Checks, Dice & Fate

Making Checks

When you declare an action with a real chance to change the outcome, or to cause consequences for the story or the players, you make a check: roll 1d20 and add the relevant ability score and skill ranks (plus any other modifiers). The GM sets a target number, the Difficulty Class (DC). If your total equals or beats it you succeed; otherwise you fail. Either way, the GM tells you what happens.

Critical Results

Rolling a natural 20, or beating the DC by 15 or more, is a critical success, which usually brings some extra benefit. Rolling a natural 1, or missing the DC by 15 or more, is a critical failure, which usually brings some consequence. This applies to all skill checks, ability checks, saves and defensive rolls.

Difficulty Class

A task's DC rates how hard it is, from 0 (easiest) to 40 (nearly impossible):

Flat Checks

Some effects call for a flat check: a plain 1d20 with no bonuses against a DC the GM (or the effect) sets. A flat check simply passes or fails; there are no extra benefits or consequences for beating or missing it by a wide margin.

Advantage and Disadvantage

Situations, abilities and effects can give a roll one or more levels of Advantage or Disadvantage. Each level of Advantage adds 2 to the final result; each level of Disadvantage subtracts 2. A roll with both cancels them one for one, and whichever has levels left applies.

Fortune and Misfortune

A roll with Fortune rolls twice and uses the better result; one with Misfortune rolls twice and uses the worse. They can apply to checks, saves, opposed rolls, flat checks, attack rolls or any other roll an effect names. A roll with both cancels out and is rolled normally, and multiple sources of Fortune (or of Misfortune) don't stack.

Advantage/Disadvantage and Fortune/Misfortune are separate: Advantage and Disadvantage change the final result; Fortune and Misfortune decide which die result you use.

Group Checks

When several characters attempt something together, each makes the check against the same DC (or the same opposed roll). If at least half of them succeed, the whole group succeeds.

Math

• Fractions: whenever you take half (or another fraction) of a value, round down unless told otherwise. Several halvings apply in sequence: two halves make a quarter, three make an eighth, and so on.
• Multiples: unlike fractions, multipliers add up. Two effects that each double a value triple it; three quadruple it; each extra doubling adds one more ×1.

Fate Dice

You begin each session with the minimum number of Fate Dice for your level, or with however many you had at the end of the last session, whichever is higher, up to double the minimum.

• Gaining Fate Dice: you gain one whenever you roll a critical failure on a check, or succeed on a check that needed a 19 or better on the d20. The GM may also award them at the end of a scene for good roleplaying, clever thinking or any other reason.
• Spending Fate Dice: at any time, spend 1 to reroll a failed check (you must keep the new result), or to add its result to, or subtract it from, an effect roll: an attack's damage, a spell's healing, or the damage you take from an attack.

Chaos Dice

Chaos Dice are the GM's Fate Dice, spent to reroll any failed d20 roll or to add one or more of their results to an effect roll. They work like Fate Dice, except:

• The GM starts each session with 1 Chaos Die per PC at the table.
• The GM's Chaos Dice pool has no maximum.
• The GM gains 1 Chaos Die whenever a player character scores a critical success on a check.