Mechanics: Modifying Rolls

Rolls can be modified in a number of ways. The roll’s Precision or Impact can be raised or lowered or the dice pool can be modified before rolling. The GM can use any of the following to modify a player’s roll.

Adding to or subtracting from the Precision:

The Precision of a roll is what determines if an action is successfully executed or not. This number can be altered to represent circumstantial boons or setbacks or special skills possessed by the character. These bonuses or penalties are applied after the dice are rolled and chosen and after the base Precision and Impact are calculated.

Example: Frank has been challenged to a tennis match for the life of the princess. Fortunately, Frank has been practicing his backhand. He has the skill “Tennis (Power/Finesse): 2” which gives his rolls 2 higher Precision when he plays tennis. However, unbeknownst to him, the organizers of the match are cheating and have loosened the strings on his racket. This will lower his rolls’ Precision by 1. Taken all together, Frank adds a total of 1 to his tennis rolls. Stepping onto the court, Frank waves to the crowd and takes his first swing. He rolls his Power/Finesse -- a pool of d8/d4/d4 -- and gets 4, 3, and 1. He chooses the 4 and 1, giving him a Precision of 6 after adding in the modifiers. Let’s hope the princess has a plan B.

Adding to or subtracting from the Impact:

The Impact of a roll is what determines the force with which the action is executed. This number is most frequently altered by the use of special equipment, such as using a weapon to deal more damage, or by status effects on your character, such as running slower due to exhaustion. These bonuses or penalties are applied after the dice are rolled and chosen and after the base Precision and Impact are calculated.

Example: Having lost the earlier tennis match, Frank is desperately trying to talk the villains into going for best-two-out-of-three. He decides to roll Willpower/Charisma, attempting to use his force of personality to sway them. However, Frank doesn’t realize that he has spinach stuck between his teeth from breakfast yesterday, making it hard for anyone to take him seriously. He saunters up to the judges, smiles big, and rolls his dice. He rolls 6, 4, and 2. Wanting to make an impression with his words, he chooses the 6 and 2, which would give him an Impact of 4. The unfortunate leftovers, however, impart a -1 penalty on the roll’s Impact, netting him a Precision of 8 and an Impact of 3.

Modifying the dice pool:

If something affects the likelihood of a roll's success, but the effect isn't evidenced in the final numbers, then the dice pool was probably altered. A dice pool (after combining two Attributes) can be either Minorly Hindered or Majorly Hindered. Neither one is helpful, and they could even end up producing the same effect, depending on the dice pool. A pool that is Minorly Hindered removes the lowest tier die from the pool before rolling. In the case that the pool has multiple dice that are tied for lowest, only remove one of them. A Majorly Hindered pool has had the highest tier die removed from or before rolling. If there are multiple dice that are tied for highest, only remove one of them. Only one Hindered effect can affect a given roll. If effects cause a pool to be Hindered multiple times (either Majorly or Minorly) then the pool is instead Majorly Hindered. Note that this can possibly bring a pool down to a single die. If this happens, the check automatically fails unless something can bring the roll's Impact above zero (with only one die, the difference between the “highest” die and the “lowest” die is always zero).

Example: Thanks to poor hygiene, Frank is now running through the jungle with a princess over his shoulder and angry mob on his tail. Ahead of him he spots a wide creek bed that he’ll have to leap over if he intends to escape. Normally an easy jump for him, the two meter gap is somewhat more threatening with his cargo. Frank’s jump will be Minorly Hindered. He gathers his Power (d8/d4) and Quickness (d4) dice pools and combines them (d8/d4/d4). He then removes one of the d4s to account for the Minor Hinderance. He rolls, getting a 5 and a 4. His aim is not a problem with a Precision of 9, but his Impact of only 1 means he falls short of his two-meter goal. Frank slams into the far creek wall with a thud and slides down into the sticky mud. Now he is faced with the prospect of climbing out. The mud would normally Minorly Hinder him, but since he is still carrying the princess (another Minor Hinderance), his climb will be Majorly hindered. He again gathers his Power/Quickness dice pool (d8/d4/d4), but this time removes the highest die in the pool, the d8. He attempts to climb out of the muddy creek bed rolling just two d4s. Maybe he can still talk his way out of this...