Best Ways to Conduct Specific Tests (Master Thread)

Game: Emperor's Bastards
System: Only War (DH2 compatible)
Scenario:
- A PC is leaving an NPC in a location in order to get the drop on an enemy by flanking them.
- The plan is for both the NPC and PC to open fire at the same time - 15 minutes after the PC leaves the NPC (his character calculated this would be enough time to get into a flanking position).
Dilemma:
- What is the best skill to have the PC roll in order to ensure the plan goes off without a hitch or fails miserably?
Potential Solution:
- Roll Navigate (Surface) to ensure the PC make it to his destination in a timely manner. Failure here means missing the deadline. DoF could equal minutes behind schedule.
- The PC has an Auspex, so this would come with a modifier of +30 and not be very difficult.

Does anything else come to mind? Thanks.

Do they have any tactics skills?

It takes a half action to use an auspex so if they need to look at it often it will slow them down.

Navigate surface seems reasonable.

Do the PC and the NPC have any means of communication? Or precise timekeeping devices? Otherwise I see this as being pretty much impossible to fire at the exact same time...unless they have some way of covertly signaling to one another (hand signals or even a flare).

Would it be meaningfully any different if the PC fired and the NPC fired seconds afterwards? In which case the NPC could simply watch for the first shot very carefully and attentively and fire immediately after.

One last thought I would have is that this might just be unrelated to the PC's skills. I don't know the situation (clearly), but sometimes I just roll for chance (or as the GM, decide the outcome myself). Not everything in the game world will be determined or influenced by the players skill...some things are just fate.

It doesn't matter how good of a shot you are or how great your tactical acumen is, some factors are outside of the PCs control (like perfectly coordinating and timing a shot with an ally across a great distance with no means of communication or visual aids).

You could also maybe do a tactics skill check thats against the average of the PC and NPC's tactics skill level. (if one is rolling against 10 and the other is rolling against 50, roll against 30).

Carn wrote:

Do they have any tactics skills?

It takes a half action to use an auspex so if they need to look at it often it will slow them down.

Navigate surface seems reasonable.

They have no tactics skills. IF they did, what were you considering, Carn? And good point about the Auspex. I forgot about that. Since the PC has been using it quite a bit already, I will say that the 15 minutes will have factored this in. That way it just comes back to the test.

Bob wrote:

Do the PC and the NPC have any means of communication? Or precise timekeeping devices? Otherwise I see this as being pretty much impossible to fire at the exact same time...unless they have some way of covertly signaling to one another (hand signals or even a flare).

They both have chronos, so firing in 15 minutes won't be an issue. Also, I am not trying to micromanage this down to the second, so I just need a test to determine if it happens well enough (meaning within a few seconds) or one of them doesnt fire at all.

Bob wrote:

Not everything in the game world will be determined or influenced by the players skill...some things are just fate.

Word, but I would like to associate the PCs ability to get into position in this underground "sewer" with a skill, since this was a well thought out PC plan. It should be in their hands.

Gotcha - that all makes a lot more sense then. I was thinking it sounded a little far-fetched at first but these details make it sound totally feasible and I agree should be in the player's hands.

To add some more drama to it you could do an extended test with a certain number of DoS needed between navigation and perhaps Scholastic Lore (Tactica Imperialis).

Maybe even Common Lore (War)..."character remembers some legendary feat of Sly Marbo's and takes inspiration from that to devise a plan...."

I legit need to make better use of the lore skills, but as a GM, I am usually expecting players to ask "Can I use this Lore Skill here," even though I try to make suggestions. Sly Marbo must always be remembered...

In this case, the PC definitely does not have SL Tactica Imperialis.