Fighting TechniquesAll Talents of this area may be improved by only up to 1 point per level. A list and a short description of them can be found in the following chapter "Brothers in arms" - fighting rules.Physical talentsAll talents of this are may be improved by up to 2 points per level.Climbing (CO/AG/ST)A test of Climbing is always required, when the hero plans to climb a difficult terrain. (such things may as well be climbing over the wall of a castle or city as it may be a rocky cliff - to climb onto the top of a bar should not be too demanding to require TaPs). Depending on the height and the surface of the target area, the master may wish to demand a harder test, i.e. an additive value to the test, whereas climbing aids as tails and mountaineering equipment might improve the chances as a simpler test. A hero tending towards vertigo, i.e. fearing heights has to withstand a test of Fear of Heights, too. Fear of heights is getting worse when climbing higher and higher.
Body control (CO/IN/AG)Everybody knows the situation, where you might need a talent like this. You slip away unexpectedly on a stairway, you are falling from a horse and have to roll gently to the earth rather than dropping down like a stone or the hero has to take a leap from a part of a bridge that is just breaking away beneath her feet. In all of these case the talent Body control will be needed. The gamemaster should judge the situation according to its difficulty and apply additives whenever needed.For example, a hero, who wants to jump onto the neck of a passing rider from a window sill (a popular exercise in the wild west of Arkania) has to succeed in talent test "Body control" plus 10. For leaps from great height the additive should be about twice the amount in steps (metres) height.
Riding (CH/AG/ST)You do not need a riding talent to keep on top of a horse, stepping slowly towards extinction in the hands of the horse butcher, but your hero will definitely be forced to have the dice rolled when she tries something extra- ordinary: a full gallop, leaps across obstacles, a ride through rough terrain might all need a Riding-test. Riding with hands free will already need an additive, which should not be too small if she tries something like leaping across an obstacle 1,50 metres in height or 5 metres in length.
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Sneaking (CO/IN/AG)Successful sneaking is not a question of Body control alone, it depends on the equipment, the terrain and his sense of listening. If the soil is solid it may be easy enough to spare a test of sneaking when the hero is barefooted. To sneak through a forest by night when seemingly everything is quiet and you wear riding boots and cannot feel the twigs, this is exactly when a Sneaking-test becomes helpful. So it is quite common to make tests harder according to shoes or boots, terrain and the sound of the armour which may well be annoying.Every Sneaking-test max be cross-examined by any one who is listening (remember ? look it up here ! ). But the gamemaster may demand to roll Sneaking-tests hidden, since heroes might not know the result until they got caught by some angry guards who were much better at sneaking than themselves.
Swimming (CO/AG/ST)Swimming is different, only people with values higher than zero are in the position to try their luck at swimming. There is no way to force yourself into a distinct direction under at least TaP 2. People with Swimming higher than 2 are not required to do a test of swimming if they fall into some tiny lake or river, but when they try to dive, carry a load (e.g. one of their companions) or when they are fighting in water. In this last case every second attack should be combined by a Swimming-test. If it does not succeed the attack of herself will also fail.Factors that may evoke an additive while swimming may be: The streaming or whirling of the water: the surf or the wild river in the mountains may well be a test too hard to stand and may cause up to 8 points additive. The armour of the hero that lets her nearly drown because it is all soaked up with water or even to heavy in itself, every point of handicap causes a point of additive, every succeeded test at a handicap over 5 just signifies, that she could get out of her armour. In such handicaps swimming is not possible. The distance she can endure is dependant on her Stamina (, which you can look up here !).
Self control (CO/ST/ST)There are lots of people who just overestimate their hero's self control: "While the ogre is spiralling around my hero's nose and turning it into squash, she will not move a little bit. Never would she tell where the magical apple cake is gone..." Thus, it may be rational to let her prove that she is capable of it, a talent test would be exactly the right thing.First of all, self control does tell you how well your hero will withstand huge pain. A high TaP can be employable in torture as well as in battle or on a big march to a far away target. On the other hand, you may need self control as well, when the hero is tempted, e.g. when his companion tells a guard a big lie. Sometimes it, however, more useful to test her irascibility rather than her self control.
Hiding (CO/IN/GE)This talent determines the capability of finding a place to hide in a blink of an eye. A hero who fails underestimated the guards chasing after her like "Is it preferable to use the cupboard ... the wardrobe ... beneath the table ? ".If there is just no possibility to hide like, e.g. the Imman stadium of Havena, please feel free, as a gamemaster, to just block any trial to get hidden. As with Sneaking, the master may throw the dice hidden, so that people do not know how well they might be hidden. And a crosscheck by Sensitivity is also allowed.
Dancing (CH/AG/AG)To succeed in a Dancing-test might as well serve as an introduction to someone important as it might be useful to express the tendency to freedom on a party of elves and witches, whereas failing might need to any kind of trouble, at least destroy her reputation. |
