Difference between revisions of "Check"

Revision as of 01:27, 9 December 2018

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 nothing, discard them from the result.
• Success: Rolls of 4, 5, or 6 are marks, keep them. If there are one or more in the pool after Interference and Opposition (below) 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.

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.

Best Mark

Whatever die rolls the highest number, that's your "Best Mark" result. Multiple dice with the same number all count together as the Best Mark. So if the highest result is a 5, the Best Mark is a 5. If there were two dice that rolled 5 then the Best Mark is two 5's. Set the Best Mark aside, that becomes the target for any Opposition to beat. Any remaining successes may generate Momentum.

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. Huang rolls her 3d and gets 1, 4, and 5, a Best Mark of 5 and a mark of 4 to spare. Now a single die is rolled in opposition due to the penalty, and comes up a 5. The lowest Interference mark (the 5) and takes her lowest Mark (the 4) with it. That leaves her Best Mark as 5, 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, check the Best against the original. If it beats it (more dice with the same number, or any die with a higher number) then the original check is blocked. Momentum still counts for both checks, after the Best has been pulled out--whether it won or not. A tie means the original result stands, but any Momentum generated still counts.

Momentum

Every pair of marks in the roll after the Best Mark group is set aside generates Momentum. Momentum may:

• Trigger a stunt the character possesses
• Converted into a +1/-1 Damage if an Attack is involved
• Grant a +1/-1 modifier to any one 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.

Shifts

Each character starts with three Shifts. After the results of any Check or Save (including Interference and Opposition) you may spend 1 Shift to add another 2 dice to the roll. After seeing the new result you may spend another Shift and add 2 more dice, and so on until you are satisfied with the result or run out of Shifts to spend.

The Referee has Shifts to spend as well. If spending to oppose a player both sides may spend Shifts freely until satisfied or out of Shifts. If a player is satisfied, then the GM spends a Shift and changes the outcome the player once again has the opportunity to spend Shifts, and vice-versa.

Venture

You can take risks to get a better chance of momentum--if you succeed. Before you roll a check, you may add 2 Interference for a "Venture." After the result is calculated and the Best Mark is set aside, but before any Opposition, a Venture becomes a die matching the highest unpaired success remaining. You can try for more than one Venture, but each instance adds two Interference, and you may not Venture if the Interference is already six dice or more.

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 1 Venture on her guard, attempting 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 two Interference dice that comes up 2 and 3...not affecting her pool. Her 4 eliminates the 4 from the thug's check, leaving her 5, and now her Venture 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" means 6's on Interference and Opposition don't explode.
• "Disadvantage" means 6's on the check don't explode. Interference and Opposition explode normally.

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 determine which character is rolling the most dice for the Check. This character becomes the primary. If more than one character could be the primary players may choose who takes the primary role. The primary rolls a check normally, including suffering any penalties for the situation. Everyone else attempting to help rolls an appropriate check, but has Interference equal to the primary roller's dice. Any successes that remain after Interference are added directly to the primary roller's Check pool.

See Also

• Game Play
• Complication
• Encounter
• Modifier

Version 2.5.4
©2017 Frameworks Games

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