[TSOY] Activating Secrets

[Deacon Blues]

Obligatory Opening Praise: I actually spent a couple of months trying to find a way to combine the best aspects of Heroquest and Riddle of Steel to my liking.  Then I found TSoY and realized my efforts were futile.  It's good enough that I ain't mad.  ;)

Terribly Important Questions

First - if a Secret requires points to activate, are they spent before or after the roll?  I'd presume before, otherwise you'd see things like "Rolled an 11 ... rolled a 13 ... rolled a 9 ... rolled an 18; okay, activating the Secret now."  But that also makes Secrets an expensive risk.  I ask primarily for the Secrets I'm designing for my own campaign.

Second - the text of the Secret of Disarm reads as follows:

"Your character can disarm an opponent, without changing intentions, with a successful Ability Check using a weapon in Bringing Down the Pain."

Does this mean:  If I hit someone in combat with an appropriate Ability Check, I can say "Okay, I'm disarming him" instead of doing damage, even if my original intention was "I take a swing at him"?

Thanks!

[James_Nostack]

1.  I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.  Pool points are deducted when the Secret is activated.  Note that a pool serves two completely distinct purposes: giving bonus dice, and powering Secrets.  If you activate a Secret that costs 2 Vigor points, you do not gain 2 bonus dice to the check.

2.  Yes.  If you want to get really literal with the rules, you can disarm your opponent even if your stated intention has nothing do with swordfighting.


PS.  I must have a lot more time on my hands than anybody else, to be answering rules questions so often!  Yeesh!

[Deacon Blues]

1.  I'm not sure I understand what you're asking.  Pool points are deducted when the Secret is activated.  Note that a pool serves two completely distinct purposes: giving bonus dice, and powering Secrets.  If you activate a Secret that costs 2 Vigor points, you do not gain 2 bonus dice to the check.

That answers my question.  Sorry if my example wasn't clear.  Let me make it concrete with a real Secret.

Wrong: Vercingetorix has Pray 6 and the Secret of Blessing.

"Okay, I'm going to Bless the group to cross this river.  Rolling a Pray check ... got an 11.  Nah, not that.  Rolling another Pray check ... got a 13.  Could do better.  Rolling another Pray check ... got an 8.  Ugh.  Rolling another Pray check ... 16.  That'll do; spending the Vigor point to activate my Secret now."

Right: Vercingetorix has Pray 6 and the Secret of Blessing.

"Okay, I'm going to Bless the group to cross this river.  Spending the Vigor point; rolling the Pray check ... got an 11.  Okay, that's 2 bonus dice."

I got it right?

2.  Yes.  If you want to get really literal with the rules, you can disarm your opponent even if your stated intention has nothing do with swordfighting.

Slick.  Thanks!

[Clinton R. Nixon]

2.  Yes.  If you want to get really literal with the rules, you can disarm your opponent even if your stated intention has nothing do with swordfighting.

Slick.  Thanks!

Note that "weapon" doesn't have to mean something you hit a guy with. You can invalid someone's writ of law for example.

[Deacon Blues]

Note that "weapon" doesn't have to mean something you hit a guy with. You can invalid someone's writ of law for example.

Interesting.  I knew "weapon" wasn't limited to "sharp pointy thing" in TSoY, but I figured Secret of Disarm was governed by the You Know What I Meant rule.  Obviously, I didn't.  ;)

So, if there were a Melee combat specific form of Disarming, would that cost less than the Secret of Disarm (which costs 1 Vigor)?  It's still an unusual use of an ability.

[Clinton R. Nixon]

Note that "weapon" doesn't have to mean something you hit a guy with. You can invalid someone's writ of law for example.

Interesting.  I knew "weapon" wasn't limited to "sharp pointy thing" in TSoY, but I figured Secret of Disarm was governed by the You Know What I Meant rule.  Obviously, I didn't.  ;)

So, if there were a Melee combat specific form of Disarming, would that cost less than the Secret of Disarm (which costs 1 Vigor)?  It's still an unusual use of an ability.

It'd cost the same. And the Secret of Disarm kind of has that "You Know What I Meant" aura about it. It's one of those things I left in the game up to interpretation of the local group. If you've got one of those funky groups that wants to get all loose with the rules, then use it that way.