For a start, HeroQuest rules are dependant on exact situation, as well as how conflicts are framed, this means that any example concentrating on the maths will always fail to hold up. Examples are difficult to write, and a lot of games don't bother to go into detail because of the complications. HQ is not one of them, but in this respect it is unclear due to the complexity required.
I see three potential grey areas, overlaps between skill sets, non-physical injuries, and applying injury results to already injured characters. Lets start with the least controversial and work our way through.
Non-Physical Injuries
(taken from the Hero's Book but worked through to a logical conclusion.)
Page 23 paraphrased
"Massanwa was trying to negotiate a safe passage through the
Grazelands, but failed so disastrously (injured) that the grazers have
threatened to scalp her and has suffered a blow to her confidence and
reputation. Any attempt to use abilities involving force of character
or interaction are at -50% ability.
"Her friend Sarea will later try to use her invent stories 8W to construct a face saving version of events."
It is not definite that Sarena is attempting to heal her friend's reputation, but it seems as if she is. So lets see how she might.
Massanwa's confidence and reputation are injured which gives a 5W resistance to this mundane healing attempt. If we phrase Sarena's goal as "heal Massanwa's confidence and reputation with my constructed version of events, by telling everyone we meet my story" I would say it had the ability to do so with everyone other than the Grazers.
Lets say the result is a marginal success, that takes her to hurt, which is only a -1 to her confidence and reputation, and is bound to heal with time.
Two weeks later Massanwa is ambushed by a Grazer patrol, and recognising her the leader singles out Massanwa for combat. If she tried to talk her way out of this situation she would still be at -50% with persuasion or diplomacy skills. So she decides to defend and flea with the goal "Get away from the Grazers with my scalp intact", the narrator not applying the -1 to confidence due to the circumstances.
Note: Some narrators may even apply a positive `roleplay' situation modifier if the player emphasises the lack of confidence in wishing to run away, especially if this is unusual for the character.
2) Applying Injury Results To Already Injured Characters
(alternative branch of the same story)
If Massanwa decided to try and talk her way out of it anyway, with a goal like "Convince the Grazers that scalping me would be foolish, because my clan could make powerful allies or dangerous enemies" she would of course be on -50% to her relevant skills.
Lets say the result was a minor failure, that would leave her hurt at -10%. Massanwa was at a real disadvantage in the contest, she risked loosing her scalp and even a potential declaration of hostilities with her clan. By taking the hit going into the contest and risking all, she has lost the argument but improved her position. The Grazers decide to take her prisoner and ransom her back to her clan, gaining a -10% reputation with the Grazers and her own clan, but saving her scalp in the process.
3) Overlaps Between Skill Sets
While Massanwa is still impaired in her relations to the clan, she is called upon to help out with the cooking for the warriors. Massanwa sees this as an insult, as she aspires to be a warrior herself.
Out of pride she decides to take an opportunity to prove her metal and finds an excuse to get into a fight with the biggest warrior in the clan. The Narrator decides that her reduced reputation does not apply here, it has a positive effect as the warriors underestimate her, but an equal negative effect due to her confidence.
Her goal is "Regain my pride around the warriors by besting that big lug in a fist fight", but luck plagues Massanwa still, and she gets a major defeat, leaving her on -50% reputation in the eyes of the warriors, as well as for any contests where she maintains pride in her martial abilities.
Now depending on the situation she has two overlapping skill sets: 1: Reputation with Warriors and Martial Pride -50%, 2: Reputation with Clan -10%.
The next day Massanwa is called before the clan ring to explain herself regarding the Grazers. The narrator has a choice of which modifier to choose, and decides that the -10% should apply, as the majority of the ring are not concerned with her recent scuffles, they are more worried about the deteriorating political situation with the Grazers. Massanwa chooses a goal of "Tell as much of the truth as I can without embarrassing myself further, attempting to win them over with my view of events". She finally gets lucky on a major victory, the clan, who distrust the Grazers anyway, take Massanwa's side of the story and the narrator rules that her reputation with the clan is restored for now. However she is still not welcome around the warriors hall, and maintains her -50% reputation with them.
Powered by hypermail