Fria Ligans forum

Ok, this time some questions about finding artifacts:

The rules seem to say that a PC that finds an artifact is the one who keeps it or hands it in to the Dawn Vault for the Ark to get the bonus.

- This would seem to imply that a Stalker using Find the Path would be likely to find the most artifacts.
- Presumably others can help with the Comprehend roll (up to +3 dice)?
- Can an artifact be given to someone else? If not why not?
- If so why not give it to the person with the best Comprehend skill, then 3 helpers assist?
- If you fail a Comprehend roll can others try ("One Shot Only" on p46 implies yes)?
- This would seem to make the Comprehend stunt (teach others) not very useful if the whole party can roll, but I find it a bit odd that there is a limit on how many others you can instruct.
- How long seems a reasonable time for a Comprehend roll? Depends on the item I guess.

I'm thinking that it is most likely that it is meant to work this way:

- someone is given the item, regardless of who found it (as the players know what it is even if the PCs don't)
- When they have time, they can make a Comprehend roll, helped by up to three others.
- If they succeed they understand the item and can teach others as a result of stunt dice.
- Once you've rolled that's it, until the Ark DEV score rises enough for you to understand it.

Does that seem right? It feels a bit constrained in a way.

The stunt for Comprehend seems a bit tricky. It basically means that you need to keep track of what items you have been taught to use even if you don't have one, so that if another turns up you can know how to use it.

This is an RPG and players are suppose to work together and be very cooperative. This mean it is very much up to the players to decide who will get the artefact.

When it comes to Comprehend it is a little bit tricky, yes.

First, the know-how about artefacts is personal, so you have to succeed with a Comprehend roll or be taught how to use it by someone how has succeeded with a comprehend roll.

Secondly, as will most skills, you can only roll once per situation.

Thirdly (the tricky bit). If someone helps you, you get +1 per helper (up to three). To help someone counts as an attempt to use the skill. This takes us into a grey area. Do they also automatically understand how an artefact works if the roller succeed?

My take on this, is no. It is the one who rolls that understand and if he get stunts he can teach it to someone else.
My reasoning is that, to help someone, can mean a lot of things, both to clean part of the artefacts, or making notes, or saying a lot of wrong things (things that the one who rolls can rule out). TV crime shows is a perfect example. Watson usually makes a lot of remarks about clues, but he doesn't undertand until Sherlock explains it.

I also rule that some artefacts, it is enough that one knows how to use it (then all does). For example, if one understands that a Tuxedo should be worn so it is visible, to increase the cool-factor (instead of an undergarment), then all knows that. Technical stuff, like weapons or electronic things works like normal. So if you have found some pills, it is probably enough that one knows what it is. Everyone can eat them. Of course if you have more than one type of pill, it can be good that all in the group understands the difference.

Thanks again for your reply. I think what you say is a sensible way to run it, but it is different from what the rules say. I don't mind that personally, as I always tweak things generally anyway, but I like to get an idea of the designer's intention/s before I change things.

The section on "One shot only" (p46) does say that the person who rolled can't roll again in case of failure, but it does say "Or you can let another PC try", and the section on Help (p48) doesn't say that helping counts as a use of the skill - I can see that it might, but it isn't explicit.

I certainly agree that some items like pills or tuxedo would be usable by all once explained, but I do find the limit on the number of people you can explain it to a bit odd, and as I mentioned this means that PCs have to keep track of what has been explained to them. After all once Sherlock Holmes has understood the case, it's not like he can only explain it to Watson OR Insector Lestrade OR Mrs Hudson...

Anyway thank you for your thoughts on this.

Hi!

Good input from Fenhorn.

I'd say the Comprehend roll depends a lot on the situation. Given enough time, a PC who makes the roll can explain an artifact to other people, without needing a stunt. The stunt lets you teach another person to use the artifact right away, pretty much in the same instant as you understand it yourself. I hope this makes sense.

Hi!

Good input from Fenhorn.

I'd say the Comprehend roll depends a lot on the situation. Given enough time, a PC who makes the roll can explain an artifact to other people, without needing a stunt. The stunt lets you teach another person to use the artifact right away, pretty much in the same instant as you understand it yourself. I hope this makes sense.

Hm, that I like better! So in the short term only a few menbers of the party fully understand, then (probably when back at the Ark), the whole party of PCs can understand, and if you give over the item to the Dawn Vault, you help everyone to understand.

The stalker's skill is an information skill. It lets you know about animals and environment dangers, and if there is an artifact around. It does not give you the artifact, or clear the threat away. "You can see some kind of tube-shaped thing up in a tree, in one of the razorbirds' nests. It looks like a tool of the ancients." The stalke would still need to device a way to get this thing, most likely with the help of the others.

Unless the group is an untrustworthy lot who seek any opportunity to come out on top (and then why are you in the Zone together?) then artifacts are divided somewhat equally to the persons who can utilize them. Some are only of use to one class (the stalker and the compass, the gear-head and the tools), some with general type of PC (social, combat) and some more generally. If something should be turned over to the vault is also a group decision.