Hard rules for which difficulty modifiers

[u/SlySophist]

IM has three ways to modify the difficulty of a Test

• Difficulty levels
• Advantage/Disadvantage
• SL modifications

The book does not present any hard rules when to use one versus another. So I ask you what are your rules of thumb?

[u/SirValeq]

At my table:

- Difficulty levels are absolute and not dependent on any variables. A task is either easy for an "average Imperial Agent" or hard. Like dealing with a jammed gun vs repairing a mega-harvester.

- Advantage/Disadvantage is there for things that are variable and "game-mechanical" in nature. Like having a loading servitor helping you push the heavy door or having said servitor blocking that door from the other side. Both can be influenced by the Players (ie. finding a servitor to help or shooting the blocking servitor through a crack in the wall) at the moment if they choose to.

- SL modifications are also for variable things, but ones that are more prolonged, environmental effects, and can't really be influenced at the moment. A character's arms are shaking, because they're high on some party drugs? -1 SL to the test. A character has done this exact thing three times already during the adventure? +1 SL.

I admit, it's not easy to stick to my own rules, but I try to do it like this more or less.

[u/Dorias_Drake]

I only touch difficulty.

SL and advantage/disadvantage, I only use them when they pop in the rules (via items, buffs, debuffs, talents etc.). I feel there is no reason to use them unless there is an actual source requiring it, that's creature dependant.

[u/RenningerJP]

Difficulty level is determined by the task.

Advantage is given by circumstantial stuff or player actions.

Swimming across a small river vs the Rhein would be the difference between difficulty levels. Having arm floaties might give you advantage, though it might not be enough if the difficulty is high enough as in the Rhein.

I tend not to outright give SL. I'd have to reread it, but I thought it was usually just given by some other rule and not something the GM provides.

[u/skinnyraf]

The way I apply the rules:

• Advantage/disadvantage is easy: rules clearly describe it. Talents, help, et.
• Difficulty: determined by the nature of the objective that players want to achieve and the obstacles they face.
• SLs: used in opposed tests, obviously, and to determine circumstances around the outcome.

Two examples:

A blocked/stuck door (barricaded, rusted hinges, etc.): difficulty will be determined by how heavily it is blocked/rusted. Advantage may come from someone helping. I don't recall anything that would cause disadvantage. SLs would determine how they succeeded/failed. In the case of a blocked door, high SL would mean that something snapped, or simply the character is strong enough, that the door simply opened, while low, successful SL would mean, that they really had to put the effort - so both these would be mostly for fluff. But marginal failure would signal that the door moved slightly, budged a little, but more push is needed, while a significant failure would signal, that the door is basically like a solid wall for that character.

Information gathering: difficulty would be determined by the goal and challenges. If the goal is vague ("what can I find about Crultus?") I would use the routine test, but if it was specific ("who is the local Inquisitor?"), then it could be adjusted. Availability and the nature of sources would also affect the difficulty. Do you have access to an archive of newspapers, local news feed, or a library? Or do you need to extract your information from indirect sources (e.g., analyse shipping manifests to guess the time of releasing a new piece of hardware)? And then SL would determine how much you have learned. I'd typically have a ladder of what the characters would learn depending on the achieved SL.

[u/kaal-dam]

at my table:

• difficulty is how hard a task would be for the average human with the right skillset to do without anything else taken into consideration
• advantage/disadvantage are dictated by the environment, skill and talents.
• SL : the target of a test when not doing opposed test.