Skills

Basic skill tests. Roll D100 at or below the skill to succeed; 00 counts as 100. Critical is 01 through the skill's tens digit, at least 01 above 0%. Fumbles are 99–00 below 100%, and 00 at 100%. Also known as roll under, critical success, fumble, D100 test.

Roll D100 against the relevant skill, as described in Make a test. 00 reads as 100.

Do not roll for routine work when the character has enough time, suitable tools, and relevant competence. Roll when pressure, danger, limited time, or real uncertainty makes both success and failure interesting.

Result grades

Check fumbles first; a fumble overrides success. The result grades are Critical, Success, Failure, and Fumble. Skills cannot exceed 100%. At 100%, rolls 01–10 are Critical, 11–99 Success, and 00 a Fumble.

Exact critical ranges

Use the integer tens digit, not rounding. Any skill above 0% has a critical range of at least 01.

Deadly Precision is the one exception: it doubles the normal range for one eligible weapon attack. Other tests keep their normal range.

Interpreting exceptional results

A Critical achieves the stated intent especially quickly, thoroughly, or effectively, and may reveal an extra benefit or useful information.

A Fumble fails and adds a serious consequence that fits the declared action, such as lost time, damaged equipment, danger, or a worse position. It should follow from the risk already present, not invent an unrelated disaster.

Bonus and Penalty dice. Cancel Bonus and Penalty dice one for one, cap the net modifier at +3B or -3P, then choose the best or worst D100 result from the extra tens dice. Also known as bonus dice, penalty dice, difficulty, B and P dice.

Bonus dice (+1B, +2B…) improve a test; Penalty dice (-1P, -2P…) hinder it.

1. Total all Bonus and Penalty dice, cancel them one for one, and cap what remains at +3B or -3P.
2. Roll one units die and one tens die, plus one extra tens die for each remaining Bonus or Penalty die.
3. Pair the shared units die with every tens die to form the candidate D100 results. Read 00 as 100.
4. With Bonus dice, always keep the result that is better for the roller. With Penalty dice, always keep the result that is worse for the roller.

Which result is better? Grade every candidate first: Critical > Success > Failure > Fumble. Within Critical or Success, the higher roll is better. Within Failure or Fumble, the lower roll is better. Use this order even when the test is not opposed. If Deadly Precision applies, grade every candidate with its doubled critical range.

Choose the result before comparing participants in an opposed test. Base skill and defender or status-quo tiebreakers never choose between one roller’s candidates. Bonus and Penalty dice change the roll, not the skill or its critical range.

When to apply them

Apply dice only for circumstances that materially change the task, such as terrain, tools, visibility, preparation, time pressure, injuries, or a sound or flawed approach.

A modest advantage or obstacle is usually +1B or -1P. Use larger modifiers only when several strong factors point the same way; the final net modifier never exceeds three dice.

Opposed tests. Compare result grade first; within the same successful grade the higher roll wins, while matching failures favour the lower roll. Exact ties favour higher base skill, then the defender or status quo. Also known as contested test, resisted test, opposed tie.

Use an opposed test when two characters directly compete, or one actively resists another. Each participant rolls the relevant skill with their own Bonus or Penalty dice. Resolve each participant’s Bonus or Penalty dice before comparing their final results.

Compare results

1. Compare result grades: Critical > Success > Failure > Fumble.
2. If both achieve the same successful grade, the higher roll wins.
3. If both Fail, or both Fumble, the lower roll wins.
4. If the rolls are exactly equal, the higher unmodified base skill wins.
5. If base skill also ties, the defender wins. With no clear defender, the status quo remains.

These tiebreakers compare participants only; they never choose between one participant’s Bonus or Penalty candidates.

Weapon defences add one combat exception: an ordinary successful Dodge or Parry still demotes a critical attack to an ordinary hit, without blocking damage. Grappling and Shaping do not use that exception.

Example. Two ordinary Successes of 42 and 31 favour 42. Two Failures of 72 and 85 favour 72. A Critical always defeats an ordinary Success, whatever the numbers.

Assistance. Meaningful help from one or more capable characters usually grants +1B in total, or +2B when the combined assistance is exceptionally effective. Also known as aid another, helping, teamwork.

Helping a test

One or more characters can assist when they have a practical way to contribute. The Gamemaster decides whether the method and the time available make assistance possible.

• An assistant normally needs at least 26% in the relevant skill.
• Meaningful assistance grants +1B to the acting character’s test in total, not per helper. Exceptionally effective combined help can grant +2B.
• Apply assistance with all other modifiers, then cancel and cap Bonus and Penalty dice normally.

Resistance and combat skills. Dodge, Persistence, and Resilience resist danger; Close, Ranged, and Unarmed Combat govern physical attacks and defences. Also known as combat skills, resistance skills, Dodge Persistence Resilience.

Dodge

Use Dodge against an attack or physical danger you can perceive and move away from. The Combat rules say when it needs a Reaction or Penalty dice.

Persistence

Persistence is mental resolve. Use it to resist Influence, intimidation, fear, and other attempts to override your judgement or will.

Resilience

Resilience is physical endurance. It is the standard skill for Fatigue tests and for resisting poison, disease, exposure, starvation, thirst, and similar bodily threats.

Combat skills

Close Combat covers melee weapons and shields. Ranged Combat covers missile and thrown weapons. Unarmed Combat covers grappling and natural attacks: an unarmed human normally deals 1D3 damage and counts as Light, while a natural weapon uses its listed damage and Size, defaulting to Medium.

The Combat chapter defines attacks, Parries, Dodges, damage, range, and weapon restrictions.

Knowledge skills. Culture, Language, Lore, and Natural Lore cover learned knowledge, communication, and practical understanding of the natural world. Also known as Culture Language Lore Natural Lore, survival, tracking.

Each foreign Culture, foreign Language, and Lore field is a separate skill. Choose one own field of study at character creation.

Culture

Culture recalls a society’s history, politics, geography, customs, superstitions, and common beliefs. Use Culture (own) for your home society and Culture (other) for each foreign society you study.

Language

Each Language is separate. At 50% or more you speak fluently; lower scores allow simpler communication, in proportion to the skill.

Lore

Each Lore is a specialised field of study that improves separately. Common fields are Alchemy (reagents, distillation, poisons, and antidotes), Magic, Military Tactics, Spirit World, Undead, Law and Heraldry, and Astronomy. Other fields, such as art, gambling, or philosophy, work the same way.

A successful Lore test also grants +1B to one directly related skill test made soon after, when recognition or preparation would plausibly help.

Natural Lore

Natural Lore covers the living world, terrain, and survival.

• Animals: identify animals and understand their behaviour, habitat, and care. Training a wild animal normally needs a test after each full week; training it for riding also needs Riding 50%.
• Plants: identify plants, suitable crops, edible species, and unusual properties.
• Minerals: identify stone, ores, valuable deposits, faults, and unsafe ground.
• Survival: find food, water, and safe shelter in the wilderness. When a necessity is unavailable, make one test per day to find it before deprivation takes effect.
• Tracking: find a trail, then test again for each ten minutes of following it while the trail is uncertain.
• Weather: predict ordinary changes in local weather.

Practical skills. Practical skills cover movement, making and repairing, stealth, vehicles, healing, social pressure, perception, performance, city life, and trade. Also known as Athletics Craft Deception, Healing Influence Perception, Riding Sailing Streetwise Trade.

Each Craft subject is a separate skill.

Athletics

Athletics covers acrobatics, force, climbing, jumping, running, and swimming.

• Acrobatics: balance, tumble, and cross unstable surfaces. Move at half Movement without a test; full speed needs Athletics. When a falling rule calls for Acrobatics, test Athletics.
• Brute force: push, lift, drag, bend, or break using raw strength.
• Climbing: climb or descend at one-quarter Movement where holds are available. A successful test doubles this rate when speed or difficult conditions matter.
• Jumping: with a 5-metre run, a success clears about twice your height horizontally, or half your height vertically. Standing jumps cover half that. Each extra horizontal metre applies -1P, subject to the normal -3P cap.
• Swimming: swim at half Movement in calm water. Test in strong currents, poor weather, with heavy loads, or in other danger.

Craft

Choose a trade such as blacksmith, bowyer, brewer, carpenter, mason, potter, or tailor. Craft makes and repairs suitable goods. As a rough guide, work takes one day per 50 SP of finished value and uses materials worth half that value.

Deception

Deception covers disguise, hiding objects, picking pockets, stealth, and misdirection. Attempts to avoid notice are usually opposed by Perception. To pickpocket or plant a small item normally needs at least one minute of sustained access.

Driving

Driving covers carts, chariots, wagons, and similar vehicles. No test is needed at walking pace on flat ground; test for speed, dangerous terrain, jumps, collisions, or difficult manoeuvres.

Healing

Healing needs a Healing Kit; without one, the test is at -2P.

• Battlefield treatment: spend the full round adjacent to a stationary patient. Success removes Bleeding and Dying but restores no HP.
• Ordinary injury: after an encounter, a patient who is not Wounded can receive one attempt before their next full rest. Success restores 1D4 HP.
• Surgery: outside combat and after stabilisation, success restores 1 HP and lets a Major Wound recover normally.
• Poison or disease: successful treatment grants +1B to the patient’s next Resilience test against the affliction.
• Unconsciousness: a success can revive someone whose condition allows them to wake; it cannot wake a patient at 0 HP.

Healing and Recovery gives the full wound and recovery procedure.

Influence

Influence persuades, bargains, commands, or intimidates through words and conduct. When the target resists, oppose a suitable skill, usually Persistence or Influence. Success can change the target’s immediate decision, but cannot force action against basic self-preservation.

Mechanisms

Mechanisms designs, assembles, repairs, operates, and disables mechanical devices and engineered structures. All its uses share one skill score; Engineering is not a separate skill.

• Locks and devices: work with locks, moving parts, and other mechanisms.
• Traps: build, repair, or disable mechanical traps. Picking a lock or disarming a trap normally takes at least one minute. If a device was designed to resist interference, oppose its creator’s Mechanisms.

Engineering

Use Mechanisms to assess, design, construct, repair, or sabotage large works such as bridges, fortifications, mines, siege engines, gates, and ships. Projects require suitable tools, materials, labour, and time. Engineering does not replace Craft for making goods and components, or Sailing for navigating and manoeuvring vessels.

Perception

Perception uses the senses to notice concealed creatures, hidden objects, small details, and approaching danger. It commonly opposes Deception.

Performance

Performance covers acting, dance, music, oratory, poetry, and song. A success gives a competent, pleasing performance that suits your intent.

Riding

No test is needed to ride a trained mount at walking pace on flat ground with saddle and tack. Test for dangerous terrain, speed, jumps, bareback riding, frightened mounts, or combat manoeuvres.

Sailing

Sailing operates boats and ships under oar or sail. Calm routine travel needs no test; currents, storms, racing, navigation hazards, and damaged vessels do.

Streetwise

Streetwise finds rumours, illicit goods, fences, black markets, safe routes, and people who prefer not to advertise. Gathering information or finding a contact normally takes 1D4 hours. Streetwise also covers discreetly following someone through a busy settlement.

Trade

Use an opposed Trade test to negotiate a price. The winner moves the price 10% in their favour, or 20% on a Critical. Double the change when the opponent Fumbles.

Trade also appraises market value. A success estimates an item’s ordinary local value to within 10%; unusual scarcity or obscurity can add Bonus or Penalty dice.