Checks and Challenges
One of the tools a Storyteller has in their belt for providing information, advancing the story or adding challenge to the game is checks and challenges. In Untitled, both Checks and Challenges are tied to the same tiers as skills and the Storyteller should assign both a tier and a difficulty within that tier. This operates similar to difficulty checks or ratings in other games.
The Storyteller might assign a particular challenge, such as jumping over a ravine, a rating of Journeyman Normal, meaning that players will need to roll at-least a fifteen in order to pass the test. If it were a question instead of a direct challenge, it would likely be tied to a particular skill such as “Knowledge, Nature” and assigned the same tier and difficulty. To use the same category as before, Journeyman Normal would mean that a player must meet or exceed a fifteen in order to recognize or answer the question and higher rolls may lead to additional detail from the Storyteller.
Skill Checks
As a storyteller, skill checks will become important for judging a character’s ability to perform a certain feat or task, as well as recall important information through knowledge checks. A skill check is called a skill check because it is tied to a particular skill or skills.
One of the most common skill checks in the game will be the ‘Perception Check’, where the Storyteller will ask a player to roll the dice associated with their skill level in Perception in order to see whether or not they notice something or are able to extra more detail than another from something they see, hear or otherwise noticed.
Challenges
Challenges are often direct in Untitled, such as a locked door that a player wants to kick down instead of unlock, a ravine that players will have to jump across or a creaky old rope bridge on a windy day. In order to defeat the challenge, a player will need to roll as directed by the Storyteller. Challenges may involve one or more skill checks or may be entirely based on an attribute such as Strength.
One common example would be a Strength Check in order to break down a door. This check is based on the Brawn quality of the character who is going to attempt the challenge. The Storyteller will assign a difficulty rating based on a tier and whether it is easy, normal or difficult within that tier and then ask the player to roll their dice.
The player will roll the dice associated with the skill level of their character’s Brawn quality and add their skill level as a bonus to the dice result, assuming that they have at-least one skill level in Brawn to begin with. If it is untrained, they may only roll 1d6 without a modifier.
If the player were to attempt to pick the lock instead, a skill check would be made with the dice associated with their character’s skill level in an appropriate skill such as Disable Device.
The player must meet or exceed the difficulty number assessed to pass the check or save.
Failure
A critical failure is declared when the player rolls dice and is presented with the lowest number on both (or all) dice. What a critical failure means is often situational and determined by the Storyteller, however can include dropping a weapon, breaking the string of a bow, dropping a potion and breaking it or even changing the result of a skill such as Blacksmith being used to create something.
