals with zero Intelligence cannot be trained at all.
An animal can be taught a number of tricks (can undergo a separate number of training sessions) equal to its Wits.
Example: Raymond has a pet raven that he seeks to train to fly away and return to him on command, which the Storyteller decides is one trick. Raymond has 4 Composure, 3 Animal Ken and 6 Willpower. The bird has 2 Stamina, 4 Resolve and 7 Willpower. Raymond needs to get seven successes before six are rolled for the bird. The process begins, but is interrupted for two days in which no training occurs at all. Those two days exceed the bird’s 1 Intelligence, so the training process has to begin again from scratch.
For animals’ traits, see p. 202.
Even after an animal has been trained in a behavior or trick, it does not necessarily perform the action automatically on command. You need to make a successful Manipulation + Animal Ken roll for the animal to respond as intended. You also get a bonus on the roll equal to the animal’s Wits.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The regimen fails completely and the animal resists the intended behavior. A whole new training session must get underway for the intended trick. If animal abuse is involved, the creature may attack and try to escape its handler.
Failure: Your character fails to make any progress on the current trick.
Success: Your character makes progress in conditioning the animal’s behavior.
Exceptional Success: Your character makes dramatic progress with the creature.
Suggested Equipment: Physical abuse (+1), rewards or treats (+2)
Possible Penalties: Training non-mammal (-1 to - 3), animal already been trained poorly (-1), animal distracted by environment (-2)
Action: Instant or extended (one success is required per 10 feet of height; in an extended task each roll represents one minute of climbing)
Climbing an object requires a number of successes in an instant or extended action. Your character can climb 10 feet with each success rolled. Objects that are 10 feet or less in height can be climbed as an instant action. Rolls may be modified based on the availability of hand- and footholds, sheerness or slipperiness of the slope, and wind conditions, all at the Storyteller’s discretion. By the same token, if the character chooses to take his time and pick his way carefully up the incline, each minute added to the roll provides a +1 modifier, to a maximum of +3. Thus, if a character takes his time and each roll represents three minutes of effort instead of one, a +2 modifier is added to each roll.
Example: Miles attempts to climb a tree to get his bearings while lost in a forest. He finds a suitable tree with lots of accessible branches and starts to climb. The Storyteller determines that the tree is 60 feet tall, and that it has been raining so the branches are slick. Miles’ Strength is 3 and his Athletics is 2. He has no tools other than his hands and feet, so he takes his time; three minutes pass on each roll for a +2 bonus. The Storyteller imposes a -1 modifier due to the slippery conditions. Climbing to the top of the tree requires a total of six successes (one success per 10 feet) over the course of an extended action. If it takes four rolls to accumulate the required six successes, Miles reaches the top of the tree after 12 minutes.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character has lost his grip or footing and falls. It could be fatal depending on the height involved. See the rules on falling, p. 179.
Failure: Your character doesn’t make any headway on his attempted climb. He doesn’t lose altitude, but he doesn’t gain any, either.
Success: Your character reaches the top of the object he wishes to climb (if performed as an instant action), or makes continued headway to the top (in an extended action).
Exceptional Success: Your character reaches the top with time and energy to spare. If successes gained exceed the amount required to climb the object (whether performed as an instant action or exceeding the total required for an extended action), your character may attempt another instant action at the top, such as a flip, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Suggested Equipment: Nylon rope (+1), climbing cleats (+1), grappling hook (+2), pitons and hammer (+3)
Possible Penalties: Lack of tools (-1 to -5), bad weather (-1 to -3), sheer slope (-1), lack of handholds (-3)
Action: Extended (4-15+ successes; one roll equals 30 minutes of work)
Your character sets out to create a piece of art, whether it’s a painting, drawing or sculpture. It’s quicker and easier to create a clay bowl or doodle than a life-size replica or mural. The former may call for only four successes while the latter may call for 15 or more, and hours of effort.
Creating poems, songs, novels or speeches calls for the Expression Skill (see p. 80).
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: There’s a terrible accident and your character’s work or tools are destroyed or the creation bears an inherent, embarrassing flaw that he cannot see.
Failure: Your character makes no headway in his project.
Success: Your character makes progress in his project.
Exceptional Success: Your character makes dramatic progress in creating the item, likely well ahead of schedule.
Suggested Equipment: High-grade tool set (+1), high-quality marble or clay (+1), high-tech tools (laser leveler, saws with laser guides) (+2), specialized sculpting tools (+2), extensive reference library (+2), garage (+3), carpentry shop (+3)
Possible Penalties: Poor-quality tool set (-1), poor-quality materials (-1), lack of reference library (-1), improvised work area (-1)
Action: Extended (3-10+ successes; one roll represents 10 minutes of activity)
Examining a crime scene involves studying evidence and clues to piece together useful facts about events, perpetrators or a mystery. Roll Wits + Investigation. Each roll represents 10 minutes of observation and interpretation, and possibly referencing databases and calling expert witnesses. Depending on the size of the crime scene and the complexity and obscurity of details, the task could demand anywhere from three to 10 successes (or more) for your character to make sense of things.
Unlike many tasks, this isn’t an all-or-nothing effort. If your character has to abandon the project before it’s completed, he may still come away with some useful information depending on the number of successes earned.
The Storyteller should share information each time a roll yields a success, starting with the most obvious facts and revealing increasingly obscure bits as the investigation continues. At no time should the player know how many successes are needed to complete the analysis — he should always wonder whether his character should invest a little more time and dig deeper. Storytellers may choose to make these rolls for players in secret to add uncertainty and suspense.
Example: Janet is called to the scene of a murder at a local park. Taking stock of the situation, she studies the area around the body to try and piece together what happened. The Storyteller decides that it takes eight successes to gather all the clues available. Janet’s Wits is 3 and her Investigation is 2. The first roll is 5,6,7,8,9. With two successes, Janet has gathered a quarter of the information available. The Storyteller reveals that the victim died due to massive blood loss, but there are no bloodstains around the corpse. At this point, Janet can continue to investigate or decide that she’s seen enough and move on.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character draws incorrect conclusions from the information she gathers.
Failure: Your character uncovers no useful information.
Success: Your character uncovers useful information, but is that all there is to learn?
Exceptional Success: Your character gains a wealth of useful information from a few minutes’ careful study.
Suggested Equipment: Forensic kit (+1), surveillance gear (parabolic mikes, night-vision goggles, laser mikes) (+1), unrestricted access to the scene (+2), access to government databases (+3)
Possible Penalties: Weather obscures scene (-1 to -3), scene has been compromised by intruders (-1 to -5), lack of forensic equipment (-3)
Action: Extended and contested (each roll represents one turn of running)
It’s inevitable that your character will chase someone (or more likely be chased) in his burgeoning experiences with the supernatural. He may interrupt a creature preying upon a hapless victim and race after the thing, or he may stumble upon a scene not meant for his eyes and suddenly he’s the hunted.
A chase is a matter of endurance, reflexes and fleetness of foot. Roll Stamina + Athletics for each participant. This is not quite the conventional extended and contested task, however. Rolls are made for each participant in each stage (in each turn), but the quarry has a different goal than the pursuer. The number of successes that must be acquired for the quarry equals the pursuer’s Speed. So, if the pursuer has a Speed of 12, successes accumulated for the quarry must reach 12 for him to get away.
The pursuer, however, does not seek to get away. His goal is much more specific: to stop the quarry from escaping. The number of successes that the pursuer needs is therefore different. He seeks to tally a number that equals or exceeds the quarry’s current total of successes at any point in the chase. If the pursuer gets that number, he catches up.
The Speed trait of quarry and pursuer is also a factor in determining who is likely to get away or be caught. A human adult isn’t likely to catch a cheetah, for example, but a cheetah can probably catch a human adult. For every three points of difference between competitors’ Speed traits, the faster one gets a +1 bonus on chase rolls. Remainders are rounded down. So, if a pursuer has a Speed of 11 and a quarry has a Speed of 8, rolls made for the pursuer get a +1 bonus. If a pursuer has a Speed of 10 and a quarry has a Speed of 11, neither party gets a bonus (the difference between Speed traits is less than three and is rounded down).
Example: Katla runs from a would-be attacker. She has 2 Stamina, 4 Athletics and a Speed of 9. The attacker has 3 Stamina, 1 Athletics and a Speed of 10. The difference between their Speed traits is not sufficient to give either a bonus (it’s less than three, so is rounded down to zero). Six dice are rolled for Katla, and a total of 10 successes must be accumulated for her to get away. Four dice are rolled for the attacker, but he need only accumulate a number of successes that equals or exceeds what Katla has in any turn. Thus, if she gets one success in the first turn and he gets one or more, he catches her right away. If by the fifth turn she has eight successes and he has four, and his total successes from turn to turn has never equaled or exceeded her total, she has always maintained the lead. If by seventh turn Katla has 10 successes and her pursuer has eight, she gets away. Her pursuer runs out of steam or stumbles.
If the quarry of a chase has a head start, she gets a number of automatic successes at the beginning of the chase. Any successes rolled for her throughout the extended and contested task are added to that number from turn to turn, giving the quarry an advantage throughout. As a rule of thumb, a 10-yard head start is worth one automatic success. So, if Katla were 30 yards away from her assailant when the chase broke out, she would have a foundation of three successes on which to add her own throughout the chase. That bonus would make it all the harder for her pursuer to accumulate an equal or greater number than she has in any given turn.
Negative modifiers to rolls due to hazardous terrain or dangerous conditions apply equally to opposing participants. A desperate escapee can even intentionally incur a negative modifier (leaping a hurdle or navigating a construction site) to force her pursuer to cope with the same conditions.
All of a participant’s actions must be dedicated to running in a chase. If someone performs a different action in any turn, such as firing a gun, his Stamina + Athletics roll for that turn is forfeit. The character might even perform another action and travel his Speed, but he loses momentum in the race; he adds no successes to his total. Only a character who possesses a supernatural power or a special Merit might maintain a chase and be able to perform a separate action in a turn.
The actual distance between quarry and pursuer at any point in a chase is based on the difference of total successes between them. Each success is worth about 10 yards. So, if Katla has six successes and her pursuer has two, she is 40 yards ahead.
Of course, the Storyteller can set another standard for what the difference measures. If opponents race over broken, uneven ground, each success between them could represent only five yards or one yard. Or, if the chase occurs in wide-open spaces, each success between subjects could represent 20 yards.
If a pursuer’s total successes ever equal or exceed a quarry’s in any given turn, the pursuer catches up. The race comes to an end. The pursuer is allowed one free action against the quarry, such as a charge maneuver. See “Charging,” p. 16 4. The quarry is fully aware of the threat, is not surprised and is entitled to her Defense. Initiative is rolled thereafter for both participants if combat breaks out.
Note that a simple foot race in which competitors seek to be the first to cross a finish line is handled like a conventional extended and contested task. Successes for each participant are accumulated and all seek the same total number of successes. The first one to get that total is the winner.
See “Catching V ehicles on Foot” on p. 71 for systems on chasing after and jumping aboard vehicles.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The participant trips, falls or wipes out. He may suffer a Health point of bashing damage at the Storyteller’s discretion. The race is over.
Failure: The participant gains no ground in the pursuit.
Success: The participant gains some ground in the chase, whether fleeing or in pursuit.
Exceptional Success: The participant gains a great deal of ground through a mixture of luck and capability.
Suggested Equipment: Athletic shoes (+1)
Possible Penalties: Bad weather (-1 to -3), debris (-1 to -3), difficult terrain (-1 to -5)
Action: Extended and contested (5-10+ successes; each roll represents 30 minutes of programming)
Gaining root access to a network requires talent, creativity and patience, and often results in a battle of wits with the system’s administrator(s). Before the hacking attempt begins, the Storyteller determines the network’s level of security. If there is a system administrator on duty, the hacking attempt is an extended and contested action. If the network is protected by basic security software alone, the task is simply an extended action.
In a contested and extended action between hacker and sysadmin, roll Intelligence + Computer + any equipment modifiers for both participants. The winner is the first to accumulate the required number of successes. The hacker needs to accumulate a number of successes equal to the network’s basic security setup. This can be anywhere from five to 10 based on the sophistication of the network. The sysadmin needs to accumulate a number of successes equal to the hacker’s Intelligence + Computer. If the hacker wins, he gains unfettered access to the network. If the sysadmin wins, he kicks the hacker out of the network and can block any further attempts from that invader that day.
Example: Greg is hacking into the network of a local financial group, which is protected by an on-duty sysadmin. Greg’s Intelligence is 4, his Computer is 3 and he’s using an average computer setup (no bonus dice). The sysadmin’s Intelligence is 3, his Computer is 3 and he’s using a decent system that gives him a +1 modifier. The network’s basic security software requires seven successes to be overcome. The sysadmin also needs to accumulate seven successes (the total of Greg’s Intelligence + Computer). The first rolls net three successes for Greg and two successes for the sysadmin. Greg needs to gain four more successes to make it past the sysadmin and gain access, while the sysadmin needs to accumulate five more successes to kick the intruder out of his network.
If the network is protected by basic security software alone, the hacker needs to accumulate a number of successes equal to the network’s basic security setup, as above.
Example: Later, Greg tries to hack into the network of the city’s Department of Motor Vehicles. The DMV network doesn’t have a sysadmin on duty, so the task is an extended roll. The network’s basic security software requires six successes to be overcome, so Greg simply needs to keep hacking at the system (and not suffer any dramatic failures) to get in.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: A dramatic failure on the part of the hacker indicates that he’s been kicked out of the network and can’t access it again for 24 hours. Worse, if a sysadmin contests the task, make another Intelligence + Computer roll to determine if the admin manages to gain the IP address of the hacker. A dramatic failure on the part of the sysadmin indicates that the hacker brushes aside his efforts and penetrates the network automatically.
Failure: Your character does not succeed in making any headway in his effort.
Success: Your character makes progress in his effort.
Exceptional Success: Your character has found a vulnerability he can exploit against his opponent, giving him a substantial advantage (as reflected in the number of successes you achieve in one roll).
Suggested Equipment: High-performance computer (+1 to +3), broadband Internet access (+1), disk of scripts (+2), system passwords (+3)
Possible Penalties: Outdated computer system (-2), slow Internet connection (-3)
Dice Pool: Dexterity or Intelligence + Medicine + equipment
Action: Extended (one success is required per Health point of damage suffered; each roll represents one minute of work (first aid) or one hour of work (long-term hospital treatment))
Application of the healing arts can help restore a patient’s lost Health points. Treatment can occur in the field through first aid or in a doctor’s clinic or ER. While medical treatment can stabilize a patient or alleviate his pain, it isn’t usually capable of miraculous cures or recoveries. That requires time and rest on the patient’s part, and prolonged care.
Dexterity + Medicine may be rolled in the field or ER, while Intelligence + Medicine may be rolled in a lab or operating room, where science and technology does much of the work of healing injuries. Typically, Dexterity + Medicine is rolled when a patient is dying while being cared for. Intelligence + Medicine is rolled once a patient has been stabilized and can undergo long-term care.
Achieving sufficient successes (equal to the total, overall Health points lost by the patient) restores one Health point lost to bashing damage, in addition to any healing that the character already does under his own power. A patient may regain no more than one “extra” Health point by this means per day. Alternatively, a patient who’s bleeding to death or in a coma is stabilized if one success is achieved on the roll. (The loss of Health points to aggravated damage each minute is stopped; see “Incapacitation,” p. 173.)
Round-the-clock, intensive care diminishes a patient’s injuries, downgrading the nature of wounds by one degree. Thus, a lethal wound can be downgraded to bashing, and an aggravated wound can be downgraded to lethal. Such treatment can occur only in a hospital or other intensive-care facility. An extended Intelligence + Medicine roll is made. The number of successes required is five for a lethal wound and 10 for an aggravated one. Each roll requires an hour.
This kind of treatment always focuses on the worst of the patient’s injuries first. Thus, an aggravated wound is downgraded to lethal before a lethal wound is downgraded to bashing. No more than one wound can be downgraded per day of treatment.
Note that this treatment does not eliminate wounds. It simply minimizes them. A patient must heal downgraded injuries completely by himself or receive other treatment to eliminate them.
Example: Someone has beaten the crap out of Emir. He has lost all of his 7 Health points to lethal damage and is now bleeding to death (acquiring an aggravated wound per minute). Landers discovers Emir and performs first aid. Landers’ Dexterity is 2 and Medicine is 2. He must accumulate seven successes to stop the flow of blood and save Emir’s life. Three rolls (and minutes) pass before Landers accumulates the required successes, at which point Emir stops incurring aggravated injuries. That leaves him with three aggravated and four lethal wounds. (Until Landers accumulates the number of successes required to stop the bleeding, Emir continues to gain one aggravated wound per minute as he keeps bleeding — see “Incapacitation,” p. 173. If Landers’ rolls were repeatedly unsuccessful, Emir could have died while being treated.)
Later, in the hospital, the attending physician puts Emir in intensive care to alleviate the worst of his injuries. The doctor has 4 Intelligence and 4 Medicine, and gains four bonus dice for tools and facilities. In three hours, 10 successes are rolled for him and he reduces one of Emir’s aggravated wounds to lethal damage. At least two more days of such successful treatment must pass before Emir’s remaining two aggravated wounds are reduced to lethal, one per day. After that, Emir is allowed to recover on his own with rest. It takes two days before he heals one of his lethal injuries and his right-most Health box is emptied (see “Healing,” p. 175). Before any more time is lost, however, a staggering Emir escapes from the hospital to avoid explanations, to hole up and to plot his revenge.
A character can hold her breath for a number of turns based on her Stamina dots, as follows:
Stamina — Time*
• — 30 seconds
•• — One minute
••• — Two minutes
•••• — Four minutes
••••• — Eight minutes
••••• • — 15 minutes
••••• •• — 30 minutes
* If your character is in combat, she can hold her breath for one turn per Stamina dot.
When she has reached her normal limit, a Stamina roll is made to continue. Each success grants 30 extra seconds (or one extra turn per success in combat). When she can no longer hold her breath, she begins suffocating/drowning. She suffers one lethal Health wound per turn. (Werewolves and other living supernatural creatures cannot regenerate this damage until they can breathe again. Since vampires and the walking dead don’t breathe, they cannot suffocate or drown.)
A character can jump one foot vertically for each success gained on a jumping roll. In a standing broad jump, a character can cross two feet per success rolled. In a running jump, a character can cross a number of feet equal to her Size + four more feet per success rolled. So, if a person who’s Size 5 gets three successes in a running jump, she travels 17 feet. In order to make a running jump, a character must be able to run a distance of at least 10 feet. If space is limited, every two feet (rounding up) short of 10 imposes a -1 penalty on the Strength + Athletics roll. So, if a character who wants to make jump needs at least 10 feet in which to get a running start, but she has only five feet with which to work, the roll suffers a -3 penalty.
Before jumping, a character may attempt to gauge the distance and her chances of success before committing. Roll Intelligence + Composure or Athletics, at the Storyteller’s discretion. If the roll is successful, you learn the number of successes needed to make the jump and decide if it’s worth the risk. You may also learn what penalties are imposed by having insufficient space to get a proper running start.
Example: Diana finds herself trapped on the roof of her apartment building with the vampire’s blood slaves charging up the stairs after her. Her only hope is to jump to the roof of the adjacent building and hope that the thugs won’t have the nerve to follow. The distance between buildings is 20 feet. Diana is Size 5. A jumping roll must generate at least four successes (for a total of 21 feet) and she needs at least 10 feet to get a running start, which the Storyteller says is available. Her Strength is 3 and her Athletics is 3. The roll is 4, 5, 8, 8, 8 and 9 — four successes. Leaping from the stone parapet, Diana crosses the intervening distance and lands on the far roof.
It was a dangerous feat, though. Under less stressful circumstances, Diana might have gauged her chances before risking her life. The Storyteller could have allowed her player an Intelligence + Composure or Athletics roll to determine that four successes were required. Or if the Storyteller decided that only eight feet were available to get a running start, a successful gauging roll would have told Diana’s player that four successes were required, and that a -1 penalty would have applied.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The task not only fails but your character loses her balance. Perhaps she trips on a piece of debris or catches a part of her clothing on a branch or jagged rock. Instead of jumping, she hits the ground and suffers a bashing wound if it was a vertical jump. See “Falling,” p. 179, if it was a horizontal jump.
Failure: Your character doesn’t achieve any significant distance at all — she jumps too early, has a false start or loses her nerve. She gains a few inches vertically or about a foot horizontally, which could also mean a fall.
Success: Your character leaps a number of feet based on the successes rolled.
Exceptional Success: Your character leaps an impressive distance. If successes gained exceed the amount required to make the jump, your character may attempt another instant action in the air (say, firing a shot) or upon landing (maybe running up to her Speed), at the Storyteller’s discretion.
Suggested Equipment: Running shoes (+1), ramp (+1), springboard (+2), vaulting pole (+3)
Possible Penalties: Slippery conditions (-1), bad weather (-1 to -3), difficult terrain (-1 to -3), strong wind (-2)
Lifting and moving objects involves brute force; might over matter. In some cases, however, Stamina plays a part. Power alone doesn’t have immediate effects, but power combined with the endurance to apply it does.
All people can accomplish feats of strength in momentary efforts, depending on their muscle mass. Working together, people can combine their might to accomplish tasks. Add all participants’ Strength scores and refer to the chart below to gauge what can be moved just by spending an action (no Strength roll is necessary). To exceed this limit, a Strength + Stamina roll is required, with successes achieved added to your character’s Strength score to determine what kind of task he can accomplish in that action. In a group effort to move something really heavy, a Strength + Stamina roll is made for each supporting participant. Successes rolled are added to a primary actor’s roll as bonus dice. (See “Teamwork,” p. 134, for full rules on cooperating this way.)
If your character’s modified Strength total exceeds that required to lift an object, it can be relocated as desired. If his Strength total matches that required to lift an object, it can be moved about a yard.
Strength — Feat — Lift
1 — Lift a chair — 40 lbs.
2 — Lift a large dog — 100 lbs.
3 — Lift a public mailbox — 250 lbs.
4 — Lift a wooden crate — 400 lbs.
5 — Lift a coffin — 650 lbs.
6 — Lift a refrigerator — 800 lbs.
7 — Overturn a small car — 900 lbs.
8 — Lift a motorcycle — 1000 lbs.
9 — Overturn a mid-sized car — 1200 lbs.
10 — Lift a large tree trunk — 1500 lbs.
11 — Overturn a full-sized car — 2000 lbs.
12 — Lift a wrecking ball — 3000 lbs.
13 — Overturn a station wagon — 4000 lbs.
14 — Overturn a van — 5000 lbs.
15 — Overturn a truck — 6000 lbs.
The chart indicates how much a character can lift, but that amount represents a focused, one-time act. That weight isn’t what he can walk around holding and wearing, day to day. Your character can realistically carry/tote 25 pounds per dot of Strength without penalty. If he attempts to carry more, every action involving physical exertion incurs an automatic -1 penalty for every 25 pounds of excess gear that he has. Furthermore, every 25 pounds he piles on beyond what he can carry reduces his Speed by one. Perhaps he can actually lift everything he’s wearing and holding, but he can’t go anywhere with it. The Storyteller makes the final call on what your character may realistically carry.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The item is dropped and/or a level of bashing damage is incurred.
Failure: Nothing is added to Strength.
Success: One or more is added to Strength.
Exceptional Success: Five or more is added to Strength and the character looks really impressive while performing his mighty feat.
Suggested Equipment: Convenient handholds +1, lifting belt (+1)
Possible Penalties: Slippery conditions (-1), lack of handholds (-1), “It’s been a long day” (-1)
Action: Extended (4 successes; one roll represents 30 minutes)
Meditation is a means of relaxation and reflection that is useful to counterbalance daily stresses and to restore one’s emotional center. It helps to filter out extraneous influences and allows a person to re-dedicate herself to personal beliefs, values and aspirations. For game purposes, this practice has a powerful effect on maintaining emotional balance and bolstering one’s moral resolve in the face of potential degeneration (the decline of one’s Morality, as explained on p. 91).
Performing a successful meditation session requires at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted time in which your character turns her attention inward and tunes out the world. Each roll represents one such 30-minute segment, and meditation sessions can potentially run for several hours as the practitioner struggles with life’s distractions and seeks her focus. Situational modifiers such as the character’s mental and physical condition and environmental distractions can apply. Four successes are required for a rewarding effort. If successful, your character gains a +1 bonus on her next degeneration roll. This bonus lasts until that degeneration roll is made or until the character sleeps, whichever comes first. Once she awakens, she has to meditate again in order to reclaim the bonus. Once the degeneration roll has been made, she can meditate again for a bonus on her next roll, even if she hasn’t slept yet.
Suggested Equipment: Yoga mat (+1), prayer beads (+1), meditative music or relaxation tapes (+2), meditation room (+3)
Possible Penalties: Loud noises (-1), nearby children (-1), uncomfortable environment (-1), lack of sleep (-1 to -2), lack of food (-1 to -3)
Committing something such as a name or a facial feature to memory can require an Intelligence + Composure roll, as can recalling that information later. The more calm your character is the more likely it is that she retains the knowledge. If the information is familiar to your character or referenced often, no roll is required unless she’s nervous or under pressure (Storyteller’s discretion). If the information is brief or simple, such as a license-plate number, no modifiers may apply. The Storyteller may impose bonuses or penalties under various circumstances. Memorizing or recalling something at one’s leisure offers a +1 to +3 bonus. A common name such as “Dave” is easy to memorize (+3 ). Extensive information, details studied quickly or distractedly, or unusual or strange facts such as foreign names are harder to remember (-1 to -5). Features witnessed hours ago are easy to recall (+1), while those observed days, weeks or years ago are harder to conjure up (-1 to -5).
Storytellers can make memory rolls on players’ behalf so the veracity of information called forth is never certain. Another option is to forego rolls if a player remembers (or does not remember) the details.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The information is memorized or remembered incorrectly, to be determined by the Storyteller.
Failure: In one ear and out the other, or your character draws a blank.
Success: The details are at your character’s disposal.
Exceptional Success: Your character has access to not only what’s important, but to related information on the topic or details of where and when the facts were memorized.
Suggested Equipment: Book or television show related to the topic (+1), photograph taken at the event (+2)
Possible Penalties: Extensive information (-3 to -5), details studied quickly or distractedly (-1 to -2), unusual or strange facts (-1 to -2), items observed days, weeks or years ago (-1 to -5)
In terms of general survival, a wilderness or rural region possesses few remarkable threats for the Kindred. Mortals may have to worry about exposure, uncomfortable temperatures, lack of food and water or myriad other issues, but none of that matters to the undead. Vampires almost never suffer any penalties for the conditions of the wilderness environment.
Even though the wilderness is not directly dangerous to the Damned, it’s still not somewhere a vampire wants to stay due to the scarcity of human blood and the limited options for shelter. The important thing is to get through these regions as fast and painlessly as possible.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The vampire becomes hopelessly lost in the middle of the wilderness. He can make no further rolls until the next night, and must seek shelter.
Failure: The character does not find a clear route through the wilderness, but can make another attempt after an hour of driving or traveling.
Success: The character finds his way through the wilderness, either reaching his destination (if it’s within range of travel) or a safe place to hold up for the day if traveling long distances.
Exceptional Success: The character finds a short cut or more efficient route, saving a significant amount of time, fuel or resources.
Suggested Equipment: Maps (+1), GPS equipment (+1), off-road vehicle with plenty of fuel (+1)
Possible Penalties: Unfamiliarity with the region (–1 to –3), poor light and weather (–2), overgrown or awkward terrain, such as thick rainforest (–2)
Dice Pool: Wits + Composure or a relevant Skill in place of Composure (see the “Skill-Based Perception” sidebar)
Sometimes subtle or instantaneous actions occur around your character, testing his powers of observation. A shape races by. Someone hides behind nearby bushes. Maybe your character recognizes these events. Maybe he goes oblivious to them. Alternatively, a single unusual phenomenon is in his presence, and he may (or may not) recognize it without trying. Maybe a piece of furniture is out of place in a room or a door is unlocked when it should be locked.
The Storyteller typically knows when something unusual or out of place occurs in your character’s vicinity, and may call for a reflexive W its + Composure roll for your character to recognize it. Such observation almost always occurs without your character intentionally searching or looking (that’s the province of “Investigation,” p.59). Perception rolls simply check to see if your character instinctually notices what’s going on. In many cases, the Storyteller may make perception rolls for you, so that you remain as aware or unaware of what’s going on as your character.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Y our character notices something strange or out of place, but it’s not what has actually occurred, or he makes a dangerous assumption about the event. A picture hanging at an odd angle indicates that someone has moved it, but your character assumes that a door has been slammed, shifting the piece of art.
Failure: Your character notices nothing amiss or out of place.
Success: Your character recognizes that something has happened. If he wants to learn more, Investigation rolls are called for. See “Investigation,” p. 59.
Exceptional Success: Your character not only recognizes when something unusual or quick happens nearby, he sees it all happen and gets a good look. Or he notices a variety of things that are amiss in his surroundings, just by entering the room.
Suggested Equipment: Hopped-up on caffeine (+1) or amphetamines (+2)
Possible Penalties: Dark (-3), obscuring weather (-1 to -3), subtle detail (-1), obscure detail (-3), distracting circumstances (-1 to -3)
Skill-Based Perception
During the course of play, you will be called upon frequently to roll dice to see if your character notices something in her vicinity, or that some detail is unusual. The Storyteller can always ask you to roll Wits + Composure to see if your character is aware of her surroundings, but there are other options. Perhaps more indicative of your character’s life experience and training is combining Wits + a relevant Skill to determine if your character spots something amiss. It could be Wits + Survival to realize that a predatory animal lurks nearby in the woods. Or it might be Wits + Academics to notice that the books on a shelf aren’t arranged alphabetically, but by date of publication. Sure, Wits + Composure might accomplish the same result, but if your character has some capability with a Skill that’s more reliable than her Composure alone, the Storyteller might allow you to roll Wits plus that Skill, instead.
As a general rule of thumb, the highest of Composure or the Skill is rolled along with Wits. While the stalked character in the example above might be a novice woodsman (Survival 1 ), he could still have decent Composure (say, 3). The latter of the two is rolled because the character’s inherent senses and alertness compensate for his green status in the wilds.
Bear in mind that dots in some Skills or under some circumstances simply don’t matter, and Wits + Composure always applies. For example, if a gun lies in the corner of a room, having the Firearms Skill doesn’t help spot it. Anyone who gets a successful Wits + Composure can see it.
The Storyteller always has final say on whether a Skill can be combined with Wits to make a perception roll, or if Composure applies.
An ambush is about to be launched, a trap is about to be sprung or your character is about to run into her enemy. She may recognize the threat in time or walk right into it. Roll Wits + Composure for your character to determine if she’s prepared for the worst. Even one success indicates that she is and you can roll Initiative (see p. 151) for a fight as usual. If your Wits + Composure roll fails, your character is caught off guard and can do nothing for the first turn of combat except stand and gape or get hurt. Her Defense is not applied against incoming attacks in that first turn. For more information, see “Surprise” on p. 151.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character is completely blindsided. The Storyteller may decree that she cannot act and loses her Defense for the first two turns of any fight that ensues.
Failure: Your character notices nothing amiss and is caught off guard.
Success: Initiative may be rolled normally and your character can attack or defend herself without hindrance.
Exceptional Success: Your character spots trouble or simply senses imminent danger — and can announce it to any companions. None of her companions is caught off guard (all of their Wits + Composure rolls are considered successful).
Suggested Equipment: Hopped-up on caffeine (+1), amphetamines (+2) or methamphetamines (+3)
Possible Penalties: Dark (-3), obscuring weather (-1 to -3), distracting circumstances (-1 to -3), attacker at long range (-3), presumed safe environment (-1 to -2)
Action: Extended (4-10 successes; one roll equals 30 minutes of work)
Repairing a damaged item is an extended action, requiring a number of successes depending on the extent of the repairs and the overall difficulty of the job. Changing a spark plug in a car might require only four successes, while rebuilding the entire engine might demand 15 or more. As a general rule, one success is required on an extended roll to repair one point of damage to a broken object’s Structure. (See “Objects,” p. 135.)
Many repairs require specific tools and/or facilities. If your character does not have all the necessary equipment available, a -1 modifier applies. If he does not have any of the necessary tools to fix the item, the Storyteller may declare that the task is impossible.
Example: Shae is asked by a friend to fix a damaged computer. Shae’s Dexterity is 3 and his Crafts (with a Computer Specialty) is 2. He has all the proper electronics and tools to make the repair, so there is no negative modifier to the rolls, but his equipment is of average quality and doesn’t give a bonus. His dice pool therefore consists of six dice. Repairing the computer is a fairly complicated task, so the Storyteller determines that it will take seven successes to complete. Five rolls (and two-and-a-half hours) later, the necessary successes are accumulated and the computer is fixed.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character fails to make any repairs on the item and actively worsens its condition. Each dramatic failure increases the number of successes required to complete repairs by one or more.
Failure: Your character fails to make any headway in repairing the item.
Success: Your character makes progress in completing the repair.
Exceptional Success: Your character makes dramatic progress in repairing the item, likely well ahead of schedule.
Suggested Equipment: High-grade tool set (+1), high-quality materials (+1), high-tech tools (laser leveler, saws with laser guides) (+2), specialized sculpting tools (+2), extensive reference library (+2), garage (+3), carpentry shop (+3)
Possible Penalties: Poor-quality tool set (-1), poor-quality materials (-1), lack of reference library (-1), improvised work area (-1)
Action: Extended (3-10+ successes; each roll represents 30 minutes of research)
Researching information is a fairly straightforward task that involves querying libraries and databases. Roll Intelligence + Academics + equipment. The number of successes required depends on the complexity and/or obscurity of the desired information. A simple set of facts might demand three successes to obtain, while a little-known or difficult-to-find reference might demand 10 or more successes to uncover. Depending on the quality of the libraries or databases available, the Storyteller may grant a +1 or higher modifier to task rolls.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character obtains flawed or inaccurate information that leads him to draw incorrect conclusions about the subject.
Failure: Your character makes no progress in locating the information he’s after.
Success: Your character makes progress in his search for information.
Exceptional Success: Your character is well on his way to discovering the elusive information he’s after. If the roll provides enough successes to push the total well above the amount necessary to complete the task (by five or more), he gains additional information pertinent to his research, providing greater detail and insight into the subject.
Suggested Equipment: Library card (+1), Internet connection (+1), access to a university library (+2), access to government databases (+3)
Possible Penalties: Unusual topic (-1), obscure topic (-2), limited library or database (-2)
Another person seeks to turn your character’s mind to her way of thinking, or tries to get him do something for her, possibly through debate, intimidation or threats. The action is probably a contested effort against someone else’s Wits-, Intelligence-, Presence- or Manipulation-based roll. Whoever gets the most successes wins. Convincing evidence might impose a -1 to -3 penalty to your character’s determination. Especially pointed or compelling threats or applications of torture impose a similar penalty, at the Storyteller’s discretion.
A prolonged interrogation or torture session may require extended rolls between parties, made every few minutes, hours or days, as appropriate. See the Interrogation Skill task on p. 81 for more details.
If successes rolled in a contested coercion attempt tie, the subject maintains his own will and does not break down.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Why didn’t your character think of that? He is utterly forthcoming with help or information. In fact, there’s even more that he could do.
Failure: The request or idea seems perfectly reasonable.
Success: “No way.”
Exceptional Success: “No way, and here’s how you’re wrong,” or “All I know is (insert misinformation here).”
Suggested Equipment: “What Would Jesus Do?” keychain (+1), Marine Corp ring or other elite clique token (+2)
Possible Penalties: Questioned or smooth-talked by a friend (-1) or family member (-2), bribed (-1 to -3)
Action: Reflexive (potentially extended)
Toxins or ailments affect people only in so far as these afflictions can overcome bodily resistance, and often the personal imperative to remain healthy. The human body can fight back against foreign substances and illness, but determination to resist goes a long way toward recovery, too.
Mere exposure to an illness or poison might call for a reflexive Stamina + Resolve roll to determine if your character falls victim. If the roll is successful, he remains healthy or immune. If the roll fails, the symptoms kick in.
If an affliction has long-term effects, efforts to fight back might call for extended and reflexive Stamina + Resolve rolls. They might be made every turn or hour for a poison, or every hour, day or week for a disease. The total number of successes needed to overcome might be 10 for a weak poison or 30 for a virulent disease. The victim suffers from any effects of the illness while it is being fought. The Storyteller might impose a limit on the number of rolls that can be made before a severe condition proves fatal. If required successes aren’t accumulated by then, your character dies.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: The toxin wins over all; your character’s will is shattered. Penalties or damage imposed by the condition become more severe, intensifying by one. All accumulated successes are lost and the Storyteller decides when — or if — your character ever recovers.
Failure: The intruding effect takes or continues to take its course.
Success: In a simple reflexive roll, the condition is resisted. In an extended roll, some progress is made in resisting the condition, but symptoms persist until the illness is defeated completely (when required successes are accumulated).
Exceptional Success: “Rumors of my death are exaggerated.” Your character goes immune or makes rapid progress toward recovery.
Suggested Equipment: Healthy diet (+1), antibiotics (+2), cutting-edge wonder drugs (+3)
Possible Penalties: Injuries (-1 to -3), bad diet (-1), lack of medication (-1 to -3), lack of sleep (-1 to -2)
Action: Instant or extended (3-10+ successes; one roll represents one hour of activity)
A man scrawls a bizarre message before he dies. A ghost utters some cryptic, haunting words that are the clues to freeing the spirit from this world. A killer leaves a hint to his next crime. Your character is posed with a perplexing mystery, riddle, puzzle, code or series of clues to contemplate. Sometimes these brainteasers can be solved quickly, such as a short riddle meant to lead your character to his next destination. Such conundrums might be solved with a simple success and an instant action. Other stumpers demand consideration, research, interpretation and/or legwork — an extended action. For your character to understand what “Blue Heron” written in blood means, she needs to look into the murder victim’s past and do research into what the term itself is applied.
Often times, such an enigma goes unsolved until the required successes are gained. Partial insights along the way aren’t forthcoming, because the elements of the answer don’t make sense until they’re all gathered. When they are, eureka!
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: Your character arrives at the wrong solution. Storytellers may want to make enigma rolls on players’ behalf for this reason.
Failure: Your character does not solve the puzzle or gains no headway toward the answer.
Success: Your character finds a simple answer, or gathers some information or insight toward complete comprehension.
Exceptional Success: Your character arrives at the answer quickly or makes an enormous intuitive leap.
Suggested Equipment: Internet access (+1), code-deciphering computer programs (+2), extensive reference library (+2), extensive library dedicated to the specific subject matter in question (+3)
Possible Penalties: No reference library (-1); distracting phenomena in area, from noise (-1) to dangers (-4); incomplete clues (-1 to -5)