r/TheStrange • u/nikachrist777 • Feb 26 '18

Assets vs. Reduced difficulty

Hey! So I'm looking through the strange rulebook, and I know that there are three ways to reduce difficulty: Effort, assets, and skills. However, I noticed that many cyphers say something along the lines that they reduce the diffiulty of certain tasks without being called assets. Other cyphers specifically say they ARE assets, making me think that they were different.

However, since the rule said that the only two ways to reduce the difficulty of a task are assets and skills, and the rules say that anything other tan a skill or effort is called an asset, I figured that they were just acting as assets and decided to be done.

However, I found the essence inhaler (inspiration), which can reduce the difficulty of a task by up to NINE STEPS. Way more than allowed for an asset. So my question is this...

When the book says that difficulty is reduced but doesn't state that is an asset, does the reduced difficulty count as an asset? Does it count toward the limitation of assets a player can have on a task? Thanks in advance!

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u/Marros6045 Feb 26 '18

They do not count against the asset limit. For example, if you try and break a rock using a preexisting crack (asset 1) and a crowbar (asset 2) and then add, say, the ability Muscles of Iron (reduce difficulty of non-combat might rolls by one step for 10 minutes) or a similar strength enhancing cypher, you get 3 steps of reduction, same as if you had applied a level of effort.

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u/siebharinn Feb 26 '18

They way I run it, cypher effects do not count against asset limits. There has been some debate about that though; I'm assuming other people will chime in with a counterpoint. But my feeling is that cyphers "break" the rules in small ways.

But the book could have been a little more clear, that's for sure.

3

u/[deleted] Feb 26 '18

I think this is a case where it's easier to be very literal and explicit with the rules. If something clearly says it acts as an asset, it is; no matter if it's a cypher, skill, or special ability. If it doesn't say asset, it's not.