While a character is suffering moderate harm, a penalty of -1d applies to rolls “if any or all harm recorded in that row applies to the situation at hand”.
So, question time. Which rolls (by default) are supposed to suffer from the mentioned penalty?
– All action rolls (ex. if you are “Exhausted” or “Panicked”, it makes it equally difficult to Skirmish, to Study and to Attune)? My guess is “probably”.
– Some action rolls (ex. while “Concussed”, you’re having problems Swaying but not Wrecking)? My guess is “that’s possible, if perhaps too fiddly” (“okay, guys, now let’s have a discussion on which exactly of the actions should be penalized for a person who’s been “Seduced”…”)
– Resistance rolls? My guess is “probably not”.
– Fortune rolls? My guess is “quite likely not”.
– Downtime rolls? My guess is “probably”.
I mean, of course the usual “make a ruling and subsequently stick to it” still applies, but I’d like to know what’s the overall consensus and whether anything in the book supports my guesses.
I go for “some action rolls” and any fortune/downtime rolls based on action ratings. Reducing resistance rolls never came to mind for me before, almost seems too harsh but if you’re running a really gritty game it can make sense.
After a quick look at the rules in the book, it kinda seems implied (but definitely not stated) that it’s talking about action rolls, but not all action rolls — otherwise, what’s the point in including the clause about harm applying to the situation at hand? I mean, is having a broken leg really gonna make you significantly worse at Consorting with your contacts to find information on a score, or will being Concussed make you worse at Wrecking a weak wall to breach it? At my table, I would rule they do not.
The penalty is conditional, and requires a ruling each time. In that sense it’s all actions, but only when the harm applies.
So while it’s not “all action rolls” it’s also not “make a ruling about which actions and we’re done” either. Even with two Skirmish rolls, the ruling could (and should) change depending on the situation (maybe you avoid facing the harm in the particular situation) – there’s not just one answer. The discussion this provokes is good in my experience (and in practice, it only goes on long enough to clarify things, which is good)
I think it’s explicitly “make a ruling” because it’s designed to be a judgement call every time.
It’s fiction first, and the fiction will shape whether the harm applies or not.
Ideally it’s an “easy” judgement call that you can make consistently, and won’t come as a surprise to the players.
That does mean some harm will impact more rolls than others. Just like some harm can be removed more easily than others.
“Exhausted” will probably impact most rolls, while “broken leg” will mostly impact physical rolls.
Even then… it’s still a judgement call. Can you “study” with a broken leg? Depends on the fiction.
If I need to read a map and find a way out of the cave, I can do that with a broken leg. If I need to read a textbook and memorize everything, I can’t do that easily with a broken leg because the pain is distracting. But if I’ve got three weeks to learn that textbook, having the broken leg means I’m doing nothing but sitting there studying and may actually help me learn it because I can’t get distracted and don’t need to do other chores.
If I’m exhausted it’ll be harder to consort for information if it means staying up all night attending parties, ingratiating myself or hard drinking while trying to get someone to let information slip. But if I’m exhausted and I’m rolling consort to hop in a carriage, visit my police contact, and ask them if they can grab me the file on my next target – it shouldn’t matter that I’m tired and have bags under my eyes.