The Duality Dice & Action Rolls
Every action roll uses the Duality Dice: two d12s of different colors, one the Hope Die and one the Fear Die.
When You Roll
The GM calls for an action roll when your move has an uncertain outcome that is interesting to the story. Uncomplicated or impossible actions need no roll.
- Pick a trait and set the Difficulty. The GM picks or approves the trait (Agility, Strength, Finesse, Instinct, Presence, or Knowledge) and sets the Difficulty.
- Add extra dice and modifiers. Experiences, advantage or disadvantage dice, feature dice, and character tokens.
- Roll. Roll everything at once, add it up, and announce the total and the higher Duality Die, for example "15 with Fear."
- Resolve. Compare the total to the Difficulty.
Difficulty
| Difficulty | Target |
|---|---|
| Very Easy | 5 |
| Easy | 10 |
| Average | 15 |
| Hard | 20 |
| Very Hard | 25 |
| Nearly Impossible | 30 |
Difficulty doesn't need to be a multiple of 5, and the GM may share it or keep it secret. Rolls against an adversary use that adversary's Difficulty.
The Outcomes
Rolling with Hope means the Hope Die is higher. Rolling with Fear means the Fear Die is higher.
| Outcome | Result |
|---|---|
| Critical Success | Both dice match. A success with an extra benefit, whatever the Difficulty. Gain 1 Hope, clear 1 Stress, and on an attack deal extra damage. |
| Success with Hope | A full success. Gain 1 Hope. |
| Success with Fear | A success with a cost or complication. The GM gains 1 Fear. |
| Failure with Hope | The action fails with complications. Gain 1 Hope. |
| Failure with Fear | The action fails with major consequences. The GM gains 1 Fear. |
Rolling with Fear does not mean you fail. It means a complication arrives, such as partial information, a counterattack, or a hazard, and it gets worse if the roll also fails.
An Example
Tabby, a Warrior with Agility +2, runs across a narrow parapet to stop a spellcasting mage. The GM calls for an Agility Roll, Difficulty 15.
| Hope / Fear | Total | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 3 / 6 | 11 | Failure with Fear. The mage's fire blast knocks Tabby off the parapet. |
| 6 / 3 | 11 | Failure with Hope. Tabby gains a Hope but is left dangling from the edge. |
| 5 / 9 | 16 | Success with Fear. She reaches the mage, but the parapet crumbles behind her. |
| 10 / 6 | 18 | Success with Hope. She interrupts the mage cleanly and gains a Hope. |
| 8 / 8 | 18 | Critical Success. She gains a Hope, clears a Stress, and also deals weapon damage. |
Story is consequence. Every roll changes the scene. There is no roll where nothing happens.
Advantage and Disadvantage
Advantage adds a d6 to your total. Disadvantage subtracts a d6. They always cancel each other out on the same roll.
Experiences
Experiences are short phrases describing your background and skills, starting at +2. Spend 1 Hope to add an applicable Experience to an action or reaction roll, and 1 more Hope for each extra Experience that applies.
Special Rolls
- Reaction rolls answer an attack or hazard. They generate no Hope or Fear and no GM move, and no one can help you. A critical success on a reaction roll lets you ignore effects that would still hit you on a normal success, but it doesn't clear Stress or grant Hope.
- Group action rolls. The party picks a leader, who makes the action roll. Everyone else makes reaction rolls. The leader gets +1 for each success and −1 for each failure.
- Tag Team rolls. Once per session, spend 3 Hope to combine actions with another character. You both roll and choose one result to apply to both of you. On a successful Tag Team attack, you both roll damage and add the totals.