What if a Mouse Wants to Run from a Skunk?

What if the mice want to run from a skunk? A skunk’s waddling nature would seem to say it wouldn’t be good at chasing, but if it was hungry I would think it would try anyway. Or if the mice were hiding in the ground and the skunk wanted to dig to get them, is that scavanging? Basically if it seems like something a skunk might do would I let it roll 6 dice?

It seems like there would be situations where a skunk would want to do something that didn’t seem to be within its three nature descriptors but made sense.

I bring this up because I plan on using a “skunk waddling up” twist and my players are pretty weak combat wise and assume they will avoid the conflict and try to find another way to deal with the skunk. Do I start the encounter with a vs chase? Or do I set an independent obstacle against the mouse escaping nature for them to roll against?

Technically, a skunk is too large to be killed by a patrol (I believe).

The skunk rolls its nature for whatever it’s doing. The tags are more roleplay hints. I’ve used foraging skunks as twists with two different groups. They’re vicious.

I tend to let the players choose whether they want a single roll or a full-blown conflict. To escape, either a chase conflict or a Pathfinder/Scout test would be appropriate. The players can substitute Nature as needed for relevant skills.

Um, does it matter? I mean, if the players want to run, they can double-tap Nature to escape and I’d say no amount of ‘waddling’ can catch up to mice determined to escape. Feel free to educate me.

More than roleplay hints, really. If I remember right, animals can’t do anything that goes against their nature. With the exception of mice. And maybe weasels?

I’m going off this. Rarely do animals incur tax. I’d only have it happen in the event of something acting in a sapient fashion well outside its nature.

There’s a reason mice get eaten even by slow folk… sometimes determination alone isn’t enough.

Seriously, I saw 18D lose to 4D… It happens. Rarely, but it does.

If there’s any reason, it’s bad luck! 18D losing to 4D? That’s as bad as they come!

So again, does it matter? If your luck stinks so bad, no amount of waddling will save you! The dice gods have decreed your mice is on the skunk’s menu and no amount of tricks or -wises can help. :frowning:

This is an old thread, but just to make sure I have this right, are the “animal nature” descriptors really just roleplaying tags? Will a skunk just roll 6 dice for anything it wants to do, but it will be more likely to do things that are in its nature?

My bet on this point would be to make the skunk roll Beginner’s Luck (half dice), to do things outside it’s nature, and to not be very keen on doing such things at all.

Yes.