No where else is the difference between live action gaming and tabletop rules so apparent as in the area of rules adjudication. In theory it is possible to use exactly the same character sheets and rules for character generation and experience. However, it is not possible to carry around a bunch of dice in order to figure out the results of any action. Furthermore, most challenge occur character to character as opposed to the norm for table top where the challenges almost universally are between character and storyteller. As such the rules are significantly modified to take these difficulties into account.

In a live action the majority of the drama occurs in interactions between the characters, PC or NPC. Most of those encounters are of a conversational nature and thus do not require extensive rules only a few guidelines for moderation purposes. However, when combat or supernatural powers comes into play the situations can become much more complicated. The following can not encompass the total range of possibilities but should serve as a guidelines for those areas it does not cover.

Time is a very complicated concept in live action gaming. It is important to distinguish between "real time" and "game time" as the two will frequently differ. Often players will want to run scenes that took place between sessions. Furthermore, combat that takes seconds in "game time" can run hours in "real time". This can get very confusing to run and can cause more than a few storyteller headaches.

The shortest unit of time in game terms measuring no more than a few seconds. It is the amount of time that a character can complete one action, drawing a weapon, making an attack, casting an arcanoi etc.. Generally, rounds only come into play in combat situations. During a round all actions are simultaneous and effects such as damage occur at the end of it.

For most non-combat situations a scene is the basic unit of time. A scene can be anywhere from 15-30minutes, it has no specific amount of time but is approximately the amount of time for a single conversation. It comes into play because many powers have durations measured in scenes.

A night is one game session. Many powers can be used only once per night. Furthermore, the healing of aggravated damage is done at the rate of one per night (~8 ours) of slumber. Aggravated damage can only be healed through slumber.

Very often real time and game time will diverge, sometimes greatly. In the case where long trips have to be taken in game this can be handled by having players spend time out of character to represent the time taken by the journey. However, when events taking place in the game are of a very short duration but take an enormous amount of real time to adjudicate (such as combat involving a large number of players) the problem is much more complex. The solution is an imperfect one but necessary in many situations. For those involved in the combat a time freeze is used to isolate them from the actions of the rest of the players until such time as the combat or other encounter is resolved. Within the time freeze the combat runs as normal, taking as long as it takes to resolve the incident. No one can enter who was not initially present and no one can leave, except if the successfully fair escape or when the combat ends.

The purpose of challenges is to determine he success or failure of an action. It should take into account not only the difficulty of the action but also the talents of the character making the challenge. Furthermore, many systems find it desirable to introduce an element of randomness in order to account for the uncertainties in any situation. Challenges can refer to character-character conflict or one characters attempt to use an ability, the following rules should be viewed as applicable to all aspects of challenge resolution except where specified.

To initiate a challenge a player must first bid an appropriate trait. It must be from the category appropriate to the nature of the challenge: physical for violence and athletics, mental for perception and knowledge, and social for seduction and manipulation. Every arcanoi has an associated type of challenge, the trait risked must be from that category. Certain arcanoi have unusual challenge types such as willpower-willpower or even angst based challenges, in these cases the characters must risk one of those types of traits. Now storytellers may require further restriction to what sort of trait may be bid. For instance they may require the use of an endurance trait for absorbing a blow that they can not dodge, or an intelligent or knowledgeable trait for lore checks. This is done predominantly at ST discretion.

Whoever loses the challenge loses the trait bid. This will also reduce the total available for resolving ties.

Rock-Paper-Scissors
Once merely a children's game now it is the fundamental mechanic for resolving challenges. It works like this. Each player makes a fist and then "throws" their fist into their palm three times. On the fourth throw they change their fist into either a "rock" (a closed fist), "paper" (a open hand palm down), or scissors (a fist with the first to fingers extended). To determine who wins we need to consult the original rhyme. Scissors cuts paper (scissors wins), Rock blunts scissors (rock wins), and paper covers rock (paper wins). However when traits and retests are considered the picture is not quite so simple.

What happens when both players throw the same thing? In this case the two characters involved compare the current number of traits possessed by each of them at the start of the challenge, or comparing the number of traits that a character possesses versus the difficulty of the challenge. In this case the higher number of traits wins the test. If both sides have the same number of traits then both sides are considered to have lost the challenge. They both lose traits and whatever power or ability was being attempted is considered to have failed. In the case where the player was trying something against a set difficulty, the difficulty stays the same but the player still loses the trait.

If a test result does not go in your character's favor this is not necessarily the end of the story. There is a number of ways in which a character can call for a retest of the original result. However it must be realized that even if the result changes the other side has the same options available to them. If at any point during the challenge the total number of traits compared is the number the character(s) possessed at the start of the challenge, all traits are lost after the challenge is resolved.

The first way in which to retest a challenge is to have and spend the appropriate ability. Each ability can be used in this way once per session for each level of the ability the character possesses. For instance if the character has five levels of brawl then they have five brawl "retests" available to them in the course of the session. However, it should be noted that only one ability retest can be declared by each character in a challenge.

The second way to call for a retest is to call for an overbid. The overbidding character spends an additional trait and declare some number of traits up to her maximum number in that category at the start of the challenge. Then the other player declares a number of traits up to her maximum. If the total for the overbidding character is more than twice that of the other character then the result of the previous test is redone.

Certain merits can be used to call for a retest. Like the other retests they can only be used once per challenge. Some merits like luck can be used for nearly any challenge while "nice shot" can only be used with challenges involving throwing or missile weapons. Some arcanoi can provide retests as well, most notably the Fatalism power luck.

It is possible to use a retest to block an opponent's use of a retest before it is used. This process is referred to as countering. The mechanism for countering is: after a retest is declared but the actual test has not yet been made, the winner of the original challenge can declare a retest. Instead of forcing another test this one prevents the original retest from being made and the initial result stands. It is not required to counter if you have a retest available. You may at your discretion allow the initial retest to stand and then chose whether or not to use your retest afterward.

In character to character challenges it is possible for the defending character to relent to the challenge and its effects. In this case no trait is risked or lost and the challenge is successful. In the case of extended challenges it is appropriate for the challenger to declare the number of successes that the defender will be relenting to. (More on extended challenges later). When the effects of the arcanoi include the loss of traits, such as certain Usury powers and the castigate power Confession, traits are lost as appropriate to the number of successes.

There are quite a few different types of challenges in wraith each of which serving different functions. Each challenge is composed of one or more tests depending on the nature of the challenge and whether any retests are declared.

Simple challenges are the most basic form of challenge. They are the most random of the different test types. No traits are risked in a simple test nor are retests allowed. Simple challenges are almost always performed with a storyteller. In the case of a tie the player wins the challenge. Simple tests are used in determining whether memoriam grants pathos and in bureaucracy challenges among other uses.

Normal challenges form the backbone of white wolf's live action system and are used to evaluate effects from one character towards another. First, each side bids a trait in the relevant category. Then the initial R-P-S test is performed. Ties are evaluated by comparing the total number of traits in the respective categories that each character has at the tart of the challenge. At this point the loser has the option to call for a retest. The victor may counter with a retest of his own or the initial retest is performed. Then the loser of this second challenge may call for a retest which may then be countered. This process continues till the final loser runs out of retests or chooses not to use them. After all retests are concluded the loser of e challenge loses the trait initially risked and in the case where the character who initiated the challenge wins then all appropriate effects occur. Whether the initiating character wins or loses they must still spend the appropriate costs. In the case where both character have the same number of traits then both characters are considered to have lost the challenge. Both characters lose the traits bid initially and any desired effects fail to occur.

Static challenges occur between characters and storytellers. In this case the character bids a trait from the appropriate category and makes a test against a predetermined difficulty set by the storyteller. The character may retest the challenge with any retests she possesses. If the character wins they gain the benefits of winning, such as information gained from a lore or investigation test or the completion of an arcanoi. If they lose they lose the traits bid and still must spend any appropriate costs of the arcanoi.

Extended challenges may be either static or normal depending on whether they are performed with a storyteller or another character. Many arcanoi use this type of challenge to simulate the effects of multiple successes. Bids are made as normal and the initial test is performed. Retests can be declared at any point hereafter. If the person who initiated the challenge wins the first test (after all declared retests are evaluated) then she is considered to have scored a success. She may then continue to test for additional successes if she should chose. Retests can be spent on the second and subsequent successes but since an extended challenge is still one challenge only one retest of each type can be used. She can not retest with brawl on success one and then another brawl to try to get a third test. If the defender loses the first success then they lose the trait bid at the beginning of the challenge. If the initiator loses the last success then she will lose a trait, if however they chose stop before losing a success then she will not lose any traits. Ties are resolved based on the total number of traits each side has at the start of the challenge.

Negative traits may be used against an opponent in a normal challenge (including extended normal challenges). After the initial traits are bid each player may guess one or more negative traits their opponent has. If her guess is correct then her opponent must bid an additional trait which will be lost if the challenge is lost, along with the first trait bid. If she was wrong in her guess then she must bid an additional trait which can be lost along with her first trait.

Certain powers and artifacts or relics give bonus traits which add to a players total. These bonuses add to a players total in case of ties. However, bonus traits can not be bid as traits at the start of a challenge. Weapons can add only to physical traits when using that particular weapon.

Most ability challenges will either be normal or static challenges with extended challenges occurring in a few cases, such as when multiple pieces of information are available. Storytellers have a great deal of discretion in calling for ability based challenges both in terms of what can be gained or loosed and what abilities are relevant to any given challenge. Ability challenges for a central part of the wraith game. It is essential to create a sense of mystery in order to create a truly enjoyable horror experience for the players. Their best tools for solving these mysteries are their abilities. Most would say it was their arcanoi and other supernatural abilities this method is analogous to using a backhoe to unearth a tea cup. A strong emphasis in any game on character abilities forces them to think creatively to solve their problems and results in better role-playing.

Bureaucracy tests, for hierarchy wraiths, work differently than most ability challenges. For each point of bureaucracy the player can make a simple test with the storyteller. For each success (win or tie) she adds one to her status background for the purposes of obtaining resources (relics, artifacts, pathos, information, body guards). Bureaucracy can only be used once per night in this fashion and the resources obtained must be available to the citadel. This means that even if the character had four status and received four successes they could only get a level 8 artifact (such as a tank) if such was available. The storyteller is the final arbitrator of what is available. In general the difficulty for obtaining a particular artifact or relic is equal to the level of the item in question. However, resource scarcity or abundance can modify the number. In the case where characters wish to try for a combination of items the difficulty is based on the item with the highest difficulty of those desired. Then add one to the difficulty for each item after the first one. Bureaucracy may only be used once per night in this fashion.

Running combat

Within a round, all challenges occur at the same in-game time. However to keep the combat process as sane as possible it is necessary to define an order for actions. First, all social actions are evaluated. Usually, these are arcanoi but certain abilities might possibly come up. Then mental challenges are resolved. Finally, physical challenges are resolved whether these are attacks with hand or weapon or the use of arcanoi. Players should keep track of all effects including damage as the round progresses even though all effects from challenges take place at the end of the round. Then assuming the players wish to continue another round begins.

Mob action is one of the most stressful duties a storyteller must arbitrate. As players it is your responsibility to be understanding of their difficulties. The storytellers are not out to get you and even if events in the combat go badly do your best to accept it and not to get on their case about the results.

Mob action combat is just normal combat but with three or more characters taking part. In principle Mob Action follows the same order of challenges. However, with multiple people come the likelihood of multiple actions of each type (social, mental, physical). The solution is to have everyone point to their target on the count of three. This ensures that the decision of who to attack is made independently of the other events in the combat.

In certain cases it is possible to sneak up on someone and surprise them in combat. If a wraith succeeds in surprising the other wraith then the defender is unable to take any offensive action in the first round of combat. After that she can attack normally. The mechanism for determining surprise is as follows, the attacker walks up to the target and says "Surprise" and counts to three. If by three the defending wraith has not responded by three then they are surprised.

Every character in the course of the round may take up to three steps of movement in any direction. This does not count as an action and the player may take any other action allowed to them during the round.

Sometimes a player may wish to leave a combat before her opponents are finished dealing with her. Certain powers allow a character to out distance themselves from their opponents. These powers may constitute a fair escape if it puts herself beyond the reach of her opponents and their ability to catch up with her. For example, using flicker to fair escape would fail if her opponent also possessed Flicker and used it to catch up with her. Storytellers ultimately must decide whether a fair escape works or not.

Weapons

Weapons can play an important role in combat situations. Their primary function is to provide bonus traits to the combatants wielding them. However, certain weapons may have certain other effects. There are a number of minor rules specific to weapons use. Only one weapon may be used by a player at any given time. Drawing a weapon does not count as an action in most cases. Remember, that an additional trait must be risked for each negative listed under the weapon's description.

One unique feature of the wraith rules is that combustion does not work. As a result guns will not fire on their own. A wraith however may spend a point of their pathos to make a gun fire. The only other options is to use a specially modified gun that can utilize pathos crystals instead on a wraiths personal pathos. Even using pathos or crystals a gun still needs bullets to fire.

Weapon: Dagger

Description: A short bladed weapon about 3-6 inches in length.

Bonus traits: +1

Negative traits: Short

Artifact/relic level: 2

Weapon: Short Sword

Description: A blade about 18-24 inches in length used for stabbing.

Bonus traits: +2

Negative traits: Short

Artifact/relic level: 2

Weapon: Club

Description: Any short stick or rod sturdy enough to use as a weapon

Bonus traits: +2

Negative traits: Clumsy

Artifact/relic level: 2

Weapon: Scythe

Description: A long pole with a curved blade.

Bonus traits: +4

Negative traits: Clumsy

Artifact/relic level: 6

Weapon: Handgun

Description: a small weapon usually either a revolver or automatic usable in one hand.

Bonus traits: +2

Negative traits: Loud

Artifact/relic level: 2 (3 with pathos crystal capability)

Weapon: Rifle

Description: A two handed firearm often with a scope capability

Bonus traits: +3

Negative traits: Loud

Artifact/relic level: 3 (4 with pathos capability)

Weapon: Shotgun

Description: Does two points of damage if both barrels are used

Bonus traits: +3

Negative traits: Loud

Artifact/relic level: 4 (5 with pathos capability)

Weapon: Machine Gun

Description: A machine gun may affect up to five targets as long as they are standing no more than ten feet from the target and are within arms reach of each other.

Bonus traits: +2

Negative traits: Loud

Artifact/Relic level: 3 (4 with pathos capability)

Weapon: Short bow

Description: A hunters bow usually about 2-3 feet in length.

Bonus traits: 3

Negative traits: Fragile

Artifact/relic level: 3

Weapon: Longbow

Description: A large bow approximately 6 feet in height. Extremely powerful but useless in close quarters i.e. it can not be fired if you are the target of a hand-to hand attack. Does two points of damage.

Bonus traits: 6

Negative traits: Fragile Clumsy and Heavy

Artifact/relic level: 6

Weapon: Crossbow

Description: A flat bow with enormous power. Damage bypasses armor and will do two levels of damage to anyone within ten feet of the attacker.

Bonus traits: 4

Negative traits: Heavy, Slow

Artifact/relic level: 4

Weapon:

Description:

Bonus traits:

Negative traits:

Artifact/relic level:

Armor provides bonus health levels. Physical damage will be absorbed by the armor first before the wraith loses corpus levels. After a suit of armor takes damage it must be repaired before it can be used again. One important note, for each point of aggravated damage the armor absorbs make a simple test. If the result is a success (win or tie) the armor is permanently destroyed.

Armor: Leather

Description: Hardened leather strips sown together in a tunic.

Health Levels: 1 additional

Negative traits: None

Artifact/relic level: 2

Armor: Chain Mail

Description: A medium grade armor made out of linked chains. Also includes may forms of scale or brigantine armor.

Health Levels: 2 additional

Negative traits: Heavy

Artifact/relic level: 4

Armor: Plate Mail

Description: A suit composed of metal plates,

Health Levels: 3

Negative traits: Heavy, Clumsy

Artifact/relic level: 6

Shields

Description: a metal plate or edged board with straps that fit around the arm

Bonus Traits: 1 (For defense only)

Negative Traits: Clumsy

Artifact/relic level: 2

Character death in wraith is rare. More often than not characters get pulled into the sway of oblivion and surrender themselves to their shadows. Death can occur under a few circumstances and therefore requires certain procedures.

When a wraith loses all of their health level the do not actually die. Instead they are sucked down into the labyrinth and experience a harrowing. A harrowing is a sort of passion play. In it the wraith is judged to see if they learned anything from the mistakes that led to their harrowing. The harrowings are organized and judged by the storytellers with the help of the narrators. The wraith is put into a virtual reality where they can make choices that will either be ultimately beneficial or not. Whether a wraith "passes" a harrowing is determined by whether they can overcome their own weaknesses. If they pass the harrowing then they are returned to one of their fetters. If they fail the harrowing they lose a permanent point of corpus and then are returned to one of their fetters.

Items carried by a wraith when they went into a harrowing may or may not appear in the harrowing at the discretion of the spectre's running the harrowing. Most items will not appear again with the wraith after the fact. If a wraith spent experience or freebie points to buy an item, this attunes the object to her and as a result it will stay with her when she returns.

There is a special form of harrowing called a destruction harrowing. A destruction occurs when a wraith takes a number of aggravated damage levels equal to her corpus levels. This total is evaluated at the end of the round. The simplest case is when all of the damage is aggravated in nature. In this case when a wraith loses all of their corpus levels they go into a destruction harrowing. However, if they take a combination of lethal and aggravated damage the situation is more complicated. Assume a wraith has ten corpus levels. If they took a combination of ten points of aggravated damage by the end of the round and three points of lethal they would go into a destruction harrowing at the end of the round. However if they took nine points of aggravated damage and three points of lethal they would go to a normal harrowing at the end of the round.

During a destruction harrowing a wraith has one last opportunity to prove they are worthy of redemption. Like in a normal harrowing a passion play is performed. In this case however they are trying show that they can rise above their situation. If they pass the harrowing they transcend, but if they fail they are sucked into oblivion for eternity.

Many chronicles choose to allow some unspent experience to be transferred upon a character's death or decent into spectrehood. A cap is often placed upon the total amount of experience that can be transferred. A good number for this maximum is around 35 points. These points should be spent after freebee points have been spent but before the character is approved for play.

In certain cases it may be necessary to simplify events in combat. Often when the odds against the characters are just too large or the forces involved on either side are too large to run every challenge. In these cases it is a good idea to narrate the combat. The most important thing to do is to inform the players that they are heading into a situation that could result in their characters death. Allow them an opportunity to back out ahead of knowing what potential dangers await them. If they agree to continue then you have the option of forgoing any and all tests. Remember though that a few tests can add to the drama of the scene so it is not generally a good idea to for go them altogether. Ask each character what their strategy will be for the battle. Then evaluate the results and narrate your conclusions. It will be necessary to determine whether certain characters will enter harrowings or even die. This is why you get a players accession before hand if they agree to it ahead of time then they are less likely to whine or complain. This method should not be over used save it only for the really big events in your story line.

For storytellers the most important duty they have to perform is that of creating and developing plot lines. Plot lines for live action games are complicated requiring finesse and more than a little balancing. However, there are some simple criteria that can be used to create an interesting and dynamic plot.

1. Non Player characters - Live action games are based entirely on character character interaction. It is not about treasure maps, magic artifacts, or lots of combat. A successful plot requires dynamic and interesting characters that drive the elements of the plot. These can be either antagonists or allies and frequently they are something of both. It is important to remember that any NPC the characters interact with are likely to have agendas of their own. Their degree of helpfulness invariably depends on how the character's goals interact with their own.
2. Events and timelines - Every plot line should have a clear timeline telling which events happen in any given session. These can be weekly time lines giving a list of one to three events to happen sometime that night or they could be specific to the time each event is supposed to take place. The purpose of events is to drive the plot line forward. Example events include, meeting a particular NPC, visiting a certain dream, or finding that an enemy has taken a certain item or piece of territory. It is important to make sure the events in the timeline respond to player character actions. Characters will frequently surprise you and incorporating those events into the story line not only encourages good role-playing but it also create a more dynamic experience for everyone. One common mistake made by storytellers is to initiate a plot line and then to leave it dangling, allowing the players to decide where it is going to go. This invariably fails as players will lose interest rapidly if they sense that there is no impact to doing nothing.
3. Initiating - When you start the chonicle have one large overarching plotline and a number of smaller ones. The large one should have an ending set for about a year or two into the chronicle. Shorter plots should have time frames of a few weeks to months. Try to make sure that every regular character is affected by atleast one of the smaller plotlines. The large plot should affect everone to some extent and when I is concluded another should take its place. Don't worry if a number of the smaller plots get lost along the way, players will forget about them. Also, if you need something to bring in at a later date you could tie in one of those lost threads and players will think you had it planed this way the whole time.
4. Number - You should always have more plotlines than the players have time to deal with but only just. Players should always feel like they are being carried away on a roller coaster. Occasionally, give them a session to get caught up without bringing in new plots. However, this should be the exception and not the norm. If players lose track of a particular plotline you need to make a choice, either let the plotline drop completely or introduce additional events to ensure that the characters feel an increasing sense of urgency to solve the problem.
5. Mood and theme - It important that stories are more than just a connected series of events. What is the story trying to tell? Is it a piece of wraith history? Is it a story of deprivation and hardship against the natural forces of the maelstrom and tempest? It is a story of a personal decent into oblivion? Or a story involving fear of the unknown?
6. Solutions - Every plot line should have more than one solution. Storytellers do not need to know all the possible ways that a plot line could be solved but should know of at least one. This ensures that a given plot is solvable and where there is one solution there is probably more.

A wraiths status in any one of the various organizations is a representation of their rank in that organization. It is not a fluid quantity like the vampiric prestige based status. As such it should be bought with experience since it is not likely to rise and fall in rapid succession like a yo-yo. It can fall but only when criminal acts have been committed.

Maelstrom Damage Table

The rules for teaching arcanoi are covered by the mentor section and depend on the arcanoi classes. The only case where a player character can teach an arcanoi is if she is selected as another character's mentor. One reminder, if a wraith selects a player character as a mentor it works like any other mentor, she is still limited by the mentor rules to all of the uncommons of one arcanos that the player possesses or one rare arcanoi.

Teaching abilities is different. Most abilities do not require training, those that do require the teacher have one level higher than the level she is teaching. The exception to this is linguistics skills. Since each level is a different language, anyone with that language can teach it to another. Skills that require teachers are academics, blind fighting, computer, doomslaying, dreamcrafts, law, linguistics, lore, medicine, politics, psychology, repair, science, security, soulforging, and theology. Though storytellers are free to make exceptions to someone based on in-game role-playing such as a talented sandmen wishing to learn dreamcrafts.