When studying and learning, a Water approach allows a character to survey their surroundings, giving them character information about their environment and wider circumstances. It can be used to identify things within an area of expertise, detect broad trends and currents, or find out how things work in a practical sense.
Details
The Water Ring is practical and results oriented. Survey, the Water approach to a Scholar skill, focuses on information as it pertains to the environment right in front of the thinker. This allows a character to identify things in front of them and gain broader information about their circumstances based on what they can currently perceive. A character can use Survey to get enough information to begin a deeper inquiry, but this approach generally cannot delve beneath surface-level information such as identification.
A character uses Survey when they want to:
A character uses Survey when they want to:
- Identify something they are currently observing.
- Become oriented in an environment.
- Narrow their search for something to a small area.
- Look for physical clues related to a topic in their surroundings.
- Perceive lurking threats in an area.
* |
If you failed, determine the easiest way to accomplish the task you were attempting (skill and approach). |
* + |
Remove 1 strife you gained from this check per * spent this way. |
* * |
Provide assistance to the next character to attempt a check to accomplish something similar |
* |
If you failed, provide assistance to the next character trying to accomplish the same action (p. 298 CRB) |
* |
Remove 2 strife from yourself. |
* + |
Perform the task efficiently, completing it more quickly or saving supplies. Extra * further reduces the time or materials expended. |
* * |
Spot an interesting physical detail present in your environment not directly related to your check. At the GM’s discretion, you may establish a piece of terrain or a mundane object nearby. |
* |
Spot a unique or identifying quality, aspect, or ability of something that you are identifying. |
Artisan + Water Shuji Opportunities
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None
Special Circumstance Opportunities
In Shadowlands
**+ By luck or careful scavenging, you are able to find a useful item not yet corrupted by the Shadowlands. Such items have a maximum rarity of 3, plus 1 for each additional ** spent. The GM should modify this depending on the exact nature of the item as well.
Against Tainted Threats
* You adapt yourself to better fight the
corrupted power before you. Once before the end of current the game
session you may either reduce the TN of a check to resist a Tainted
power, such as a mahō technique, assailing you by 1 or increase the TN
of another character’s check to target or affect you with such a power
by 1.
While Tainted
** You briefly become fluid in mind or body,
shaking off disorientation or even injury. You remove one of the
following conditions: Dazed, Disoriented, Immobilized, Intoxicated,
Lightly Wounded, or Prone.
In Negotiations
** You break the tension with a well-timed joke or clever comment. You may ask one personal question of a character in the scene with a different social objective. The question must be unrelated to the subject of the negotiations. If the character answers honestly, they gain 1 momentum point toward their current objective and may ask you a personal question in turn. If they do, you gain 1 momentum point toward your current objective.
In Romance
** Your interaction is pleasant enough that your intended, not you, suggests another meeting within the next day or two. They offer you several options for the next time you and they spend personal time together; choose whichever you like the best, and don’t be late.
In Espionage
* You observe a clue or hint that indicates to you that information about your target or goal might also be found elsewhere. The GM reveals another viable avenue for espionage on the same subject, unrelated to your current operation.
In Contested Territory
* * * You create a clever disguise or ruse to get the jump on potential foes. The next time you enter a conflict scene this session, after initiative has been determined, choose one character in the scene. On that character's next check, they must reroll all results containing non-explosive Success symbols.
* * + Your charm wins over even enemies. For each * * spent, one hostile character within the scene becomes friendlier toward you. What exactly that means depends on context -- it may defuse an imminent conflict, or encourage your foes to try to take you alive, but it won't stop bloodshed altogether once blades have been drawn.
* * With cunning, you flow smoothly from one conclusion to the next. You learn of one key feature, fortification, or terrain quality present in the surrounding area, and whether or not enemies have passed through recently.
* * + Your charm wins over even enemies. For each * * spent, one hostile character within the scene becomes friendlier toward you. What exactly that means depends on context -- it may defuse an imminent conflict, or encourage your foes to try to take you alive, but it won't stop bloodshed altogether once blades have been drawn.
* * With cunning, you flow smoothly from one conclusion to the next. You learn of one key feature, fortification, or terrain quality present in the surrounding area, and whether or not enemies have passed through recently.