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 ...Extended Skill Tests in Torg Eternity

I have recently subscribed to Mike Mearls' Patreon account as a free member. There he is currently discussing how The World's Most Arrogant Role Playing Game needs an overhaul on its skill resolution system. In this, he incorporates tiered success, which is already familiar to Torg Eternity players, and includes in it the idea of a small failure being a Complication, which doesn't totally derail the action but introduces a new twist (again, familiar territory for those gamemasters who use Failing results). But his latest article (dated 2/14/2024) introduced a new idea, what I am calling an Extended Skill Test.

An Extended Skill Test heightens the excitement by extending the action over several rounds, giving players more opportunities to manage the encounter. In that aspect, it is similar to a Dramatic Skill Resolution. But unlike DSR, the EST is not forced into a four (or fewer) step format where certain steps are only available when the Drama Card allows them. Also, an EST is primarily focused on the same skills each time, but allows the ebb and flow of the Conflict Lines to influence the exact course of action.

Let's use the same example Mike did for this first run through (he promises more in later installments). The party finds themselves on a narrow beach at the base of a cliff 20 meters tall. They are here to infiltrate a pirate camp at the top of the cliff, and three pirates are assigned to watch the beach for intruders, but due to boredom, they are not very alert. The pirates have a rope ladder they use to get to and from the beach, but it is currently pulled up and unusable to the Storm Knights. 

The main thrust of the encounter is that the Storm Knights need to climb with stealth. This is resolved mechanically as tests on climbing and stealth, which could be done separately or as a Multi-Action, but the stealth part could be considered a contest if the pirates are alert. But with Success Levels, we have the tools to represent the players who are good at stealth setting up distractions to cover for the mistakes of those who are not. Furthermore, since base climbing speed is 1-3 meters per round depending on the success level of the climb, this will clearly take some time, thus making it perfect for an Extended Skill Test.

I would then work it like this: Each card flip will represent one minute of stealthy climbing instead of one round. Since the goal is to be stealthy, we only count five rounds of climbing instead of six in that minute and assume a successful Climbing Test earns 5 meters. We can apply the x2 for Good and x3 for Outstanding as normal for climbing, or we can be creative and say that the actual difference between the action total and the difficulty number translates into extra meters of climbing that minute. So succeeding by 4 on the climb would result in 9 meters advanced. 

To handle the stealth part, we count the success levels: Standard =1, Good =2, and Outstanding =3. A failure would be zero success levels, and a Mishap would take away a Success Level. Each round, the party needs one Success Level per climber to avoid detection. This allows the ones who are good at stealth to rack up Success Levels to cover for those who are not as stealthy. 

Adding in the result of the Drama Card and Conflict Lines is also simple enough. Results generally have mechanical effects that apply normally, but they can also have flavor justifications as well. Fatigue on the first round could be the result of a wave that crashes into the party before they get a chance to begin the climb and escape. The players might get an Up which represents an root network jutting out of the cliff, making that portion easier. 

If the party is detected, the action goes into combat rounds. If people make it up the cliff successfully, they can either continue into the camp itself, or they can stay and try to help the others up. A test could be made to stealthily toss the rope bridge down to help, for example. A distraction to get the pirates to look away from the beach might happen, reducing or eliminating the need for the rest of the group to be stealthy. Regardless, this is a more fun way of handling the encounter, which is what we want.

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