Test (Card Draw)

In T13 it is possible to conduct a Test against a single Facet (potentially using an Annex) using Ordeal Cards instead of dice.

The Card Draw Test is intended to be used when a Test has multiple Characters competing and can either act as a standard Test or have only one winner, but you do not want to conduct a full Ordeal for this situation. This is usually due to a time or pacing constraint. The Card Draw Test works best for a Test where multiple Characters are interacting, and ideally are competing in some way, an ideal example may be a quick foot race between the Characters to get to the cafeteria. This is more of a Character moment than anything else and the idea of running a full Ordeal eveytime would fill most Yarn-Tellers or Referees with dread. Instead, we can simplify that whole Ordeal into a single Card Draw Test that will rank our runners, and even potentially reveal consequences for those who are not fast enough.

The Card Draw Test works as follows:

• The Yarn-Teller must set a Difficulty for the Card Draw Test. This is usually done as a Chi / Bold / (Pips) Difficulty (although this can be altered to Monstrous or Intrepid if the Yarn-Teller has specific Monster Facets in play, or a situation is particularly Difficult). This Difficulty can also be created with an Ordeal Card.
• Each Character involved in the Test should Draw a single Ordeal Card, this card is not added to a Pool, but instead adds its Pips to the Facet or Annex Draw. E.g. a Trial of 16 could add +2 Pips to a Trial Test.
• Card Pips can also be adjusted by the Suit of the card played. Each Facet's own Suit acts as a Trump for its Tests, adding +2 Pips. E.g. Spades ♠ will add +2 Pips on a Trial Test.
• The Anti-Facet of the Suit being Tested defines the Opposed Suit. The Opposed Suit adds a Failure Level automatically. E.g. For Trial, Rook is the Anti-Facet, so Clubs ♣ suffer a Failure Level automatically.
• Any Suit with the opposite colour may also incur a Failure Level. So in this example Trial case all Diamonds ♦ and Hearts ♥ add a Failure Level.
• Each applicable Proficiency will add +1 if it is from an Unsuited Facet, +2 for an Unsuited but same coloured Facet and +5 for a Suited Facet. E.g. If the card Played is a Diamond ♦ then any Awe, Craft, Orthodoc, Quiet, Virtue and Zeal Proficiencies that are applicable to the Test will add +5 each, any Hearts ♥ Facet Proficiencies (Enigma, Heresy, Jeer, Liberty, Nature or Phoenix) would add +2, anything else +1. Note to help with speeding up Card Draw Tests, all Proficiencies should have their Suit marked on paper Character Sheets (or Proficiency lists should be grouped by Suit)
• Chi can be spent to add a +1. Stress can be Gained (note not spent) to the Die (Annex or Facet) to add +1. Strains can be Gained by the Die to add a +2. A Shock may be Gained to add +5. All Gained Stress, Strains and Shock will apply after this Test is completed until Relieved normally. Characters may not Overstress their Die, Fully Strain it or Shock themselves more than once.
• To Pass the Test you need to beat the Difficulty of the Test, the total Pips can also be graded, with the Character with the highest Pips being granted an additional Success Level. Yarn-Tellers may add additional Success Levels for second and even third place if they like, noting that would add three Success Levels to the highest scoring Character. Additionally Failure Levels may be added to each Character below any arbitary placing below first. This can mean the Character in second placing might have 2 Success Levels and a Failure Level complicating their “win”.

Complicating the Card Draw Test

Sometimes it can be too simple to look at the results of a Card Draw Test as simply a numbers game. The cards the Characters have chosen to play can have nuance beyond the numerical values of Pips and their Suit. Take for example the 2♦, in most Card Draw Tests a two is a pretty terrible result and while you may beat a Difficulty if you can find enough applicable Suited Proficiencies, it is a pretty poor start. However Card Draw Tests are not Ordeals, and these cards can have additional effects. That 2♦ is also The Wraith Yarn-Card, a Distract Wound, a Foe Wyrd Tarot card, a Worries Distress card, a Flashback Trauma, and all sorts of Ordeal effects. And some or all of these effects are available to certain Characters.

A Yarn-Teller could use that card to create a Ghost Story, that is at least a Vex Jumpscare Obstacle (with an associated Psych Attack), or a Spiritual Crisis Hurdle, or a Change of Heart Turn that would affect everyone. A Hero could use the Foe card to make everyone Foes, all alliances are abandonned as they make it every Character for themselves (effectively playing it on the whole group at once), this could have a profound effect upon a situation, and may effectively hand eveyone else a Failure Level. A Grunt or Extra is more limited, but can still find interesting uses for the card within the Ordeal narration options, where we find the Suggested Action “Intimidate” or “Entrancing” either of which used appropriately will add at least one additional Success Level, as could the suggested Test (Attitude / Art / Charm / Cool / Spirit), with some appropriate narration, depending upon the situation. Any Character can resort to using their card as a Fumble, Critical, Failure, Success, Wound, Distress or even Trauma card that could be applied to everyone (including themselves, it should be noted for those fans of Pyrrhyic Victories) however such uses are subject to Yarn-Teller approval, based on the situation. For example during a foot race to lunch that 2♦ may become an Embarrassing Fumble for eveyone, but a Haunted Failure or an Artistic Success Level seems unlikely (without some quick-witted persuasion of the current Yarn-Teller).

So the cards can add complications to the narration of the Test basically, but also can alter the number of Success and Failure Levels that a Character has. So we can create more interesting situations where the person who rolled Highest may not have the most Success Levels, and so are not actually the one who won. Additional Failure Levels can also complicate the situation for the person who rolled Highest, they may have to abandon Success Levels to avoid issues from Failure Levels, to say nothing of Characters potentially ending the Test with Wounds, Distress or Traumas that they may have to live with.