Dominant Factors

If one effect factor overshadows the others, the side with that advantage dominates the situation. It doesn’t matter if you have a fine sword and extra effect if you try to fight 20 people at once. Their scale dominates the battle and you’re left with very limited effect, or no effect at all. The same principle applies to “impossible” actions.

Shiva wants to tear down a stone guard tower that the her quarry is using as a lair. She says, “I take my sledgehammer over there and I Wreck the thing, smashing it down stone by stone. Ha! I rolled a crit! Great effect!” Obviously, this isn’t possible. A person can’t smash down a stone tower with a sledgehammer. We know it’s inherently silly, like jumping over the moon. But this is also codified in the effect factors. The tower is dominant in quality, scale, and potency. Unless those factors are countered somehow, Shiva’s effect level is zero before she starts. No matter what she rolls for her action, she’ll have no effect. This concept is useful when assessing other very tough (but achievable) situations.

Let’s imagine instead that Shiva is facing a demon. She wants to Skirmish with it, by engaging it with her sword and dagger. This is similar to knocking down the tower with the sledgehammer. Even on a critical, the GM says, “You manage to land a solid blow against the creature’s skull, but there’s no wound and your hand throbs with the impact of steel against its scaly hide.” In other words, zero effect! (On a 1-3, the GM might say, “The creature swats your sword aside, clutches you in its hideous grip, and breaks your spine in two.” Seriously. Don’t mess with demons.)

But this situation isn’t entirely hopeless. There must be some way to battle a demon. This is where effect factors can help make sense of the situation. If the demon is dominant in quality, scale, and potency, then the PCs can try to understand the factors, and take actions to address them. What’s the demon vulnerable to? They can use that to remove its potency (and seize that advantage for themselves). What scale is it? They need to bring more troops. Etc.

Effect factors are a way to codify the situation into a few key factors so it’s easier to talk about what needs to change in order to have the desired effect.