[ED4] Terror

[etherial]

[Razan_GM]

Willpower 19 is step 8 so 2d6

Lion Heart !!!
Heartening Laugh
Inspire Others

Maybe you are the only one left and one more -1 and you cannot do anything. In next round Horror will use Terror again and you all be doomed. Many things can happen.

[etherial]

[Razan_GM]

Oh, we dont change steps for penalty just substract from roll result (its much quicker on steps around 25).

Dont forget players won't know what number is difficulty and that if they fail its worse, so first one will have unpleasant surprise.

[saryakan]

It never really states that it is a voluntary thing for the player to decide.
In my eyes this is something the GM decides based on whatever the players want to do.
A player who decides for his character to flee or do nothing to oppose the horror (whatever that exactly entails) would not have to make this, but everyone who wants to antagonize it and tries to 'brave' it, would have to do one.
There's a reason anyway, why the rules for horror powers are in the GMG and not the PG

I'd also interpret this test not as a voluntary action test and more something like a passive defensive test to which the penalty should not apply, especially since the test does not consume an action.
It even implicitly states that this wilpower test is an 'automatic resistance test'.

[Razan_GM]

Whenever there is "may", its always players choice. Dont confuse "may" with "have to".

'automatic resistance test' is only when penalty is greater than victim Willpower step. Its there because you may be Terrorised to -12 penalty and can only flee or make Willpower test, but suddenly you get poisoned and still can make resistance test (or ony other 'automatic resistance test').

Penalty always apply to all tests (unless noted otherwise). Thats why Terror is and was most terrible horror power. The more you fear a creature, the more hard it is to overcome that fear.

[Utsukushi]

On the one hand, my reading would match Saryakan's note that I don't think the penalty would apply to your Willpower test to resist -- that doesn't feel like an "Action Test" to me... and if this is all you can do when the penalty exceeds your Willpower Step, then you must be able to do it when the penalty exceeds your Willpower Step, and I do not believe you are expected to roll Step -1, ever.

So, going with your hypothetical Will 19, you would get your full 2d6... but that 1) only helps elven magicians, and 2) doesn't help very much.

So my feeling is... nobody would. I believe that mechanic is there to describe the process that occurs when the penalty is too high for someone to do anything else. As small as their odds would be then, well, at that point, someone might give the dice a try. With exploding dice, there's always a chance, right? More than that, I think the whole power was set up to be on line with other Action-Test reducing effects over the Editions, where it's lined up to be crippling, but usually not debilitating all by itself. (Though that assumes multiple uses don't stack, which I do assume, because that seems to be the general rule for effects like this, but I'm not sure it's clarified anywhere. Hm.) Though... does the effect ever go down without that Test?

What bothers me more is finding this mechanic when I thought Attribute Only Tests were gone? Does that look like an Attribute Only Test to anybody else? <grin>

[Razan_GM]

It was disscussed many times that in Ed all tests are action tests (even dmg tests), whenever you take an action and have to make a test...its that action Action Test (including resisting tests and so on).

Ofc there will be some strange things like do I take penalty from Taunt to resist poison? Its GM call. As GM I would say not to pure TOU, but definitely to any Talent that helps resist it, as using talents is only possible when you can concentrate on your Personal Vision of your Discipline.

Penatlties from many uses of Terror dont stack, but that doesnt stop the Horror to use it again for a better result.

Terror was in previous editions a really terrible power, even more that it is now:
Ed3 and Ed classic:
"...If the test succeeds against any character, the affected character must make a successful Willpower Test against
the Horror’s Terror Step before he can perform any action against the Horror. Until the character makes a successful Willpower Test, he can take no other actions. His speech becomes a piteous wail, and any movements become random twitches."

So as you see Terror should be a Really Bad Thing. As written it should aplly. But you can do as you want.

[Baravakar]

[Razan_GM]

"beginning of an affected character’s turn" is in his Initiative, as noone can act before its his turn in Resolve Actions. Willpower test is made voluntarily (its not triggered as some "dodge" talents, so is made in characters turn). It doesnt have to be declared as it dont have impact on anyone else than that character.

Double movement - "running" - no longer takes Strain (its also no longer a Combat Option PG p.373). Also as Terror lets you to flee you can do whatever as long as you are fleeing (and intend to do exactly that), so you can use Standard Action for double move.

If you fail Willpower test and penalty is now greater than its step, and you declared attacking you can change your declaration any time in your turn.

In Ed3 Terror once successfuly used didnt let you do Anything except Willpower tests, now to totally "paralyze" a character, with Willpower step of 6, Horror would need +25 above characters MD (thats freaking hard), thats why if you want to shake it off there is also a danger of getting additional -1 penalty.