I'm going through character creation and the Investigation of the Ronin's Path for the first time tonight. I notice in the adventure that the Skill TNs have ring values next to them (e.g. Labor TN 2 [Water 1, Fire 3]). What is the purpose of those Ring numbers, and where in the rules document is it explained?

Page 178 describes it well I think. Different approaches (rings) can have different target numbers set by the GM. Since it is an intro adventure they give you a few options for a given approach.

So in that particular Example if you roll Labor with the Exchange approach (exchanging one type of labor for another) it is TN 1

Rolling Labor with the Innovate approach (innovate a new way to get what you need) is TN 3.

Not knowing the situation the roll is for I can't get more specific but it sounds something along the lines of :

A cave is blocked by a huge boulder. The options currently available to you are to design a leaver system that can be built easily with equipment near by (Fire) or to talk a group of farmers near by to use their oxen to pull it free for some sort of compensation (koku, food, killing some local boar that is causing problems)(Water)

That is how I understand it at any rate. Your millage may very!

On 11/3/2017 at 7:39 PM, Darksyde said:

Page 178 describes it well I think. Different approaches (rings) can have different target numbers set by the GM. Since it is an intro adventure they give you a few options for a given approach.

So in that particular Example if you roll Labor with the Exchange approach (exchanging one type of labor for another) it is TN 1

Rolling Labor with the Innovate approach (innovate a new way to get what you need) is TN 3.

Not knowing the situation the roll is for I can't get more specific but it sounds something along the lines of :

A cave is blocked by a huge boulder. The options currently available to you are to design a leaver system that can be built easily with equipment near by (Fire) or to talk a group of farmers near by to use their oxen to pull it free for some sort of compensation (koku, food, killing some local boar that is causing problems)(Water)

That is how I understand it at any rate. Your millage may very!

Exactly so.

The TN is the difficulty of the listed task for any approach other than the ones picked out afterwards.

So Labor TN 2 [Water 1, Fire 3] is a TN2 task for Air, Earth and Void, but is easier than normal with Water and harder than normal with Fire