Tension Tests

Tension Tests are used when the outcome of something needs to be random. Primarily, Tension Tests are used during Refreshing the group’s hand by Beseeching, during stealth sequences when the antagonists have a chance to spot you, and when testing for Stress.

To resolve a Tension Test, the Storyteller will shuffle a regular deck of playing cards and flip over the first card. Then, the person who triggered the test will guess whether the next card’s initiative value will be higher or lower then the revealed card. Then the storyteller reveals the next card. If the player is correct or if the card is tied, they pass. If multiple tension tests are required, then the player calls higher or lower on the card that was just revealed and the process repeats.

NPCs do not make tension tests. Storytellers are permitted to call for a tension test to decide anything, or simply declare the tension test to pass if it isn’t relevant to the story. They should never skip Tension Tests that check for Stress. Tension Tests never happen in combat.

Personal Tension Tests are used for Stress tests and when the test will only affect a single PC. Personal Tension Tests will have a number associated with them, their Difficulty, either assigned by the rules or by the ST. Resolve the Tension Test as described above once per Difficulty. Continue testing even if you fail, as some effects look at how many successes or failures the player has.

Group tension tests occur when the Tension test could impact a group of PCs. This includes any time the group Beseeches, or during a stealth sequence when a PC does something that risks a PC getting discovered.

When that happens:
1. The Storyteller asks every PC other than the one triggering the test what they are doing. They have a chance to perform one more action. If this action would also produce a Group Tension Test, it instead doesn’t. Now’s the time to take risky actions!

2. Resolve the Tension Test with the player who triggered it. This test must pass once, plus one more time for each previous Group Tension Test performed within the same scene, regardless of the reason.