1.2. Dice Mechanics
This chapter discusses mechanics that may be partially or wholly different from what you've seen before. If you recognize a term below, you may still want to skim the section to learn what is different here in The Kleptonomicon.
Tests
While adventuring, the GM will occasionally ask you to perform a "Test". When this happens, you will roll the dice then apply some alterations to the result on the die to determine your Score for the Test.
For most Tests, you will be rolling a d10 and adding a Modifier to determine your Score. The GM or Ability that brought about the Test will tell you which Modifier to use, usually using the name of the Modifier. Occasionally, you will also perform other modifications to the roll before determining your Score, like rolling with an Advantage or a Disadvantage.
Your final Score of a Test is then used to determine how well your character performed a certain task. The term 'Score' will always be used to refer to the final result of the Test (after all Modifiers, Advantages, Disadvantages, and other modifications have been applied.) If the GM ever asks for your Score, just know that they want the final result instead of the raw value shown on the dice.
Occasionally the term Score will simply be used alongside the name of the Modifier you are being asked to roll with. For example, if you are asked for a "Sneaking Score" or a "History Score," just know that that means you will perform a Test using your Sneaking or History Modifier, respectively, to determine your Score. If you are new to the game, don't be afraid to ask for help in figuring out what you need for each Test.
Modifiers
A Modifier, (sometimes called a "Mod" for short), is a fixed value added to or subtracted from the total sum of a dice roll. The shorthand for a Modifier is written as a '+' or '-' followed by a number. When a Modifier is preceded by a Dice Shorthand, you will simply roll the dice specified, then add the Modifier to the sum of the dice.
On your Character Sheet, you will find many named Modifiers with no Dice Shorthand before them. In these cases the die rolled with the Modifier will be a d10.
If you are unsure what to roll, ask your GM or another experienced player. They will be happy to help you figure it out.
- Roll
2d12 +3 - Roll a "Focus Save".
- #Alice looks up the Modifier on her Character Sheet named "Focus Save". The Modifier is a
+1. - #Alice roll a 10-sided die. She got an
8. #Alice adds her Focus Save Modifier of+1to her 10-sided die's result to get9. - #Alice's final Focus Save sum is
9.
- #Alice looks up the Modifier on her Character Sheet named "Focus Save". The Modifier is a
Critical Rolls
When a 10 is rolled (often labeled a 0 on a d10), you have gotten a "Critical Roll". When you get a Critical Roll, you will then need to flip a coin to determine if you get a Critical Success or a Failing Score. If you do not have a coin, you can simply roll again, treating an odd result as a Failing Score and an even result as a Critical Success.
If you roll a Critical Success, your Score is counted as being the bests it could be, regardless of your Modifier for the roll. It is still possible to fall short of accomplishing what you intended, but the GM will grant you a positive side effect (even if it is just information or a temporary boost to your next Tests.) Similarly, if you roll a Failing Score, your Score is counted as being the lowest it could possibly be, regardless of your Modifier for the roll. A Failing Score could mean that you do still accomplish the task, but that you will likely experience a negative side effect (like getting injured or experiencing a setback of some kind.)
If you do not like having to flip a coin for each Critical Roll, you can instead use a "d10ish" die. The die is a 20-sided die that has the values '1' through '9' repeated twice while there is only one '0' face and one '10' face. Rolling the '0' or the '10' results in a Failing Score or a Critical Success, respectively.
Below is a histogram depicting the faces of the die to help demonstrate how most numbers have a 10% chance, except '0' and '10', which have a 5% chance:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
You can also roll a d10ish die using this free website: http://d10ish.com
If you have a 3D printer, a free file is available for the d10ish here: https://makerworld.com/en/models/861559-d10ish-20-sided-d10-but-5-crits
Advantage and Disadvantage
Some circumstances will place you at an Advantage or a Disadvantage while performing various activities. In these circumstances, additional dice are used to represent the temporary changes in your ability to perform.
All Advantages and Disadvantages, unless otherwise stated, remain in effect until the circumstances that brought them about come to an end. For example, if you have an Advantage to your attack because an enemy has ants in their pants, you will be able to apply that Advantage to all relevant Tests until the foe has dealt with the ants. For official Abilities, their description will explain the Tests that each Advantage and Disadvantage can be applied to as well as what conditions will end those Advantages and Disadvantages.
Advantage
For each Advantage you have on a Test you will roll an additional d10, keeping track of the highest die result. The highest die result will then be used to calculate the Score of your Test.
Disadvantage
For each Disadvantage you have on a Test you will roll an additional d10, keeping track of the lowest die result. The lowest die result will then be used to calculate the Score of your Test.
Canceling Out
When you have both Advantages and Disadvantages, they cancel each-other out at a rate of one-to-one. After canceling, the total number of Advantages or Disadvantages that remain is capped at 3 (to help save time.) This means you will only ever need 4 or fewer 10-sided dice for any one Test.
Resolving Critical Rolls
If a Critical Roll is rolled as one of the dice in an Advantage or Disadvantage roll, resolve the Critical Roll into a Critical Success or Failing Score before figuring out what the highest or lowest die is. This may mean you can avoid a Failing Score if you are rolling with Advantage and get a different, better result. It also means you may miss out on a Critical Success if you are rolling with Disadvantage and get a different, lower result.
- Roll with Advantage.
- Roll with two Disadvantages.
- Roll with five Advantages and one Disadvantage.
- #Alice cancels one Advantage with one Disadvantage. #Alice now has four Advantages.
- #Alice caps the number of Advantages at the maximum of 3 Advantages.
- #Alice rolls
4d10(three extra dice due to having three Advantages) and gets:1,4,8, and2. - #Alice discards all but the high die of
8for the rest of the Test. - #Alice adds her Modifier to the die result, turning her
4into a6. - #Alice's Score for this Test is
6.
When you get a Critical Roll while you have an Advantage or Disadvantage, you will need to resolve the Critical Roll before determining the high or low result. Below is are examples to demonstrate this:
- Roll with Advantage
- #Alice rolls
2d10(one extra die due to her Advantage) and gets:4and10(sometimes on the dice as0.) The10is a Critical Roll. - #Alice flips a coin for the Critical Roll and chose wrong. The roll is now counted as a
0and a Critical Failure. - #Alice discards the Critical Failure and uses the
4as her roll for the rest of the Test. - #Alice adds her Modifier, turning the
4into a5. - #Alice's Score is
5.
- #Alice rolls
Note: If the above example were with Disadvantage instead of Advantage, the Critical Failure would have been the die chosen and used for the rest of the Test.
Score Ranges
After you perform a Test, your Score will be compared against several Score Ranges to determine what effects, if any, become active.
Score Ranges are written using a shorthand. The shorthand uses an inclusive range of numbers surrounded by square brackets. For a majority of Tests, you will see one or more of the following Score Ranges:
| Score Range | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [..6] | Low Score | Bad things will likely result. |
| [7..9] | Mixed Score | You may succeed, but likely with a downside. |
| [10..] | High Score | You succeed, usually with no downside. |
It won't take long to learn these ranges, but an easy way to remember them is by viewing them as grade-school grades. A 'Low Score' of 6 or lower is like a 60% or lower in school, which is a 'D' or 'F'. These are usually failing grades. A 'Mixed Score' of 7 through 9 is like a 70% to a 90%, which is a 'C' to an 'A' grade; not perfect, thus a mixed result. A 'High Score' of 10 or more is like getting 100% or above, which is an 'A+'.
For some Tests, the results will simply be described as a Passing Score or Failing Score (or a Pass or a Fail, respectively.) For those Tests, a Mixed Score or better is considered a Passing Score, otherwise it is a Failing Score:
| Score Range | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [..6] | Failing Score | Bad things will likely result. |
| [7..] | Passing Score | You succeeded. Good things will likely result. |
Some Tests will be described using explicit Score Ranges other than the standard ones above. Those custom ranges will be written with the same square-bracket shorthand used above.
Some Tests may have specific effects for when you get a Critical Roll. The Score Range shorthand for a Critical Failure is a 0 or a 10 followed by an exclamation mark:
| Score Range | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [0!] | Critical Failure | Really bad things will likely result. |
| [10!] | Critical Success | Really good things will likely result. |
Group Tests
Some situations require a group of players to roll together. In these situations you will be performing a Group Test. At the end of the Group Tests, the lowest Score is used for the entire group. Before the Test ends, however, players that roll well can help other players that did not fare so well.
To make a Group Test, all players involved roll their own Test as normal. Then, based on a player's individual Score, they can potentially help other players improve their Score:
- [7..] Mixed Score. You can give another player an Advantage to their Test.
- [10..] High Score. You can give two Advantages out to other Player(s) for their Test(s).
By giving Advantages to other players, you can potentially turn their Fail into a Pass. Remember, at the end of the Group Test the lowest Score is used for the entire group, so be sure to help other players where you can.
- #Alice, #Bob, #Carol, and #David are asked to roll a Sneaking Skill Test as a Group Test.
- All players roll
1d10and add their Sneaking Skill Modifier to it. - #Alice got an
8and #Bob got an11. #Alice and #Bob succeed. - #Carol got a
5and #David got an6. #Carol and #David currently have Low Scores. - #Alice's
8lets her give out an Advantage to another player. #Alice gives one to #David, turning his6into a7, which is now a Pass. - #Bob's high result lets him give two Advantages to #Carol, turning #Carol's
5into a7, which is a Pass. - The lowest Score is for the group is a
7. The Group Test results in a Mixed Score.
- All players roll
Contest
A Contest involves two parties performing a head-to-head Test, directly compare their Scores afterward to determine the winner. If one party's Score is higher, that party wins the Contest. If both Scores are a tie, a coin toss is used to determine the winner.
Some Contests will use a Score Range shorthand in their description:
[Win]Takes effect if you get the higher Score in the Contest.[Lose]Takes effect if you get the lower Score in the Contest.
Next Up: 1.3. The Story Rule