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Core Rules

Most situations of peril and uncertainty are resolved using one of a handful of core game rules: a Skill Check, Ability Check, Saving Throw, or Attack Roll. In situations where none of these core rules obviously applies, the Referee may simply judge a chance of success and ask the player to roll. See Chance Rolls.

Skill Checks

Skills represent specific competencies practiced by adventurers. All adventurers can use the Listen, Search, and Survival skills, and some Classes grant the use of additional, specialised skills.

Rolling: Roll 1d6 and add any situational modifiers. If the result equals or exceeds the character’s Skill Target for the skill being tested, the check succeeds. Skills default to a target of 6, unless the character’s Kindred or Class specifies a lower target.

1s and 6s: A roll of natural 1 always fails and a roll of natural 6 always succeeds, irrespective of modifiers. Kindred and Class: In cases where a Kindred and Class grant an improved chance of success with a skill (i.e. a lower Skill Target), use the more favourable.

When to Roll a Skill Check

Each skill applies in certain specific situations, when called for in the rules.

Listen Checks: Rolled when a character presses their ear to a door to detect the presence of creatures on the other side (see Doors).

Search Checks: Rolled when searching for secret doors or traps (see Hidden Features).

Survival Checks: Rolled when trying to find food in the wild (see Finding Food in the Wild).

Specialised skills: Specialised Class skills are explained in each Class description. These skills can only be used by characters of the appropriate Class.

Ability Checks

An Ability Check represents a test of a character’s basic physical or mental aptitudes (one of their Ability Scores), rather than learned aptitudes due to their Class or Level.

Rolling: Roll 1d6 and add the Modifier of the Ability being tested, along with any situational modifiers. If the result equals or exceeds a target number of 4, the check succeeds

1s and 6s: A roll of natural 1 always fails and a roll of natural 6 always succeeds, irrespective of modifiers.

When to Roll an Ability Check

Ability Checks apply in certain specific situations, when called for elsewhere in the rules (see the list under Ability Scores). The Referee may also optionally call for an Ability Check in other situations as desired.

Saving Throws

Certain dangerous or detrimental effects—for example, a banshee’s deadly wail or a wyrm’s acidic breath—call for a Saving Throw (sometimes called a save). This is a roll to determine whether a character succumbs to or avoids the effect. There are 5 Save Categories, each rolled for a different type of hazard: Doom, Ray, Hold, Blast, Spell.

Rolling: Roll 1d20 and add any applicable modifiers. If the result equals or exceeds the character’s Save Target for the applicable Save Category, the Saving Throw succeeds.

Modifiers: For Saving Throws against effects of magical origin, add the character’s Wisdom Modifier. Also add any situational modifiers determined by the Referee.

1s and 20s: A roll of natural 1 always fails and a roll of natural 20 always succeeds, irrespective of modifiers.

When to Roll a Saving Throw

The description of a spell, magic item, monster special power, and so forth notes when to roll a Saving Throw and which Save Category to roll against. For example, the description of a spell may call for a Save Versus Spell.

Save Categories

Doom: Effects that instantly kill or inflict ongoing physical malignities—for example, poison, disease, death magic. Doom also serves as a general category for avoiding unfortunate fates that do not fall under any other Save Category.

Ray: Rapidly moving, directional effects that can be dodged—for example, energy rays, lightning bolts.

Hold: Effects that hinder or prevent movement—for example, paralysis, petrification, falling rocks that may crush or pin characters.

Blast: Lethal energy effects that fill a wide area—for example, wyrm breath, explosions.

Spell: Potent, directly targeted effects—for example, arcane or holy spells, fairy glamours, magic staves.

Choosing a Save Category

In situations not covered by the rules (e.g. when creating new spells or monsters), the Referee must choose an appropriate Save Category. A simple approach is to run down the categories list above (from Doom to Spell) and choose the first that fits the effect in question. For very unusual effects that don’t fit in any category, default to Doom.

Item Saving Throws

The equipment of a character killed by a destructive effect (e.g. lightning) is assumed to be destroyed. Magic items may be allowed a Save Versus Doom (using the character’s Save Targets) to survive.

Attack Rolls

In the chaos of combat, the sequence of feints, dodges, parries, and glancing blows that may occur each Round are abstracted into an Attack Roll. This roll determines whether an attacker lands a blow on their opponent.

Rolling: Roll 1d20 and add any applicable modifiers. If the result equals or exceeds the defender’s Armour Class, the attack hits. Make a Damage Roll.

Modifiers: Add the character’s Attack bonus (see the Class progression table). For melee attacks, add the character’s Strength Modifier. For missile attacks, add the character’s Dexterity Modifier. Also add any situational modifiers determined by the Referee.

1s and 20s: A roll of natural 1 always fails and a roll of natural 20 always succeeds, irrespective of modifiers.

When to Roll an Attack Roll

An Attack Roll is made whenever one creature attempts to physically harm another, whether using fists, claws, melee weapons, or missile weapons. See Combat.

Damage Rolls

The equipment list (Armour and Weapons) notes the damage die rolled for each type of weapon. Likewise, the descriptions of creatures with natural attack forms (e.g. claws, fangs) note the damage die rolled.

Modifiers: Attacks with melee weapons apply the Strength Modifier to the damage roll.

Hit Points: Rolled damage is subtracted from the target’s Hit Points.

Minimum damage: A successful attack always inflicts at least 1 damage, irrespective of modifiers.

Death: A target that reaches 0 Hit Points dies. Hit Points are never reduced below 0.

Immunities: Some monsters are immune to attacks of certain kinds. In this case, even if an attack hits, damage is not rolled.

Recovering lost HP: Lost Hit Points can be recovered by rest and healing. See Rest and Healing.

Situational Modifiers

The Referee may apply modifiers to a Skill Check, Ability Check, Saving Throw, or Attack Roll, depending on the difficulty of the situation.

Skill Check / Ability Check modifiers: Generally range from –2 to +2, with a –2 penalty representing a very challenging situation and a +2 bonus representing a very easy situation.

Saving Throw / Attack Roll modifiers: Generally range from –4 to +4, with a –4 penalty representing a very challenging situation and a +4 bonus representing a very easy situation.

Chance Rolls

In situations where no specific skill or Ability plays a role or where sheer luck is the deciding factor, the Referee may judge a chance of success and have the player roll. Two common methods are judging an X-in-6 or a percentage chance.

X-in-6: The Referee judges the chance of success as a likelihood out of 6. For example, a 3-in-6 chance for a situation of even chances, or a 1-in-6 chance for a very challenging situation.

Percentage chance: The Referee judges the chance of success as a percentage. For example, a 50% chance for a situation of even chances, or a 10% chance for a very challenging situation.

core_rules.txt · Last modified: 2024/08/14 20:03 by admin

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