Example DCs (NeXT)

[Tony]

Example DCs

These represent some tasks that GMs may require "checks" for. Rather than a strict rubric of them, these should only be considered guidelines, and can help GMs determine DCs for any checks that may arise. Other DCs may be set in between these, of course, at the GM's discretion.

Relative Ease - 30: Things a hobbyist could struggle with, but a pro could do without breaking a sweat.

• Using a picking tool to open a traditional keyed lock. (Subterfuge)
• Running, then jumping over a gap between flat, stable platforms. (Athletics)
• Isolating a pair of footsteps in a room with a lot of ambient sound. (Perception)
• Talking your way out of a traffic citation with a stern law enforcer. (Speechcraft)
• Accessing a computer system with token security, like an office drone’s workstation. (Computer Use)

Challenge - 60: Something that requires a level of training to achieve regularly; even a pro may struggle sometimes.

• Breaking a door in without tool assistance or hurting yourself. (Athletics)
• Infiltrating a private, swanky party without alerting the bouncers. (Stealth)
• Swimming against a powered current (i.e. a drainage system). (Athletics)
• Restoring and repairing a damaged power conduit without the perfect replacement parts. (Artisan: Engineering)
• Breaking a cipher based on your primary language without a key. (Linguistics/Decryption)

Difficult - 100: Training won’t cut it -- experience and repetition will make this task easier, but won’t guarantee success.

• Climbing a vertical cliff-face without assistance. (Acrobatics)
• Noticing a trained tail in a crowded space. (Perception)
• Skipping from rock to rock in a rushing river without falling. (Athletics)
• “Jumping” a high-speed car from one building to another, separate one… and landing. (Vehicle Operation)
• Preventing a grievous wound from bleeding out. (First Aid)

Remarkable - 150: Seasoned professionals may hesitate to attempt this, since success may be fleeting regardless of their skill.

• Avoiding a “cooked” grenade in an enclosed area. (Reaction)
• Breaking into a hardened computer network undetected. (Computer Use)
• Using a disguise to infiltrate a high-level briefing. (Disguise)
• Surviving in a foreign, hostile environment with no supplies for weeks to reach help. (Survival)
• Convincing a hostile, trained operative to yield actionable intelligence. (Gather Info)

Incredible - 250: True experts in a field may still need to expend time and effort on this task, something most people would only attempt as a last-ditch effort.

• In space, use a small knick in a pressurized suit to fly at dozens of meters a second to reach a second person hundreds of meters away. (Acrobatics)
• Dance, jump, weave, bob, and roll between a randomized laser field. (Acrobatics)
• Crack an encrypted code in an alien language you’re only vaguely familiar with. (Linguistics/Decryption)
• Break a complex, layered hardware/software electronic lock without any level of access. (Subterfuge)
• Detect a target invisible to the eye in a dark space through other senses. (Perception)

Fantastical - 400: This task certainly carries merit for accomplishing, since its difficulty requires tools, training, time, assistance, and no small amount of luck to overcome.

• Grievously wounded, with no supplies, in a foreign, hostile environment, beset by nature, avoiding enemies, basically crawl for hundreds of miles to exact revenge. (Survival)
• Outmaneuver and overpower a creature dwarfing your own stature to wrestle it. (Athletics/Martial Arts)
• Overcome a rampant artificial intelligence’s absolute control over a computer system without assistance. (Computer Use)
• Convince an indoctrinated, true believer in a stance or ideology to go against their life’s dedication through argument alone. (Speechcraft)
• Outrun a weapon of mass destruction in a vehicle. (Vehicle Operation)

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