[Torg] more NCI questions

[Sam Frazier II]

From: Benjamin Grant <benn at 4efix.com>
>>>As an aside, I created (I think its not in Torg proper) the concept of taking-0 and taking-6.

>>>If you take-0 on an action and are able to succeed, then you don't have to actually roll for it, unless for dramatic reasons.  For example, if a take-0 >>>allows you to drive from your house to the library, I don't make the player to roll for whether or not he gets in an accident on the way.

>>>Of course, driving while the bad guys are chasing you is a dramatic use of the ability and would require a roll even though a take-0 may be >>>numerically sufficient.

>>>Take-6 actions are for doing something when time is not an issue.  For example, if you stole a locked toolbox and moved it to your house, you could >>>spend all the time in the world to pick the lock.  I usually say that if the character is willing to spend 5-10 times the normal amount of time required >>>for a check, then can forgo rolling and instead take a +6 for their Bonus Number.

>>>Another example is busting down a door - where they might not succeed immediately, over time they could wear it down and weaken it, until they >>>bust it down.

>>>How does this sound?  Is 6 too high for such an action?  Should it be +3 or +5?

Typically what I do is take the characters skill (no roll), which would be necessary to accomplish said action (lockpicking so to speak) and subtract it from the DN. This gives me (perhaps incorrectly) the amount of time the user takes to accomplish said action. If the skill is higher than the DN, it is a simple action for the character to accomplish the feat. 

I always give the player the oppertunity to roll to improve  (or worsen) the skill and hence the time it takes to accomplish the goal. If they choose to spend/waste (depending on the situation) the possibility, it is their choice. Proper possibility spending is a skill not all TORG players learn.

I essentially don't waste my time on the math unless it is necessary to success or failure, or the amount of time overlaps into another plot point. Thus if they have a day to accomplish something, if it takes them 10 mins or 10 hours, I"m not going to focus on it. But if it is going to take 10 days, well then. That overlaps into the next plot point and they can choose to "improve" the action or accept the concequences. The ball is always in their court.

SDF II