This is sort of an GM kata or something - first I'm going to generate a bunch of nano-scenarios requiring a skill check, then I'll figure out what skill gets tested, and then what the effects of a failure, partial, full, and extra success are. In theory there will be some heuristics that emerge for picking these.
Skills we're using: Academics, Athletics, Brawn, Fingersmithery, Nature, Reflexes, Resolve, Science, Stealth, Talk Up, Talk Down.
Contents
1 PC climbs the rigging, grabs a rope, and swings onto the nearby ship 2 PC jumps out a window, lands on a horse hanging out there, and rides off 3 PC holding a glass of wine is accosted; he throws it at his opponent's face, blinding her 4 PC cuts the rope on a chandelier, sending it crashing down on someone's head 5 PC composes a poem on the spot to impress gentleman he's just met in the garden 6 PC intercepts a love letter containing a secret message and decodes it 7 PC rallies a group of villagers to get them to storm the church where the bad guy is holed up 8 PC judges a duel where he thinks one of the people is going to try to cheat 9 PC gets involved in a high-stakes card game to win back a family heirloom his nephew lost 10 PC is looking to find a smuggler who may have been involved in some art heist 11 PC duels a pirate on a gargoyle-studded rooftop 12 PC tries to start a rumor about another courtier that can't be traced back to her 13 PC shoots somebody across the deck of a pirate ship while the ship is on fire 14 PC, in the crow's nest at night, keeps an eye out for enemy ships 15 PC incites two duelists to fight over him 16 PC tries to help out the badly-wounded survivor of a duel 17 PC drives a wagon down a street and through a (closed) city gate 18 PC tries to drink somebody else under the table to get her out of the way for the evening 19 PC and his companion set off a blade trap; PC tries to push his companion out of the way 20 PC and her companion hold up a merchant in an alley 21 PC, in disguise as a guard, tries to bluff his way past some other guards
PC climbs the rigging, grabs a rope, and swings onto the nearby ship Skill: Seems like Athletics
Failure: Somebody shoots the rope (or the rope, weakened by earlier stuff, breaks), and the PC falls into the water between the two ships
Partial: s
Full: s
Extra: s PC jumps out a window, lands on a horse hanging out there, and rides off PC holding a glass of wine is accosted; he throws it at his opponent's face, blinding her PC cuts the rope on a chandelier, sending it crashing down on someone's head PC composes a poem on the spot to impress gentleman he's just met in the garden PC intercepts a love letter containing a secret message and decodes it PC rallies a group of villagers to get them to storm the church where the bad guy is holed up PC judges a duel where he thinks one of the people is going to try to cheat PC gets involved in a high-stakes card game to win back a family heirloom his nephew lost PC is looking to find a smuggler who may have been involved in some art heist PC duels a pirate on a gargoyle-studded rooftop PC tries to start a rumor about another courtier that can't be traced back to her PC shoots somebody across the deck of a pirate ship while the ship is on fire PC, in the crow's nest at night, keeps an eye out for enemy ships PC incites two duelists to fight over him PC tries to help out the badly-wounded survivor of a duel PC drives a wagon down a street and through a (closed) city gate PC tries to drink somebody else under the table to get her out of the way for the evening PC and his companion set off a blade trap; PC tries to push his companion out of the way PC and her companion hold up a merchant in an alley PC, in disguise as a guard, tries to bluff his way past some other guards 