Action Rolls

Every action your character attempts is resolved with an Action Roll (AR), made with a twenty-sided die (1d20). If the Action Roll result is equal to or greater than the required Target Number (TN), the attempt succeeds and you get the desired outcome. A result less than the Target Number means that the attempt failed.

The GM assigns Target Numbers, which indicate an action’s inherent difficulty, or how hard it is to accomplish absent any external factors. For reference, the table below shows the Target Number and unmodified percentage chance of success on a d20 (each +1 modifier adds +5%).

External factors—temporary and circumstantial conditions that influence an action’s outcome—are reflected by AR modifiers. Positive modifiers make the action easier, while negative modifiers make the action harder. When using an Ability, add your Ability’s AR modifier to the roll result.

For example, the GM decides that finding food in a barren desert is Very Hard (TN 20). A character has Survival +2, so he adds 2 to the roll; if the modified result is 20 or more, he succeeds. Unless otherwise noted, all AR modifiers that influence a roll are cumulative.

As a shortcut during play, you can determine the d20 result required to succeed by subtracting the total AR modifier from the roll’s TN. For example, Survival +2 against TN 20 requires a roll of 18 or more to succeed (i.e., 20 – (+2) = 18 = success).

There are four possible outcomes of any Action Roll:

• Critical Failure (CF): You fail miserably, and your incompetence creates another problem
• Normal Failure (NF): Your attempt simply doesn’t work (or it works at reduced effect)
• Normal Success (NS): Your attempt works and produces the desired results
• Critical Success (CS): You succeed brilliantly, and your cleverness produces an extra benefit

Critical results occur when the d20 shows a natural result divisible by 4 (i.e., an unmodified 4, 8, 12, 16, or 20). If the modified result of such a roll equals or exceeds the required Target Number, the roll is a Critical Success; otherwise, it’s a Critical Failure.

If the Action Roll is a natural “1,” the attempt is a Normal Failure. If the TN was 2 or less, interpret a natural “1” as a Critical Failure.

If the Action Roll is a natural “20,” the attempt is an automatic Critical Success. If the TN was 21 or more, treat a natural “20” as a Normal Success.

A Resistance Roll is an Action Roll made to counteract adventuring hazards. The Target Number required to resist is based on the danger posed by the hazard (use TN 12 unless otherwise noted).

The Resistance Roll is modified by your experience level plus your AR in any related Ability (e.g., a 2nd-level character with Athletics +3 resists Burns at AR +5). A successful Resistance Roll cuts the effects in half; a Critical Success negates the effects completely.