Complex Tasks
Some tasks and actions undertaken by the players take place over a longer span of time and involve multiple stages or phases. Some examples:
- Finding information on how to tame griffons in the Halls of Knowledge in the Great City of Grine.
- Tracking down the legendary swordsman Gervais, who is said to lay low in the seedy underbelly of Sulos, City of Thieves.
- Hunting down Grilof the Grim, a fierce gray wolf with an impressive body count, in the Emberwoods.
- Locating Leopold Blackwater, bandit leader, in the Salt Flats.
- Socializing your way into the Court of Smiles, a members-only club rumored to hold exquisite banquets.
- Finding healing herbs in the Golden Steppes to cure severe burns suffered in combat.
Any dedicated action done over a stretch of time (not just in a single moment) can be a complex task: analyzing, studying, training, patrolling, researching, tracking, deciphering, fortifying, etc.
Difficulty, Steps & Timescale
First, the number of Steps and timescale is determined:
- A mundane task takes 1d2 Steps, and a Step takes 10 minutes.
- A task requiring effort takes 1d4+2 steps, and a Step takes 1 hour.
- A hard or dangerous task takes 2d4+4 steps, and a step takes 1 Watch.
- An extraordinary, mythical task takes 4d4+8 steps, and a step takes 1 day, 1 week or even 1 month.
Adjust the timescales to fit the fiction; hunting down a dangerous beast could have Steps that take days, finding herbs would probably take a few hours, tops.
Making Rolls & Tracking Progress
For every completed time unit spent dedicated to this task, roll 2d6 + modifier.
- On a 6 or lower, no progress is made.
- On a 7-9, progress 1 Step.
- On a 10+, progress 1 Step for this time unit, and in the next time unit, progress another 1 Step without a roll.
Note that “spending time dedicated to this task’”does not mean that nothing else happens; it might involve traveling the land in pursuit of the quarry, visiting towns and cities, or even delving into dungeons looking for clues!
In some cases, the time spent dedicated to the task is glossed over — the party travels the plains for another day, looking for clues. In others, the progress rolls might be “gated” behind other concrete actions. If the party is tracking a necromancer, and the tracks in his old camp led to a nearby tomb, the tomb must first be explored before the next progress roll is made.
Skills & Modifiers
The participating Player Characters can gain the following, non-stacking modifiers to their rolls:
- A +1 modifier for any generally relevant skill, background, context, or ability.
- A +2 modifier for any specifically relevant skill, background, context, or ability.
- A +3 modifier for any uniquely relevant skill, background, context, or ability.
Note that having multiple specific skills do not make a unique skill. A +3 should only be granted in unique circumstances.
Examples
The examples below flesh out some of the examples listed at the beginning of this chapter. All the modifiers are just examples and interpretations of what “general relevant skill,” “specific relevant skill,” and “uniquely relevant skill” could look like. The players should feel free to improvise, and the Warden should feel free to accommodate improvisation. Sudden windfall or unexpected obstacle during roleplay? Grant a free Step or add a negative modifier!
Finding Information
The party is looking for information on how to tame griffons in the Halls of Knowledge in the Great City of Grine. The Warden determines that this task is hard, meaning they roll 2d4+4 for the number of Steps. The Warden determines that the Timescale is “days”, as the Halls of Knowledge is a castle-sized library, with bookshelves from floor to ceiling in each room. As for the modifiers:
- +1 if the party contains a scribe or anyone generally familiar with libraries
- +2 if this scribe has familiarity with the Halls of Knowledge
- +3 if this scribe is familiar with the Halls of Knowledge and knows the specific tome they’re looking for.
Tracking Down A Trainer
The party is tracking down the legendary swordsman Gervais, who is said to lay low in the seedy underbelly of Sulos, City of Thieves. This task is determined to require some effort (1d4+2, resulting in 6 Steps), with a Timescale of “days.” As for the modifiers:
- +1 if the party contains any smooth-talkers, socialites, or sleuth-like types
- +2 if the party has any of the above AND they are familiar with the underworld of Sulos
- +3 if the party has any of the above, familiarity with the city, AND has met Gervais before.
Hunting A Wolf
The party is hunting down Grilof the Grim, a fierce gray wolf with an impressive body count, in the Emberwoods. Grilof is notoriously difficult to track (4d4+8, for 20 Steps). The Timescale is set to 8 hours, similar to watches in the wilderness.
- +1 if the party contains a hunter
- +2 if this hunter has experience with hunting wolves or is familiar with the Emberwoods
- +3 if this hunter has experience hunting wolves in the Emberwoods and has encountered Grilof before.
Finding Ingredients
The party is tasked to find Moonlight Petals, a rare plant, in the Weeping Woods. This plant is uncommon (1d4+2, 3 steps), with a Timescale of “hours.”
- +1 if the party contains anyone with explicit knowledge of plants
- +2 if this party member has collected Moonlight Petals before or knows the Weeping Woods well
- +3 if this party member has collected Moonlight Petals in the Weeping Woods before.