Cooperative Rituals: how often does demon roll?

[James_Nostack]

Let's say three coven members are attempting to contact a demon.  Each coven member rolls Lore + modifiers.  Does the demon roll against each sorcerer?  Or only once? 

[Fabrice G.]

Hi James,

I don't have the books at hand so this is on the top of my head.

I think that you can consider one sorcerer as the main character conducting the ritual and the two others supporting him.

In this case I would roll the demon's Power against the two assistants' pool of dice (at once), and threat any successes as bonus dice for the main character roll. Atfer that I would roll the main caracter pool + the bonus vs. the demon's one.

You could even roll the main character's pool against the result of the first demon roll , but as a "peak" in the conflict, the opposition between the main guy and the demon could warrant a roll on it's own.


Take care,
-Fabrice

[Ron Edwards]

James,

As Fabrice's answer suggests, you haven't provided enough information. What actually is happening?

Best, Ron

[James_Nostack]

(This is not drawn from actual play, it's just an attempt to figure things out.)

We've got a Cult of the Dark Lady coven operating in New York City.  Alphonse Carter ("Carter"), Assistant District Attorney, was initiated into the rites, and is using his newfound Lore to dig up the dirt and bust the city's corrupt police chief.  Carter and his two fellow coven members decide to summon the Whore of Babylon to seduce and ultimately destory the leadership of the NYPD. 

First ritual is a contact.  Carter (Lore 3) is the primary sorcerer; the other two coven members (Lore 1, Lore 2) are NPC helpers.  The Whore of Babylon is a Power 6 passer demon.  Carter has taken two hits of ecstacy mixed with yage and Spanish Fly, in an attempt to get his mind in the proper frame of mind for negotiating with the demon.  The ritual is described as each participant describing their most transgressive sexual fantasies, and then the other participants vow to abet the performance of same usually with a sympathetic act (this presents opportunities for role-playing bonuses, but we'll ignore 'em for now).

Here's how I might parse this, as a GM: we've got a conflict between the coven, and the demon (or rather, whatever cosmic force prevents the demon from "picking up the phone").  So, the rolls of interest are the demon's Power vs. Carter's Lore (+2 for drugs, +any rollover bonuses from the helpers).  But what are the helpers rolling against?  They don't have any intention separate from Carter's (he chose them because they're suggestible saps); the demon is essentially resisting all the entire coven, not three people individually.

So: I could see,
Demon rolls: 8 7 7 5 3 1
Helper 1 rolls: 9 (vs. demon's 8 7 7 5 3 1, for one victory--which adds to helper 2's two dice of Lore)
Helper 2 rolls: 10 9 3 (vs. demon's 8 7 7 5 3 1, for two victories)
Carter rolls his three dice of Lore, plus two for drugs, plus two rollovers, vs. demon's 8 7 7 5 3 1.

In effect, the demon rolls once--this is how stubborn the demon is being--and everyone tries to wear it down.

I could also see each participant rolling Lore vs. Power, and repeat this three times with Carter going last and getting any rollover bonuses that apply.

[Ron Edwards]

You have that exactly right, James. The helpers' rolls are compared to the demon's single roll.

Best, Ron