The following was written with Cairn in mind, but would work just as well for Into the Odd, Electric Bastionland and heck, D&D 5e if you’re doing a complete revamp.
Performing actions involves time, gear, and skill.
- Generally, if you have none or one of the three, a task is impossible.
- If you have all three, you do not need to roll – it just succeeds.
- If you only have two, the task might involve a Save, with time or your gear being at stake if you fail.
Environmental factors/opportunities might act as a substitute for gear or skill.
Example: Lockpicking
Lockpicking a door requires no roll if you are skilled at lockpicking, are not in a hurry and have lockpicking tools available.
Lockpicking a door might require a DEX Save if you’re in a hurry yet have the skills and tools, with the risk being not finishing the task in time. It could also involve a WIL Save if you have time and skill, yet no tools, with you trying to improvise your tools.
Lockpicking a door is impossible with only one of the three:
- You could stare at a lock all day with all the time in the world, but without gear and skill, nothing is going to happen.
- You could be a skilled lockpicker, but in a hurry and without tools, there’s not much you can do.
- You might have lockpick tools, but without the time to figure out how to use them, there’s no way you’ll manage it without skill.
I’ve been thinking along these lines, as well. How would you handle a situation where gear isn’t required, like climbing a surface with handholds, like a cave wall? I would default to treating that the same as if the player had the requisite gear (a free 1 of the 3).
What comprises “enough time” will change from action to action, but I’m okay with this, as ai think common-sense and agreement around the table are all that are needed, there (and as much consistency in applying the rule as possible).
Yeah, ‘environmental factors’ are a good alternative for ‘gear’. I would make sure to contrast it, I suppose:
“You’re stuck in a cave, and the goblins are nearing the entrance. Next to you is a smooth cave wall [i.e. requires gear], and nearby you spot a wall that looks easier to climb [i.e. requires no gear], but reaching the other wall would require you to move out into the open, where the goblins might spot you. What do you do?”
Hi Niels, I was wondering if you were interested in publishing this post in the next issue of KNOCK!. It’s a paid gig! Can you drop me a line if this sounds like something you’d want to do?