In the vein of the 'how would you narrate the despair' thread, I'm curious how people would set difficulties for various player actions.

For example

In our last session, my players were in a hover taxi that was losing altitude because of a critical hit. The group techy said, 'I dive over the seat and try to fix it'. Being the sci-fi, technobabble junkie I am, I immediately said, "Well, you can try to get under the dash and reroute power to keep it in the air long enough for a safe landing." and got an enthusiastic head-nod in return.

So, now I've got the proverbial gun to my head..he came up with the action, and I've got to set difficulty. How would you rate the task?

(For comparison, I made it a Hard task with 2 setback dice, I believe, for the awkward angle and difficult conditions).

Take one down and pass it around?

That sounds good, though I might have tossed in an upgrade

1 Red 2 Purple and 1 or 2 Setbacks would be great yes:D

I'm learning yet about how to interpretate difficulties. It's a really good exercise see what other players use to do.

What kind of critical hit did the taxi have? That'll give you your base difficulty. After that, two Setback dice and an upgrade seem appropriate... although be careful how often you upgrade dice pools without spending a Dark Side Point. I do it in dangerous situations like the one described, but I'm ALWAYS sure to highlight it to my players and make sure they don't think I'm being harsh. In this situation, I'd tell them; "Because rerouting power while you're falling through the air might potentially be disasterous, upgrade the the difficulty once and exchange one of them purples for a red."

I think the hard difficulty and 2 setback dice was a good call, and I would agree with upgrading one of the difficulty dice (if there is a chance for something horrible to happen, give the dice a chance to make it happen).

The base difficulty should be considered solely on the difficulty of the task being performed. If the hover taxi was sitting at ground level under normal conditions, how difficult would it be to reroute power as you suggested? I think that a hard difficulty is spot on for this task. The taxi has taken a beating, and it's not a routine fix.

The setback dice would come into play for the adverse conditions. At first I was thinking I would call it just one setback for the rapid loss of altitude. But you also mentioned the awkward angle, so two setback is fair.

I would have done it like this

Base: How difficult is maintenance on an air taxi? Average

Setback: Working through the dashboard.

Setback: Rocking from losing altitude.

Setback: Vehicle is in use.

Setback: Under enemy fire.

Upgrade difficulty: Flip a destiny point.

So probably 1 purple, 1 red, 4 black for me. High chance of success (saving group), but also high chance of threat saying it doesn't go well.

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

I'd say a Hard difficulty check was accurate, and you could have flipped a Destiny point to upgrade it if you like. Myself, I probably would have included the difficulty in reaching the controls as part of the base check and only added one Setback die for the awkward position of lying over the seat.

I'd go with the 2 purples, a red, and a couple blacks.

If they're new characters I might take some pity and lower it to one purple and one red with the blacks.

Also keep in mind you need a tool kit to do something like this; without one, I wouldn't even allow the check with extra Setback dice because you simply can't pop a console without something to pry it with and you can't fuse wires with just spit and hoping. Carrying a tool kit also takes up 4 ecumbrance and probably jangles around a lot when you walk.

All that being said, one flip of a Destiny Point is all it takes to say "yeah, I'm carrying my tools on me right now because Reasons, yo."

I would have made it a Hard Repair under the circumstances.

Techie or not, he wont have that "Hydropsanner" Handy...

3 Purple Base

-------------------

1 Setback for vehicle moving conditions

1 setback for dashboard

1 Upgrade (via Destiny) for danger due to possibly making it worse witha despair!

End result...

1 RED

2 PURPLE

2 BLACK

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

Ok, new scenario:

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

Ok, new scenario:

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

I know what I'd like to do, but I don't know if the rules actually support it. IIRC, an action is explicitly defined something performed that you'd have to roll for. Jumping from one vehicle to another would(should) be an action, and attacking is too.

So after staring poleaxed at the player for a few seconds, I would probably say, "OK....We're creating a brand new skill roll since we don't have a rule (that I know of) for chaining multiple actions together. ;)" Take the worst of Brawn or Agility and then apply Brawl skill to it. The difficulty is Average, because that's what a Brawl is. It's upgraded once because that sounds appropriate to make up new rules, and the number of setback dice would probably be 3 (unstable platform on both sides and the speed involved).

(edit for another scenario taken from my games..btw, that's the kind of epic badassery that should be encouraged!)

Players have dived into fire escape chute to escape some imperials. The fire escapes are fairly wide, repulsor-lift chutes designed to keep people falling at a safe speed (seemed more logical than stairs for multi-hundred floor buildings). The imperials lean in and shoot out a couple of the repulsorlift power supplies and the players start to fall faster. They want to skydive/swim into another fire escape chute on a lower level. What's the difficulty?

I'd call crossing to the other speeder "difficult terrain", and he'd have to use an Action to do it (p213). So he could leap using Athletics or cross using Coordination, and that would be it for that turn. Maybe Average, upgraded once, with three setback dice for speed, wind, and turbulence. Might want to make them do a Fear check too, just prior, if they're new characters. After he's in the other speeder, next turn he can attack normally.

If you wanted to allow a leaping attack, maybe use the same dice pool (though Hard seems more appropriate) and upgraded at least once, if not twice, with the same setback.

Regarding the addition of a Challenge die in the mix, I wouldn't do that without spending a Destiny Point unless the speeder has been locked by some amazing enemy slicer/mechanic (thinking of that Firefly episode, Our Mrs. Reynolds). Destiny Point for the upgrade of the base difficulty is required for fairness to the players and so that you're not just upgrading stuff willy-nilly.

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

Hmm...I would probably go with the standard "combining skill checks" (like Two-Weapon Fighting). Make him use the lowest between his Athletics and Brawl skills (for the jump and for the attack), requiring 2-3 Advantage to pull off the knock-out. Then determine whether the it's more difficult to hit the Thug or jump from speeder to speeder, and use the harder difficulty.

So many variables in the mix. I'd probably go Hard with a setback. Average for attacking, +1 difficulty for trying to knock him down (seems fair in this circumstance), +setback cuz he's jumping from one high-speed moving platform to another.

Also I might give him a Boost die because of the speed, and because it's something that the enemy probably wouldn't be expecting, so there's a chance he could be caught completely flat-footed.

Regarding the addition of a Challenge die in the mix, I wouldn't do that without spending a Destiny Point unless the speeder has been locked by some amazing enemy slicer/mechanic (thinking of that Firefly episode, Our Mrs. Reynolds). Destiny Point for the upgrade of the base difficulty is required for fairness to the players and so that you're not just upgrading stuff willy-nilly.

It's not willy-nilly, it's dependent on the inherent danger of the situation. Missing the jump over a pool of mud a meter down is less dangerous than missing a jump over a yawning ravine.

Hmm...I would probably go with the standard "combining skill checks" (like Two-Weapon Fighting). Make him use the lowest between his

Must reread! I missed that!

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

Ok, new scenario:

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

Combat:

Manuver: is the JUMP

Action: is the KICK

Roll against Athletics to make the Jump

Hard Difficulty 3Purple

Unstable Launch/Destnation 1Black

Follow through intent with Kick 1Black

1 Destiny to upgrade

JUMP RESULT: 1 RED, 2 Purple, 2 Black

NOw here is the hard part, Jump must Succede, BUT Jump must alos have no more than one remaining Threat.

2 OR more uncanceled threat indicates the kick did not execute as plan and he simply arrives at the speeder and may make a normal attack, The threat will go against his next action the Attack.

On a Despair... He come up short mising the Other Speeder..

Sure, a maneuver can be made to "move," but if you're rolling, it is an action. That is one part of RAW that I never budge on. Dice pool roll = action = skill check. So if the player wants to jump this round, attack next round, I'm all for that.

OR, if the player wants to jump and then count on a Triumph so as to knock a minion off the speeder, that's cool too.

Regarding the addition of a Challenge die in the mix, I wouldn't do that without spending a Destiny Point unless the speeder has been locked by some amazing enemy slicer/mechanic (thinking of that Firefly episode, Our Mrs. Reynolds). Destiny Point for the upgrade of the base difficulty is required for fairness to the players and so that you're not just upgrading stuff willy-nilly.

It's not willy-nilly, it's dependent on the inherent danger of the situation. Missing the jump over a pool of mud a meter down is less dangerous than missing a jump over a yawning ravine.

Fair enough. But *failure* (especially with Threat) in either circumstance could mean vastly different things, so I would still generally hold off on a Challenge "just because it's dangerous."

Conversely: if you shoot a guy with an air rifle, he gets popped for like 1 wound, maybe. But if you shoot the same guy with a real rifle, it's many wounds. You don't get an Ability upgrade just for shooting with the real rifle, "because it's more dangerous." You get ability upgrades because of how good a shot you are, and those upgrades apply with the air gun AND the rifle.

I'd encourage a read-through of the Challenge Dice description on page 11 and the left sidebar on page 20 of the EotE CRB.

I'd encourage a read-through of the Challenge Dice description on page 11 and the left sidebar on page 20 of the EotE CRB.

Good points, despite it coming up in this thread for both examples, I don't use it that often at the table, maybe once or twice a session. There are usually enough red dice flowing around just due to DP flips and NPC skill ranks.

Aside: I already learned two things in this thread. It's more than paid for the price of admission for me

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

Ok, new scenario:

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

1. Fear check for jumping from one speeder to another. Make it an Average check with one upgrade..

2. Crossing between speeders is a maneuver that requires a skill check (something seen in modules before). Make it an Athletics check with a Hard difficulty; if Advantage/Triumph is rolled (along with at least one Success, of course), use those to augment the forcoming attack. (Representing the momentum of the Marauder's leap, as well as his foe's surprise.)

3. Make an attack as an action. He can even spend 2 strain to aim first.

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

Ok, new scenario:

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

1. Fear check for jumping from one speeder to another. Make it an Average check with one upgrade..

2. Crossing between speeders is a maneuver that requires a skill check (something seen in modules before). Make it an Athletics check with a Hard difficulty; if Advantage/Triumph is rolled (along with at least one Success, of course), use those to augment the forcoming attack. (Representing the momentum of the Marauder's leap, as well as his foe's surprise.)

3. Make an attack as an action. He can even spend 2 strain to aim first.

Oh. I like the fear check. I need to incorporate those more.

What modules have used the maneuver skill check mechanic? I was with awayputurwpn with the understanding that Roll == Action up to this point.

So, now I've got the proverbial gun to my head..he came up with the action, and I've got to set difficulty. How would you rate the task?

Depends on how banged up the speeder was, but I probably would have gone with 2 purples, spent a destiny point to upgrade a purple to red, added a black for the lousy conditions (on your head, upside down in a crashing speeder) and a second black for being rushed.

Players have dived into fire escape chute to escape some imperials. The fire escapes are fairly wide, repulsor-lift chutes designed to keep people falling at a safe speed (seemed more logical than stairs for multi-hundred floor buildings). The imperials lean in and shoot out a couple of the repulsorlift power supplies and the players start to fall faster. They want to skydive/swim into another fire escape chute on a lower level. What's the difficulty?

Well, the escape chutes are generally designed not to be lethal, even when malfunctioning (I imagine there's all kind of redundancy), so even at an accelerated rate, I'd probably only go one purple - but then throw 'em a black for being together in a group and another for velocity.

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

Well, I'd probably start out with how well the PC driver did - if they rolled well, I'd make the jump easier, but a bad roll means harder. So anywhere from 2 to 3 purples for the jump. As for the attack, a straight up brawling attack, but add some blue for the force of landing (and the cool unexpected maneuver).

Good points. The critical hit was 'narrative'...I was having fun messing with them, and they were having fun with the story I was rolling with, so I figured it was time for Something Else Bad to happen. We've just graduated from the beginner box, and hadn't fully read the real critical rules. That'll be something I'm better with in the future.

Hmm. Need more scenarios posted for comment

Ok, new scenario:

The group is engaged in a firefight between three landspeeders that are currently racing across a Tatooine desert. As one speeder pulls up beside the PCs, the group's marauder decides that he is going to make an attempt to leap aboard the other vehicle. Then, he decides that he wants to make it a fluid attack, attempting to kick one of the thugs out of the speeder as he is coming down. How would you present the skill check/difficulty.

1. Fear check for jumping from one speeder to another. Make it an Average check with one upgrade..

2. Crossing between speeders is a maneuver that requires a skill check (something seen in modules before). Make it an Athletics check with a Hard difficulty; if Advantage/Triumph is rolled (along with at least one Success, of course), use those to augment the forcoming attack. (Representing the momentum of the Marauder's leap, as well as his foe's surprise.)

3. Make an attack as an action. He can even spend 2 strain to aim first.

Oh. I like the fear check. I need to incorporate those more.

What modules have used the maneuver skill check mechanic? I was with awayputurwpn with the understanding that Roll == Action up to this point.

Beyond the Rim page 31, 4th paragraph under the header "Kidnapping IT-3P0", 3rd and 4th sentences; "The PCs must dodge people, cargo, and droids while chasing down the Rodians. The characters should make Average (PP) Athletics or Coordination checks while making maneuvers, and all ranged combat checks add at least one Setback die due to the congested conditions."