When you assess a situation, roll with Creativity. On a 7–9, ask one question. On a 10+, ask two. Take +1 ongoing when acting on the answers.
- What here can I use to __________?
- Who or what is the biggest threat?
- What should I be on the lookout for?
- What’s my best way out/in/through?
- Who or what is in the greatest danger?
Looking for a way to escape the path of a rampaging boar-q-pine, scouting ahead for danger in a mysterious cave, sizing up your opposition in a heated negotiation—any time you try to gather specific or useful information during a tense moment, you make the assess a situation move. If you’re simply taking in a scene or looking for surface details about a situation, you don’t trigger this move just yet. The GM tells you everything you could want to know at the surface level—even if they tell you, “From a quick glance, you’re not sure, you can’t tell.” Once you start scrutinizing a situation in more detail, look for specific information, or want to find answers to any of the questions listed under this move, then you’re assessing a situation.
Crucially, the GM always answers the questions fully and honestly. When you ask, “Who or what is the biggest threat?” their answer is the biggest threat. If someone new shows up or the situation changes, then the answer might change, but at the moment that you ask the question, you can know the answer is complete and true.
Whatever answers you get, you take +1 ongoing when acting on that information. This means as long as you take action based on those answers, you add +1 to all moves you make. If the situation changes significantly—like if a new, bigger threat appears or you find your way out of the situation—then this bonus no longer applies. It’s possible to act on multiple answers at once, in which case you stack the +1 ongoing bonus, as long as you don’t exceed the limit of +4 to a roll (including your stats).
Options for Assessing a Situation
“What here can I use to ___?” is the question to ask if you’re looking for something specific to accomplish a goal, whether it’s an item or environmental feature. If you’re being chased by gangsters through busy city streets, you might ask the GM, “What here can I use to slow them down?” You can fill in the blank with anything you like, but sometimes the answer might be “nothing,” in which case you have to think on your feet or try a different tactic.
“Who or what is the biggest threat?” tells you who or what is the most dangerous person or thing in the situation. You can specify if you’re most concerned with threats to yourself or to others. The GM then tells you which of the multiple hostile NPCs is the most dangerous to you and your companions, which of the various hazards in an environment is the most important to avoid, or just who is the nastiest, most intimidating person in the room.
“What should I be on the lookout for?” lets you know what dangers or complications hide here, foreshadowing problems before they arise; you might find signs of something dangerous on the horizon or notice a hazard just before it appears. If you’re assessing a situation while exploring the Foggy Swamp and ask this question, the GM might say you notice a wild cat-gator lying in wait. If you ask this question in a tense village after dark, you might notice everyone has charms nailed to their homes to ward off dark spirits.
“What’s my best way out/in/through?” helps you figure out a way to get into or out of somewhere. When you ask this question, decide which of the three options you’re focusing on—out, in, or through. A way out helps you escape the situation, a way in helps get you into danger, and a way through helps you bypass obstacles or impediments.
“Who or what is in the greatest danger?” might sound similar to “Who or what is the biggest threat?” but it’s about finding vulnerabilities in your surroundings, not dangers to yourself. When you ask this question, you’re focusing on the people affected by threats, rather than identifying the threats themselves. This can give you insight into impending perils or the plans of an antagonistic NPC.
Haki the Successor has been thrown into a cell by the Earth Kingdom soldiers! Hector, Haki’s player, says, “I’m wandering around the cell, examining everything. I need to find a way out! Can I assess the situation?” The GM agrees, and Hector rolls, getting an 11. “What’s my best way out?” asks Hector.
“You can’t really firebend your way out of here—the cell’s too small, you might just roast yourself,” says the GM. “But you can try to land pinpoint strikes on the cell’s bars—they’re crumbling, and if you apply your chi-blocking techniques just right, you might be able to knock them out. What’s your other question?”
Hector thinks for a moment, and then says, “What should I be on the lookout for? What’s going to get in the way of my escape?”
“Oh, yeah, well there’s guards in this place, but you think you can handle them—the big problem is the water traps you spy in the ceiling. They’re barrels of water that can be dropped with a bit of earthbending, and they’ll douse fires in a moment—clearly, this prison has handled Firebenders before. So, what do you do?”
Nokahhak the Bold finds herself in the middle of a fancy-dress party—one for which she was deeply unprepared—trying to earn the favor of a local business leader named Wing! “I stand to the side, just kind of taking it all in,” says Nokahhak’s player, Nadja.
“Are you assessing the situation?” asks the GM.
“Well, not originally, but…yeah, that makes sense.” Nadja rolls and gets a 9. “I want to know what can I use here to impress Wing?”
“Interesting!” says the GM. “You spy Wing out on the dance floor, enjoying herself. The dance is formal, but you can tell Wing has a flair for the dramatic—she keeps dipping and twirling her partner. Maybe you can impress her with a dance?”