Acondicionamiento químico:

Many players may be more familiar with a different kind of “task resolution system” where the “skill list” is laid out explicitly for the players, giving them a choice of what their character can do—as opposed to who their character is.

For those, I’ve included a list of “skills” along with a short suggestion of how a particular risk may be accomplished using Virtues and Aspects. Enjoy!

Spending Style

Here’s another option. If you

think an action is important, but

not a risk, perhaps the player has

to spend a Style pointto narrate

the outcome. Putting that choice

in the player’s hands asks, “How

important is this?”

Is it worth a Style point?

This option not only asks that

important question but also

gives you an alternative way of

determining a risky outcome

without rolling dice. Sometimes

difficult choices require sacrifice.

If we all want to make a wisdom risk to establish facts about something, is that a contested risk even if we are doing it together?

Yes. All of you, one wager at a

time, get to define the world.

C^ONTESTED R^ISKS | E^XAMPLE R^ISKS

A

Acrobatic twists and twirls are no doubt acts of pure Strength. Acrobats train their bodies for years to perform complicated feats of balance and timing… all the while making it look as easy as falling off a log.

Of course, if a character has the “acrobat”

or “ballerina” Aspects, he could add dice to this kind of risk.

At the same time, a feat of acrobatics could be considered a work of Art, and that would make it fall under Beauty. This all depends on the intent of the acting character. Is the intent to create Art or to leap as far as possible? Intent solves these questions. Beauty is for aesthetic purposes.

So, for leaping across a rooftop with guards behind you, Beauty will not help you, but Strength will.

Likewise, a Strong ballerina with no Beauty will leave a lasting impression on the stage… one to follow her like a brooding shadow for the rest of her life.

Best for an acrobat to be both Strong and understand the subtleties of Beauty.

Best to cover all your bases.

A

One ven wants to sell, another wants to buy.

Who gets the better deal? Of course, this involves maneuvers and craftiness, so we’ll be using our Cunning for this kind of risk.

Outthinking the other, verbal maneuvers, thrusts and parries. That’s Cunning.

On the other hand, knowing the value of a piece of valuable art falls could fall under the auspice of Beauty. After all, studying Art teaches you how to appreciate Art,

knowing the worthless from the priceless.

A true artist would also be better able to differentiate between craftsmanship and inspiration. Aspects such as “Sculptor”

or “Painter” would be appropriate for such a risk.

C

Creation almost always falls under the auspice of Beauty. Woodworking, sculpting, painting… even the act of making a functioning cart could be called an act of Beauty. Of course, having the right Aspects helps a great deal. A blacksmith cannot apply what he knows to painting, nor can a painter apply what he knows to architecture.

Sure, some knowledge is universally useful, but we’re not talking about simplicity here.

We’re talking about secret knowledge.

Oh wait. Did I say “secret knowledge?”

Wisdom can also come into play here, especially when dealing with things like architects, shipwrights, and other craftsmen who keep the skills and tools of their trade deep secrets.

Again, much of this falls on intent. Is the intent to create something beautiful or something lasting? Beauty fades. Wisdom grows stronger with age.

E^XAMPLE R^ISKS

D

The ven love codes and ciphers. Use them all the time. Passing messages back and forth. Those little pieces of paper carry secrets bigger than any box can hold.

Uncovering the secret of a cipher could call upon Cunning. After all, a code is only as clever as the ven who wrote it.

Then again, it could utilize Wisdom.

A man who knows many codes could recognize a trick he’s seen before. Because he’s so familiar with so many, solving another is just a walk in the park.

Having an Aspect “Secret Tongues” will certainly give you bonus dice in this kind of risk.

D

The Art of Diplomacy. The words almost go together, don’t they? We all know the Art of crafting a speech, the Art of delivering a speech, the Art of improvising around mistakes… yes, watching a skilled speaker do what he does best is a thing of Beauty.

But crafting the speech… that requires Cunning. Debate and deliberation between breaths. One must have his wits about him.

Diplomacy calls for thinking on your feet, recognizing the wants, needs and fears of your opponent and audience. The feint within the feint.

D

T

If you want to keep secrets, you have to put them in dangerous boxes. Bit of ven wisdom for you there. No crime in using poison to protect secrets. The “victim”

should have been smart enough not to get caught. Disarming a box armed with menace is directly interacting with danger.

One could say that would require a fair degree of Prowess.

Of course, dealing with traps also deals a lot with Wisdom. Knowing your enemy, knowing his ways, knowing the way he thinks. Knowledge is a deadly weapon, but like most weapons, it is only deadly when applied correctly.

D

Paint on the face, dye in the hair, a slouched shoulder, an altered voice. Creating a different persona and maintaining that persona through scrutiny… well, we’re talking about creating. That means we’re talking about Art. That means we’re talking about Beauty. The set of skills an actor uses on the stage is the same set of skills a spy uses when he infiltrates an enemy’s castle.

Of course, Cunning is also useful.

Manipulating perceptions, dodging the wrong questions, putting the suspicious at ease. This is an act of pure Cunning.

Of course, a few Aspects may help. Actor, troubadour, performer. Something along those lines.

E^XAMPLE R^ISKS

E

Wrists tied with ropes, arms pulled behind your back. Nowhere to move. All you’ve got now is Strength. The strength in your muscles, the strength in your bones, the strength in your tendons, the strength in your heart to fight the pain screaming in your joints. All that takes Strength.

I really can’t think of another Virtue here. Sometimes, you just have to rely on Strength.

F

More deception, more duplicitous action.

You’d think we’re on a trend or something.

Cunning works here, but then again, so does Beauty. Cunning for the feint and Beauty for the dexterous calligraphy skills.

You’d think we’re on a trend or something.

G

Otherwise known as “Gather Information.”

Of course, that sounds like VCR instructions, so let’s go with something a bit more sexy.

Like gossip. If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, perhaps you’ll prefer scandal, hear-say, nattering, blather or tittle-tattle. (Thank you, Mr. Roget.) Either way, it’s finding out things other people don’t want you to know through the Art of conversation.

One could make an argument that devising, creating, crafting and delivering the right kind of information (or misinformation) then dropping it with complete and unobtrusive nonchalance is an Art.

Of course, it also takes a good deal of Cunning.

Then again, it also takes a good deal of Wisdom to know the difference between what’s news and what’s just prattling, chattering drivel. The word choice is up to you.

H

Call it stealth, subterfuge or skullduggery.

Sneaking around without being seen is one of the world’s oldest and most important skills. Cunning is the ability to see the feint.

It’s also the ability to obscure your motives.

And your movements.

Of course, remaining completely still while hanging upside down, a knife in your teeth and a drawn bow in your hands, waiting for the exact moment to let your grip go… that has at least something to do with Strength.

I

We’re going to talk about handling verbal duels in a moment or two (look in the Violence chapter), but for the purposes of this chapter, let’s just say that the way you choose to intimidate someone determines what kind of Virtue you’d call upon.

A physical act of bullying would probably call on Strength. A more subtle approach would involve Cunning. Of course, avoiding an intimidation attempt would probably involve a bit of Courage.

E^XAMPLE R^ISKS

S

Some might call this “spell craft.” Of course, only an unsophisticated, uncouth peasant would use the word “spell.” We know this because a sorcerer doesn’t cast spells; a sorcerer performs rituals.

Recognizing the effects and trappings of a ritual is Wisdom, of course. Then again, if you want to perform a ritual with Style and panache, stunning the participants into a solemn silence, that would probably involve Beauty. And hiding a ritual from others, performing it in plain sight without others noticing, would involve some sort of Cunning.

R

Strength to hold on, Strength to control the horse, Strength to control its movements.

Beauty to make it look good. Wisdom to know the horse’s breed, age and other details. Prowess to attack from the horse’s back or even to turn the horse from tool to

weapon. Cunning to hide yourself and the horse as orks march by. Courage to face down a charging horse while on foot without succumbing to the perfectly reasonable temptation to jump out of the way.

S

What’s more Beautiful than a well-planned seduction? Arranged and orchestrated with the utmost care and attention to detail, seduction is an Art. Of course, gaining the information necessary to find the necessary details is Cunning. Knowing the right and proper order to put things is Wisdom.

Defeating your target’s lover in a duel takes a good deal of Prowess. I’ll leave the proper use of Strength to your imagination.

S

Ah, swimming. When it comes time to spend skill points, everyone overlooks this one. Why? Because nobody ever needs it.

Trust me, in Shanri, you’ll be using it.

Of course, this is Strength. Strength to keep your head above water, to fight against the undertow, the fight against the flow of the water. You can certainly make swimming look pretty and I’m sure some degree of Courage is necessary when facing the real possibility of drowning.

Do yourself a favor. Find a way to get an Aspect that involves swimming. You’ll thank me later.

(That’s for you, Jess.)

E^XAMPLE R^ISKS

I never relied on hope. I never stopped