Page 128 - World of Darkness

completed in the moment, usually with obvious results — Extended Actions
the attempt fails or succeeds. Basically, any activity that
can be performed and completed in the space of one turn Some actions demand time and effort to be performed.
— three seconds — is considered an instant action. These They can’t be completed on the fly or in the moment as
efforts are resolved with the roll of a single dice pool. instant actions are. Activities such as conducting research
If you get no successes on the roll, your character fails into a politician with a shady past, or canvassing a neigh-
at the activity. Most likely, no result occurs and he wastes borhood for strange sightings are considered extended ac-
his time. Instant actions usually require only one success tions. Rather than require one roll, they demand several
to be performed. Sometimes the actual number of suc- rolls before overall success can be determined. Successes
cesses that you achieve is counted, as in combat to deter- earned per roll are accumulated, and the period that passes
mine damage done to a target. between rolls varies depending on the activity performed.
It’s possible to achieve exceptional results when five Each roll — each step in the process — is a step to-
or more successes are earned with a single dice roll. Your ward achieving the end goal, such as hacking a computer
character does even better than hoped. Maybe he not only or hot-wiring a car. A failure on any roll means you accu-
reaches the other side of the pit, he knocks aside debris mulate no successes at that stage and your character’s time
on the far side that makes it easier for others to land. Or, in that period is wasted. The project continues, though.
he makes it up the banister even faster than his opponent It’s also possible that particularly crippling penalties
who takes the stairs. The Attribute and Skill tasks de- could be imposed on your dice pool for any stage, reduc-
scribed in Chapters 2 and 3 suggest possible results when ing you to a chance roll. Say a research effort is made ever
failure, success and exceptional success occur. more challenging in the wake of a fire in which impor-
By this system, the challenge of any feat is laid out tant documents are lost. (The Storyteller imposes a high
before you. One success always indicates a positive result. penalty to subsequent rolls made.) A dramatic failure on
Five or more successes might suggest a great success, but such a roll cancels all accumulated successes and may mean
one is always the benchmark. And you always roll against that your character must start the extended action from
a fixed target number of 8. The relative difficulty of an scratch, but also has to make some change in circumstance
action is therefore determined by the number of dice added (he has to find a new source of information, get new tools,
to or subtracted from your dice pool. The more dice you read the automobile repair manual or find new parts).
have in hand, the more likely it is that you’ll roll a suc- Under delicate circumstances, perhaps when tools or parts
cess. The fewer the dice in your pool, the slimmer your are one-of-a-kind, a dramatic failure may indicate that
character’s chances. When your character performs an the project ends in utter failure, maybe with harm done
activity that requires the space of a turn to be accom- to your character.
plished, you compose a dice pool based on his traits, add The Storyteller determines how many total successes
or subtract dice based on bonuses or penalties, and roll in are required to complete an extended action. He also de-
hopes of getting successes. If you get at least one, your cides what period of
character succeeds in the moment. time passes for
Example: The crook holds hostage the china doll that each roll that you
Travis so dearly needs. If the doll is damaged, the spirit of make, and trans-
Travis’ deceased grandmother will haunt him forever. Trying lates what each
to buy time, the crook throws the doll and makes a run for it. stage means for
Travis races to catch the special toy. The Storyteller calls for your character.
a Dexterity + Athletics roll. Travis’ Dexterity is 3 and his
Athletics is 1. He has no special tools or benefits to apply to
the effort. Meanwhile, there’s a
whole room full of furniture for
Travis to navigate to get to the
doll in time (the Storyteller
imposes a -3 penalty).
The result is a dice pool
of one (3 + 1 - 3). The
roll turns up a 2. Travis
dives and falls short as the
doll shatters on the floor,
just out of reach.
Somewhere in the house,
a disembodied wail
echoes.

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SYSTEMS- ACTIONS