6. Roll The Dice And Judge The Result

Once the goal, action rating, position, and effect have been established, add any bonus dice and roll the dice pool to determine the outcome. (See the sets of possible outcomes, by position, on the next page.)

The action roll does a lot of work for you. It tells you how well the character performs as well as how serious the consequences are for them. They might succeed at their action without any consequences (on a 6), or they might succeed but suffer consequences (on a 4/5), or it might just all go wrong (on a 1-3).

On a 1-3, it’s up to the GM to decide if the PC’s action has any effect or not, or if it even happens at all. Usually, the action just fails completely, but in some circumstances, it might make sense or be more interesting for the action to have some effect even on a 1-3 result.

Vark Channels a connection to an infernal entity that he found in the ruins of an ancient temple. The roll is a 1-3. The GM could say that Vark fails to channel the infernal power, and the backlash from the desperate failure manifests as psychic harm, level 3. But it would be much more interesting if the channelling happened, and Vark was confronted with this horrific entity, mind-to-mind, right? Vark touches the horrible will of that ancient creature, and the twisting madness within it overwhelms him. He suffers level 3 psychic harm, sure, but also gets a new 6-clock: “Get Rid of These Nightmare Infernal Visions”.

Each 4/5 and 1-3 outcome lists suggested consequences for the character. The worse your position, the worse the consequences are. The GM can inflict one or more of these consequences, depending on the circumstances of the action roll. PCs have the ability to avoid or reduce the severity of consequences that they suffer by resisting them.

When you narrate the action after the roll, the GM and player collaborate together to say what happens on-screen. *Tell us how you vault across to the other rooftop. Tell us what you say to the Janissary to convince them. When you face the Sarameian duelist, what’s your fighting style like? The GM will tell you the results of your actions.