I came upon this scenario recently: Player A is using their round action to Move an intangible asset (knowledge) Subtly into an opponents zone in order to confront them with it at the next opportunity (hopefully after passing the D2 test and keeping the initiative for free). The player character has the Subtle Step Talent:
SUBTLE STEP
You’re well-versed in methods of avoiding notice, and you reveal little that you do not intend to.
When you attempt a Move test to sneak or otherwise pass unseen through an area, or when you attempt to move an asset subtly during a conflict, the first extra d20 you purchase for the test is free.
How would you rule as GM or argue for it as the player? Does the highlighted text indicate that you can apply this talent to the Move action above?
I guess I’d allow it, and interpret it as a whisper, and I just had to read the description for subtle words, because in my mind the latter was the talent that should be used in the scenario that you have created
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Wouldn’t this equate to the Player getting to roll 3d20 on the move test? They are moving the information asset subtly and making the move test at D2 to do so. I think they can buy that d20 for free using the talent in this case.
It very much would, but just in the same way as if you’d spent momentum. So you can spend 1 point for a 4th dice and 2 points for a 5th dice, but you still can’t have more than 5D20 for the roll.
Essentially, all the ability does is save you spending 1 momentum so its not as powerful as it might initially sound. 
If it was once per scene it wouldn’t be that powerful, but this is letting you roll 3d20 every time you move subtly – forever, in all conflicts of all types.
Assume that the skill being used (Move in Skirmish or Duel but likely something else in other conflict types) is 6 and the Drive being used is also 6 (so right in the middle of the range for both values), for a target number of 12. Moving subtly has a difficulty of 2, which would be a 40% chance of success on 2d20 – but a 67.2% chance on 3d20. That’s a huge swing, and the momentum savings over time adds up to be enormous. And the swing is big on other numbers too – even someone completely out of their element with a skill and drive of 4 each goes from a 22% chance of success to nearly a 42% chance, and a master with 8s in both goes from 66% to 90.2%.
And it’s an even bigger momentum savings, because every successful attempt to move subtly also saves you momentum that would have been spent keeping the initiative, so this is a savings that snowballs into bigger savings. It’s pretty powerful. Not broken, this isn’t really a game where you need finely tuned balance, but it’s very strong.
If you buy three dice it saves you 3 momentum (you’re spending 0,1 and 2 momentum rather than 1,2 and 3) so it’s a pretty good bargain.
Unless the GM rules that while the first extra d20 is free, the second still costs 2 and the third 3.
I would add that remember Momentum is meant to be spent.
Its one of the most difficult concepts I had to overcome playing 2D20 as most other games suggest you save your bonus points for the most important times.
In general you should always buy an extra die for one point for every test. Not only will it enhance your roll but depending on the difficulty there is a good chance you’ll get that point back, and possibly more.
I say this mainly as in other games the ‘you can get the bonus of spending a bonus point every round’ is really potent. But in 2d20 its just reducing the cost a little of something you would have done anyway.
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