Skill Scenes

Skill Scenes are a series of skill checks made together as a means to accomplish a goal. This goal is clearly defined, and can be accomplished through various means. Some skills also provide bonuses for the Skill Scene. Sometimes all it takes for one failure for one part of a Skill Scene to fail, however most of the time everyone in a party gets a chance to succeed at a skill before the section of the Skill Scene is considered a failure. And even then, failing one part of a Skill Scene doesn’t always count the entire scene as a failure. Failing a required skill check three times is a total failure.

Racing

Horse races, chariot races, and wagon races are common depending on the region one lives in, and these events are often one of the routes for gambling and betting to take place with people wagering silver on who they think will be the winner.

Set Up: Determine how many laps will be in the race, and who is betting on who. Riders are usually allowed to bet on themselves, however if they aren't a prize sum or a percentage of the total bets is usually awarded to them instead.

Each rider is marked as being at 0% completion of the current lap at the start of the race, and once everyone is ready, move onto the next step.

The Race!: Each participant individually rolls the appropriate skill associated with the race (Riding for horses, Charioteering for chariots, and Drive for wagons and carriages), the roll result is added to the percentage of the completion of the current lap, adding any excess over 100% to the next lap's percentage. For example if someone is at 76% completion and rolls a 32, they add the result together and the remainder is added to the next lap's percentage making their next lap's percentage 8%.

The first participant to reach 100% in the Final Lap is considered the winner of the race.

Arcane Tutoring

Typically undertaken by teacher with a student under them, teaching the student as much as they can on their own knowledge. Arcane Tutoring can be used for a couple of ways; one of which being to teach a pupil a spell, or to teach the student how to use magic at all.

Set Up: The teacher must possess the Arcane Background trait, or be a supernatural creature capable of spellcasting.

Teaching Spellcasting: The teacher must make a Teaching check (DC 35) and on a success the student receives a +5 bonus on all of the checks they must make for this skill scene. Next the student must pass the following skill checks in a row; first they must pass a Research check, then they must pass an Arcana check, and finally they must pass a Spellcasting check (even if Spellcasting is untrained).

The DC for each skill check is passed onto one another, starting at a DC 25 for the Research check. On a failure, the next two skill checks increase their DC by 10. This is the same for the Arcana check, where on a failure the Spellcasting DC is increased by another 10 (for a total of a DC 50 Spellcasting check).

This process takes 3 months to complete, although this can be expedited with each month this time is reduced by increasing all DCs of the skill scene by 10.

Teaching Spell: Students wishing to learn spells from their teacher can attempt to study under them in order to add the spell to their list of spells known, so long as they meet the other prerequisites for the spell. In order to learn the spell they must succeed at an Arcana check, the teacher can lend help by assisting the student with their Teaching skill.

This DC is equal to 20 plus the MP cost of the spell, and takes a number of days to learn equal to 1/4 of the spell's MP cost (minimum of taking 1 hour if this would reduce the time below 1 day).

Infiltration

Infiltration jobs are required when stealth and remaining unseen are the utmost priority. Occasionally an infiltration mission will have an element of 'going loud', however often this is the sign of an amateur or something going disastrously wrong during the job.

Set Up: For each area with guards or traps, set up different "zones" which need to be cleared or bypassed. Guards require stealth to bypass without being noticed while traps require a keen eye and to either be disabled or avoided.

Guards provide DCs based on how many are in a zone; a single guard is DC 25, a pair is DC 30, and for each additional guard beyond two add +2 to the DC.

Trap DCs are determined by which traps are used.

Failing a single skill check results in the guards becoming suspicious and increasing their DCs by 2, failing a second skill check results in the guards being alerted and increasing the DCs by 5 instead. Finally, if a third skill check is failed (in a row) the Infiltration is considered a failure as the infiltrators now must attempt escape or be kidnapped and/or killed.

Bypassing Guards: In order to bypass guards you need to beat their DC using a combination of Hide and Silence. Succeeding at one of these skill checks grants a +4 bonus to the subsequent check made.

Noticing Traps: Every time you enter a new zone, a Sight check is required (whether there are traps or not). If you would beat the noticing DC for the trap you will spot it, if not you have a 50/50 chance of unwittingly setting the trap off when passing through the zone.

Reaching the Infiltration Zone: Finally once you've reached the spot you were meant to come to (for example, being sent to a noble's bed chamber in order to find incriminating evidence) you are required to make a check appropriate to the situation, typically Search if you're attempting to find something, however GMs can ask for other skill checks.