Difficulty above 10

[Cain Loup-Noir]

Some discipline powers or actions use the attribute + ability of the target to define the difficulty of the roll. But in some cases this value climbs above 10, like for Werewolves and very low Generation vampires.

The difficulty is sometimes set to a maximum of 9 or 10 for some powers but it is not always indicated, so it is not valid for all actions. How to solve such a dice roll efficiently? I've read several options on the forums, but I'm not sure which one to choose or whether to imagine one
- Set the difficulty to 9 and ask for several successes
- Leave it at 10 and try to get enough successes
- Declare the action impossible
- Lower the difficulty by -1 per turn of preparation to use the power
- Remove 1 die from the player for each difficulty level above 9

If you have other ideas, I'm interested.

[Vilenecromancer]

While not a V20 rule per say, Mage 20th does have a rule for this situation:

Difficulties Above 10
Even if your group chooses not to employ thresholds, you’ll still add extra successes when a modifier pushes the difficulty above 10. Each +1 modifier adds another success that you need to roll before you succeed.

V20 itself doesn't address the issue, even in Dark Ages. So, stealing from the other splats might be a good idea in this case.

[Heavy Arms]

I think it's better to be consistent here, but not so much that there's no flexibility:

1) "This is too difficult, it's an autofail"should always be in the ST's toolkit.

2) Pick one method for high difficulty rolls you still want to have a chance. Either use the thresholds rules, or just the additional successes needed rules, but stick to that. Having to decide on which every time adds to ST workload and is not intuitive for easy picking. Reducing the player's dice-pools is another option, but at high difficulty, esp. for any powers that require multiple successes anyway, it's not really adding anything as an option.

3) Don't have a standardized "take time to reduce the difficulty" house rule. It's doesn't encourage players to do anything but waste time, and just means players are incentivized to take 10-15 seconds before activating powers as often as possible (even when the difficulty isn't that high) to gain those modifiers. Instead actively (and again, consistently) reward proactive steps taken to make the power easier. Giving out a -3 difficulty modifier for mind-control powers that compel a target to do something they were already tempted to do but where resisting creates story hooks and drives the players to do things (in this case learn more about the target before using powers on them).

[Cain Loup-Noir]

If we go with scenaristic way to reduce the difficulty of the powers, your exemple work with social interaction in the case of Domination. With enough imagination it could be applied to some other physical power if the target is wounded or mentally unstable. However with the aura perception it's harder to find a way to reduce the difficulty (that's just an exemple, the difficulty isn't that high but a vampire with low dice pool may want to find a way to reduce it)

[Vamps Like Us]

The level 8 Presence ability Ironclad Command states difficulties above 10 are impossible, I feel like it's elsewhere, but It's not popping in my head at the moment if it is.

[Heavy Arms]

If we go with scenaristic way to reduce the difficulty of the powers, your exemple work with social interaction in the case of Domination. With enough imagination it could be applied to some other physical power if the target is wounded or mentally unstable. However with the aura perception it's harder to find a way to reduce the difficulty (that's just an exemple, the difficulty isn't that high but a vampire with low dice pool may want to find a way to reduce it)

Make Auspex more "magical" and have bonuses to sensory powers be things like "a taste of the blood," or "having an object of extreme sentimental value to the owner."

I'm not suggesting one bonus and one bonus only, the example was meant to spurn an idea of how to think about difficult reductions based on story potential instead of some sort of mechanical hoop to jump through.