Any obstacle, problem, or enemy the characters face during an Encounter is called a Challenge. Challenges take many forms, from deadly traps to hungry monsters to mind boggling puzzles. Some Challenges are devised by the Adventure Guide, while others are born of the choices the players make during the Adventure. Whatever the nature or origin of the Challenge, all Challenges are resolved using the same set of rules.
The First Rule #
The first rule of Challenges is, “Not every Challenge requires these rules.” Some Challenges are better handled by a bit of creative roleplaying between the Adventure Guide and the players.
Examples of when Adventure Guide might want to just roleplay a Challenge rather than rolling dice include:
- There is no serious consequence for failure.
- The characters have plenty of time and all the right skills and tools.
- Nothing is trying to stop the characters from succeeding.
- Using the rules will not make the game more fun or the story more dramatic.
- The idea the players came up with is so clever it should just work.
Challenge Attributes #
Challenges are defined by these attributes:
- Challenge Points: A number that represents the size and scope of the Challenge.
- Protection: Qualities that make it more difficult to overcome this Challenge with certain Actions, tools, and Effects. Types of Protection include Armor, Resistance, and Immunity.
- Traits: Special traits that change, complicate, or add new dimensions to the Challenge. The traits covered in this chapter are Timed, Race, Escalating, Opposed, Solo, One-Shot, and Linked.
- Triggers: Events that alter the nature, scope, or complexity of a Challenge.
- Rewards and Consequences: A description of the rewards earned for overcoming the Challenge and the consequences of failing.
This chapter includes detailed descriptions and rules for each of these attributes. For a list of sample Challenges, see Appendix C: Challenge Library.
Challenge Points #
The magnitude of a Challenge is represented by its Challenge Points (CP). The greater the power, complexity, and scale of a Challenge, the more Challenge Points it has. Each successful Action the characters perform to overcome the Challenge reduces its Challenge Points. When the Challenge Points are reduced to zero, the characters have overcome the Challenge.
Reducing Challenge Points #
Each time a character successfully performs an Action to overcome a Challenge, the Challenge’s Challenge Points are reduced by the Action’s Effect. The characters continue to take Actions until they reduce the Challenge Points to zero. When the Challenge Points Reach zero, the Adventure Guide describes the outcome of the character’s efforts.
Group Effort #
Most Challenges are a group effort, meaning all the player characters in the party work together to overcome the Challenges they face. They assist one another along the way, collaborate to solve problems, make up for their friends’ areas of weakness with their strengths, and cover for their allies’ mistakes. Even Challenges like climbing a cliff or sneaking up on the castle guards are tackled AS a group. The Challenge Points the Adventure Guide assigns to these Challenges represents the amount of work needed for the entire group to succeed, not one individual. Every character’s Actions help to reduce the same set of Challenge Points.
Setting Challenge Points #
The Challenge Point Table provides the Gamemaster with guidance for assigning Challenge Points to a Challenge. The Challenge Size column describes the size of the Challenge, the Rounds column shows the number of Rounds it typically takes a group of four characters to overcome a Challenge of this size, and the CP column shows the suggested number of Challenge Points to assign the Challenge.
| Challenge POINT TABLE | ||
| Challenge Size | Rounds | CP |
| Tiny | 1 | 0 to 4 |
| Small | 1 to 2 | 5 to 9 |
| Medium | 3 to 4 | 10 to 24 |
| Large | 5 to 9 | 25 to 49 |
| Enormous | 10+ | 50+ |
The Rounds column assumes the characters have the necessary skills and abilities to overcome the Challenge. In game terms, this means their Action Scores roughly match the Base Difficulty Scores of the Actions they are performing. If their Action Scores are generally lower than the Base Difficulty Scores, the Challenge may take additional Rounds to overcome. On the other hand, if their Action Scores are generally higher than the Base Difficulty Scores, they will probably overcome the Challenge in fewer Rounds.
The Challenge Point Table also assumes the characters are facing a few normal Drawbacks (poor footing, bad Light, partial cover) on the Difficulty Scores for their Actions, or the Challenges have some amount of Protection (see Protection). If conditions are truly ideal, an unusual situation when adventuring, expect the task to finish faster.
Guidance for Guides: Challenge Points #
Challenge Points give the players an idea of a Challenge’s scope within the context of the Adventure. They are not intended to serve AS a simulation or precise measurement of the work required. Challenges with high Challenge Points represent important moments in the story and epic trials for the characters to overcome. Challenges with low Challenge Points are just a bump in the road the characters must navigate to Reach the main antagonist. When setting Challenge Points, select a number that reflects the Challenge’s dramatic importance within the context of the story.
Protection #
Some Challenges have Protection against certain types of Actions, tools, and Effects. This Protection reduces or eliminates the Effects of successful Action Checks, making it more difficult to overcome the Challenge. There are three kinds of Protection: Armor, Resistance, or Immunity.
Armor #
Armor reduces the Effect of a successful Action Check. Reduce the Effect by the Armor score before subtracting the result from the Challenge Points.
Resistance #
Resistance halves the Effect of a successful Action Check. Halve the Effect (rounding up) before subtracting the result from the Challenge Points. If a Challenge has both Armor and Resistance, subtract the Armor from the Effect first and then halve the remaining Effect.
Immunity #
Immunity means the Challenge is immune to the Effects of some Actions. When a Challenge has Immunity, a successful Action Check does not reduce the Challenge Points.
Protection Types #
Protection is typically limited to a particular Action, tool, or Effect. When a Challenge has Protection, limits to the Protection are listed in parentheses after the Protection name. For instance, the Adventure Guide might present the characters with a stone wall that blocks their path. Since the wall is made of stone, the Challenge of “Get Past the Wall” might have Protection against Actions using fire to reduce the Challenge Points. After all, the characters can’t really burn down a stone wall. This is notated in the rules AS:
Immunity (Fire)
When a Challenge has Armor, the rules will indicate both a type and a number. This number is the amount the Effect is reduced for Actions and Effects of the indicated type. For instance, a monster with a thick hide might have Protection against Attack Actions designed to cause physical injury. This is indicated in the rules AS:
Armor (Body) 3
This tells the Adventure Guide to reduce the Effect of any physical Attack Actions or outcomes by 3.
Guidance for Guides: Protection #
It isn’t necessary or possible to list everything a Challenge might have Protection against. Using the Rule of Common Sense, the Adventure Guide can apply Protection on the fly when appropriate. For instance, listing Immunity (Fire) for a stone wall, AS in the example above, probably isn’t needed. On the other hand, a scarecrow coated with an alchemical substance that makes it immune to fire should include a description of the Protection.
In general, list Protection if it is unusual for the Challenge (such AS the scarecrow example above), or if it has Protection against Actions, tools, or Effects the characters are likely to employ to overcome the Challenge (such AS an Adversary’s Armor).
In most cases, it is easy for the Adventure Guide to determine when and how to apply Protection. For instance, Immunity (Fire) is clear. The Challenge is immune to any Actions using fire to reduce its Challenge Points. Other times, the Adventure Guide may need to rule on whether the Challenge has Protection against the specific Action the player described. For instance, Immunity (Deception) could include immunity to Deception Checks, lies, disguises, illusions, or even sleight of hand. It is up to the Adventure Guide to make the final determination based on the nature of the Encounter, the Challenge, and the Action the player described.
Challenge Points vs. Difficulty Score #
Challenge Points define the scope of the Challenge, whereas Difficulty Scores indicate the difficulty of the Action described by the player. For instance, if the Challenge is “Move a Pile of Sand,” the size of the pile determines the number of Challenge Points. The bigger the pile, the more Challenge Points assigned to the Challenge. The Difficulty Score for moving sand, however, is based on how the characters go about it. For example, a character moving sand with a shovel will have a much lower Difficulty Score than a character moving sand with a pitchfork.
Challenge Traits #
To make the Challenges more interesting, exciting, or dramatic, the Adventure Guide may choose to assign the Challenge one or more traits. Each trait introduces rules that alter the nature of the Challenge or add additional complications. The traits described in this chapter are: Timed, Race, Escalating, Opposed, Solo, One-Shot, and Linked.
Timed #
In a Challenge with the Timed trait, the characters are in a race against the clock. The players must figure out how to overcome the Challenge in a limited number of Rounds. If they do not reduce the Challenge Points to 0 before time runs out, they fail to overcome the Challenge and suffer the listed consequences.
Timed Challenges are indicated by listing the Timed trait followed by the time limit in parentheses. For example:
Timed (2 Rounds)
This indicates the characters only have 2 Rounds to overcome the Challenge once the Challenge is revealed.
Race #
In a Challenge with the Race trait, two or more parties are in a race to overcome separate Challenges. The first party to overcome their Challenge is the victor. The Race trait may represent an actual Race, where the first party to Reach the finish Line wins. In a case like this, both sides face their own copy of the same Challenge. Alternatively, a Race could involve two different Challenges, where the outcome is determined by whoever finishes their Challenge first.
A villainous saboteur has locked themselves in the hold of the characters’ ship. The saboteur is trying to sink the vessel by drilling a hole in the hull. The characters must get through the locked door and stop the saboteur before they finish drilling the hole. If the characters reduce their “Get Through the Door” Challenge to 0 first, they burst into the room and put a stop to the villain’s evil plan. If, on the other hand, the villain reduces their “Drill a Hole in the Hull” Challenge to 0 first, the characters are too late and the ship begins to sink, presenting the characters with a new Challenge.Escalating #
In a Challenge with the Escalating trait, the Challenge Points increase at the end of each Round. This represents situations such AS water seeping into a sinking ship, the slow approach of a powerful army, or any situation where the longer the players take, the more Dangerous the situation becomes, and the harder the Challenge is to overcome. At the end of the Round, if the Challenge Points have not been reduced to 0, increase the Challenge Points by the amount described for the Challenge.
Escalating Challenges are indicated by listing the Escalating trait followed by the escalation amount in parentheses. For example:
Escalating (2)
In this example, the Adventure Guide should add 2 to the Challenge’s Challenge Points at the end of each Round. The Escalating trait is often paired with the Timed trait or Triggers.
Opposed #
In a Challenge with the Opposed trait, one side’s Actions reduce the Challenge Points while another side’s Actions increase the Challenge Points. For the party trying to reduce the Challenge Points, the Effect of their Actions reduce the Challenge Points normally, but for the party trying to increase the Challenge Points, the Effect of their Actions are added to the Challenge Points. The Opposed trait is often paired with a Trigger where the Challenge ends when it reaches a certain number of Challenge Points.
Solo #
Most Challenges are Group Challenges, but for a Challenge with the Solo trait, each character must overcome the Challenge independently. Each character faces the same Challenge with the same number of Challenge Points, and each character takes Actions to reduce their personal Challenge to 0 Challenge Points. For more information on using Solo Challenges in the game, see Chapter 15: Guidance for Guides.
One-Shot #
A Challenge with the One-Shot trait is only overcome if a character reduces the Challenge Points to 0 in a single Action Check. Any Action Checks that fail to reduce the Challenge Points to 0 fails, regardless of the Effect. A common example of a Challenge with the One-Shot trait is leaping over a pit. The character either makes it to the other side or they don’t.
Linked #
In a Challenge with the Linked trait, anyone may attempt to overcome the Challenge, but the Challenge includes effects that only impact the target it is Linked to. A common example is a disease. Anyone may attempt to cure the disease, but only the afflicted character suffers the Challenge’s negative effects. The Linked trait is often paired with the Timed trait or Triggers.
Triggers #
Triggers cause game effects or change the nature of a Challenge. Triggers may include:
- Time: The passage of a certain number of Rounds or a set amount of time.
- Challenge Points: Reducing or increasing the Challenge Points to a particular number.
- Events: After a specific Actions is performed or a particular event occurs.
When a Trigger occurs, it initiates a game Effect. Game effects could include complicating factors that make the Challenge more difficult for the rest of the Encounter, increasing or reducing the Challenge’s Challenge Points, or introducing additional Challenges.
Example 1: A poisoned character facing an Escalating (2) Challenge loses 2 Body Points at 4 CP, 8 CP, and 10 CP.Example 2: Enemy reinforcements join the fight, adding additional Challenges to the Encounter, if the current opponents are not overcome by the end of Round 3.Example 3: If the crawling slime is reduced to 0 Challenge Points, it splits, and the characters now face two slimes with 5 Challenge Points each.Example 4: On Round 3, rain begins to fall. Actions complicated by rain suffer a Drawback to their Difficulty Scores.Rewards and Consequences #
Most Challenges include a description of the reward for success and the consequence of failure. Rewards and consequences may include:
- Wealth: Gaining something of value, such AS treasure or a new contact.
- Story Direction: Success or failure moves the story in a particular direction.
- Captured or Killed: The characters or their opponents are captured or killed.
- Story Points: A Story Point award. (See Chapter 16: Advancement).
- Encounter: The outcome of the character’s effort to overcome a Challenge could cause an Encounter to end in success or failure (See Chapter 12: Encounters).
Adversaries #
Adversaries are a special type of Challenge. They are NPCs (non-player characters) who stand in the way of the characters accomplishing their goals. They might present a direct Challenge (a giant lizard wants to eat the characters), or complicate another Challenge (a group of thugs holds a door shut that the characters must get through).
When an Adversary presents a direct Challenge, characters take Actions against the Adversary, and on a success, the Effect of those Actions reduces the Adversary’s Challenge Points. When the Adversary’s Challenge Points are reduced to 0, the Adversary is Defeated. A direct confrontation could be violent, such AS a bloody battle against a pack of hungry wolves, or non-violent, such AS a high-stakes social confrontation against a conniving noble where the loser is thrown out of the king’s court. In both situations, however, the Adversary is the Challenge.
In other cases, the Adversary’s attributes, abilities, and Actions are used to make another Challenge more difficult, interesting, or exciting. In the example provided earlier, where a saboteur is attempting to sink the ship, the characters do not confront the Adversary directly. Rather, the saboteur’s Actions create tension and excitement for the “Get Through the Door” Challenge. Once the characters get through the door, however, the saboteur might Turn into a direct Challenge when the characters confront him with swords drawn.
Adversary Challenge Points #
Like all Challenges, Adversaries are assigned Challenge Points, and during a direct confrontation, the players may use any Action they like to reduce the Adversary’s Challenge Points. This includes obvious Actions, like drawing a weapon and smacking the enemy with it repeatedly, but it also includes creative approaches, such AS intimidating the foe, tricking them, or sneaking past them. Each successful Action Check, regardless of the nature of the Action, reduces the Adversary’s Challenge Points. When their Challenge Points are reduced to 0, they are Defeated.
Defeated Adversaries #
Defeated means different things depending on the Actions the characters used to overcome the Adversary. If they reduced the Adversary’s Challenge Points through intimidation, Defeated might mean the Adversary flees the battlefield. If they primarily used their weapons to Attack the Adversary, Defeat might mean the Adversary is killed. It is up to the Adventure Guide to select an appropriate outcome.
The reason such varied approaches work to defeat Adversaries is that an Adversary’s Challenge Points represent more than just their physical health. Their Challenge Points also represent their:
- Morale
- Mental stability
- Endurance
- Strategy
- Determination
- Spirit
- Experience
This means there are all sorts of ways to defeat an opponent beyond harming them physically. Players are encouraged to get creative, leverage their character’s strengths, and most importantly, make it fun!
Protection #
Like other Challenges, an Adversary can have Protection. The most common type of Protection for an Adversary is physical Armor. This includes things like chainmail, shields, and thick hide, all of which protect the Adversary from the Effect of physical Attack Actions.
Adversaries may also have Resistance and Immunity. The ghost described in Appendix E: NPCs and Adversaries, for example, has Immunity (Physical Attacks). This makes it impossible to reduce the ghost’s Challenge Points with physical weapons. The animated skeleton, on the other hand, has Resistance (Stabbing). Stabbing attacks may go right between the skeleton’s bones, so the Effect of a successful Attack Check with a stabbing weapon is halved.
Adversaries and Actions #
One thing that sets Adversaries apart from other Challenges is that Adversaries can take Actions and make Action Checks. These might be direct Actions, like attacking one of the characters, or indirect Actions, like making a Sabotage Check to drill a hole in the characters’ ship. In a sense, Adversaries are the Adventure Guide’s characters, and the Challenges the Adversaries are trying to overcome are the players’ characters.
Action Choices
Adversaries can perform any of the Actions available to characters. This means they may attempt any of the Actions described in Appendix B: Action Library or any other Action the Adventure Guide dreams up. Pre-built Adversaries, like those found in Appendix E: NPCs and Adversaries, typically include a list of the Adversary’s most common Actions, complete with a pre-calculated Action Score and a description the Effect on a successful Action Check.
Action Checks
When the Adventure Guide wants an Adversary to take an Action, they use the same rules AS the players (described in Chapter 10: Actions).
More on Adversaries #
To learn more about Adversaries and their abilities see Appendix E: NPCs and Adversaries. It includes detailed information about Adversary abilities and a collection of ready-made Adversaries the Adventure Guide can use in the game.