Hint Rolls

If the players are stuck and can’t figure out what to do next, the GM may “play nice” and give them a hand. Whether they are having difficulty solving a puzzle, defeating a creature, or figuring out what to do and where to go next, the GM may figure out a roll to have either an individual character, a group of characters, or the whole party make in order to help them figure out the solution to their problem. This roll can even be specialized for each player to incorporate their strengths and abilities. The Success Rate of this roll indicates exactly how much information the GM should offer.
: Example: The characters are trapped in a room with spiked walls which is shrinking gradually. They are trying to figure out a way to escape, but nothing is really coming except for one character who has decided the best course of action is probably to rip a spike off the wall and jam it under the wall to stop it. The GM has already offered the advice that that is most likely not the best idea and will probably not be met with success. However, the player decides that his character, being a brutish vampire hunter, would most likely attempt this regardless of its foolhardiness. 
: He decides to attempt to find a weak spot in the wall, and the GM offers him a Focus roll. He takes it, and regardless of his success, the GM tells him there is no weak spot. The hunter then decides the best course of action would be to brace himself against the wall and Prepare to break off a spike. The GM tells him he can try, but will most likely not be successful. The brash hunter continues on his action. The GM decides the bracing action will be a Preparation roll. However, he tells the player up front that it will probably require an Amazing or Spectacular result, as the bars are made of solid steel. There may also be a -2 rank penalty for such a difficult action. The hunter makes his Preparation roll, which the GM decides should be unmodified Strength. He rolls a Good result, which will be a +2 bonus to the action. After a full round, in which the spikes have not gotten close enough to injure anyone, the hunter goes again. He rolls another Good for his action, and the +2 bonus makes this an Exceptional Success. This is not good enough even before the GM makes his -2 penalty adjustment, which brings the result back down to a Good. 
: At this moment, just as all of the characters are beginning to fear that there is no way out, the GM decides to allow everyone one more chance. “Everyone, roll Intellect,” he says, and they do. Two of the characters (one of which is not the hunter) succeed, one at a Fair rate of success and the other at a Good. He turns to the first character, who rolled a Fair, and says “You seem to be remembering something, but you can’t for the life of you recall what it is. You have something, somewhere, that could help.” He gives the first character a chance to react, but when all he is greeted by is a blank expression, he turns to the other character, the one who rolled a Good. “You guys have a radio transmitter on you, and Ritchie is in the control room.”
: “Oh,” they reply, and scramble to use it.
Category:Core Rules