When to Roll the Dice



As the referee, you are in control of the challenges players face in your game. As such, it is advisable to ask the following questions to yourself before calling for a Check.

  1. Do I understand what the player wants their character to do, entirely? If the answer is no, ask clarifying questions.
  2. Is there a difference between success and failure in this situation? For example: it is easy to imagine how a character might fail to walk a tightrope or succeed in catching an apple, but difficult to imagine how a character would fail to open an unlocked door or tie their shoelaces. For trivialities like these, it is best to make a ruling and continue the game.
  3. Does the outcome of this Check matter? If a character's health and wellbeing are at risk, this is a pretty good indicator of the significance of a Check. If the outcome of a Check moves the game forward and makes for an interesting story, let the dice fall where they may.


Modifying Checks and Saving Throws

The referee has control over the dice and may modify any roll before it is thrown. In this way, the referee can alter the likelihood of certain outcomes in the game. It is crucial to be aware of these ways the referee can alter dice rolls:

  1. Allow players to apply their character's Passions to certain roles. For example, a character may rely on their Proportion to help them hold on to a ledge, or another character may use their Beauty to talk their enemies into engaging in a truce.
  2. Roll two dice and take the higher result. This is called "advantage." You can apply advantage when the circumstances of a situation are favorable towards the players. You can allow three dice to be thrown and take the highest if the players have put themselves in favorable circumstances by playing well and thinking ahead.
  3. Roll two dice and take the lower result. This is called "disadvantage." You can apply disadvantage when the players are in an unfavorable circumstance and are unlikely to "roll their way out" of a given situation. You can allow three dice to be thrown and take the lowest if the players have put themselves in an unthinkable position where escaping the consequences of a given situation is highly unlikely.


Difficulty of Checks and Saving Throws

Rank Normal Harder Hard Challenging Difficult Insane
Target, d20 13 14 15 16 17 19
Saving Throws Avoiding instant Death, as in poison, venom, disintegration Avoiding Melee special abilities, like lycanthropy and zombification Avoiding Near special abilities, like paralysis and petrification Avoiding Distant special abilities, like dragon's breath Avoiding the effects of Spells Avoiding the effects of Magic Items