Tue 19 Oct 2021, 18:53
Examining "Making a Roll" pages 17 to 19, the hobbit has to Succeed first. Then its on page 85 Art of Disappearing: the Virtue is that by Spending the T result, the hobbit does not simply sneak into position past an adversary. (Boromir had never heard of this - he thought that one does not simply walk into Mordor. He should have grown up in the Shire!)
The hobbit has now reached a place where no one can observe them. Even the fellow PCs think the hobbit has disappeared. No other guard or adversary gets any sighting. So if the guard turns around as they patrol, and looks straight at the spot where the Hobbit is, they remain unnoticed.
Imagine it: unable to be seen, the hobbit stands & picks the padlock to a gate right in front of the guard. If the hobbit fails, he is STILL not seen and might be able to try again in a later turn, or even sneak back to the Company. (Unless he fails with an Eye perhaps?) With the right Useful Item - a set of lockpicks - he remains undetected and narrates the gate open. STILL unseen, he slips through while the guard comes over, scratches his head, and mutters " Well, I could have sworn I closed and locked that! Good job, the Lieutenant of Barad-Dur didn't come by. I'd have been for the Shriekers!"
That's the Virtue: the hobbit must beat the TN AND get at least one T result to carry it off.
Success with extra T: Apply Virtue if you want
Normal Success, he makes it there, but cannot stay in safety.
Failure = Hobbit Soup.
Success with Woe? - the hobbit makes it, but ..... he has dropped his lockpicks - in full view of the guard who picks them up and wonders what these small bits of metal are. ALSO , as the raw roll failed to get to a Success, any T cannot be applied with the Virtue. (Another LM may interpret differently here of course)