Not every difficulty the PCs will face can be as easily defined as a horde of evil foes brandishing weapons. This subsection discusses traps, breaking objects, and more.
Social Challenges
A smart group of adventurers doesn't get in a fight with every living thing they meet. Unfortunately, there are times when others block the way forward – uncooperative guards, recalcitrant informants, enemy spies, and prowling monsters will test the characters’ bartering, sneaking, and role-playing skills to the limit. Unlike physical challenges, social challenges hinge on what a character says as much as how they roll. If a PC attempts to use a persuasive skill like Negotiation, the player must act out the attempt as well as simply rolling for it. Good performances might net the player a bonus or waive the roll entirely, assuming this is in character; no amount of smooth talking on the player's part can compensate for a Complication on that Negotiation roll. Here’s some examples of how difficult Negotiation checks might be:
- Elementary (5)-Convince an admiring fan that you really are just that amazing.
- Easy (7)-Haggle a deal with a shopkeeper in a backwater village, seduce a Gambler.
- Moderate (9)-Impress a diplomat or noble with your well-reasoned arguments.
- Challenging (11)-Insult an imperial soldier until he opens the prison door to come strike you.
- Impressive (14)-Leave a monster trembling in fear from your intimidating stare.
- Heroic (17)-Lie to an Esper or a Judge and get away with it.
- Supreme (20)-Rally a small army for your cause, lie to a mind-reader and get away with it.
- Godlike (25)-Have the king agree to step down and give you the throne instead.
- Impossible (30)-Befriend the void.
Breaking Things
Whether it be as complex as a suit of Magitech Armor or as simple as a tightly-packed clay cell wall, players and characters alike will always find reasons to destroy barriers and inanimate objects. Although characters with the Destructive Strike ability are better suited to rip a path through their surroundings, anyone may destroy an object or structure if they succeed at a Force skill test. Thus, objects cannot slowly weaken under a continued assault of attacks; it’s all or nothing.
The difficulty of breaking an object is the same as any other check – the character must make a successful Force roll equal to or greater than an object’s difficulty value to destroy it. Consult the chart below for information on typical – and not-so-typical – materials and objects.
Equippable items – armor, shields, weapons, accessories, etc –are much more difficult to break under normal circumstances. Some examples of the difficulty for breaking objects is as follows:
The difficulty of breaking an object is the same as any other check – the character must make a successful Force roll equal to or greater than an object’s difficulty value to destroy it. Consult the chart below for information on typical – and not-so-typical – materials and objects.
Equippable items – armor, shields, weapons, accessories, etc –are much more difficult to break under normal circumstances. Some examples of the difficulty for breaking objects is as follows:
- Ceramics/Glass/Clay Pottery-Elementary (5)
- Wood-Easy (7)
- Crystal/Flimsy Metals-Moderate (9)
- Porous Brick/Sand-Challenging (11)
- Stone/Brick-Impressive (14)
- Reinforced Metal/Steel-Heroic (17)
- Diamond-Supreme (20)
- Adamantite/Orichalcum-Godlike (25)
- The Moon-Impossible (30)
Traps
Traps can give a party plenty of headaches without ever straining their sword arms. If overcome, traps and hazards reward the party with Experience Points. They can deal damage directly, inflict statuses, sound alarms that summon or release monsters for the PCs to fight, and more.
A common trap is a ‘Monster-In-A-Box’, a creature of almost any type that lives within the dark confines of a treasure chest, bursting out to attack unsuspecting adventurers. Odds are pretty good that you can describe most traps as an aspect of Difficult Terrain as well
A common trap is a ‘Monster-In-A-Box’, a creature of almost any type that lives within the dark confines of a treasure chest, bursting out to attack unsuspecting adventurers. Odds are pretty good that you can describe most traps as an aspect of Difficult Terrain as well