What are the game mechanics for Drive bonuses in the Dune RPG?

Question

On page 142 of the core rules for Dune: Adventures in the Imperium, it says this (italics are mine):

Drive Statements: A character’s highest drives also have statements associated with them. When a character wishes to use a drive as part of a skill test, they must check to see if the statement agrees or conflicts with the action being taken. If a character’s drives agree with their actions, they receive bonuses, while if their drives conflict with their actions, they may be hindered.

That information is repeated more or less word for word on page 24 of the Agents of Dune campaign pack.

Is the above just a clumsy way of repeating that you can add a relevant Drive score to the skill score to get your target number?

For instance the character Kara Molay could add Duty 7 + Battle 6 = 13, when her drive of "I am the Heir of my House" is relevant/appropriate.

Or does the 'bonuses' and 'hindered' part mean something else in addition to simply adding the Drive score? Something that will change that score of 13, or will change the Difficulty? Because I can't find any other reference in the rules to getting bonuses from a Drive!

Does anyone know of a game mechanic from one of the other 2d20 games which will clarify this?

Answer 1

Is the above just a clumsy way of repeating that you can add a relevant Drive score to the skill score to get your target number?

Yes. However, I can't find any resources that explain what being "hindered" means when something conflicts with your Drive, at least not mechanically speaking, so further research into that might be needed.

This Wordpress blog post provides some good clarifications on how to use Drive mechanically:

Plenty of examples of Drive Statements are given, which is good since you’re defining a fundamental part of your character with them. To clarify: a Drive Statement for “Duty” could be “I serve at the pleasure of the House”, so if that statement is most applicable to your Skill test, you’ll use the drive “Duty” combined with the most relevant Skill.

Like the other 2d20 games, when attempting an action where the outcome is in doubt you roll a skill test. You add your character’s Skill value to an appropriate Drive value (likely determined by a Drive Statement) and roll 2d20, aiming for equal to or below the total.

Thus, as per your example, when Kara Molay is defending her House in alignment with her Duty drive of "I am the Heir of my House", she could add her Duty score to her appropriate skill value because that drive is helping her succeed at the action.

This article further explains how you and the GM can effectively use Drive in a game:

When breaking into a facility, it might be on behalf of the House (Duty) to save a friend (Faith) or right a wrong (Justice) to uncover a plot (Truth) or to prove the strength of your army (Power), etc. But when you are just picking a lock or trying to escape a downed ornithopter, your motivation doesn’t seem very clear. You just need to get the job done or follow your orders.

There are two options in this situation. The first is for the gamemaster to ask the players what their character’s reasons are for doing the mission at all, before they set out on it. They then all pick a drive that suits that motivation. For any minor tests involving the mission, this is the drive they use, representing their overall incentive. They can use other drives and statements as often as they wish. But if they ever get stumped or are unsure what applies, they now have a default to use.