Scratch:Ad Hoc Rolls
When a player comes up with a cool idea for achieving a successful or unusual result in an encounter, you can assign the roll a difficulty based on how the players and GM feel about the idea:
- If the idea is profoundly uncool or not possible, then it fails automatically without a roll.
- If the GM thinks the idea might work, but it is not particularly inspired, the difficulty is 15.
- If the GM or all of the players think it is a great idea, the difficulty is 10.
- If the GM and all of the players think it is a great idea, the difficulty is 5.
- If it is obviously a good idea that will not fail, then it succeeds automatically without a roll.
Add 5 to the difficulty if it is only a good idea for characters who have expertise in the ability used for the roll.
Attack abilities are rarely used for non-combat rolls. A shooting contest is a non-combat roll, but a duel is combat. A wrestling match is combat even if the competitors avoid damaging moves. Blowing up a bridge to stop an army from crossing is a blasting roll. Blowing up a bridge while your enemies are on it is combat.
Toughness or wrestling can be used for feats of strength.
Detection can be used for spying and tracking.
Stealth can be used for infiltration and ambushes.
Quickness can be used for non-combat foot chases. It is also useful when you are racing to push someone out of harm's way or pull a shutoff switch before something explodes.
Flying can be used for chases as well as reaching places that cannot be reached on foot.
Swimming can be used for aquatic chases, diving, reaching places that are not accessible on foot, salvaging stuff from sunken ships and spacecraft, or rescuing characters who are drowning.
Acrobatics can be used for vertical chases, difficult climbs, or avoiding obstacles. It can also be used for balance (inching along a ledge or walking a tightrope.)
Command ability is used for communication and persuasion. Command ability can sometimes be used to influence animals that have limited intelligence, or to bluff and decieve.
Healing ability can be used to treat infections and chronic illness. Sometimes it can be used for general knowledge of biology, plants and animals.
Craftsmanship can be used for all sorts of repair and production tasks from primitive handicrafts to high tech engineering. Craftsmanship can also be used for sabotage and making traps.
