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Running scenes, setting difficulty, foes, and obstacles
“You do not shape prophecy; you behold it.”
In the days when covenants were sealed in blood and fire, the Witness stood beside prophets and kings—not as ruler, but as recorder. The word martys once meant simply one who testifies to what they have seen. Yet as the ages turned, it came to mean one who stands for truth even unto death.
So it is with you. You do not command armies or conjure wonders. You observe the workings of the Almighty. You testify to what faith can endure and what obedience reveals. You remember rightly, so that the tale of the covenant may be told in full.
The Witness does not invent miracles; they discern them. Their eyes are set upon what God has chosen to unveil—so that through trial, through sign, and through the clash of men and spirits, the truth of the covenant may stand unbroken.
You’re the table’s facilitator and living world—not the boss. Players steer their characters; you frame scenes, keep the pace, and make clean calls that fit the fiction and tone. Use quick calibration when something feels off-tone or canon-unsafe, then move on.
Open where tension already exists. Give two or three concrete details—light, cover, clutter, a crowd—so players have purchase: “Moonlit courtyard. Rain sheets off broken colonnades. Two sentries under a brazier; a runner about to bolt.” End once pressure flips or resolves. If a beat won’t change anything interesting, cut to the next decision under pressure.
Stay fiction-first. Ask: What’s stopping this? What could go wrong? How is it interesting if it does go wrong? If you can’t honestly answer all three, don’t roll—just say yes (or a light “yes, but/and” to keep motion). If all three are live, call for the roll and pick a single source of resistance.
If the action pushes against the world, set a static difficulty. Start at Fair (+2) for a real obstacle; nudge by ±2 for meaningful factors (bad tools, time pressure, leverage already on-screen). Honor “Aspects are always true”: let Aspects grant permission or edge rather than hidden penalties. If nothing truly resists, don’t roll.
If the action pushes against a willful foe, use opposition: that character Defends with a fitting Skill and can lean on their Aspects, Stunts, and Grace just like a PC. If a hazard strikes the actor right now, call for an Attribute Defend (a save on themselves). If a protector steps in for someone else, that’s a Skill Defend from the protector (Compassion to steady, Combat to interpose, Agility to yank them clear). Pick one: difficulty or opposition.
Choose costs that move the fiction, not just the numbers. Common, fast options:
Use ties to advance with a minor cost or partial result; keep major costs for true failures. Say what it looks like on-screen.
Rotate who pays the price and who gets the win. If one character just took a hard hit, aim the next decisive choice at someone else’s strengths or fault-lines. Let compels land where they create motion rather than stall plans. Start new scenes by echoing prior choices—victories open doors or draw heat; wounds change how people treat the party—so the world feels like it remembers.
GM shortcut: ask, “Is the world resisting, or is a person resisting?” Resolve it once, visibly. Keep Aspects in view, let Grace do the heavy lifting when someone punches above their weight, and cut to the next meaningful decision.
Faithfulness is never neutral. Scripture promises that those who walk in obedience will meet resistance (2 Tim 3:12). In Warriors of the Covenant, the Covenant Stress Meter is how you model that reality at the table.
This is not a punishment track. It is a spiritual tension engine that mirrors the rhythm of opposition and grace. As the players act boldly, the adversary notices — but even as pressure rises, God provides greater provision.
The GM manages the track openly, letting the table see its rise and anticipate what comes. This transparency makes the Covenant Stress Meter a visible reminder that obedience shakes the unseen realm.
The track fills when characters demonstrate faith, obedience, or breakthrough. Each of these adds +1:
Encourage players to embrace these triggers joyfully. The rising meter is not danger alone, but also promise: every point spent in obedience is a seed of future grace.
At each threshold, narrate a wave of opposition. This is not just dice — it is story: whispers of accusation, visions of ruin, or sudden waves of disunity.
Resolution:
When the meter hits 15:
This reset embodies the paradox of faith: obedience drew fire, but multiplied grace.