Variable Difficulty

Introduction

In Cairn, players are encouraged to overcome problems by asking questions, thinking critically, and working within the fiction of the game world to curry advantage. The following principles and examples should help Wardens create consistent and fair rulings that both challenge and reward players for their effort.

Principles For Variable Difficulty

• Reward thinking outside the box. This may be a simple mitigation of risk, a new piece of knowledge, character growth, and more.
• Modify outcomes according to the effort that went into them. If the PCs worked really hard to make something succeed despite the danger involved, enhance the result to match their trouble.
• Emphasize fictional consequences rather than mechanical buffs. Purely mechanical rewards are usually hollow and lack the potential of in-world benefits.
• Many dangers can be mitigated or extinguished given time, effort, and skill. If there is no real risk, just skip the roll!
• Create situations that emphasize non-mechanical solutions. A problem is more interesting when the key to solving it can be understood purely within the fiction.

Examples

Evening The Odds

Freya is facing off against a Wood Troll after being separated from the rest of the party. Pinned between the creature and a cave wall, she has no choice but to engage in direct combat. She has already passed her initial DEX save and thus gets to attack before her opponent.

Freya: “I know I can’t beat this guy fair and square, so I’d like to know if there is anything nearby that might even the odds a bit. I grew up on the streets, which means I know how to fight dirty. I’d like to try and blind him without getting clobbered in the process. What are my options?”

Warden: “I’ll roll a Die of Fate to see how dusty things are around here. A 4! Alright, there is definitely some dust between you and your opponent, but you might need to get close to him in order to scoop some up. You’ll need to make a DEX save.”

Freya rolls a 13: a success!

Warden: “You grab a fistful of dust off the ground in front of you and toss it straight into your opponent’s face. He staggers backward and is unable to defend himself as he fights to clear the grit from his eyes!”

The Wood Troll loses a turn as he tries to remove the dust from his face. He cannot rely on HP in this state; damage will go directly to STR!

Freya: “I know I should run for it… but I can’t help but take advantage of this situation. I’d like to introduce this fellow to the Twins.”

Freya rolls d6+d6 for her daggers (a 3 and a 5), dealing 5 damage directly to the Wood Troll’s STR Attribute. The Warden then makes a Critical Damage save for the Troll, rolling a 19: a fail!

Warden: “You stab him with both blades, green blood gushing from open wounds as the creature roars out in anger. Let’s see if it survives the attack! Oooh, it fails its STR save and takes Critical Damage! It’s down!”

Freya: “Alright, I’m taking this as a sign. Time to make my exit!”

Freya flees the scene (no DEX save required), leaving the Wood Troll to bleed out. If she had known that it can slowly regenerate its health, she might have stayed…

Teamwork

Wolfram, Lucius, and Freya are investigating rumors of an invisible creature that has been attacking locals in the Wood. They’ve tracked the creature to its island den just 40ft from the shoreline of a poison lake. The lake is separated from the surrounding forest by heavy mud flats.

Warden: “The creature’s footprints end at the shore of a roiling lake that bubbles and swirls violently. Knowing the history of the region, you realize that if the lake water doesn’t kill you, the toxic fumes coming from its surface definitely will!”

Wolfram: “We know that the blasted thing makes its home on that pile of rocks out there. Obviously we can’t swim across, but I have an idea about how we might draw it out! Lucius, I’m sorry but of the three of us, you’re the most… soft. In other words, the perfect bait! Let’s make it seem as if your cart is stuck in the mud. I’ve had a blanket rolled up in my pack for a while now. Perhaps Freya and I can hide under it, then pounce on the creature at just the right moment?”

Lucius: “I knew I shouldn’t have sported my fancy hat today! Fine, let’s proceed.”

Warden: “The party executes their plan as described, creating the perfect bait for their unsuspecting quarry. I’m going to roll a Die of Fate to determine whether the creature even takes notice… a 5! Alright, that means that the creature definitely wants to investigate the situation, but there’s a wrinkle as well: it’s starting to get dark.”

Freya: “Presumably this means that Wolfram and I are able to spy on the island while we hide, right? And that Lucius is still looking the opposite way, pretending to fuss over a stuck wheel?”

Warden: “Correct. Both Wolfram and Freya can still see through the cart slats that something clambered out from beneath the pile of rocks on the island, scattering them as it moves towards the water. You can’t actually tell what moved the rocks, though. It really is invisible! As you watch, something slips into the toxic waters, making a quiet splash. And its ripples are heading in your direction!”

Wolfram: “Well, I guess this is as good a time as ever to bring out my Voidglass Shard! It lets me see invisible creatures but packs a wallop! I won’t be able to see out of one eye for an hour, during which time my fighting skills will be… less effective. Might I be able to get a shot with the crossbow while looking through the glass?”

Warden: “You need two hands for the crossbow.”

Freya: “I can hold the Voidglass Shard up to his eye.”

Warden: “That will work, but you won’t have an action of your own until after the creature has a chance to react.”

Lucius: “Um, what about me? I won’t be able to see the creature at all, let alone defend myself! I’d like to prepare an action for the moment Wolfram gets a shot off. I still have the large sack from our last caper. I wonder if I could leap on the creature when it approaches, trapping it like a giant fish?”

Warden: “That works! You each prepare yourselves for what is to come. Freya and Wolfram, you wait in silence as the ripples come ever closer. Finally, they stop! Freya places the Voidglass Shard on Wolfram’s eye as he raises his crossbow. Wolfram, you see a slimy, fish-like creature climbing out of the water, yellowed scales crisscrossing its multi-limbed body. There is a brief, breathless pause and then a loud TWANG as he lets loose a crossbow bolt.”

Wolfram rolls a d8, resulting in a 6! As the creature was unaware of its attackers, the damage goes directly to STR. It makes a Critical Damage save, and the result is a 3: a success.

Warden: “The creature is impaled by the bolt, green fluid spurting out of its body. Where it lands, the surface hisses as if in contact with acid. It turns towards the cart, but before it can react, Lucius throws his large sack over it. The creature thrashes about inside the sack, twisting in every which way.”

The Warden makes a DEX save for the creature to see if it can quickly break free from the sack. Out of water, it has only 8 DEX. It rolls a 12: a fail. Unable to defend itself, the creature is quickly tied up and placed in the cart, along with a jar of the toxic water for the journey. Working together, the party quickly heads back towards town.

Character History

The party are escorting an agent of the Alsace faction deep in enemy territory. Their destination is hidden in a small village protected by tall wooden walls. Their job is to sneak their client into the heavily guarded town and then into the ancient vault of Der Thunn. As they approach the village, the sun is just beginning to set, and Lucius has been sent ahead to investigate, posing as a troubadour from the South.

Warden: “You approach the walled village, following the dirt trail that leads directly to the town’s front gate. Two guards stand on either side of the gate, which is closed. The guards are nearly identical save for a weak mustache sported by one.”

Lucius: “Ho there, fine gentlemen! May one such as myself inquire as to whether entry to your village would be permissible on this fine evening? I’ve had a long journey but am flush with gold and would love to spread some of my good luck!”

Warden: “The men exchange a look. The mustachioed guard replies, ‘No entry after dark. That’s the rule.’“

At this point, Lucius is putting on all his charm and is essentially trying to bribe the guards to gain entry. He is also the most at risk in this situation, as the two men are well-equipped to handle a lone traveler and have backup besides. If it were required, Lucius would make the WIL save and not the guards.

Lucius: “Yes, I understand. But it isn’t quite dark yet, is it? The Sun is only just setting. May I please enter? I’d happily start sharing my newfound wealth with you two first, if you catch my drift. Perhaps I could bring you each a well-earned beer? To show my appreciation, of course.”

Warden: “The two men exchange looks once more, but this time the other man replies, smirking. ‘Well… perhaps this once. The Sun hasn’t truly set just yet. And we are quite thirsty, after all.’“

The Warden made a ruling based on what was known about these men: they were simple village guards, they’d been working a long day, and they love beer. Perhaps with another character, this wouldn’t have worked, but Lucius is a Mountebank, and his capacity for winning the confidence of his targets has been well established. The guards let him in.

Greater Risk For Greater Reward

The party has sent Freya under the cover of darkness to spy on an enemy encampment. Her goal is to ascertain their enemy’s total number as well as what sort of dangers might await there.

Warden: “Halfway to the camp, you see a light flickering along the trail. Someone is coming toward you! What do you do?”

Freya: “I slip into the foliage on the side of the trail, keeping as quiet as possible. Does that require a save?”

Warden: “No, because you’ve got enough of a distance from this person and you don’t have any light sources lit. You may hide without risk of being found.”

Freya: “If it seems to me like this person might belong to the same faction as our enemy, I would like to ambush them and steal their clothes. I don’t want to raise the alarm, so I will need to be fast and furious.”

Warden: “OK. They will need to make a DEX save to react in time to fend off your attack, then. It might not go as cleanly as you hope!”

Freya: “What if instead I just knock them unconscious by dropping a tree branch on top of them? I have a hand ax in here somewhere.”

Warden: “That might work. You’ll need to sprint back a bit, climb a tree, and then save STR to determine if you can cut the branch down at just the right moment, without notifying your target. If you fail, you will come down with the branch as well, potentially taking damage and putting yourself in a very vulnerable position.”

Freya rushes back down the trail, climbs a tree, and begins hacking at one of the branches with her ax. She rolls a STR save: a 7, a success! She thwacks the branch at just the right moment, and it falls atop the lone traveler below her, knocking them unconscious. Freya steals their clothes and their torch, then sets off down the trail towards the camp.

Combat Is War

Wolfram, Lucius, and Freya are on the run from a detachment of twelve city guards [4 HP, 1 Armor, 11 STR, 14 DEX, 12 WIL, short sword (d6)], and they are taking shelter in a burnt-out old outpost at the edge of a forest, accessible only by a single ladder. The soldiers each carry a short sword and bow, except for their leader, a tall man with a bright blue epaulet on his shoulder. The soldiers know that the party has taken refuge in the outpost, and are talking among themselves at a safe distance away, just North of where the party is hunkering down. The detachment will be treated as a single entity until they take Critical Damage.

Warden: “The outpost is partly shielded by what remains of its walls, and through the slats, you see the soldiers split off: six head towards the Southwest, adjacent to the treeline, while the rest (including the tall man) move Southeast, where the walls are the most damaged. It looks like they are planning some kind of pincer attack. You have less than a minute to act before they reach the open-side of the shield wall! What do you do?”

Wolfram: “I was in the military, so I know how this goes. That man with the fancy tassel is their leader. If we take him out, the rest might flee. I’m going to wait until he is as close as possible, then fire my crossbow at him. If that leaves me exposed, then so be it!”

Lucius: “You’re always so direct, Wolfie! I’m going to pour some of my famous Miracle Oil on the ladder leading up here. That should both prove effective and entertaining!”

Freya: “And what exactly will stop them from simply firing into our hiding spot from the giant holes on the South side? At the very best, they’ll just wait until we run out of food. I have another idea: I’ll poke my head through the trapdoor and toss Smoke Bombs towards each side of the building. That’ll give us an advantage for when these other two plans inevitably fail!

Lucius: “Uh, I guess I’ll use my oil just after she tosses the Smoke Bombs, then?”

Warden: “That should be fine, yes. But be aware that combat officially breaks out as soon as Wolfram stands to fire. And since you’re all at the ready, there is no need to make a DEX save: you go first.”

Warden: “The soldiers continue their trajectory, until finally the leader draws his sword into the air and screams, ‘Charge!’ And the soldiers rush towards you. Everything happens at once. Wolfram stands and fires his crossbow at the leader. Since the leader is part of a detachment, Wolfram can only roll a d4.”

The result of Wofram’s attack is a 3, and as the leader’s helmet absorbs 1 point of damage, he loses only 2 HP.

Warden: “The arrow whizzes past the leader’s shoulder, tearing his brightly-colored shoulder epaulet. He grimaces and rushes forward towards the East side of the building. Freya, at the same time, you pop your head through the trap door and toss Smoke Bombs on the East and West sides of the building - mark off 2 uses please. Lucius, you stand behind her, and the moment she moves away, you pour some Miracle Oil on the stepladder.”

Warden: “As smoke fills either side of the building, it becomes impossible to tell friend from foe. A few of the men try to climb the ladder but immediately slide off, landing at the bottom in a heap. Your enemies have essentially lost their turn, but the smoke is starting to dissipate. Amidst coughing and shouts, you hear a voice cry, ‘Burn it to the ground!’“

Wolfram: “Well that bought us some time, at least. Hey, Lucius, how flammable is that oil of yours?”

Lucius: “Very. And it seems we may be running out of options.”

Freya: “Well, it’s been fun, but I’d rather die fighting down there than get burned alive up here with you lot! No offense.”

Wolfram: “None taken. See if you can take out their leader while we try open up an escape route.”

Wolfram: “I’m going to cast Disassemble on myself, then scream ‘he’s going to tear my arms off!’ I will then drop down to the ground and start running around in circles. Lucius, when my arms are removed, I want you to pick them up and come after me.”

Lucius: “OK. I really hope this works… And if not, well at least we’ll go down fighting! Or screaming. Probably the latter.”

Warden: “Freya, who will you be your target and with what weapon?”

Freya: “Their leader, and I’ll be using the Twins.”

Warden: “Alright. Freya leaps down to the smokey earth, making a beeline for the leader. She draws her twin daggers, but as she is still attacking a detachment, she must still roll only a d4 each dagger.”

Freya makes two d4 rolls, a 4 and a 1. She keeps the higher, and the leader’s helmet again absorbs 1 point of damage. The remaining 3 damage is enough to trigger a Critical Damage save on the behalf of the detachment. The result is a 15 (a fail), and with the defeat of their leader, the detachment is both broken and routed.

Warden: “Freya slashes at the leader, but her dagger misses as he takes a lucky step back. He is less fortunate on her second attack, however, as she stabs him in the chest. He slumps over, and those closest to him shout in surprise; some even begin backing away. It is at this moment that you hear a scream, and then see Wolfram leap onto the ground from the outpost and begin running in circles, followed by Lucius, holding both of his friend’s arms. The others then pick up their leader and hightail it back to the edge of the hill amid screams of ‘Sorcery!’ and ‘We weren’t trained for this!’“

Wolfram: “I knew that would work!”

Freya: “I’m pretty sure this was all me, but whatever.”

Lucius “Who cares? Let’s just get out of here while the getting’s good.”

Warden “You have an opportunity to flee into the nearby Wood, or across the open fields if you think you can run fast enough. What do you do?”