The Injured and Sick conditions both apply a -1D penalty to all tests (with a couple of exceptions irrelevant for my questions). When setting disposition for a conflict, the penalty obviously applies to the relevant skill test. However, does it also apply to the base ability rating (i.e., do you apply the penalty to both the skill test and the rating of the base ability for a double hit)? Assuming the answer is yes, if ability ratings reduced to 0 cannot be used to test (‘Rating 0,’ p. 127), can a player make a disposition roll if the relevant base ability has been reduced to 0? Since he/she is not testing the ability, I’d be inclined to allow it, especially since the rules for ‘Starting Disposition’ (p. 104) specify a minimum disposition of 1. I’m not sure why that specification would be needed otherwise.
I’d say the -1D applies only to rolling dice; it indicates that in gathering the pool of dice, the player takes the reduction.
I would not apply a -1 to rating itself.
If the character has the related Skill of a Conflict Dispo reduced to rating 1, and is Sick or Injured, such that the Dispo dice gathered is 0, then the have a very small Dispo o begin. But, they still get to add the base number of Health or Will to the opening Dispo.
But, look, this gives the impression they have no related Gear, no other team mates joining the Dispo roll (and I guess also says none of them have better stats for rolling Dispo), and no other means of pursuing the scene. All that seems outlandish.
The Ability forming the base of Dispo is not rolled; it should not be reduced by -1. the -1D indicates it applies to dice rolls, not to ratings.
I’m with kendesign.
The relevant sentence under Conditions in Disposition (p 128) had led me to make the same assumption:
Since being Injured or Sick imposes a -1D penalty on Will and Nature, it also reduces your starting disposition for all conflicts.
It seemed clear to me that this meant a double penalty for Injured/Sick, that is: both -1D to the skill roll and -1D to the dispo base abilty.
However, it was later pointed out to me (to my great surprise) that, no, a double impact is not intended. The effect of +D/-D is also clearly defined in the introduction (p 13f): you add or subtract a number of dice when you roll. Health or Will don’t get rolled when they’re the base for dispo.
So, apparently the sentence quoted above belongs on the list of errata and kendesign has it right: There’s no double penalty for dispo. You only take -1D to the skill roll, Health/Will add their full rating as base.
It was precisely that quasi-contradiction, Bobo, that confused me in the first place. Glad to know I’m not the only one! Fortunately, I’ve been playing correctly and only considered this issue on a recent re-read of the book.
I suppose the rule for minimum disposition of 1 could also address the nightmare scenario of having enough permanent ability/skill reductions from failed Injured/Sick recovery rolls that both the disposition skill and the disposition base ability are at 0 when a solo conflict rolls around.
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