Potestas

Challenges and Conflict

Skill Checks

When using a skill, characters attempt to equal or exceed the Difficulty score set for the task they are trying to achieve. The Difficulty score is either a fixed number or is set by adding 10 to an opposing creature's relevant skill score. Minor circumstantial modifiers (such as having appropriate tools or not being a good swimmer) increase or decrease the Difficulty score by 2. Major circumstantial modifiers (such as trying to persuade or impress someone who strongly likes or dislikes you) increase or decrease the Difficulty score by 5.

When not being rushed, threatened, or distracted, characters can choose to Take 10 or Take 20 on a skill check. Characters who Take 10 on a skill check calculate their result as if they had rolled 10. Characters who Take 20 on a skill check calculate their result as if they had rolled 20, but take 20 times as long to make the skill check.

In some situations, characters can work together to use a skill. Up to four characters can make an easy difficulty skill check to help a character use a skill. If successful, an assisting character provides the character with a +2 bonus on their skill check.

Skill Challenges

In some situations, one skill check is not sufficient to determine success or failure. A skill challenge occurs whenever there is a complex conflict, such as a trial, a seduction, or a fight.

Skill challenges are divided into rounds in which all participants act simultaneously. At the start of a round, every participant makes an Insight check. Participants declare their action, including which skill they are using and which opponent they are targeting, in order from lowest result to highest result. Participants can choose to declare their action before other participants with lower Insight results if they wish. Characters in the paragon tier can target two opponents or the same opponent twice with their action, and character in the epic tier can target three opponents, one opponent twice and another opponent once, or one opponent three times.

To successfully complete a skill challenge, the characters must achieve a set number of damaging successes before they experience a set number of damaging failures. The number of successes and failures is determined by the dramatic importance of the conflict and its participants on each side. The player characters set the number of failures, while their opponents set the number of successes.

If there are participants of unequal importance on the same side, calculate the number based on the participants of greatest importance, then add the number for the lesser participants instead of increasing the multiplier for additional participants. For example, defeating Lord Anton the vampire (major importance and of paragon tier), his dwarven servant Gaberk (typical importance), and two compelled guards (minor importance) requires 9 successes: 6 for Lord Anton, 2 for Gaberk as the second participant, and 1 for the second guard as the fourth participant.

Damage

To achieve a damaging success, a character must successfully attack an opponent with the skill and the opponent must fail to resist the attack's damage. Conversely, to achieve a damaging failure, a character must fail to avoid an attack by an opponent and fail to resist the attack's damage. Opponents of minor importance automatically fail to resist damage. Separate skill checks are made for attack and damage (and in the case of abilities, to activate the ability beforehand).

• Physical attacks involve striking, hitting, and physically interacting with the target. The damage caused by physical attacks is resisted by Endure.
• Mental attacks involve talking, distracting, and interacting with the target. The damage caused by mental attacks is resisted by Focus.

The type and skill result of each damaging success and failure is recorded against the character or opponent who was attacked. However, damage against individuals doesn't remove them from the skill challenge unless the player or GM opts to do so. For example, Lord Anton's two compelled guards are much easier to damage than he is, so each of them is removed from the conflict after taking 1 damaging success.

Treating Damage

Treating damage requires a successful skill check against the damage's skill result. Heal is used to treat physical injuries, and Insight is used to treat mental injuries. If successful, the damage is removed and does not count as a pre-existing success or failure (as appropriate) for future conflicts..

It is possible to treat damage during a skill challenge. If either the character treating the damage and the character being treated is attacked, the attempt to treat the injury automatically fails. If successful, the damage is removed and the existing success or failure (as appropriate) negated.

After a conflict is resolved, the winning side usually has sufficient time to treat any damage taken. However, any damage that cannot be treated by Taking 20 cannot be treated quickly, and is a lasting injury.

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