Rolling the Dice

Dice appear when an action is risky, contested, or meaningfully uncertain.

When to roll

Write the action first. If a roll is needed, the Narrator presents the roll control with the relevant challenge.

Ordinary movement, conversation, observation, and actions with an obvious result do not need a roll.

What shapes the result

The visible result can include:

the die
relevant character and equipment bonuses
the challenge
Fortune from current world conditions
advantage or disadvantage when the situation supports it

The world matters. Preparation, standing, injuries, relationships, equipment, terrain, and earlier decisions can improve or worsen the position before the die lands.

Seven outcome tiers

Results are graduated rather than simply pass or fail:

Catastrophic
Failed
Narrow Fail
Narrow
Solid
Exceptional
Legendary

A narrow result may achieve the goal with a cost. A narrow failure may reveal progress, change the position, or create a new route. Failure should move the world.

Natural 1 and natural 20

A natural 1 is catastrophic. A natural 20 is legendary. Exceptional preparation can also produce a legendary result when the final total greatly exceeds the challenge.

Override

Override is earned through play and can rewrite a result when the control is available. It is scarce, capped, and spent explicitly. The server receives the choice as a real action, not as hidden text inside your message.