The Northern Star
Role Play of the Seas
Abilities:
While a lot of challenges and actions can be undertaken with the use of a character's attribute traits, this is not always the case. Abilities are skills and talents that are used for to simulate some of the more difficult and dramatic tasks your character may participate in.
At creation you have 5 points to spend on your base abilities, it is important to consider carefully where to use them because of course, 5 points does not go very far in getting a wide variety of skills you may desire for your concept. Other Abilities may be purchased later with the use of XP points.
A character may have more than 1 point in each ability which dictates a higher skill in that one ability. However at Creation you may not purchase an ability beyond 3 points and in active progression you may no surpass 5 in total with XP.
Using Abilities:
There are many ways to use an Ability within game. But perhaps the most common is when attempting to use a particular skill or action withing the current game session. For example, your character may need to hack into a computer system in order to draw much needed information. In which case that character would need to have "Computers" as an ability in order to proceed with such an action and attempt, before challenging to see if that character is to be successful. The ST will be specific in how much time is needed for your character to attempt the action you have put forward, either asking you to act this out or drop out of game for this amount of time in order for your attempt to proceed.
Use of an ability may also require an additional test, some may be simple tests where others may static tests, it will be specified by your Storyteller which and what challenges are require to complete the action you desire. As with any challenge if you fail your challenge you will lose your risked trait, which will be your ability trait. This will be temporary until the end of the scene or challenge mission.
Retests:
In many cases a challenge can be resolved with a single challenge, sometimes a character may use a point in an appropriate ability in order to renew their efforts and retest a failed test in order to suceed in that challenge. By sacrificing an appropriate ability trait you may call for a retest on a failed challenge, while this will give the second attempt at the challenge, the traits risked and lost with the first failure remain lost even if the secondary test is sucessful. These traits are gone for the remainder of the game session or until specified by the Storyteller.
A character with multiple levels in a given Ability is certainly more experienced and proficient than an individual with just oneTrait. Most characters will fall in toone of three levels of Ability; greater amounts are very rare, limited to elders and ancestors. The total level of Ability in a given field corresponds roughly to the character’s professional capabilities:
Level 1 - Competent (Able to earn a living)
Level 2 - Professional (Licensed, capable of supervision)
Level 3 - Journeyman (Bachelor’s degree or instructor)
Level 4 - Expert (Master’s degree or researcher)
Level 5 - Master (Doctorate or true innovator)
Some tasks are simply too difficult, or they require too much skill, to be attempted by a character without the requisite Abilities. The Storyteller may require the possession or use of an Ability Trait to perform a specific task. In this case, characters without the Ability, or who have already used all of their levels of the Ability, cannot attempt the task at all.
Animal Ken
From the gentle ways of the horse whisperers to the lion tamers that travel with circus sideshows, this is the ability to understand the actions of animals. As some types of characters normally spook animals by their very presence, this skill represents a character having carefully re-established the bond between herself and the animals of the world (or perhaps you never lost that talent to begin with). Characters with this Ability can not only live alongside animals and predict their actions, but can also calm or enrage them. Given time you may trainan animal to perform simple tasks -fetching, guarding, attacking and so on. When a command is given, the animal must make a Mental Challenge to understand and carry out the order. In order to give a successful command, you must bid between one and three Traits, depending on the difficulty of the task. You may also attempt to calm an injured, attacking or frightened animal by defeating it in a Social Challenge.
Athletics
You are skilled in all manners of athletic endeavors. You can throw a ball, catch, sprint, climb, jump and swim and run with the best of them. This is a benefit for you, especially for Shifters who fight often and require athleticism to keep bouncing all over the place.
Your Athletics Ability is used for retests on most forms of raw physical activity: acrobatics, running, climbing, jumping, swimming, throwing, ballet dancing and other activities.
Awareness
You have a talent for knowing when things are amiss, whether by that strange feeling in the pit of your gut or through scrupulous observation. This is particularly useful for sensing when other supernatural creatures are about, detecting evidence of Wyrm-taint, or just knowing when things are about to get crazy. Awareness requires a Mental Challenge to use.
Brawl
Useful when your favorite tavern erupts into a spray of flying glasses andangry bodies, you know how to fight bare-handed. This includes punching, kicking, grappling, throttling, throwing, gouging, clawing and biting. Brawl serves as a catchall term for any form of unarmed combat, from exotic martial arts to good old street fighting.
Bureaucracy
Bureaucracy, a.k.a. the System, is theoretically an organization for getting things done more efficiently. Bureaucracy can allow you to access to appropriate licenses, use contractual agreements to your advantage, and recover, alter or destroy records. Bureaucracy often requires a Static Mental or Social Challenge, depending on the type of roleplaying performed, or as a Storyteller sees fit. In a time enamored with land deeds, water rights, railroad permits and other forms of paper, this is a subtle but powerful Ability to have. Difficulty depends on such factors as security, accessibility, nature and cooperativeness of the target or information.
- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Crafts
You build and construct things. Depending on your specific area of expertise, you might know how to remodel a house or sculpt figures out of ice. As such, you must specify an area of expertise, a focus, such as Weaving, Carpentry or Sculpting. Crafts also covers more labor-intensive technical skills, such as Mechanics and Electronics. Making or repairing an item with Crafts is decided by a challenge, with difficulty set by the Storyteller based on the type of job (drawing up architectural schematics is decisively more difficult than sanding a 2 x 4). Crafts also includes body art, such as tattooing, piercing or other applications of body alterations.
Dodge
You possess enough fighting savvy to avoid physical harm by manipulating your body away from directed attacks and, to a lesser degree, gunfire -you know when to hit the floor or how to dive for cover. You can only use Dodge against any attack that you’re consciously aware of: a fight in which you are a participant or a drive-by shooting that you happen to see unfold. Dodge is used to retest challenges where you attempt to avoid physical harm
Empathy
You are sensitive to the moods and emotions of people around you. When you listen to someone, you understand his feelings. You can identify with others and tell when people are lying or holding back while talking to you. With a Social Challenge and the expenditure of a level of Empathy, you can determine if the last thing that someone said was a lie (although Subterfuge can defend against this expenditure). Alternately, you can attempt to determine the subject’s current Demeanor.
Enigmas
This Ability concerns solving mysteries and puzzles. In essence, it is a measurement of your problem-solving skills and how well you combine scattered details into a coherent solution. Enigmas comes in handy when solving mazes, answering riddles and the like. This Ability is used with Mental Challenges in order to see if you figure out a problem set before you. The Storyteller may require a variable number of Traits to be risked, depending on the relative difficulty and the character’s familiarity with the enigma in question.
Ettiquite
You know when to bow in the presence of an elder and how to address her in a polite manner. You can hold a toast with the best of them, and you keep your cool in any social scenario, from high tea to a gang rally. The Etiquette Ability can be used with Social Tests to impress or blend in at parties. If you make a socialfauxpas, you may expend an Etiquette Ability immediately to negate the gaffe - your character knew better than to make the mistake.
Expression
Words and feelings flow freely from you. When the Muse strikes, you put pen to paper (or fingers to instrument) and pour out a torrent of emotion and stirring imagery. You can convey message and meaning in your art, from symphonies to poetry, and
whatever you write is both clear and moving. While it is possible to create a work without Expression, it may very well be technically brilliant but emotionally sterile.
Fast-Draw
Above and beyond normal uses for weapons, you’ve developed the ability to draw and ready yours with an impressive display of speed. This skill is obviously critical in classic gunfighting showdowns, and can also prove quite handy in other situations where a slower character might be caught unprepared; you may spend a level of this Ability to cancel an opponent attempting to surprise you with a combat challenge, as long as you have your trusty weapon in reach and ready for battle. (In reach and ready for battle is defined as follows: weapons cannot be across the room, guns must be loaded, knives cannot be hidden in an inside thigh sheath that you have to dig for, etc.) As always, use common sense when determining if this skill can be applied; while a character may cancel the surprise of a person trying to pull a weapon on her across a poker table, it is unlikely that this Ability will help if the character is asleep, caught from behind, or the target of a sniper’s bullet. Storytellers have every right to suspend this advantage for characters who attempt to use this skill to cancel every Surprise sprung on them. Although it is especially appropriate for firearms, you may choose to use take this skill in relation to any weapon the Storyteller allows, from throwing knives to rifles to cavalry sabers. You must possess at least two levels of the Firearms or Melee Ability, whichever is appropriate to your weapon of choice, before you may purchase this Ability. You must also name a specific
melee weapon or type of firearm when this skill is taken, and this Ability never applies when using any type of weapon but the one chosen. Of course, if you wish, you may take this Ability more than once to represent your ability to fast-draw with a variety of weapons. For information on how this Ability is used in quick-draw showdowns, see the special gunfighting rules in rules and systems.
- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Finance
You can manage money, and even have some limited resources to draw upon. Many companies employ traveling accountants to check on the state of their various enterprises across the territories, and this Ability allows you to follow money trails, perform and verify accounting, and understand such concepts as investments and bonds. These actions are a function of a Mental Challenge, the difficulty of which depends on any precautions taken by the subject, the amount of money in question and the availability of information. Storytellers should set reasonable totals for monies that can be gained through the use of this Ability each session, although combining this Ability
with the Finance Influence can make for a wealthy character in no time
.- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Firearms
This Ability covers both how well you can shoot and your skill at maintaining, repairing and possibly making minor alterations to firearms. In the tense, world of the Tortuga Docks, this skill can be the saving grace for characters with quick reflexes, or big mouths. The most common use of this Ability is in combat, but a Storyteller can also allow you to attempt a Mental Challenge in order to perform other functions (such as hunting). This does not covet quick-draw talent; that is the function of the Fast-Draw Ability, above. Those with the Firearms Ability may choose to use Mental Traits instead of Physical Traits during a challenge in which a firearm is involved.
- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Gambling
From poker to craps to blackjack, you’ve seen just about any wager imaginable, and you’ve developed a talent for games of skill and chance. Over time, you’ve learned enough to generally come out ahead (or at least break even) by hedging your bets and knowing when to bet it all or leave the table. Of course, you’ve also learned enough to know how to get fate to help you out a bit if you choose, but being caught cheating is one of the easiest ways a body can wind up in a shallow grave. Gambling, or its illicit alteration, is generally a Mental Challenge, although the Storyteller may rule that certain games are Social or even Physical Challenges. If you choose to actually play cards or roll dice during play, characters with this Ability may - at a Narrator’s discretion - expend a level of this Ability to reroll or take a new draw, to better simulate their expertise at handling the game. All levels expended are still lost until next session as usual. Use common sense when determining what falls under the province of this ability: for example, playing most card and dice games does, as does figuring out a good amount to bet on a horse race, but determining the outcome of such wagers as foot races or shooting an apple off someone’s head does not.
Hobby / Professional/ Expert Ability
In a certain area of expertise not covered by another Ability, you have achieved some level of skill. You may have a small grasp of a trade due to some work on the side, or perhaps you’ve specifically studied a topic. Hobby/Professiond/ExpertA bility is a catch-all category for highly unusual Abilities like Garou Lore, Undertaking, Demolitions and so on. The Storyteller must specifically approve any Ability of this type and will define its capabilities.
Intimidation
Intimidation represents any of a broad variety of techniques for terrifying people into compliance. This could be anything from physical size, to a toothy grin in your Crinos form, to knowing which emotional buttons to push. You can use Intimidation when trying to scare someone with a Social Challenge, with certain Gifts, or in retests where the Delirium would have an effect.
Investigation
While detective methods in the Tortuga Docks are a far cry from the precise science of the modern age, you know how to go beyond the basic “He went that way, sheriff!” With a combination of expertise, intuition and experience, you have learned how to conduct a proper criminal investigation, deduce a criminal’s modus operandus and even reconstruct a crime scene. By succeeding at a Mental Challenge (no Traits are at risk for either party), you can even tell if a person is carrying a concealed weapon or the like. When dealing with plots, you may also request a Static Mental Challenge against a Storyteller to see if any clues have been overlooked, piece together existing
clues, or uncover information through formal investigation. Unfortunately, many hunters also employ this Ability to track down Garou.
Larceny
You’re a lowdown cuss. You have experience in and knowledge of the variety of ways humans have developed to cheat and steal from each other, as well as how to navigate the underbelly of polite society without getting killed. Not only can you counter physical obstacles to your illicit prosperity such as safes and locks, but you can make use of a variety of scams to fleece your fellow creatures, from card sharping to confidence schemes. You also know how to survive on the streets, such as they are at the time, and how to utilize the network of personalities they house, from brothel madams to drifters to saloon owners. Some uses of Larceny, such as rumor gathering, require a Social Challenge, the difficulty of which is influenced by such things as composition of the local community (temperate, lawless, Garou),while others such as safecracking or picking a lock require a Static Mental or Physical Challenge.
Law
This is the measure of how well you understand the legal system in which you are entangled. In the world of humans, you can use the Law Ability to write up binding contracts, defend clients and know the rights of yourself and others. The difficulty of the Mental Challenges necessary to accomplish these tasks depends on factors like the precedents for and severity of the crime, not to mention legal complexity of the subject or legal action desired. Alternatively, this could be an understanding of “wolf politics” for a lupus character
or of Garou law for a metis or Philodox character, of course this could also mean the same for other breeds in their own societies such as Feline or Corvids.
Leadership
This is a function of confidence, bearing and a profound understanding of what motivates others. It is more than barking orders. It measures how well you can get others to obey your decisions. It also covers how willingly people accede to your wishes, as reluctant followers are worth far less than willing ones. To use this ability they must first be under your command or in some way your subordinates, like an alpha to a packmate, a chief to his tribe, or a sheriff to his deputies. You may use this Ability to cause others to perform reasonable tasks for you. These requests may not endanger the subjects or violate the subjects’ Natures or Demeanors. Leadership works with a Social Challenge. This Ability should not be allowed to override a player character’s free will, but if a character is uncertain about following an order, the outcome of the challenge can assist in roleplaying his eventual decision.
Linguistics
One of the chief reasons the Tortuga Ports is such a fractious place is that many folk simply don’t ken each other’s lingo. This measures your ability to comprehend various spoken or written languages. Its common use is to represent tutelage in one or more languages other than your native tongue. The language(s) learned can be anything from ancient hieroglyphics to common national languages to complex dialects. In the case of languages known, they must be specified when the Linguistics Ability is chosen - each new Trait allows a character a new language. This skill allows you and anyone who also knows the language to speak privately. Furthermore, you can translate data for yourself or others, though a Static Mental Challenge may be required to do so. Linguistics also allows for identifying accents, reading lips, picking up slang and a certain amount of linguistic mimicry.
Medicine
Too often on the Ports someone falls victim to some ill or another, and this Ability represents your skill at treating the injuries, diseases and various ailments of living creatures without resorting to quackery or “special elixirs.” Narrators can allow a living being under the treatment with someone with the Medicine Ability to recover a single Health Level per night with time and a Mental Challenge. The difficulty of the challenge is influenced by the severity and nature of the damage, equipment at your disposal and any assistance or distractions. Other uses of this Ability include some basic forensic information, diagnosis and pharmaceutical knowledge. Of course, knowledge of healing also implies a knowledge of what is harmful to the human form as well.
Meditation
Despite the constant toll taken by the war against the Wyrm and the ravages of Rage, Garou are still deeply spiritual creatures, and even the
stoutest Ahroun must occasionally seek the solace of Gaia within. This Ability is the talent to focus and center one’s thoughts, calming the emotions, controlling the mind and relaxing the body. Garou may use this Ability to channel and renew their Gnosis. For every 10 minutes spent in meditation, the Garou may convert one Mental or Meditation Trait into a Gnosis Trait. To meditate, one does not necessarily need to be in any special position or have any special philosophy; this is a very personal Ability, and one for which you must develop your own technique.
Melee
Whether from years on the warpath, service in the Navy or participation in a lot of dust ups, you are skilled at a broad range of armed combat skills. You are proficient in the use of a variety of weapons, from tomahawks to broken bottles to klaives. The Melee Ability comes with knowledge of proper care for your weapons as well. A character without this Ability may not use any of the advantages of Abilities in armed combat, including retests.
Occult
There are many supernatural secrets in the Tortuga Port, and with the Occult Ability, some of them are yours. Occult implies a general knowledge
of things such as curses, shamanism and fortune telling, as well as information more specific to the supernatural beings that inhabit the world.
Examples of applications include identifying the use and nature of visible magicks, rites and rituals, understanding basic fundamentals of the occult, and having knowledge of cults, tomes and artifacts. Most uses of the Occult Ability involve a Mental Challenge. The difficulty of this challenge can be subject to many factors, such as obscurity, amount of existing data and the character’s individual scope of understanding (Garou know more about their own rites, for example.).
Performance
This Ability actually covers the entire gamut of artistic expression, including writing, singing, acting, dancing, playing musical instruments and
similar skills. It grants you the gift to make your own original creations and/or express these creations to your peers, in a chosen medium. The genius of your creativity or the power with which you convey it is determined by a Static Social Challenge. Some particularly sensitive types, such as Galliards and Toreador vampires, can even become entranced by the use of this skill - after first being defeated in a Social Challenge. In addition to actual performing ability, this Ability also measures how well you know the society surrounding your particular art form and how you fit in with that crowd. Advanced levels of Performance always involve some form of specialization.This Ability can also be used to critique the works of others.
Primal Urge (Shifters & Garou Only)
Primal Urge describes your natural instincts and connection to your ancestral past. It measures your ability to function not only as a wolf, but as
a half-wolf or other shifter equivilant. Those Garou skilled in this Ability are very attuned to the bestial part of their inner nature, and can retest perception-related challenges, as well as challenges to change forms. Primal Urge always reduces a Garou’s time to change forms or pass through the Gauntlet. Homid characters may not start the game with this Ability, except with Storyteller permission.
Rituals (Shifters & Garou Only)
Rites are immensely important to the Garou and other Shifters. With this Ability, you know something about the traditions, ceremonies and other sacred mysteries. With enough time and study, you may even know something about the rites of tribes other than your own, or even a fragment or two about the ceremonies of the Sanga. This knowledge is necessary to learn rituals - your rating must be euqal to or greater than the level of the rite you wish to learn (1-2 for Basic, 3-4 for Intermediate, 5 for Advanced). You can expend a level of Rituals for a retest when performing a ritual or rite.
Repair
You possess a working understanding of what makes things tick. This Ability covers everything from fixing steam engines to shoring up a sagging
beam, assuming, of course, that you have the time, tools and parts. You can fix or slightly alter most of the trappings of frontier society. This also allows you to excel at sabotage, should you choose to do so. Using this Ability usually calls for a Static Mental Challenge, the difficulty of which depends on such factors as the subject of your attention’s complexity, the tools and parts available, the extent of the damage and the time spent on the repairs.
- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Ride
One who has this Ability is an adept rider capable of fighting on horseback, navigating difficult terrain, and attempting other hazardous feats while in the saddle. You have also learned how to repress your Supernatural nature to prevent spooking your mount, although all other animals are still wary and hard to deal with around you unless you also possess the Animal Ken skill. However, combined with Animal Ken, you can use this Ability to teach a horse a number of tricks to perform. Factors influencing the difficulty of a Ride Challenge include a horse’s disposition, road conditions and the sort of stunt desired. Because of the speed implied in horseback travel, Storytellers may allow characters with this Ability and access to a horse to cut “out of game” travel times from one scene to another.
- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Science
While science was something of a curious cousin to what we now know it to be, the unlimited potential of the Tortuga Ports and Islands of the Carribean attracted quite a few brilliant minds, each with their own theories and training. You happen to be one of them: you have a degree of factual and practical expertise in a single field of the hard sciences. This Ability measures not only theoretical knowledge but also how well you can put it to practical use. This knowledge allows you to identify properties of your field, perform experiments, fabricate items, bring about results and access information a player could not normally utilize. A Static Mental Challenge is necessary for all but the most trivial uses of this skill. The difficulty of the challenge depends on resources (equipment, data and so forth) available, complexity of the task and time. A field of study must be chosen when the Science Ability is taken. A few examples include physics, biology and chemistry. Other fields can be allowed at the Storyteller’s discretion.
- Lupus, Feline, Corvid, Ursine or Kanje characters may not start the game with this Ability.
Scrounge
Scrounge allows you to produce items through connections, trading, wits and ingenuity. While society as a whole may have evolved beyond such a
standard, many of the businesses and trading posts in the Tortuga Docks still depend on the barter system to function, and those who lack the wealth to purchase the things they desire or need develop this Ability instead. Materials acquired with Scrounge aren’t always brand new or exactly right and often require some time to come by, but this Ability sometimes works where Finance and outright theft fail. A Static Mental or Social Challenge is necessary to use Scrounge. Some factors that influence the difficulty of the challenge include rarity and value of the item sought, and local supply and demand.
Seafaring
You can use your knowledge of the sea’s surface as well as its depths to navigate the waters with confidence and skill. You can pilot various types of sea vessels, as well as perform simple repairs on them. One Trait allows you to pilot small vessels such as sailboats and simple motorboats. Two Traits gives you familiarity with yachts and other medium-sized vessels. Three or more Traits enables you to pilot almost any type of vessel, even over rough water. Seafaring tests usually involve a Physical test involving your reflexes or a Mental test involving either intuition or perception.
Homid Rokea or betweeners may purchase Seafaring instead of or in addition to Drive if they wish. While Kanje Rokea may not begin play with this Ability, they may purchase it with Experience Traits.
Security
Whatever side of the law you’ve worked on has granted you experience in Security techniques. You know about police operations and guard work and how to disrupt such operations. Locks, traps, security systems and alarms are all within your purview. With a little time, you can put together Security measures for a location; you can also defeat such measures.Use the Security Ability with Mental Traits to set up a secure area or network, or to formulate a plan for breaching such a network. Security is also used to disarm traps, alarms and other devices and defeat locks. At the discretion of a Narrator, you may be required to use a Physical Trait related to Dexterity when attempting to bypass a physical lock or alarm.
Stealth
By blending into cover, blurring your lines and moving carefully and quietly, you can evade notice or sneak past people. You know how best to take advantage of surrounding cover and how to use light and shadow. Opportunities for unnoticed movement are not lost on you as you understand the uses of timing and diversion. With an appropriate Physical Challenge, you can sometimes sneak past the notice of guards and searchers (who contest your Ability with their Mental Traits and Investigation Ability). You also use Stealth to augment Gifts such as Blur of the Milky Eye.
Streetwise
Word on the street is known to you. Even if you don’t have any particular friends or contacts in the area, you know about the different communities and gangs that hang out in town. You recognize tagging and other territorial markings, and you know some of the signs, colors and clothes that denote the homeless, gangbangers, prostitutes, criminals and social workers. Using the Streetwise Ability, with your Mental Traits, lets you recognize the influence of various gangs or street communities. You also know about criminal organizations and activities, and you could perform a little larceny yourself. An appropriate Social Challenge can help smooth dealings with a hostile gang (though you may need Etiquette to make a really good impression).
Subterfuge
You can speak with a silver tongue like the Devil himself when you choose; Subterfuge is the art of deception and intrigue, and relies on a social
backdrop to work. When participating in a social setting or conversation with a subject, you can attempt to draw information out of him through
trickery and careful probing. Information, such as one’s name, nationality, Negative Traits, friends and enemies can be revealed by a successful use of Subterfuge. The first requirement of gleaning information in this way involves getting your target to say something dealing with the desired knowledge, such as entering a conversation about foreign culture when you are really itching to find out where he comes from. If you can accomplish this, you may then propose your true question and initiate a Social Challenge. If you win, then your target must forfeit the information (hopefully by roleplaying his faux pa). To use the Ability again, you must once again lure the target into a conversation. Subterfuge can be used to scent out a character’s Negative Traits, but may not reveal more than one Negative Trait per session. Furthermore, it may be used to defend from others with Subterfuge. Conversely, the Subterfuge Ability may also be used to conceal information or lie without detection.
Survival
The wilderness and vast oceans are lonely places without civilization around, and can downright deadly for the uninitiated. You have the knowledge and training to find food, water and shelter in a variety of wilderness setting-s . Each successful Static Mental or Physical Challenge allows you to provide the basic necessities for yourself or another living creature for one day. This Ability can also be used to track down someone in a wilderness setting. The nature and difficulty of the challenge is usually set by a Storyteller. You should choose a concentration each time you take this ability: desert, arctic, plains, forest, etc. While you your training allows you to know the essentials of surviving any clime, most likely you’re better acquainted with one or two familiar ones, which is a factor in determining the difficulty of the Survival Challenge; other important factors are the abundance or scarcity of resources, time of year, equipment and type of wilderness.