From page 139 of the book: A player may initiate a task when he wants something
and already knows that he has to make a roll to get it, or
when a player is describing what his character is going to
do and the Loremaster informs him that to pull it off he
has to make a roll. Most actions attempted by players are
resolved as tasks.
Lengthy response, but here is what the rules state:
Statement of Intent
When he initiates a task, the acting player states clearly
what his intentions are:
A clear statement of intent includes a description of the task
being attempted, the name of the ability that the character
is going to use to accomplish it (usually a Common skill),
and the general objective that the character is trying to
achieve.
Choose Ability
As the examples above show, it is up to the acting player
to pick the ability that his character is going to use. Players
are trusted to choose the ability most appropriate to their
purpose (the description of skills and their use is found
starting from page 85, and a series of examples can be
found below) but, as is the case with the use of Traits, their
judgement is subject to the approval of the other players;
in case of any objection, the Loremaster will be called
upon to select the ability he deems to be most appropriate.
Set Objective
Selecting a pertinent ability for the task is important, but
setting a proper objective is even more so: what the acting
player chooses as his hero's goal for the task is what will
happen if the ensuing roll is successful. Players should
propose tasks only when they actually want something
particular to happen: it must be an action with definite
consequences, something that will have a clear impact on
the game.
Setting the Difficulty
As soon as a player has stated his intent clearly, the
Loremaster rates the difficulty of the action by assigning it
a Target Number.
Tasks are normally assumed to be set at TN 14 (moderate
difficulty), unless the Loremaster has good reasons to
make the action harder or easier (Part Six: The Loremaster
contains a set of guidelines aimed to help the Loremaster
rate his players' tasks) — if he does so he will explain this
to the players before they roll the dice.
Apply a Trait or Virtue
When the Loremaster has set the difficulty of the task,
the acting player may announce that he is going to use a
special ability that applies to the situation at hand (a Trait
or a Virtue, for example, to possibly improve his chances
to succeed).
Attribute Bonus
Talented heroes tend to fare better than less-capable
individuals, often overcoming with ease challenges that
may appear very difficult at first. Whenever they fail at a
die roll, players may capitalise on their innate aptitudes
and reverse the outcome of the action.
When a die roll results in a failure, the acting player may
invoke an Attribute bonus and add to the result a value
equal to the Attribute linked to the skill used for the
attempt. If the modified result now matches or exceeds the
action's TN, then the failure is turned into a success and
the player spends a point of Hope.
Consequences
When the player and the Loremaster have decided on the
factors affecting the task, the dice are rolled and their
result is evaluated. There are two possible outcomes: the
task was either successful or it failed. In any case, the
story will be affected for better or worse.
The Task was a Success
When the acting player rolls the dice for his task and scores
a success, he gets what he aimed for and the player briefly
narrates how his stated objective has been achieved. On
an ordinary success, the player must limit his narration
to what he defined when he announced the task in the
first place (the objective). If the roll produced a great or
extraordinary success, then the player may suggest how
his achievements outstripped his expectations.
When describing the consequences of a successful roll,
players must remember not to invent details that are in
the Loremaster's hands, or that isn't pertinent to the task
they accomplished.
The Task Failed
If the acting player fails his roll, he doesn't accomplish his
objective. When this happens, the Loremaster narrates
the consequences of the missed task. This usually follows
intuitively from what the player was trying to do.
Whatever the case, the Loremaster must make sure that
the task has a definite impact and produces consequences
that cannot be ignored.
In The One Ring, you generally just roll the skill (Lore). If you make a roll and fail, you can spend a Hope point to add the Attribute (Wits) to the roll. We've generally been letting Vardaen know if we want to spend Hope or not to succeed on a roll when we indicate we want to make it. I would be cautious spending Hope--it's an only partially renewable resource.
And usually we hold extended mechanics discussions like this in the OCC part of the subforum, rather than cluttering up the story with them.
I split this out, purely OOC posts clutter up the story too much and I like them over in this area.
Just post your intent, and I'll decide if you need to roll what the tN is and make the roll or use your Trait. You can call on a trait in your post to help me decide.
"He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom." - Gandalf
J.R.R. Tolkien, Council of Elrond, The Fellowship of the Ring
