A couple of caveats though:
Even though it seems good advice to use unaugmented ability tests as a default I don't see any recommendation in HQ2 to this effect. At least, not in the section that deals with augments.
I think you are adding the "augment is another action" part from your own ideas. It's plain to me that some augments would require some kind of action but that others would not. You could think of it like this: a hero can be inspired by thoughts of childhood and this could be narrated using a short flashback scene. The hero need not pause before the conflict ability is augmented but there should probably be this narrative punctuation.
-----Original Message-----
On Behalf Of Jamie
Sent: 10 June 2009 18:55
To: HeroQuest-RPG_at_yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: HQ 2
To give you and other readers the heads up:
The general outlook in HQ2 is that all of those standard things you do when you attack are part of the skill already. You have far fewer skills, so your main combat ability is likely to be a profession keyword or a specialised ability devised from that.
To take a combat focused PC, the Mercenary example in the Sartar Book has 'Sword and Shield Fighting' that could potentially be augmented by around 3 or 4 of his abilities (of course any could be used in the appropriate story). The default would be not to augment, but you can choose one ability to augment with if it meets the "Entertaining or Memorable" rule, and if playing in the standard manner you roll to see how effective it is, (it could add 1W on a Complete Victory).
The point being that HeroQuest has at its heart a conflict resolution system, designed to resolve two conflicting goals. The simple conflict is designed to resolve this conflict quickly, and augments are stand out moments when you get to emphasise other parts of your character. In theory most fights between a PC and an NPC would be fully resolved in a single opposed roll with the addition of one other opposed roll if an augment is used.
If we stick to the letter of the rule, an augment is a separate action performed before the main contest, and narrated seperately. Therefore it effectively doubles the contest.
PC: I am going to run him through with my sword, can I augment with my "thirst for blood"?
Narrator: OK, augment first what are you doing?
PC: I look for a weak point in his armour that if pierced will cause the maximum blood loss!
Narrator: Yep that's certainly emphasising your nature. Roll it, I'll oppose with a moderate skill as there is nothing exceptional about his armour and he's not acting defensively.
Of course the exact temporal position of the action is not a major concern, even one of the examples infers an action that would run alongside the main contest.
Jamie
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