I am trying to get a few things straight in my mind, before I run my first TOR game. Reading the book I know it says that if a Hero invokes a trait to perform a common skill it is an automatic success. But I am trying to figure out how that effects skills like healing. If a hero has leech craft should a healing check always be successful? If it is, then there is no reason for a Hero to ever improve his skill in healing. I know it is up to the individual LM to interpret the rules. I was just curious how others handled this and similar situations in there games.

Thanks
Rick

Invoking a trait gets you an ordinary success, but oftentimes, a great or extraordinary success is better.

Also, I heard that some Loremasters rule that invoking a trait grants you a success on a default TN of 14, but otherwise reduce the TN by 2 if the TN was 16 or higher (instead of an automatic success).

But yeah, companions with a leach-craft aren't likely to die of injuries if they can be treated in time.

I THINK it says that when a player invokes a trait that effects a skill roll that you as LM you have the OPTION to give an automatic success, OR allow it to give the character an advancement point, OR to allow the character to make a roll when normally no roll would be allowed.

Furthermore as LM you might rule that some healing checks would benefit from the use of leeches while other might not, I'm not too sure about that though... but for a character to benefit from leech craft they would need to have access to leeches! I'm not sure if every healer keep a jar of leches on every adventure....

Thanks for the ideas from you both. I like the idea of anything with a TN 14 or under being automatic, and lowering the TN for more difficult tasks.

You could always have them keep track of the Leeches they have used. I don't think you would want to be carrying too many of the little buggers about your person.

If you want to collect advancement points, you'll improve that Healing skill so you can roll against it instead of taking an automatic success. If you get a remarkable result, you can invoke Leechcraft for an advancement point.

The Loremaster might also rule that curing a particularly nasty sickness or injury requires better than an ordinary success.

Patients may not appreciate someone who has been trained in leechcraft but who always just barely gets good results.

How many in your party are going to have leechcraft? Personally, I'm not sure it is something to cause to much worry. I have personally found that most players either don't bother to read up on the traits they took, or they just forget about them altogether. I know a lot of both goes on in my group. We were into about our fifth or sixth session before I realized that with the Hardy trait I don't need to worry about Travel rolls. And I can't remember the last time one of group used a trait during play.