Rolls #

Whenever your character attempts something with a significant chance of failure, the GM may call for a roll. Rolls have the following steps.

1. Set Base Skill and Difficulty. The GM sets a relevant base skill from the skill list (for example, Agility to cross a rickety bridge) and a difficulty from 6 (very easy) to 30 (near impossible).

2. Add Stars. Create your die modifier (ranging from -2 to +18) by adding up the stars on your character sheet from the following sources. The total is your modifier. For example, 6✦ results in a modifier of +6.

   • You must add stars from the roll’s base skill, which range from 1 to 5.
   • You must add and subtract stars from any conditions you may have. Describe how those specific conditions affect your character’s attempt. After the roll, downgrade any conditions you have; for example, from 3✦ to 2✦.
   • You can optionally exhaust up to one tag relevant to the attempt to add its stars, which range from 1 to 5. To exhaust a tag, fill in the circle next to it on your character sheet. After exhausting a tag, you cannot exhaust it again until you recover it through boons or rest. You can also exhaust a tag irrelevant to the attempt to gain its bonus, but at a -1✦ penalty.
   • You can optionally spend up to five drive to gain that amount of stars, plus that amount of boons on a success or higher (not multiplied by critical effects). Describe what unique strategy your character is using or why this attempt is particularly important to them.

3. Roll. Roll a 20-sided die and add your modifier, resulting in one of the following outcomes. Critical outcomes take priority over non-critical outcomes.

   • If you roll a natural 20, your outcome is a critical success.
   • If you roll a natural 1, your outcome is a critical failure.
   • If the total value rolled is greater to or equal than the difficulty, your outcome is a success.
   • If the total value rolled is less than the difficulty, your outcome is a failure.

4. Choose a Post-Roll Action. Optionally, choose one of the following post-roll actions.

   • Double Down. Roll the same die again, add the same modifier, and compare it to the same difficulty. If you succeed your second roll, your original outcome increases by one tier on the Outcomes table (for example, from a success to a critical success). If you roll a natural 20, your original outcome instead increases by two tiers. If you fail your second roll, your original outcome decreases by one tier. If you roll a natural 1, your original outcome instaed decreases by two tiers.
   • Succeed at a Cost. If your outcome is a non-critical failure, succeed but incur banes equal to the difference between your total value rolled and the difficulty. For example, if the difficulty was 16 and you rolled a total of 10, you can succeed at a cost to change your outcome to a success at the cost of 6 banes.
   • Fold. If your outcome is any tier of failure, gain one additional drive.

5. Calculate Boons and Banes. With your final outcome, the GM refers to the Outcomes Table to determine whether you earned boons or incurred banes, keeping note of any multiplier the outcome may list. If the outcome results in boons or banes, the GM then refers to the Difficulty Table to see how many, multiplying the total by the multiplier in the Outcomes table. Boons from drive are not multiplied in this way.

   • If your roll resulted in boons, spend them in the Boons Table.
   • If your roll resulted in banes, the GM spends them in the Banes Table.

6. Deal Damage. If in combat, deal damage based on your outcome in the Outcomes Table.

7. Gain Drive. If your outcome is any tier of failure, gain one drive (or two if you chose the Fold action in Step 4). Describe why your character failed and try to connect it to your character’s flaws.

In Double Down, only players roll dice. Whenever other characters or enemies act, the GM imposes a roll on one or more players. For example, if a player character is attacked by a goblin, then the goblin does not roll; instead, the attacked player makes a defensive roll of the GM’s design (for example, a Toughness roll to block a charge attack).

If a player’s roll exclusively aims to gain benefits from the Boons table, such as when trying to heal another character’s stress, it’s recommended to spend drive on that roll in order to gain boons more consistently.

Example Roll #

For a full example of a roll:

1. If a character attempts to cross a precarious bridge, the GM may call for an Agility roll with a difficulty of 14.
2. The player has 3✦ in Agility and has no conditions. They decide to exhaust the Rogue trait to add its bonus of 2✦ to the roll as well. They also decide to spend one drive, adding 1✦ and a boon if the outcome is a success or higher. The player has added 6✦ to the roll, which totals to a modifier of +6.
3. The player rolls a D20 and gets a 6, which added to the modifier of +6 results in 12: a failure.
4. The player could fold or succeed at the cost of two banes, but instead opts to double down. They roll again and get a natural 20: a critical success. The original failure is upgraded two tiers to a critical success.
5. The critical success results in four boons (plus one boon from the spent drive) and the player can spend that amount on any of the effects from the Boons table. For example, with the five boons, they may give themselves a 2✦ condition called Adrenaline Rush and gain one drive, as they cross the bridge safely.
6. Since the player is not in combat, they do not deal damage.
7. Since the player did not fail, they do not gain drive.