"Exactly" might be difficult since HW is still a draft. AFAIK mastery levels work like this (assuming i wasn't Gregged at Tentacles):
If you have a score of 10 and roll an ability test, there's a 5% risk of BF, 45% risk of F, 45% chance of S and 5% chance of BS. With a mastery level (i.e. 10w) that changes to 5% risk of F, 45% chance of S and 50% chance of BS. With 10ww you have 5% chance of S and 95% chance of BS. With 10www, every roll is a BS.
If there's an opposing force, you get one bump-up per level of mastery you have over your opponent. If you have 10ww and your opponent has 10w, you get one bump-up and your opponent gets none.
Your opponent rolls an 8, which is a success. You roll an 11, a failure, which is bumped to a success. Your opponent's success was better though, so he wins the exchange anyhow. If you rolled a 20, your big failure would be bumped to a failure. In both cases you greatly reduce your loss. If you rolled a 9, your success would be bumped to a big success. Since BS is the highest possible result, you don't get a bump up if you rolled a 1.
And since a BS is a BS, there's no difference between a natural BS and a BS which was bumped up from a success.
Opponents with the same level of mastery cancel each other's masteries out, when they fight each other. If you, with an ability rating of 10w, contest against Tedios (rating of 5w) and Boron (rating of 19), you get a bump up on rolls against Boron but not against Tedios.
>In particular, what's the deal the 'success number', and determining
>who won, in a contest involving such?
I assume "success number" is the same as victory score. Masteries bump dice rolls and have only indirect effects on the victory score: with a mastery level or two you can risk larger stakes and thus hopefully bash your opponent into a greater AP deficiency, earning yourself a greater victory score.
Hope this helps.
End of The Glorantha Digest V6 #624
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