A unified system on how to decide on the different Checks in any action.
First, there is a rule of three. In the three steps a different faculty is used. Primal Faculty, Mental Faculty and Physical Faculty. Each of them needs to be used separately in the three steps. Each step also needs a Sense connected to it. You also add the Skill used to all the Checks. Lastly you need to make an Attention Check. A list:
1. Every action is divided into 3 steps.
2. One of the steps must use one Primal Faculty (Emotion, Cognition, Coordination, Reaction or Pattern Generation)
3. One of the steps must use one Physical Faculty (Strength, Endurance, Agility or Beauty), unless there is no physical movement involved such as manifesting a Spell. In such cases use another Mental Faculty instead.
4. One of the steps must use one Mental Faculty (Instinct, Intuition, Intelligence or Will). There are no instances where you do not use a Mental Faculty.
5. All Senses involved in the action needs to be Checked.
6. Attention needs to be Checked
7. Add the Skill Used should be added to all the Checks.
To test if this theory holds up I’ll do some experiments.
Experimental Example 1:
Greg sees a boar beyond a hill 50 meters ahead of him. He prepares his bow and arrow and sneaks close to the animal to get a better view. He manage to find a spot where the boar does not see him while still giving him full view of the boar. Greg prepares to draw the bow.
1. Stability Check:
– Coordination (Primal Faculty)
– Balance (Sense)
2. Aim Check:
– Instinct/Intuition/Intelligence (Mental Faculty)
– Vision (Sense)
3. Release Check:
– Dexterity (Physical Faculty)
– Touch (Sense)
4. Attention Check:
– Focused Attention
Experimental Example 2:
Lydia attempts to manifest a Flame of Fire in her hand. No physical movement is needed therefore :
1. Connection Check:
– Cognition (Primal Faculty)
– clairvoyance (Sense)
2. Understanding/calculation Check:
– Intelligence (Mental Faculty)
– Clairvoyance (Sense)
3. Manifesting Check:
– Will (Mental Faculty)
– Clairvoyance (Sense)
4. Attention Check
– Focused Attention
– Sustained Attention
Experimental Example 3:
Rodger has found an ornamental box but it is unfortunately locked. Rodger has a pair of lock picks in his pocket so he takes his chances to open it.
1. Prehension Check:
– Emotion (Primal Faculty)
– Vision (Sense)
2. Initial Picking Check:
– Intelligence/Intuition Check (Mental Faculty)
– Hearing Check (Sense)
3. Practical Picking Check:
– Dexterity (Physical Faculty)
– Touch (Sense)
4. Attention Check:
– Focused Attention
– Sustained Attention
Experimental Example 4:
Brawn is in a melee fight with a bandit who had snuck up on him during his sleep. Now Brawn has the opportunity to swing his sword against the thug.
1. Stability Check:
– Agility/Strength (Physical Faculty)
– Balance (Sense)
2. Aim Check:
– Instinct (Mental Faculty)
– Vision (Sense)
3. Swing Check:
– Coordination (Primal Faculty)
– Touch (Sense)
4. Attention Check:
– Focused Attention
All of a sudden another bandit comes in from behind and they flank him. Brawn needs to Check if he can keep attention on both bandits.
1. Attention Check:
– Divided Attention
If Brawn succeeds the Divided Attention Check he will not get any penalties for fighting two bandits at the same time. If Brawn fails the Divided Attention Check he will have to make a Selective Attention Check each time he attacks and each time he is attacked. Now the new bandit attacks and Brawn needs to do the following Checks.
1. Attention Check:
– Selective Attention (if this Check fails he will get a penalty on the below Checks)
2. Prehension Check:
– Reaction (Primal Faculty)
– Vision (Sense)
3. Assimilation Check:
– Intuition/Instinct (Mental Faculty)
– Vision (Sense)
4. Dodge Check:
– Agility (Physical Faculty)
– Balance (Sense)
After having written down the above examples I have found a pattern that I think follows most actions:
1. Prehension
2. Assimilation
3. Execution
First there is a Prehension which is a way to estimate the situation. The only possibility humans have to collect information from the outside world is to use our Senses, the Senses in turn are connected to a Faculty such as our Emotional centre in the brain, or in other instances where we are very much aware of the situation the senses can be connected to our Cognition.
Prehension in the this way can also mean Preparation, in other words: How we prepare for the action to come. In the case of shooting with a bow and arrow the Preparation stage is a matter of finding a Stable position in which you can stand and then fire the arrow successfully.
The second step is the Assimilation. Assimilation means that we compare new information with the knowledge we already have. In other words, we take all the information that we can Prehend (first step) and compare that to all that we already know in order to determine an appropriate action. Depending on how long time you have to assimilate the situation a different Mental Faculty will be used. Our Instinct is the fastest and most Immediate information processing faculty so in close quarters where a quick action or reaction is needed Instinct is used to Assimilate. When there is enough time to feel or think of the situation, then Intuition is an appropriate Mental Faculty. Lastly when there is enough time, such as when trying to solve a puzzle, we have the luxury to Assimilate with our Intelligence which is the most aware process of assimilating information.
The third step is the Execution. This is when the actual task is performed. Most things we do are concerned with a movement in the physical space but not everything is, such as in the Experimental Example 2.
Conclusion: All actions should be described in the three steps:
1. Prehension
2. Assimilation
3. Execution
Should there be an action that does not fit into this pattern, another pattern should be used with the aim to make as much sense as possible.
Creation of the game ? 