Resistance - apexevolved/site GitHub Wiki

Resistance

Willpower can also be used to reflect your character's efforts to resist influences and dangers imposed upon him. Your character might be determined to resist a poison that depletes his Strength, or to avoid harm through sheer force of determination.

In these cases, you can spend a point of Willpower in a reflexive action to gain a bonus to Resistance efforts. In combat, a point of Willpower spent adds two points to your character's Defense to resist harm against a single attack. You simply announce that you're spending Willpower to resist when the attack is staged. (Your character could even dodge in a turn and you could spend a Willpower point to gain a further two points of protection against a single attack.) Remember that Defense (and therefore Willpower) does not usually apply against attacks from firearms or bows.

Otherwise, Willpower can be spent to bolster one your character's "Resistance" Attributes -- Composure, Resolve or Stamina -- against a single roll when he is threatened.

Say, your character is exposed to a supernatural power that diminishes his cognitive capacity. The power steals one Intelligence point per success achieved, and your character's Resolve is subtracted from the dice pool rolled. Spending a point of Willpower increases your character's Resolve by two to resist the power. That is, your character's Resolve +2 is subtracted from the dice pool of the opponent.

Remember that only one Willpower point can be spent per turn, total, no matter how it's used. You cannot, for example, spend one point to gain three extra dice on a roll and another point to increase your character's Resolve in the same turn. Those points must be spent in separate turns.

Wound penalties do not apply to your character's Defense or other Resistance traits when those traits are subtracted from opponents' dice pools.

Rule Of Thumb: Resistance

You probably recognize that there are two basic ways in which characters can resist efforts applied against them. That is, two systems are used to allow characters to fight back when pressures and attacks are directed against them. It's important for you to see how these systems are used throughout this book so you can apply the same rules on the fly in your games.

The first type of resistance involves a contested roll. Say a creature intends to ply its will over a character, and a contested roll is made for both target and aggressor. The target's roll is probably based on a Resistance trait such Stamina, Resolve or Composure, or even on a combination of two of them, such as Resolve + Composure. In these cases, the target's contested roll is typically reflexive. The effort to fight the influence applied against him is automatic and doesn't interfere with the character's own action in a turn (unless he loses the contested action).

In general, "contested" resistance is called for when the effect being used takes full effect if as little as one success is rolled for the aggressor. A monster's attempt to use mind control over a character is a good example. A contested roll is called for because it gives the target a reasonable fighting chance; successes rolled for him are compared to those rolled for the monster. Whoever gets the most wins.

So as a rule of thumb in your game, if a supernatural power or other phenomenon can have a sweeping effect on a character if even one success is achieved, allow the target a contested (and reflexive) resistance roll.

The second type of resistance is more "automated. " A target's Resistance trait is subtracted from an aggressor's dice pool before the roll is made. The best example is in close combat. When an attacker tries to strike an opponent, the target's Defense is subtracted from the attacker's dice pool before a roll is made.

In general, "automated" resistance is called for when the effectiveness of the effort is measured in successes rolled. Under these circumstances, one success doesn't invoke a sweeping result. Rather, successes rolled are added to determine the final result. Again, the best example is combat. Successes achieved in an attack roll each inflict a wound on the target. The overall degree of effectiveness achieved is therefore incremental based on successes gathered, rather than being "all or nothing." Automated resistance is applied against these kinds of effects, because it puts aggressor and target on relatively equal footing game-systems wise.

So, as a rule of thumb in your game, if a supernatural power or other phenomenon has incremental effect on a character based on each success achieved, allow the target automated resistance. One of his Resistance traits is subtracted from the dice pool of the aggressor before a roll is made.

A character's wound penalties are not applied to his Defense or Resistance traits when those traits are subtracted from opponents' dice pools.