Hello everyone,

I'm not sure if this is the proper forum for this discussion, so if I've placed it in the wrong place, please forgive me.

I've been reading through the Ability checks section in the TSOY main rulebook and, on the surface (and without having actually been able to play it) the unnoposed and competitive ability checks seem fairly straightforward and easy to use.

However, when I get to the resisted checks, alarm bells start ringing. Perhaps I'm not understanding it properly, but in theory, a character can walk up to any other character (including npc's) and kill them with one roll.

Indeed, it seems like, unless someone "Brings Down the Pain," all that is needed, is for the player to declare his intention is to "Kill character X," and score at least a mediocre success.

Am I correct in this assumption?

Also, If Someone does bring down the pain, are there only 2 damage levels (bloodied and broken) a character can sustain before being at the complete mercy of her attacker?

Thank you for your time.

thurak wrote: Hello everyone,

I'm not sure if this is the proper forum for this discussion, so if I've placed it in the wrong place, please forgive me.

I've been reading through the Ability checks section in the TSOY main rulebook and, on the surface (and without having actually been able to play it) the unnoposed and competitive ability checks seem fairly straightforward and easy to use.

However, when I get to the resisted checks, alarm bells start ringing. Perhaps I'm not understanding it properly, but in theory, a character can walk up to any other character (including npc's) and kill them with one roll.

Indeed, it seems like, unless someone "Brings Down the Pain," all that is needed, is for the player to declare his intention is to "Kill character X," and score at least a mediocre success.

Am I correct in this assumption?

Also, If Someone does bring down the pain, are there only 2 damage levels (bloodied and broken) a character can sustain before being at the complete mercy of her attacker?

Thank you for your time.

Clinton R. Nixon wrote:
You're correct in all above assumptions. I'm really going to enjoy it if you ask "Why?" The "holy crap" tone I got off your post is making my day.

Let me go further and lay it out. Any character can do whatever the players wants, with the following caveats:

a) The GM and players agree it's slightly possible it could happen.
b) The GM can give one, or in rare cases, two penalty dice at a maximum.
c) The player makes a successful ability check.

I expect though, that The Story Guide is still free to assign a Difficulty to a given task?

Example:

If, Billy, a character of fairly low ability tries to assassinate Arken, a notorious villian of great ability, it would presumably be much harder to accomplish than if Billy were, say, trying to kill someone of no real importance, or challenge, or would it?

thurak wrote: I expect though, that The Story Guide is still free to assign a Difficulty to a given task?

Example:

If, Billy, a character of fairly low ability tries to assassinate Arken, a notorious villian of great ability, it would presumably be much harder to accomplish than if Billy were, say, trying to kill someone of no real importance, or challenge, or would it?

Okie Dokie.

That makes sense to me. Thanks so much for your input.

Great game system!