Is it possible to augment resistance table rolls with runic inspiration?

[Luxus]

If a character is a target of a spell that requires a POW vs POW resistance roll, can the character use runic augment to better resist the spell?

[PhilHibbs]

I don't see why not, so long as the approach doesn't lead to augment-hunting where half the time in the session is taken up with making up fresh augments to use every time the dice are about to roll. I'd say if you allow it for the attacking POW, allow it for the defending as well. If the attacker wants an advantage that the defender doesn't have, then stack in some ritual preparation beforehand.

[soltakss]

I would say yes, the same for Passions.

At the end of the day, a Stat vs Stat on the Resistance Table is just a skill roll, it ends up with a percentage chance of success. If you can narrate why the Passion/Rune can augment the chance then the normal rules for augmenting can apply.

So, some using CHA vs INT to seduce an opponent might allow the resister to use their Chaste Passion to reduce the chance of success, someone using their SIZ vs Squeeze to get through a hole to avoid a pursuing broo might use their Fear Broo passion to improve their chance, a Shade might use its Darkness Rune to augment its Fearshock effect, giving it a better chance of overcoming POW.

Edited August 9, 2019 by soltakss

[jajagappa]

1 hour ago, Luxus said:

If a character is a target of a spell that requires a POW vs POW resistance roll, can the character use runic augment to better resist the spell?

Yes, and my players have done so.

Note that if the players already have a runic/passion augment going say for a fight with Tusk Riders, and that fight is still ongoing, then just apply that runic/passion augment to the roll - they've already invested in the whole event. (At the same time, if they've got one rune/passion augment going for a fight, trying to shift to another to help against a spell should automatically bring the first to an end.)

Also if they call on a Rune (say Earth) to help strengthen them against a clear magical or spirit attack, then that is all that Rune should be applied to. And once they've drawn on that for the day, in that situation, it cannot be reused 5 minutes later for something else. They've drawn what they can on that Rune (or passion).

I'd also rule that if they don't know who or what is attacking (e.g. spell or spirit), then they really shouldn't be able to use a Rune/passion augment because they won't have any context to apply it to aid their defense.

 

[Luxus]

Thanks for the quick replies.

Two more questions about this:

- Can POW vs POW also be augmented by passions in your opinion?

- If a character successfully augments a POW vs POW roll to resist a Fear runespell for example, does that augment also apply to POW vs POW rolls to resist a demoralize spell or the tusker horn with demoralize effect?

[soltakss]

29 minutes ago, Luxus said:

Thanks for the quick replies.

Two more questions about this:

- Can POW vs POW also be augmented by passions in your opinion?

- If a character successfully augments a POW vs POW roll to resist a Fear runespell for example, does that augment also apply to POW vs POW rolls to resist a demoralize spell or the tusker horn with demoralize effect?

Sure, why not?

[Psullie]

Augments need to have a narrative justification, they need to work with the scene and the PC involved. The scope of the modifiers are based on how well the augment relates to the challenge. As jajagappa pointed out it can relate to a whole event. Reward your players who make appropriate use of their passions (inspiration that leads to dramatic scenes) with broad coverage. If you feel that your PC's are just bonus hunting then the limit the results to very specific actions.

[jajagappa]

4 hours ago, Luxus said:

- Can POW vs POW also be augmented by passions in your opinion?

- If a character successfully augments a POW vs POW roll to resist a Fear runespell for example, does that augment also apply to POW vs POW rolls to resist a demoralize spell or the tusker horn with demoralize effect?

Generally yes to both, but as @Psullie noted, they should be relevant to be accepted/usable.

For instance, Rurik the Restless has fallen into a pit in the Big Rubble where a hostile troll spirit lingers. It's hostile, has spirit magic, and becomes visible so it can cast its Fear spell at Rurik. Now Rurik has a Hate (trolls) passion and the player argues he should be able to augment his POW vs POW to defend against this. That seems reasonable, except the GM points out that not only does Rurik hate trolls, but he also has Fear (trolls). That would seem to suggest that he's more likely to succumb to the Fear magic. What to do?

If Rurik does not have the first passion, just Fear (trolls), then I might require a roll on that, except that the bonus will go to the troll spirit!

But in this example he has both, so which wins out? If the player really wants to try to augment, then I'd have him do an Opposed Roll between the two passions. If either passion wins out, then that is applied. If a tie, then Rurik can't use either here.

If Rurik just had Loyalty (Sun Dome temple) though, then how would that benefit him or apply? If he's here on a mission for the temple, desperately trying to reach Count Vega to deliver to her the critical message that Belvani has allied the Golden Wyrm and is about to launch an attack on the temple, then yes, his Loyalty could certainly come into play. But if he was out here looking to loot some rubble building he's recently heard about, then that passion would not be relevant.

[Shiningbrow]

7 hours ago, jajagappa said:

I'd also rule that if they don't know who or what is attacking (e.g. spell or spirit), then they really shouldn't be able to use a Rune/passion augment because they won't have any context to apply it to aid their defense

Unless the home/clan/temple is being attacked by... Something.....

[Austin]

11 hours ago, Luxus said:

If a character is a target of a spell that requires a POW vs POW resistance roll, can the character use runic augment to better resist the spell?

Page 146 has the rules text supporting the above explanations.

[soltakss]

7 hours ago, Crel said:

18 hours ago, Luxus said:

If a character is a target of a spell that requires a POW vs POW resistance roll, can the character use runic augment to better resist the spell?

Page 146 has the rules text supporting the above explanations.

Funnily enough, we have never used POW vs POW as resistance, we always have NPCs being the Active party and actively overcoming POW.

When someone is under the effect of a spell, we use the Resistance Table to see if they can throw off the effect, for example someone stuck in a Giant Spider's Web can try using STR to overcome the Web's Glue, but that is an active thing.

Does anyone actually say "The Lunar is casting a spell at you, roll on the Resistance Table to see if you resist"? 

[Austin]

7 minutes ago, soltakss said:

Does anyone actually say "The Lunar is casting a spell at you, roll on the Resistance Table to see if you resist"? 

I'll do this when my player has a 5%/effectively nil chance of resisting. I (and a previous GM) feel it reduces feel-bad situations by letting the player feel like they've got control of their own destiny, even when in both cases it'd just be up to the dice. Especially with combat-ending spells like Mindblast...

But that's a good point. Technically yeah, it's the active party who rolls. I was just thinking "POW v. POW rolls?" not "who's rolling?" I don't know if you could augment the resistance table while a passive party from a RAW perspective, but as a GM I figure why not. Seems Maximum Game Fun if you avoided getting Sever Spirit because of an augment.

[Luxus]

Thanks for all the replies!

[Marc]

On 8/10/2019 at 4:19 AM, soltakss said:

Funnily enough, we have never used POW vs POW as resistance, we always have NPCs being the Active party and actively overcoming POW.

When someone is under the effect of a spell, we use the Resistance Table to see if they can throw off the effect, for example someone stuck in a Giant Spider's Web can try using STR to overcome the Web's Glue, but that is an active thing.

Does anyone actually say "The Lunar is casting a spell at you, roll on the Resistance Table to see if you resist"? 

Actually, yes. I generally let the player roll resistance rolls. I've never really gotten hung up on active vs. passive. Say character A (POW 18)  casts Befuddle on character B(POW 14). If A rolls, there is a 70% chance of overcoming  B's resistance. Or, put another way, a 30% chance that A fails to overcome B's resistance. If B rolls there's a 30% chance of resisting the spell. Or, put another way, a 70% chance of not resisting the spell. Either way, A has a 70% chance of Befuddling B. So, its a difference that makes no difference, which, IIRC, Spock would say is no difference.