Page 103 - Chronicles of Darkness

The Storyteller may require the use of Resources, warding circles are better suited to Volatile since they cease
Contacts, or other Merits, or a separate research action, to exist soon after they’re created anyway, while other types
to reflect putting effort into securing the right materials, can go either way.
contacting the right person, or having enough specialized
knowledge to build the thing to begin with. This should FRAGILE
only apply when the character wants to build something
particularly complex or potent and it would enhance the
drama of the story to do so. The Storyteller shouldn’t use The equipment the character is using to aid his action won’t
this as a hoop the player must jump through, but rather as last long for some reason, whether because it’s an object put to-
a way of introducing interesting plot elements to an action. gether with duct tape and bubble gum, or because his relationship
However, when it comes to mystical equipment, these rules with the people involved sours, or because his computer ends up
don’t replace the need to discover a creature’s bane first; the suffering a blue screen of death and the data is corrupted. A plan
best a player can do is an equipment bonus or minor benefit may be Fragile because of disrupted communication between the
without that information. characters, or because of an unexpected hurdle, etc. The equip-
Dice Pool: Varies ment ceases to exist in any usable form after a number of uses
Action: Instant (Special) equal to its creator’s dots in the Skill used to build it.
While the Build Equipment action is instant and thus Possible Sources: Achieving a failure on a Build
requires only one roll and one success, the actual game time Equipment roll.
that passes can range from a few minutes to a few hours. It’s Resolution: The equipment falls apart one way or an-
up to the Storyteller how long it takes, though in most cases other. Plans grant one Beat to each player whose character
the measurement of in-game time doesn’t matter much — is involved when this Condition resolves.
the only important considerations are whether the action Beat: N/A
is finished before something else happens or not, and how
many other people’s actions occur in the interim. VOLATILE
If a Build action occurs during an action scene, the num-
ber of turns it takes to complete is equal to the penalty the
roll takes for the equipment bonus and benefits, although it The equipment the character is using to aid his action is
still only requires one roll. Some Build actions are impossible ready to blow at any moment, figuratively or literally. One
during action scenes, like convincing a room full of people wrong word, one badly-placed rune, and it’s time to duck and
to join a character in peaceful protest, or gathering articles cover. A plan may be Volatile because it backfires terribly,
for a research database. The Storyteller is the final arbiter of or because a Storyteller character betrays the group, etc. Any
whether a Build action can be completed during an action failure achieved while benefiting from the equipment is auto-
scene or not. matically a dramatic failure. The equipment may continue to
Roll Results exist after this Condition is resolved, but if so, its equipment
bonus is reduced by two dice. This can create equipment
Dramatic Failure: The character fails outright, and suf- penalties if the original bonus was fewer than two dice.
fers some negative consequence. It could be taking damage Possible Sources: Achieving a failure on a Build
from an explosive reaction, gaining a negative Condition Equipment roll.
like Embarrassing Secret or Leveraged, or leading a su- Resolution: The character suffers a dramatic failure while
pernatural threat directly to the character’s location. The using the equipment. Plans grant one Beat to each player
Storyteller should devise a consequence appropriate to the whose character is involved when this Condition resolves.
circumstances. Beat: N/A
Failure: The character successfully builds the equipment,
but it carries the Fragile or Volatile Condition (see below). Jury Rigging
Success: The character successfully builds the equipment
and anyone can use it as normal. When you’re dangling from a grappling hook 30 feet
Exceptional Success: The player may choose to add one above the cold concrete with an angry mob of gunmen on
bonus die or one other benefit to the equipment. Equipment your tail, you don’t have the luxury of time. That Molotov
bonuses still may not exceed +5. cocktail you’re mixing gets done now or never. That’s where
jury rigging comes in.
Equipment Conditions Dice Pool: Varies
Action: Instant
Unlike most Conditions, these follow the equipment
Use the same dice pool you would use to build the equip-
itself. Any character using the flawed equipment suffers this ment normally. A Jury Rigging action is a normal instant
Condition until resolved. The Storyteller and player should action that cuts out all the rest of the game time that Build
work together to decide whether Fragile or Volatile is more Equipment usually takes. Every failure while Jury Rigging is
appropriate to the equipment in question. Generally, or- a dramatic failure.
ganizations, plans, and ephemeral mystical equipment like
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infernal engines -dramatic systems