Multitask/Flexible Stance: Take any two basic actions using [something], using your Min die for each.
Inspiring Totem: Whenever you take an ability action, you may also perform any one basic action using the mid die of the same roll.
From watching the various streams of the RPG, when some uses Multitask, they roll twice. The first basic action uses the first roll, and the second basic action uses the second roll.
Questions:
When using Multitask, do you trigger Inspiring Totem?
If using Multitask triggers Inspiring Totem, does it give one additional basic action or two?
If using Multitask triggers Inspiring Totem, and gives only one additional basic action, which roll is used to determine the Mid die?
I might also send this into the Letters Page, but if anyone here can help out, that would be great.
When using Multitask, do you trigger Inspiring Totem?
Yes as you are using an ability action
If using Multitask triggers Inspiring Totem, does it give one additional basic action or two?
Just one as you only triggered one ability action. Doesn’t matter that the ability action allows you to take two basic actions as a basic action is not an ability action.
If using Multitask triggers Inspiring Totem, and gives only one additional basic action, which roll is used to determine the Mid die?
That’s certainly not as clear. I would think they have a choice to a degree. Either use the mid die value from their first basic action roll or take a chance their second roll might produce a better value. At worst they are committed to using the value on the second roll. Alternately I could see keeping both rolls on the table and then deciding which mid die you want to use.
edit: Could you Point to where you saw two rolls being done for MultiTask? As I agree with the below poster on second thought that you only have one roll with the min being used for both and then Inspiring Totem would have you use the mid die from that roll too.
Multitask only triggers Inspiring Totem when you are in the Red Zone (either due to low Health or because the Scene Tracker is in its Red Zone; just clairifying exactly when Multitask will trigger Inspiring Totem - just incase someone thinks it can activate at any time due to being an inate ability).
Like Powerhound 2000 said, since you are activating only 1 Ability Action with Multitask (even though it provides 2 basic actions), you only get 1 additional basic action from Inspiring Token.
The Mid die is determined from the roll you made with Multitasking... you only make one roll with Multitasking for the two actions it provides, both of which use the same Min die. You then use the Mid die from that roll to determine the outcome of a 3rd basic action that Inspiring Totem provides.
You seem to be under the impression that Multitasking, since it gives you two actions, you make two rolls (one for each action)... you do not. You only make ONE roll and then use the Min die to determine the result of those two actions. Each Ability is only a single role, even if they do multiple things. So, if you use Multitask with a d10, a d8 and a d6 and roll a 3 (d10), 5 (d8) and 4 (d6), you would use the 3 (the lowest number rolled) to determine the two actions taken with Multitask, after which you would then use the 4 (the middle number rolled) to determine a 3rd action from Inspiring Totem.
The strength of the Multitask ability is its versatility... each time you use it, it can two different basic actions. One time you might use it to Boost an Ally and Hinder an enemy... while another time you might decide to Attack and Defend and yet another time may be to Attack and Hinder. However, this great versatility comes at a price... that both of these actions will be done at a lower level of compenetence than if you were doing just a single action... hence why both actions are determined by the Min die... while a normal (single) action is determined by the Mid die. You are litterally doing two things at the same time, but not as well as you would if you focused on a single task. And since the two tasks can be comepletely different each time you use this Ability, you don't gain the same kind of competence another Hero would performing two specific tasks at the same time (since they are practicing just thow two specific actions with their Ability). The versatility of this Ability is both its strength and its flaw.
I haven't read anywhere that when someone uses Multitask, they roll twice.
I have seen it run that way in Adam's recorded games of the Sentinel Comics RPG. I will edit this when I can find the episode in which it was played that way.
Edit: Specifically in Valoresque #8, in the instance I can find when Shift uses or an equivalent ability, Adam had him roll the dice pool once for each of the basic actions. At 1:56:43 in Valoresque $8, Shift uses Multitask to make two Overcomes. His first roll has a Min die of 2, and he chooses to fail. His second roll has a Min die of 4, which gives him success with a minor twist.
Edit has been put in place.
Adam also mentions just before that he doesn’t recall specifics of abilities as he forgot about a major twist due to an ability shortly before that so it may have been an oversight on his part. Regardless, I’d say the MultiTask ability could use more clarity.
I've put it up as a question on the Kickstarter, and I'm also going to send it in to the Letters Page.
I based my example for MultiTasking on how other abilities that generally include two different action treat them as a single role. When another Ability specified certain actions such as: Defend with the Mid die and then Attack with the Min die. This Ability is similar to MultiTasking in that it does two basic Actions (Defend and Attack), but is different in that those two Actions are specified. This is why I came to the conclusion that MultiTasking was intended to be a single roll where the Player chose what two actions he would do before rolling and then used the Min die to determine the outcome of both Actions.
When you seemed to think that MultiTaksing involved two rolls, I wondered if a play-through of the rules had done something along this lines, but since I have not seen/heard many of these, I wouldn't know where to begin looking for instances of this. This is why I decided to just go with what was written and hope that it was the intended interpretation of the situation.
I can see how MultiTasking could be misinterpreted in this way since it does say to take 2 Basic Actions, which in all examples are single rolls on their own. The misunderstanding however was the failure to recognize that MultiTasking is not a Basic Action but an Ability Action so would be a single roll. Perhaps an explaination of the use of Ability Actions (especially ones that perform two different Actions) after the Basic Action section in Chapter 2 would be able to clear up such confusions for other groups.
In the end, keeping things simple with a single roll seems to be the easiest solution to this interaction of Abilities.
Christopher answered this question for the Editor’s Note which will be available in audio form next Tuesday. There is only one roll for MultiTask and you’d use that min die for both basic actions.
Thank you Powerhound! I look forward to the Editors Note, and am extremely grateful for the clarification.
Glad to see my interpretation was the intende one... even if it isn't exactly the same as what is described in the Podcast.