🎲 Stat & skill rolls

The two flavours of "does this work?" check that come up outside combat — plus opposed rolls when two characters push against each other.

The shared rule

Both stat rolls and skill rolls use the same engine:

3d6 ≤ target, then the GM reads the outcome scale to colour the result.

The only thing that changes is what the target is built from.

Stat rolls

A stat roll uses the character's current value for a single statistic as the target. The app has a button for each of the five core base stats, plus Perception and Initiative:

  • Strength — shoving, lifting, breaking, holding on.
  • Agility — balance, reflexes, the body's quickness when no skill specifically applies.
  • Intelligence — quick deductions, recall, working out what makes sense.
  • Constitution — toughness, resisting poison or exhaustion. Also the target of the in-fight Recovery roll.
  • Willpower — staying focused, resisting fear or persuasion. Underpins morale.

Two more stat rolls behave a bit differently:

  • Perception — 3d6 against the character's Perception value, with an optional Supporting Skill (0–18) modifier. The supporting skill is the result of a separate skill roll (e.g. Scouting, Investigation) that the GM allows to feed into this one.
  • Initiative — 3d6 against Initiative, plus the equipped weapon's Initiative modifier. The result is read as Rank (higher acts first). See Combat.

Speed is also a stat, but its roll is different — see Speed and the Speed Bank.

Skill rolls

Every skill is built on a base statistic. The target is:

skill level + linked stat value

A trained swordsman with high Agility has a far better Edged-weapons target than the village blacksmith who's never held one. Big skill investments matter most for the things you do under pressure.

Skill rolls support three modifiers beyond the GM's slider:

  • Extra Time (1–3) — spending more than a single action on the task. The scale is rough: Action / Round / Minute / Hour / Day / Week / Month — pick the slot that matches what you're really doing.
  • Preparation (1–3) — gathering tools, scouting the lock, sharpening the saw, mixing the inks before you start writing.
  • Supporting Skill (1–3) — a second skill that genuinely helps. Decided by the GM, who may want a quick roll for that supporting skill too.

These are positive modifiers on a roll-under check, so they make the target easier. The GM can stack a negative modifier on top (slippery rope, no light, distracting noise) using the GM slider.

Opposed rolls (skill vs skill)

Sometimes two characters push directly against each other: a wrestle, a contested haggle, a stare-down. Both sides roll their own skill (or stat) check and compare margins.

  1. Each side rolls 3d6 against their own target.
  2. Each side calculates their margin: target − roll.
  3. The larger positive margin wins. A negative margin (rolling over your target) is a failure, regardless of what the other side did.
  4. If both sides fail, the contest is a wash and the GM narrates a stalemate.

Opposed rolls aren't a separate roll type — they're just two ordinary rolls compared after the fact. The app doesn't track them as a unit; each player rolls their own, then you read off the margins.

Bind and Grapple in Combat moves use opposed Strength rolls. Haggling at a market, lying through your teeth, or out-bluffing a noble — same engine.

See also

  • Dice rolls — the 3d6 mechanic, margins, and the outcome scale.
  • Combat — where Initiative, Speed, and Willpower-for-morale come together.
  • Skills (character creation) — what each skill is for and how much it costs.