Tests
Posted on Wednesday, March 30th, 2016 at 16:02In T13 there are a lot of ways that you can potentially decide the results of an Character’s actions.
Tests in T13 full into two broad types.
Dice Tests
Dice tests are a fairly simple way of detirmining whether a Character can do a thing. They usually consist of rolling Proficiency Dice + The dice of a Facet, Annex or Descendant, sometimes a host of Annexes and Descendants may be applicable to a roll and then there are rules for paying Sway, Chi or Yarn to add additional Annexes to a roll.
You can find out more about the mechanics of these dice rolls, here
Ordeals
Ordeals use a combination of Proficiency Dice and cards to create a more flowing narrative structure to a test. It is the preferred way to run combat and there is even a specialised version of the Ordeal for Psychology Tests that models the effects of powerful emotions are characters to create PTSD effects in extreme circumstances. You can find out more about running Card Ordeals and Combat here.
Other ways of resolving tests
Over the years there have been a lot of different rules added to the game to let Referees decide what legitimately happens in the game, as quickly as possible. These include narrative styles, where Yarn and Wyrd Tarot cards quickly bypass many tests or situations. Refs should allow Mercari and Solos access to those methods to skip through the events, if necessary (although there is no card that will guarantee victory, the double score does come close). Good roleplaying is always essential to using these cards though. If the Ref disagrees with you that “I know someone in the docks who will pay my passage onto a ship,” then they would be well within their rights to Twist the card and you played and alter that Doom. Perhaps, suddenly you are shanghaied, only coming around on a ship when that port is leagues, or light-years behind you.
Another quick way of performing a test is to take an average, or compare values. Averages work just like dice tests normally do, although Proficiency Dice must be rolled (or not added). Comparing Values can let you know if something is broadly possible, if the character has a Strong Skill with a value of 240 they would be capable of lifting 240kg, and so on.