Difference between revisions of "Check"

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{{Meaningful Checks}}
 
{{Meaningful Checks}}
 
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Checks resolve uncertainty when there's a question about the outcome and the result '''matters'''. Roll dice equal to your score in the most applicable [[facet]]. Each facet lists examples of appropriate checks. The referee has final say on which facet is most appropriate for a situation. You may add or subtract dice for modifiers (see below), but you never initially roll fewer than one die or more than five. For a basic check look at the highest value of any die rolled. On a result of 6, roll an additional die and add it to the pool. These added dice may exceed the five die limit. If no other modifiers are in play, a roll of 4 or better indicates success:
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Checks resolve uncertainty when there's a question about the outcome and the result '''matters'''. Roll dice equal to your score in the most applicable [[facet]]. Each facet lists examples of appropriate checks. The referee has final say on which facet is most appropriate for a situation. You may add dice for "bonus" modifiers (see below), or add Interference dice for "penalty"  modifiers. On a result of 6, roll an additional die and add it to the pool.
*Failure: The highest die is 1, 2, or 3.
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*Failure: Rolls of 1, 2, or 3 are failures, discard them from the result.
*Success: The highest die is 4, 5, or 6.
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*Success: Rolls of 4, 5, or 6 are successes, keep them. If there are one or more in the pool after Interference (below) then the check succeeds.
  
==Success Levels==
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==Interference==
Many checks are contests, either rolled between two facets or modifiers are rolled as opposition. The individual actively attempting action (called the actor) rolls first, deciding any modifiers, and adding any dice from Will or other sources. If the roll fails then don't roll opposition, the actor has already failed. If the roll is a success then roll any opposition. The actor's player rolls for penalties, and any opposing player rolls the opposing facet separately. Opposing rolls only beat the actor if higher. Multiple results count as higher than a single result, so two 4's is higher than one, a single 5 is higher than the 4's, three 6's is higher than two 6's, and so on. Opposition only wins if higher than the actor, so on a tie the actor still succeeds.
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Penalties are rolled as dice themselves, and may remove successes from the original check. Roll any Interference dice like a check, and discard 1, 2, and 3. Starting with the lowest success in the Interference pool, discard it and the lowest success from the Check pool so long as that die is equal or lesser in value. If all the Check pool's dice are a higher value, discard the Interference die and move to the next one. Continue until all dice in the Interference pool have been discarded, or until no successes remain in the Check pool.
  
''Green-Jade Huang kicks Tenacious Chen, and he dodges. She rolls 3d for her Technique score, and results are 2, 4, and 5--a success, and her best is a 5. He rolls 2d for his Lightness. Huang's results  He rolls a 1 and a 6, bonus die comes up a 2. His best is 6, which beats her 5 and so Chen wins the contest and dodges her kick. If he'd rolled a 5 instead she would have hit him, because she was the actor and he would need to beat her not tie to avoid the kick.''
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''Huang needs to dive out of a room before a heavy door slams down and traps her within. Lightness is the most appropriate skill, and she has a 3 score. The door falls very quickly so the referee applies a penalty, -1 die, to the check check. Huang rolls her 3d and gets 1, 4, and 5, a success! Now a single die is rolled in opposition due to the penalty, and comes up a 5. The 5 from Intereference is removed along with her 4. That leaves a 5 in the pool, a success, so she slips under the door in the nick of time.''
  
==Will==
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==Opposition==
After the initial results but before opposition you may spend 1 Will to add another 2 dice to the roll. These dice may exceed the normal maximum of 5d for a check. You may only spend 1 Will per check. Opposition may likewise spend Will to add 2 dice after any results are tallied.
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Sometimes a check is actively opposed by another roll. It's rolled just like a check, and may even have Interference to resolve. After Interference, if any successes remain, discard one and an equal or lesser success from the original Check. This may turn the original check into a failure. If the Opposed pool has doubles left over it may generate Momentum. Opposition isn't rolled if the original Check fails.
  
==Modifiers==
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''Green-Jade Huang kicks Tenacious Chen, and he dodges. She rolls 3d for her Technique score, and results are 2, 4, and 5--a success. He rolls 2d for his Lightness. Huang's results  He rolls a 1 and a 6, bonus die comes up a 2. His 6 is discarded along with her 4. She still has a 5 in her pool, so the kick is a success despite his attempted dodge.''
Circumstances may affect your score during a check. Modifiers are either a bonus or a penalty. Each bonus adds another die to your roll. Each penalty adds a die to a separate pool of opposition dice for the roll. If the penalty pool would become larger than five dice, any extra dice subtract from the actor's skill instead. Opposition never generates a penalty pool, any penalties subtract straight from the foe's score. If penalties would remove your last die, there's no longer doubt about the result and the check fails.  
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''Huang needs to dive out of a room before a heavy door slams down and traps her within. Lightness is the most appropriate skill, and she has a 3 score. The door falls very quickly so the referee applies a penalty, -1 die, to the check check. Huang rolls her 3d and gets 1, 4, and 5, a success! Now a single die is rolled in opposition due to the penalty, and comes up a 5. She's the actor, so she slips under the door in the nick of time.''
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==Momentum==
 
==Momentum==
Every extra pair of successes in the roll generates momentum. Momentum may trigger certain [[stunt]]s, be immediately converted into a +1 damage on an attack, or grant a +1 bonus to a future check. It doesn't even need to be your check, you can forward the bonus to an ally's next roll. Place a die on the recipient's character sheet on the facet you're boosting. Any momentum generated by opposed rolls cancels out first, one pair at a time. Any leftover pairs may be used for momentum regardless of whether the roll won the contest or not.  
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Every pair of successes in the roll generates Momentum. Momentum may trigger certain [[stunt]]s, be immediately converted into a +1/-1 damage on an attack, or grant a +1/-1 modifier to a character's next check. Mark the Momentum by placing a die on the appropriate character sheet or figure, and the next time the character rolls a check the die is added to the result. It is possible to add a Penalty die (Interference) to a foe in the same manner.
  
===Venture===
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==Will==
You can take risks to get a better chance of momentum--if you succeed. Before you roll a check, you can pull any number of dice from the roll. If you would have had more than 5 dice, the extras may be pulled out for a venture before the maximum applies. After the result you may take these set aside dice and pair them with extra successes to make a double. These can't increase the level of success, only momentum. If there aren't extra successes to use the venture dice are lost.
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After the initial results, including Interference, but before any Opposition you may spend 1 Will to add another 2 dice to the roll. Opposition may likewise spend Will to add 2 dice after any results are tallied.
  
''Green-Jade Huang faces a gang in an alley, and hopes to intimidate them into leaving her alone. When one throws a punch, she declares a venture on her guard, setting one die aside to reflect a fancy dodge using the splits and then flicking the thug on the nose to display her prowess. The gang member rolls his 2d Technique and scores a best of 4. Huang rolls her 3d from her 4d Lightness and gets 1, 4, 5. The 5 wins the contest, and the extra 4 pairs off with her set aside venture die to generate momentum, which she plans to use when she attempts to stare the gang down on her turn!''
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==Venture==
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You can take risks to get a better chance of momentum--if you succeed. Before you roll a check, you may add 1 to 3 Interference for an equal number of Venture tokens. After the result is calculated, but before any Opposition, a single success becomes a pair for each Venture token, starting with the highest single and working down until out of tokens or no more single die results remain.
  
==These may be gone==
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''Green-Jade Huang faces a gang in an alley, and hopes to intimidate them into leaving her alone. When one throws a punch, she declares a venture on her guard, setting one token aside to reflect a fancy dodge using the splits and then flicking the thug on the nose to display her prowess. The gang member rolls his 2d Technique and scores a best of 4. Huang rolls her 4d Lightness and gets 1, 2, 4, 5, plus an Interference die that comes up a 3...not affecting her pool. Her 4 eliminates the 4 from the thug's check, leaving her 5, and now the venture token pairs with it to create another 5, giving her momentum--which she plans to use when she attempts to stare the gang down on her turn!''
Recheck this.
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===Failure===
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==Advantage and Disadvantage==
A failed check doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t accomplish what you attempted. You might still get the outcome you want if you negotiate a sufficient [[consequence]] for success. The referee is the final judge of whether a consequence is adequate. Common consequences include suffering damage, losing assets, and gaining lasting complications.  
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Some Distinctions, Faults, and circumstances may apply Advantage or Disadvantage to a check. The two states cancel one another out if both are present in the same check.
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*"Advantage" on a roll allows you to re-roll 1's in the initial roll. This is done after dice explode. Any 1's that appear after the re-roll stay.
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*"Disadvantage" on a roll adds one die of Interference for each 1 in the initial roll. This is done after the initial dice roll and any explosions. 1's on Interference dice don't generate more dice.
  
''Tenacious Chen is attempting to build a barricade before enemies arrive. The referee rules that this is a strength check, and a success indicates that the barricade is complete in time. Chen fails the check, but his player proposes a consequence: the barricade is completed but Chen is [[exhausted]] (a state) for the upcoming battle due to the effort to get it done in time. The referee agrees that's a valid consequence, and now Chen must decide whether that barricade is worth it.''
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==Failure==
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A failed check doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t accomplish what you attempted, just that it had some cost. In combat, the cost is precious time where enemies may now strike you. Outside of an encounter the cost might be exhaustion, damage, losing assets, or gaining some other complication. If there isn't a meaningful cost--ie you can just try again without any condition changing or a foe gaining a chance to do something first--then it didn't matter and shouldn't be a check anyway. Sometimes this is an instinctive call, where the GM asked for a check without any consequence in mind until failure made one necessary. This can become a negotiation if a player has an alternative consequence that's still meaningful within the situation.
  
===Cooperation===
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''Tenacious Chen is attempting to build a barricade before enemies arrive. The referee rules that this is a strength check, and a success indicates that the barricade is complete in time without becoming [[exhausted]]. Chen fails the check, and in this case has a choice: the barricade is completed but Chen is [[exhausted]] (a state) for the upcoming battle due to the effort to get it done in time, or Chen is fine but the barricade isn't far enough along to offer any protection at all. The referee agrees that's a valid consequence, and now Chen must decide whether that barricade is worth it.''
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==Cooperation==
 
When allies pool their efforts they each roll a check. Modifiers are applied to each check separately. Cooperating checks don’t necessarily need to be rolled against the same facet. The best result within the rolls is used for the group’s result. Matching dice from the other rolls may create or add to sets. If a cooperating check completely fails it removes the best die from the result. Some circumstances force a single character to become a primary roller, and everyone else only rolls support. In such cases only the primary roller's dice count for the best, but tied dice add to the set normally.
 
When allies pool their efforts they each roll a check. Modifiers are applied to each check separately. Cooperating checks don’t necessarily need to be rolled against the same facet. The best result within the rolls is used for the group’s result. Matching dice from the other rolls may create or add to sets. If a cooperating check completely fails it removes the best die from the result. Some circumstances force a single character to become a primary roller, and everyone else only rolls support. In such cases only the primary roller's dice count for the best, but tied dice add to the set normally.
 
 
  
 
==See Also==
 
==See Also==

Revision as of 08:04, 14 October 2018

Meaningful Checks
A check should only ever be attempted when both potential outcomes have consequences. Say you need to make a strength check to push open a door. The effect of success is obvious (the door is opened), but is there a consequence for failure other than just having to try again? If there is, then it's a valid check. But if there isn't, assume you eventually manage to push the door open and move on. Time and effort are potential consequences, but only if they'll make a difference for the next decision or encounter.

Likewise, be prepared to follow through on either possibility if the check dictates it. If that sounds untenable or uninteresting then don't check, just narrate the success. Narrating an automatic failure is possible but much more frustrating. Any time you take this option you should highlight that the failure is due to circumstances outside the players control, and call out those circumstances so they have an avenue for changing them. Never cheat a check. When you get a result you don't want it introduces precisely the chaos and surprise that makes a dice driven game different from a story driven game. What you thought was the climactic victorious moment is actually a tragedy or a setback. Go with it, and see what's down that path.

Checks resolve uncertainty when there's a question about the outcome and the result matters. Roll dice equal to your score in the most applicable facet. Each facet lists examples of appropriate checks. The referee has final say on which facet is most appropriate for a situation. You may add dice for "bonus" modifiers (see below), or add Interference dice for "penalty" modifiers. On a result of 6, roll an additional die and add it to the pool.

  • Failure: Rolls of 1, 2, or 3 are failures, discard them from the result.
  • Success: Rolls of 4, 5, or 6 are successes, keep them. If there are one or more in the pool after Interference (below) then the check succeeds.

Interference

Penalties are rolled as dice themselves, and may remove successes from the original check. Roll any Interference dice like a check, and discard 1, 2, and 3. Starting with the lowest success in the Interference pool, discard it and the lowest success from the Check pool so long as that die is equal or lesser in value. If all the Check pool's dice are a higher value, discard the Interference die and move to the next one. Continue until all dice in the Interference pool have been discarded, or until no successes remain in the Check pool.

Huang needs to dive out of a room before a heavy door slams down and traps her within. Lightness is the most appropriate skill, and she has a 3 score. The door falls very quickly so the referee applies a penalty, -1 die, to the check check. Huang rolls her 3d and gets 1, 4, and 5, a success! Now a single die is rolled in opposition due to the penalty, and comes up a 5. The 5 from Intereference is removed along with her 4. That leaves a 5 in the pool, a success, so she slips under the door in the nick of time.

Opposition

Sometimes a check is actively opposed by another roll. It's rolled just like a check, and may even have Interference to resolve. After Interference, if any successes remain, discard one and an equal or lesser success from the original Check. This may turn the original check into a failure. If the Opposed pool has doubles left over it may generate Momentum. Opposition isn't rolled if the original Check fails.

Green-Jade Huang kicks Tenacious Chen, and he dodges. She rolls 3d for her Technique score, and results are 2, 4, and 5--a success. He rolls 2d for his Lightness. Huang's results He rolls a 1 and a 6, bonus die comes up a 2. His 6 is discarded along with her 4. She still has a 5 in her pool, so the kick is a success despite his attempted dodge.

Momentum

Every pair of successes in the roll generates Momentum. Momentum may trigger certain stunts, be immediately converted into a +1/-1 damage on an attack, or grant a +1/-1 modifier to a character's next check. Mark the Momentum by placing a die on the appropriate character sheet or figure, and the next time the character rolls a check the die is added to the result. It is possible to add a Penalty die (Interference) to a foe in the same manner.

Will

After the initial results, including Interference, but before any Opposition you may spend 1 Will to add another 2 dice to the roll. Opposition may likewise spend Will to add 2 dice after any results are tallied.

Venture

You can take risks to get a better chance of momentum--if you succeed. Before you roll a check, you may add 1 to 3 Interference for an equal number of Venture tokens. After the result is calculated, but before any Opposition, a single success becomes a pair for each Venture token, starting with the highest single and working down until out of tokens or no more single die results remain.

Green-Jade Huang faces a gang in an alley, and hopes to intimidate them into leaving her alone. When one throws a punch, she declares a venture on her guard, setting one token aside to reflect a fancy dodge using the splits and then flicking the thug on the nose to display her prowess. The gang member rolls his 2d Technique and scores a best of 4. Huang rolls her 4d Lightness and gets 1, 2, 4, 5, plus an Interference die that comes up a 3...not affecting her pool. Her 4 eliminates the 4 from the thug's check, leaving her 5, and now the venture token pairs with it to create another 5, giving her momentum--which she plans to use when she attempts to stare the gang down on her turn!

Advantage and Disadvantage

Some Distinctions, Faults, and circumstances may apply Advantage or Disadvantage to a check. The two states cancel one another out if both are present in the same check.

  • "Advantage" on a roll allows you to re-roll 1's in the initial roll. This is done after dice explode. Any 1's that appear after the re-roll stay.
  • "Disadvantage" on a roll adds one die of Interference for each 1 in the initial roll. This is done after the initial dice roll and any explosions. 1's on Interference dice don't generate more dice.

Failure

A failed check doesn’t necessarily mean you don’t accomplish what you attempted, just that it had some cost. In combat, the cost is precious time where enemies may now strike you. Outside of an encounter the cost might be exhaustion, damage, losing assets, or gaining some other complication. If there isn't a meaningful cost--ie you can just try again without any condition changing or a foe gaining a chance to do something first--then it didn't matter and shouldn't be a check anyway. Sometimes this is an instinctive call, where the GM asked for a check without any consequence in mind until failure made one necessary. This can become a negotiation if a player has an alternative consequence that's still meaningful within the situation.

Tenacious Chen is attempting to build a barricade before enemies arrive. The referee rules that this is a strength check, and a success indicates that the barricade is complete in time without becoming exhausted. Chen fails the check, and in this case has a choice: the barricade is completed but Chen is exhausted (a state) for the upcoming battle due to the effort to get it done in time, or Chen is fine but the barricade isn't far enough along to offer any protection at all. The referee agrees that's a valid consequence, and now Chen must decide whether that barricade is worth it.

Cooperation

When allies pool their efforts they each roll a check. Modifiers are applied to each check separately. Cooperating checks don’t necessarily need to be rolled against the same facet. The best result within the rolls is used for the group’s result. Matching dice from the other rolls may create or add to sets. If a cooperating check completely fails it removes the best die from the result. Some circumstances force a single character to become a primary roller, and everyone else only rolls support. In such cases only the primary roller's dice count for the best, but tied dice add to the set normally.

See Also


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