Multiple elemental Approach Options
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Sometimes, multiple elemental approaches are viable for the same task. In these cases, the GM should offer the player a choice of which approach they want to use. For instance, to get support for an idea, a character could use their Fire Ring with a Social skill to incite interest in their idea, or they could use their Air Ring to trick someone into supporting it. These have very similar outcomes, at least in terms of getting support in the short term. However, the target number to succeed (hereafter referred to as the difficulty) for these two tasks can and should vary—some people are easily excited but hard to mislead, while others are calm but gullible.
If you’re letting the player choose their approach, it’s helpful to tell them which ring will make the check easier and which will make it harder, so that they can make an informed choice. Additionally, it’s a good idea to remind them that different approaches can have different consequences for success or failure, and to give them a hint of what these might be.
Varying Difficulty in Text
The text for a check sometimes indicates a variable difficulty by ring by including the alternative difficulties for specific rings in brackets after the check. This is expressed in the text with a description such as “a TN 3 Fitness check (Earth 1, Fire 4) to keep their footing on the swaying deck of the ship.” This means that the check has a TN of 4 if the character uses their Fire Ring (an aggressive and hasty approach that is disadvantageous for staying balanced), but a TN of only 1 if the character uses their Earth Ring (an approach defined by patience and caution), and a TN of 3 for any other ring.
Different Solutions, Different Challenges
Many problems have numerous possible solutions, so a character might be able to choose between two or more different elemental approaches for the same skill or even different skills from different skill groups to solve the problem. For instance, when attempting to get to the other side of a river (the Fitness skill, from the Martial skill group), a character might leap over it (Overwhelm, the Fire approach to a Martial skill) or swim across it (Shift, the Water approach to a Martial skill). A character might even use another skill entirely (such as Labor, to build a bridge, or Theology, to persuade the water kami to grant passage). See Chapter 3: Skills (page 140) for more on various methods they enable.
This does not mean that a character’s chosen method is unimportant. Even if multiple solutions exist, some are usually easier to implement than others. For instance, in social circumstances, some people are extremely receptive to flattery (Charm, the Water approach to a Social skill) but respond to provocation (Incite, the Fire approach to a Social skill) with matched hostility; others are easily browbeaten into doing something honorable (Reason, the Earth approach to a Social skill) but see through even skillful attempts to deceive them (Trick, the Air approach to a Social skill).
The TN of a task can vary based on the skill and approach determined by the character’s intended results and method. If a character is walking into a task with only cursory information, they might not know which approach will be the hardest until the GM announces the TN. If the character has foreknowledge of the task, on the other hand, the GM might want to hint—or even state outright—that an approach is easier or harder.
If a skill or one of its approaches is ill-suited to a situation, the GM should increase the TN of the check by 1–3. If a skill or one of its approaches is particularly well-suited to the circumstances, the GM should reduce the TN by 1–3 (to a minimum of 0).
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Core Rulebook · Chapter 7: The Game Master › Running the Game › Multiple elementalApproach Options · p. 296 p. 297
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Sometimes, multiple elemental approaches are viable for the same task. In these cases, the GM should offer the player a choice of which approach they want to use. For instance, to get support for an idea, a character could use their Fire Ring with a Social skill to incite interest in their idea, or they could use their Air Ring to trick someone into supporting it. These have very similar outcomes, at least in terms of getting support in the short term. However, the target number to succeed (hereafter referred to as the difficulty) for these two tasks can and should vary—some people are easily excited but hard to mislead, while others are calm but gullible.
If you’re letting the player choose their approach, it’s helpful to tell them which ring will make the check easier and which will make it harder, so that they can make an informed choice. Additionally, it’s a good idea to remind them that different approaches can have different consequences for success or failure, and to give them a hint of what these might be.
Varying Difficulty in Text
The text for a check sometimes indicates a variable difficulty by ring by including the alternative difficulties for specific rings in brackets after the check. This is expressed in the text with a description such as “a TN 3 Fitness check (Earth 1, Fire 4) to keep their footing on the swaying deck of the ship.” This means that the check has a TN of 4 if the character uses their Fire Ring (an aggressive and hasty approach that is disadvantageous for staying balanced), but a TN of only 1 if the character uses their Earth Ring (an approach defined by patience and caution), and a TN of 3 for any other ring.
Different Solutions, Different Challenges
Many problems have numerous possible solutions, so a character might be able to choose between two or more different elemental approaches for the same skill or even different skills from different skill groups to solve the problem. For instance, when attempting to get to the other side of a river (the Fitness skill, from the Martial skill group), a character might leap over it (Overwhelm, the Fire approach to a Martial skill) or swim across it (Shift, the Water approach to a Martial skill). A character might even use another skill entirely (such as Labor, to build a bridge, or Theology, to persuade the water kami to grant passage). See Chapter 3: Skills (page 140) for more on various methods they enable.
This does not mean that a character’s chosen method is unimportant. Even if multiple solutions exist, some are usually easier to implement than others. For instance, in social circumstances, some people are extremely receptive to flattery (Charm, the Water approach to a Social skill) but respond to provocation (Incite, the Fire approach to a Social skill) with matched hostility; others are easily browbeaten into doing something honorable (Reason, the Earth approach to a Social skill) but see through even skillful attempts to deceive them (Trick, the Air approach to a Social skill).
The TN of a task can vary based on the skill and approach determined by the character’s intended results and method. If a character is walking into a task with only cursory information, they might not know which approach will be the hardest until the GM announces the TN. If the character has foreknowledge of the task, on the other hand, the GM might want to hint—or even state outright—that an approach is easier or harder.
If a skill or one of its approaches is ill-suited to a situation, the GM should increase the TN of the check by 1–3. If a skill or one of its approaches is particularly well-suited to the circumstances, the GM should reduce the TN by 1–3 (to a minimum of 0).