Helping and Beginner's Luck

[Ben]

Some questions came up in our game concerning helping dice and Beginner’s Luck:

Can a skilled PC help a unskilled PC?

Can an Unskilled PC help a skilled PC?

Can an Unskilled PC help another unskilled PC?

Thanks for the help.

[stormsweeper (Anthony)]

Yes, No, Yes.

Skills may help skills or stats, stats may only help stats.

[Ben]

Yea I was unsure which category a skill being opened by beginner’s luck feel into.

Thanks.

[cathexis (Colin Booth)]

Skills being opened by beginners luck are stat tests until the last Routine test is earned. So there’s no exception between stats and skills when taking beginners luck into play.

[Michael_Maleficum]

2: Sometimes I ask the GM if I can garner an advantage die for my skilled friend by staying out of the way and being supportive.

[Dean]

@Michael_Maleficum

2: Sometimes I ask the GM if I can garner an advantage die for my skilled friend by staying out of the way and being supportive.

But staying out of the way is really just avoiding the Slowest and Loudest rule. No Advantage Die for you!

[Michael_Maleficum]

@Dean

But staying out of the way is really just avoiding the Slowest and Loudest rule. No Advantage Die for you!

But I’ll get a short laugh, a nod of ‘thank you’ from the testee and, not the least, I’ll get to fulfill my Belief about helping the fellowship succeed! Maybe I even get to test my Encouragement-wise?

[stormsweeper (Anthony)]

@Ben

Yea I was unsure which category a skill being opened by beginner’s luck feel into.

Thanks.

p. 37:

“If a character does not have an appropriate skill for a test, he may test using a stat instead.”

Emphasis mine.

[OlavBB]

If I help a character making a beginners luck test though, does the original obstacle count or the doubled one?

[Taladel]

@OlavBB

If I help a character making a beginners luck test though, does the original obstacle count or the doubled one?

Your question is unclear. The helper gives the beginner an extra die. That doesn’t affect the obstacle at all, in and of itself.

If we’re talking for advancement, it is my interpretation that the helper would mark a test for the doubled obstacle, because of this (p.46, Helpers Learn): “The level of the test is the same as if he had tested against the obstacle with his own ability.”

[stormsweeper (Anthony)]

No, the helper would compare the original obstacle. The double-obstacle thing is a special penalty for Beginner’s Luck. Even for that persons’s advancement, the original obstacle is what’s important.

[OlavBB]

@Taladel

If we’re talking for advancement, it is my interpretation that the helper would mark a test for the doubled obstacle, because of this (p.46, Helpers Learn): “The level of the test is the same as if he had tested against the obstacle with his own ability.”

This was my understanding of it aswell, just wanted to double check. But it means helpers raise stats more than the helped(wich is typically going for skill unlocks).

@stormsweeper

No, the helper would compare the original obstacle. The double-obstacle thing is a special penalty for Beginner’s Luck. Even for that persons’s advancement, the original obstacle is what’s important.

I guess this is more fair though. So the double obstacle not counting for advancement counts for both the helper and the roller?

ALSO: Luke on this subject http://www.burningwheel.org/forum/showthread.php?7643-Help-on-Beginner-s-Luck&p=75299#post75299

[Durand_Durand]

@OlavBB

So the double obstacle not counting for advancement counts for both the helper and the roller?

Yes, precisely as is stated in the book.

@Taladel

(p.46, Helpers Learn): “The level of the test is the same as if he had tested against the obstacle with his own ability.”