Contests and Challenges - LunarNeil/Call-of-Cthulhu-Campaign GitHub Wiki

While most of the game is decided through talking, describing, and responding to events, there are moments where the results of an action are contested, or the situation is so complex, or the action so unpredictable that the players and the Moderator cannot reach an arbitrated result that satisfies all parties.

Such a situation is called a Contest when two or more characters are in opposition, a Challenge when an individual character struggles against a difficult task, or a Check when a character is rolling in opposition to themselves. In these situations, if the Moderator believes the result will be interesting enough, a roll of dice can be used to determine the result. The rule for every roll in the game is incredibly simple and easy to remember:

Player attempts to exceed the target Challenge Rating on a roll of 2d10 plus relevant modifiers. Higher is better.

The system that Realms of Mythos and Madness uses for dice rolling is called Conflict Resolution, also known as a Negotiated Contest because a period of negotiation precedes the contest roll. During this period of negotiation the players examine the situation, plan their actions, and set the Stakes for victory or failure. The stakes are like the "ante" of the roll, the better result you want on a win the more you have to risk on a failure. Stakes don't impact the roll directly, but the more you stack the stakes in your favor, the higher the challenge rating for your contest will be.

The Modifiers are any numbers that you add to or take away from your dice roll, representing important influences on your action's chance of success. Investigators only apply at most One Positive Modifier and One Negative Modifier to their roll, no matter how many modifiers are on the table.

Players can choose which positive modifier to use, and the moderator will choose which of the negative modifiers is applied. Skills are the most common kinds of positive modifiers players will apply. Modifiers are subject to negotiation like other factors.

Other factors like helpful equipment apply their benefits in different ways, such as altering a Modifier, and are rarely counted as Modifiers themselves. Flashlights are a good example, as they provide no inherent benefit, but they do reduce or remove the negative Modifier from operating in low light.

Contested Actions

When the actions of an Investigator and an Enemy are in direct competition it is called a Contest, or a Contested Action. Actions can only be contested if there are at least two involved parties with the ability to meaningfully alter the result of the action. Each of the parties involved are referred to as Actors. This isn't a film or stage performance reference, just a term to denote the important participants in a contest.

Contested actions are not opposed rolls, the player's roll will determine the resolution for both the Investigator and the Enemy. This is because the Investigator is the more dramatically important actor, and their success or failure is more interesting than the success or failure of an Enemy.

The one exception arises when Investigators contest each other. As Investigators are all of equal dramatic importance they are each allowed a roll, either with a challenge rating or with it being a simple competition to see who rolls higher. Plot essential allies and a few rare antagonists may also be considered "important actors" in some scenarios, meaning the Investigators and Enemies treat contests with them as if it was against another player's character.

Status Checks

When the actions of an Investigator and their own nature are in conflict it is called a Check, or a Status Check. The standard reason for a check is to determine if the Investigator is able to maintain control and suppress an impulse (such as fear, panic, rage) and behave in the manner the player wants rather than in the way the impulse wants.

Checks are made in the same manner as every other roll, usually with some statistic of the Investigator standing in for the Challenge Rating of the check. The 0 to 20 numbering of the Damage Gauge and Madness Meter are designed with this in mind, and as an Investigator gets progressively more beaten up and broken down, making physical or mental checks becomes progressively more difficult, and the more likely they are to lose control.

Stability checks are the most common checks of all. Stability is the Investigator's self control. When events that challenge an Investigator's self control occur, a stability check can be requested to see if the Investigator manages to keep it together. Failure can often lead to the Investigator acting on that impulse, either to run from a monster, have a drink from your flask, or to pass out from pain, to the detriment of themselves and others.