description and other possible details. A successful roll (under the acter’s percentage the roll is successful.
ful. Any roll above means the
character’s percentage) reveals that the beast is mostly likely a
Flame Wing Dragon, provided Carly is describing it accurately.
This skill is relevant because a dragon is a creature of magic. A
second successful roll could enable the character to remember
more details about this type of dragon, such as its ability to meta-
morphosis, fly, breathe fire, and cast magic. It is good to have info
like this as it makes planning ahead easier especially if the player
group knows what they are facing. A failed roll means that the
character(s) is unsure what kind of creature she is talking about.
Lore: Demons and Monsters: A dragon is specifically a crea-
ture of magic, but to many it is also a monster. While this skill may
not exactly pertain to what a dragon is and can do, it can be used
to eliminate other possibilities. For example, the description does
not fit certain monsters like Brodkil or a Rhino–Buffalo. So call
it a process of elimination. The character with this skill who rolls
successfully could deduce that it could be some kind of a dragon
or Elemental, but not know more beyond this. That is where Lore:
Faeries and Creatures of Magic, above, comes into play. Assuming
one of the player characters has that skill.
Land Navigation: All characters who have this skill might
want to give a roll. A successful roll means that the character(s)
have a good idea where the village is and how to get there, as well
as a good idea of what the terrain is like. For those that fail, are a
bit lost and don’t have a good sense of the land, they’ll need to fol-
low someone else, like farmer Jessup or Sir Cross.
First Encounter
Unless you, the Game Master, want to have a side adventure,
fast forward to our heroes making their way to the town of River
Side. This encounter happens a few hours after the characters and
Sir Cross have left town.
Bandits are common in the area, so being on guard is always a
good idea. As it so happens, there are some bandits that are keep-
ing a watch on anyone who approaches River Side. They have set
up a simple blind on a hill where they can watch anyone coming
down the road or nearby fields. The bandits are cocky because their
leader is wielding a suit of powered armor. So while the player
characters led by a Cyber-Knight may seem imposing, the bandits
are sure they can take just about anyone out, especially if they get
the jump on them.
To be fair to the player group, the Game Master may want to
give their characters a warning about this potential ambush. After
all, you don’t want to kill the heroes when the adventure has just
begun. The point is to go forward with the story and have fun. So
this is where the G.M. may want to let the players make a few skill
or Perception rolls. The skills that come immediately to mind are
Detect Ambush, Detect Concealment, Camouflage and Tracking.
Here is how the skills can be used. Have each player roll once
under the appropriate skill. A successful roll yields various details
and pieces of information that you, the Game Master, are going to
provide. I then let the players make up their minds based on the
available data. Do not just come out and say, yep, it is an ambush.
By allowing the players to do their own analysis, and perhaps fur-
ther, careful investigation, they come to their own conclusions.
This allows the player group to become fully engrossed in their
characters and to enjoy the experience even more.
Remember, skills are rolled using percentile dice, 2D10. One
number is the tens position and the other is the ones. So a roll of
5 and a roll of 4 would be 54%. If it is equal to or under the char-
skill is unsuccessful; it failed, or had no result.
Here are the skills in action:
Detect Ambush: This is the best skill to use in this circum-
stance. A successful roll means the player character recognizes
likely ambush sites and has a good idea that they are about to be
attacked. Moreover, it if the character keeps a careful eye on the
location or moves in quietly for a closer look, he may see the blind
used by the bandits, or see suspicious movement, hear a telltale
sound or even see one or two of the villains; any of which gives
away their position and reveals the ambush.
Since this is an adventure for presumably new players, the
heroes are likely to be low level (first or second), so the Detect
Ambush skill percentage is going to be low, so I would provide a
bonus to the skill roll. The bonus represents how bad the ambush
is and how easy it is to spot. Furthermore, we can assume the ban-
dits are cocky and careless, so our heroes see light glinting off the
armor and guns of the bandits. I would give the player group a 10%
or 20% bonus. You don’t need to tell the players about the bonus.
Just let them roll the dice and you will know if they made the roll
or failed, then describe the outcome.
On a failed roll the player characters are oblivious to the am-
bush, including the Cyber-Knight. As far as they are concerned,
the way ahead is clear.
On a successful roll (with secret bonus), they see the ambush
and can avoid it/go around it, or attack first.
You could also use a Perception Roll here to see if one or more
of the characters, probably the two in the lead, and maybe the
NPC, Sir Cross, notice anything suspicious. I’d give this novice
group a 50/50 chance on the roll of a D20, so on a roll of 1-10 they
don’t notice anything, and on a roll of 11-20 they realize bandits
are waiting in ambush. But how many? They can probably only see
a few and may decide they can still take these ruffians and attack,
rather than avoid them. It is the player characters’ call.
Using other skills. While some skills are better and the obvious
choice. As the Game Master, you want to give your players every
opportunity to use their characters to the fullest. This means using
other skills that may not be best suited to the situation, but are still
applicable in some way. In this ambush scenario, the player char-
acters who have the following other skills can give it a roll. You
can also provide a bonus to the rolls for the same reason above, or
a similar 10-20% penalty because the skills are not truly suited for
the job; your call.
Detect Concealment: This skill, if successfully rolled would
enable a player character to recognize a hunting blind or other de-
liberate type of camouflage for the purpose of concealment. By
spotting the hunting blind, the character can may deduce that it
could be a possible ambush site. Or just a hunting blind or some-
thing that somebody is trying to hide. While these two observa-
tions may not shout “ambush, watch out,” they may be cause for
further, careful investigation that might reveal the bandits and their
intended skullduggery.
Camouflage: This skill is used to cover and hide/conceal ve-
hicles, weapon caches, scout positions, etc., so a successful roll
may reveal that several small trees in the area have been cut down
and are being used to block or cover a particular position or area.
This suggests somebody is trying to hide or cover up something
(same as above) and invite further, careful investigation. While
this skill does not pinpoint the exact position of whatever is being
concealed, it does create suspicion and cause for concern. Proceed
with caution with the player characters on guard.