22 GAME RULES

DIFFICULTY LEVELS

A Check’s Difficulty Level (DL) is a measure of how complex and risky a certain operation can be. It abstracts several elements into a single number:

The amount of knowledge and expertise required to complete the operation.
Any helpful or hindering circumstances such as harsh weather conditions, poor visibility, exhaustion, or supernatural influences.
The lack or presence of important resources (time, space, materials, etc.) that are needed to achieve the character’s goal.
The kind of impact the action will have on the story, be it now or later.

In summary, Difficulty is an abstraction of how the current situation is opposing or hindering the character. The true question you should ask yourself when determining the Difficulty Level for a check, as indicated by the table below, is “Who is likely to accomplish this?”

DETERMINING THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL FOR A CHECK

DL	Action Difficulty	Who is likely to accomplish this?
7	Easy	Anyone with a bit of training or natural talent.
10	Normal	A competent person, or a very talented one.
13	Hard	An expert or a prodigy.
16	Very Hard	Someone who is among the very best in that field.

GO WITH TEN

If you are the Game Master and find yourself stumped when choosing an appropriate Difficulty Level for a Check, use 10: it is neither too low nor too high, and it's easy to remember.

Philip Forlenza (Order #)