Page 71 - Chronicles of Darkness

total number of successes rolled when working out if you scored
an exceptional success — don’t subtract the other party’s suc-
cesses from yours. A contested action takes up the action of Supernatural Tolerance
the person initiating the action; resisting it is a reflexive action. and Potency

Extended Actions As you venture beyond this book and into the
An extended action is an attempt to complete a complex wider world of playable monsters, you’ll find that
task. You roll your dice pool multiple times. Each roll takes a those monsters have traits that help them perpe-
certain amount of time, and represents a step in the process trate and resist supernatural effects.
— your character either makes significant progress or faces Supernatural Tolerance is a number added to pools
a setback. You determine your dice pool for the action as to resist magical powers. Vampires use their Blood
normal — Attribute + Skill + Modifiers. Make a note of your Potency, while werewolves use their Primal Urge.
Attribute + Skill + Specialty (if any); that’s the maximum Supernatural Potency is an overall measure of how
number of times you can roll before the action fails. dangerous the monster is. It’s usually the same
When you take an extended action, the Storyteller deter- trait as Supernatural Tolerance, but differs in a
mines how many successes you require. Most actions require few places. For example, demons can sometimes
between five and twenty successes. Five reflects a reasonable contest powers with their Cover, but their potency
action that competent characters can achieve with the right is determined by their Primum.
tools and knowledge. Ten represents a difficult action that’s Don’t sweat this too much; each monster game
still realistic for a professional in a field. Twenty represents a describes it in detail.
very difficult action that even a particularly skilled character
will have trouble pulling off.
The Storyteller also determines the interval between rolls.
If an action would take weeks to complete, she might consider supernatural power that puts a victim in your thrall uses a
one roll per week. If it’s likely to take a day’s work, one roll contested action, because the number of successes that you
per hour makes for a solid timeframe. roll doesn’t matter to the power.
Roll Results
Dramatic Failure: In addition to the effects of a failure, Contested Actions
the first roll on a further attempt suffers a 2-die penalty.
Failure: You face a setback. The Storyteller will offer you When two characters are competing, and you only need
a choice: take a Condition of her choice or abandon the to know who comes out on top, use a contested action. In a
action. You can offer a different Condition if you think it contested action, each player rolls a pool for their character
makes sense. If you refuse or cannot agree on a Condition, (such as an Attribute + Skill pool), and the character for whom
you lose all accumulated successes (see “Conditions,” p. 75). the most successes are rolled wins the contest.
Success: Add the successes scored on the roll to your
running total. Work with the Storyteller to determine what Common Actions
steps your character has taken towards his goal. Here are some sample ways you can apply your Skills.
Exceptional Success: Choose one of: Reduce the number Remember, you can invent your own at any time.
of successes required by your character’s Skill dots, reduce the
time on each following roll by a quarter, or apply the excep- ARGUMENT
tional success result of the action when you complete your goal.
(Intelligence + Expression – victim’s Resolve)
Resistance
You try to sway someone with a rational argument. (If
Sometimes, an action is resisted. You roll your Attribute arguing with a crowd, use the highest Resolve in the crowd.)
+ Skill, but apply a modifier of one of your opponent’s resis- (See also Social Maneuvering, p.81.)
tance Attributes (Resolve, Stamina, or Composure), or your • Dramatic Failure: You convince them of quite the
opponent’s Defense. This resistance is over and above any opposite.
other modifiers applied to the dice pool.
If you’re not sure whether to use resistance or a contested • Failure: They listen, but are ultimately unaffected.
action, use this guideline: Resistance applies in situations
where the number of successes on the roll is an important • Success: They accept the truth (or apparent truth) of
factor. If what matters is just whether the roll succeeds or not, your words.
use a contested action. For example, combat applies Defense
as a resistance because the number of successes on the roll • Exceptional Success: They’re convinced, and become
determines how badly the attacker messes up his victim. A a recruit to your point of view, though they might
change their minds if they find themselves at risk.
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infernal engines -dramatic systems