Extended rolls can be used in lots of ways, and sometimes the basic rules don't quite cut it. These rulings add explicit rules for making these tests under pressure, clarify the results of extended tests, and explain how retries work for these sorts of challenges.
Extended checks boil down to "roll D dice every M minutes until you accrue S successes". That's a fine rule most of the time, but it has a strange effect on skill checks: you will always succeed, given enough time. Some situations naturally prevent taking enough time to guarantee success, like fixing a car before the zombies overwhelm you. Other situations permit characters to effectively take as much time as they need, like writing a speech. On top of that, some tasks offer unlimited time but require more expertise than you may possess.
To address this, extended tests now have another property: maximum number of rolls. The GM will usually keep this number secret. If you don't get enough successes within those rolls, you're out of time and the extended test fails.
Sometimes, when you're really close to a solution -- or really desperate for one -- you can make an extra effort to see the project through. If you've made your last roll in a capped extended test and failed, you can choose to spend one point of Willpower to make a single additional roll. Only one willpower can be spent this way per task, and it does not grant any other benefits.
Determining the number of rolls allowed for a particular test is left up to the GM. I start by determining if a task is appropriate for a hobbyist, a pro, or an expert. Then I divide the target number of successes by the average expected successes per roll for that skill level. That gives a rough estimate of how many rolls is appropriate for the task.
| Skill Level | Average Dice | Expected Successes/Roll |
|---|---|---|
| Amateur | 3 | 1 |
| Pro | 6 | 2 |
| Expert | 9 | 3 |
For challenges that surpass the abilities of mortal humans, divide the required successes by 4, 5, or even 6. Such challenges are probably impossible to complete without serious teamwork or amazing luck.
Example: Fitz wants to fix his broken-down car. It's just a flat tire, so he only needs to accrue 3 successes. This is an amateur-level task, so I divide 3 by 1 and get 3 rolls. Fitz works at a mechanic shop and has 7 dice, so he knocks it out in a single 10-minute roll.
The basic success or failure of an extended test is determined by comparing the total number of successes gained to the number required by the test. If you got enough successes, the test's Success clause applies. If you run out of rolls before gaining enough successes, then its Failure clause applies.
On top of this, each individual roll within the test can impact the outcome. Most of the time, the success and failure of a single roll doesn't matter, but scoring an exceptional success or dramatic failure while making your extended test can often change what happens. For example, a dramatic failure will often immediately fail the extended test, resulting in the whole enterprise suffering the conditions of the Dramatic Failure clause. While scoring an exceptional success will not usually cause an extended test to succeed immediatley, it will apply the Exceptional Success clause when you do eventually succeed.
If you do not succeed, you still suffer the Failure clause, no matter how many exceptional successes you got before then.
Extended Tests are generally not subject to any powers or abilities which alter the level of success of a roll. For example, tokens or pledges which upgrade a Success to an Exceptional success have no effect, and risking willpower (from Hunter: The Vigil) cannot be used on an extended test to lower the threshold for an exceptional success. As always, exceptions are always possible with GM approval.
Extended tests take a long time and a lot of energy. Be it mental, physical, social, or all three, you're tired out afterward. When an extended test ends, regardless of the outcome, you must wait a while before attempting the same (or similar) test. The waiting period is equal to one interval from the now-ended test.
During this time you can certainly do something else; you don't have to sit idly in front of the TV.