Core Mechanics
Skill Rolls
When to Roll
When a character tries to accomplish a task whose outcome has a meaningful and interesting influence on the situation at hand, the GM must call for a Skill Roll.
If there is no opposition, no pressure, and nothing interesting is at stake, there is no need to roll the dice. The heroes simply succeed in their task, unless they are attempting something that is clearly impossible.
Some tasks will automatically succeed in some situations but will require a Skill Roll in others. For example, normally characters would not need to roll to jump over a low fence, but doing it at night, under the rain, while being chased by ravenous Vargrs is probably worth an Acrobatics Roll.
The group may evaluate the situation together, but ultimately it is up to the GM to determine which actions require a Skill Roll to be resolved, and which Skill needs to be rolled.
The Roll
The player controlling the character makes an Open-Ended Roll and adds their character's relevant Skill Bonus, plus any possible modifier. The final result is then applied to the Action Resolution Table to determine the outcome of the task.
| Roll | Outcome | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or less | Critical Failure | You fail and put yourself in danger, break equipment, take twice the time, or grant your foes a +20 bonus to their next Roll against you. |
| 5-74 | Failure | You do not accomplish what you were trying to do. |
| 75-99 | Partial Success | You only partially accomplish what you were trying to do, or manage to do it but with a cost, complication, or trouble. |
| 100-174 | Success | You accomplish what you were trying to do. |
| 175 or more | Outstanding Success | You accomplish your goal and gain a +20 bonus to your next related Roll, gain additional information, or take less time than normally required. |
Difficulty
Some tasks are more difficult than others. When a Skill Roll is called, the GM must determine how difficult the task is and choose a Difficulty for it. The higher the Difficulty, the higher the negative modifier associated with it.
| Difficulty | Modifier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | +0 | A task that an averagely skilled character can accomplish without much trouble, unless in a hurry or stressed. |
| Challenging | -10 | Easily accomplished by skilled characters; tricky for novices or the unskilled. |
| Hard | -20 | Requires dedication and effort even from skilled characters. |
| Very Hard | -30 | Challenging even for a skilled character and possibly requiring some luck. |
| Extremely Hard | -40 | Possibly out of reach for many characters except highly trained professionals. |
| Heroic | -50 | Something truly tough even for the most skilled masters, without aid or greater luck. |
| Insane | -70 | You should not even think about it, to begin with. |
Taking the Time
When there is no hurry or particular stress, a player can declare the character Takes the Time to perform the action more carefully. The GM must judge whether the situation allows it.
A character Taking the Time gets a special +20 bonus to the Skill Roll, but employs at least twice the amount of time normally associated with the action. If the action still fails or scores only a Partial Success, the GM should always add a time-based complication to the outcome.
Helping
When characters team up to accomplish a difficult task, one of them takes the role of the lead character while the others act as helpers. Helpers must describe how they are aiding their companion, then make a Skill Roll of their own.
- Outstanding Success: the helper grants a +20 bonus to the lead character's Roll.
- Success: the helper grants a +10 bonus.
- Partial Success: the helper grants a +10 bonus but also exposes themselves to a complication or cost.
- Failure: no bonus is granted.
- Critical Failure: no bonus is granted and the helper exposes themselves to trouble.
Should the lead character's Roll fail, helpers share the consequences of that failure in addition to any cost from their own helping roll.
Only Skill Rolls can benefit from the helping rules. Attack Rolls, Spell Casting Rolls, and Save Rolls can never be helped. The GM always has the final say on which tasks can be helped.
Tools
Sometimes tools are needed to perform a task: a spade to dig a pit, a lockpick to open a lock, a rope with a hook to climb a smooth wall. These are implied to be necessary and the GM may rule that they are required before a roll is even allowed.
If characters do not have the necessary tools, they suffer a -10 to -30 penalty to their Skill Roll, or may not be able to attempt the task at all. Particularly well-built or magical tools can grant a bonus to certain actions.
The Die is Cast
Once the dice have been rolled, their result is final. Characters' actions cannot be taken back and their outcome must stand until something else changes it.
If the characters fail an action, they cannot simply attempt it again hoping to do better. They must either change the situation in their favor (such as getting Help, acquiring the right tools, or approaching the problem differently) or find another way to overcome the obstacle.
In the same way, the GM cannot ask a player to repeat a Roll for the same task once the first one has been made, unless the situation changes dramatically.
Conflicting Actions
Conflicting Actions are those where characters act against each other and whose successes are mutually exclusive: a character trying to flee while an opponent attempts to strike them, an arm-wrestling contest, or two minstrels competing to impress a princess.
Conflicting Actions are resolved by having all characters involved roll the appropriate Skill on the Action Resolution Table. Generally all participants use the same Skill, but some situations may see different characters rolling different ones. For example, characters trying to hide would roll Stealth, while those looking for them would oppose with Perception.
Results are interpreted as follows:
- Any character rolling a Critical Failure fails to act and suffers a Fumble.
- All other characters' Rolls are compared: the higher result wins the conflict.
- If there is a tie, nobody wins and the characters must find another way to resolve the situation.
Conflicting Actions can have Difficulties of their own if the GM thinks it is appropriate.