The Improved Side Step talent says that "…to perform an additional maneuver, the character must downgrade his action or…".

I can't find the section where it specify this rule…

Mmm… I think it wasn't referring to "downgrade an action's pool", but to "lose one action to gain one maneuver".

Maybe using the word "downgrade" on the Improved Sidestep talent description is not the best.

There are a few places where odd text of a simular nature persists.

For example the Knocked Sensless crit result (p 142) reads "You can no longer upgrade the ability of checks."

My guess is that it's leftovers from a previous itteration of the rules. Possibly this crit prevents upgrading ability dice to proficiency dice when forming a die pool, but that is not obvious.

Chapter 1 seems to have the best or at least most consistent version of the game mechanics. Then as you progress through the more focused chapters the wording and detail is a bit…odd. I'd agree that the intent of Side Step would be to downgrade proficiency dice to ability dice in order to get the additional maneuver. If it was just sacrificing an action for a maneuver, you can already do that so the talent would be kind of lackluster. But, I'm not one of the developers so all I can do is run off what I "want" to be true

Callidon said:

Unless maybe the Talent means you don't have to take stress?

Could definitely use a clarification.

I just re-read the Improved Sidestep talent again.

Its clear to me that the section you mention is trying to do a recap of ways in which you gain two maneuvers. They are refering to the ability to spend your action to take a maneuver. Its kind of odd that they don't mention the third way of getting a second maneuver - spending two advantage dice.

I think this talent may inspire another round of Dice Math!

Hi everyone,

Downgrading or upgrading the "ability" of a pool is in reference to downgrading Proficiency dice into Ability dice (or upgrading Ability dice into Proficiency dice). Downgrading or upgrading the difficulty of a pool is in reference to downgrading Challenge dice into Difficulty dice (or upgrading Difficulty dice into Challenge dice). This is obviously something we need to clarify, thanks!

FFG_Sam Stewart said:

Thanks for the clarification. So does that mean one die, or all die? I.e.: do you convert one proficiency die to an ability die or all proficiency dice to ability dice when you downgrade?

FFG_Sam Stewart said:

Are you referring to the general rule of "upgrading / downgrading" the ability of a pool / the difficulty of a pool, or specifically to the text of the "Improved Side Step" talent? (It says that "…to perform an additional maneuver, the character must downgrade his action or…".)

LukeZZ said:

"Downgrade his action" refers to converting the 1 Action you receive on your turn into 1 Maneuver, and has nothing to do with the dice pool.

On his turn, a player can perform 1 Action and 1 Manuever (p. 129). He has the option to "convert" the Action into a Maneuver -- perhaps its the use of the term downgrade, which implies a maneuver is less than an action, when in some cases it is simply more versatile (not to mention we use the term downgrade to refer to a specific in-game process of dice manipulation).

Thus, to take advantage of Improved Side Step the player could either

a) use his free maneuver then suffer 2 strain to gain an additional maneuver, then use these two maneuvers to trigger ISS -- still allowing him to use an action during the course of his turn.

or b) forgo his action, converting it into a maneuver. since he already gets a free maneuver, the action-to-maneuver conversion is how he acquires the 2nd maneuver to trigger ISS without suffering strain.

There may be other options, as well, but this hopefully clarifies the wording in the ISS talent description.

ynnen said:

THANK YOU LukeZZ

Sorry LukeZZ, I was referring to the upgrading and downgrading of the ability/difficulty of the pool. Jay's explanation of downgrading actions to maneuvers is correct.

FFG_Sam Stewart said:

Ok, thank you!