Hello everybody! I'm new to these forums, so if this question was asked already, please direct me tro the proper thread :)
Having re-read the rules again, before today's inaugural 2ed session, I've noticed the wording of boni given to Heroes and Villains due to the Heroes Dramatic Wounds mentions Risks only!
So in other words: are Action Scenes and Drama Scenes subsets of Risks? If so, do the Villains gain their boni on every roll where the wounded opponents are their opposition, or only when stating a priori that they will act against the wounded? Do advantages due to multiple wounded opponents stack?
Thank you sincerely for your answers! I'm very excited to try the new rules out today :)
Welcome, @KryzstofChyla, to 7thSea2e.
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TAJ-07: Technopriest And Justicar Of 7thSea2e
Thank you! That is a useful feature :)
However, I can;t seem to find anyone asking these questions, so if anyone has an idea what the original design intention was and any comments regarding how it works at your table, I'd be delighted to hear from you!
Anytime you pick up dice and roll a Trait + Skill, it's a "Risk". This means there's a Risk of failure, risk of consequences, risk of missed opportunities, etc. If there's no real Risk to what a character is doing, do not roll dice. They just succeed.
An Action Sequence is a series of Rounds, during which every character, including Villains, are taking "Risks". Each round, a character will determine their Intent and Approach and roll their Risk Pool (Trait + Skill) for that Approach. The Raises are then used to perform Actions in the Round. If a Hero has 2 or more Dramatic Wounds and a Villain's Intent is to act directly against that Hero, they get the 2 Bonus Dice. Examples include: The Villain is trying to beat the Hero to a stolen treasure, the Villain is trying to attack the Hero, the Villain is attempting to convince the Hero to betray his friends, etc. If the Villain's Intent does not directly involve the Hero (e.g. The Villain is trying to attack another Hero) the Villain does not get the Bonus Dice for that Risk, nor does the Villain get Bonus Dice if his Intent affects the entire group equally (Cutting the ropes on a bridge that will send them all plummeting below).
A Dramatic Sequence is an extended "Scene" with multiple Risks, including Consequences and Opportunities that may reveal themselves in the course of the scene. Each character determines one overarching "Intent" for the Dramatic Sequence and a single Approach that corresponds and will roll their Risk Pool (Trait + Skill) for the entire Dramatic Sequencde. Each "Action" they take that defines the narrative requires a Raise (or more if the Action doesn't fit within their original Approach. Example, trying to seduce the Duke's daughter with an approach of sneak in unseen). Villains in general don't roll Risk Pools in Dramatic Sequences, though their Influence and Assets may come to bear against the Heroes, so it's unlikely that the 2 Dramatic Wound penalty will apply in a Dramatic Sequence without a Villain showing up (and potentially turning it into an Action Sequence).
Hope this helps.
It does immensely!
This is basically how I interpreted the rules when I read them at first, but doubt beset me when I started considering that the definition of a "Risk" could be also read as just the one-Hero-vs-Situation scenario. I was reading legalese the whole day before at work, so my mind started to nitpick every term and look for clear definitions ;)
I assume this would mean, that if a Villain was locked in a three-way duel with two Heroes who both have two Dramatic Wounds each, that the Villain would take +4 dice, providing their intent is to keep fighting the Heroes?
This forces the question: since Villains do not have to worry about Improvising, do we generally assume that the initial Intent can be forgone during a Sequence if situation warrants it (i.e. the Villains sees they're loosing and wish to make a daring escape, or simply change thir focus on a different target) or do we try to keep close to the original intent for the duration of the Round so as to be fair to players? I personally would probably choose the former option, but I guess oipion may vary on this?
First Question: The Approach matters but I would say that if your Villain is facing 2 Heroes in an Action Sequence and both have 2 Dramatic Wounds, then yes the Villain would get +4 Dice if his Approach was directly against both Heroes.
Second Question: I would let Villains change their intent or focus however often they like. They are Villains :) Therefore, i would always consider Villains to have Dynamic Approach Advantage personally, unless it's Dramatic not to :)
John