Rolling Dice
When the outcome of an action is in doubt, it's time to test your luck. The Overseer will ask for a roll. Most rolls have a difficulty threshold that determines the likelihood of success. A roll that equals or surpasses its threshold succeeds, while one that falls below fails.
Proactive Rolls
Proactive rolls are triggered when your Hunter decides to take initiative. Suppose you're probing a crime scene; you might make a roll using your Intellect to unearth hidden clues or your Strength to pry open a sturdy lockbox.
Reactive Rolls
Reactive rolls come into play when circumstances compel your Hunter to react swiftly. If the floor suddenly gives way, a quick Dexterity roll will determine whether your Hunter manages to jump to safety.
Opposed Rolls
When your Hunter is up against active resistance, it calls for an opposed roll. This could be when trying to deceive a security guard or grappling with an adversary. Instead of having a fixed difficulty threshold, opposed rolls involve a counter-check by the opponent, with the higher roll emerging successful. The "type" of counter-check might mirror the original, but the Overseer has the final say on what suits the situation best.
Edge & Setback
At times, your Hunter might be in a favorable situation or exceptionally prepared. In those cases, the Overseer may grant edge, allowing you to roll the twice and take the higher result. Conversely, danger, poor tools, panic, or a hostile environment might impose a setback, meaning you roll the twice and take the lower result.
If both edge and a setback apply to the same roll, they cancel each other out before any dice are rolled. Additional sources do not stack; a Hunter either has edge, has a setback, or rolls normally.
Critical Success
Dice rolls capture the unpredictable nature of success and failure, but every so often, the odds swing in your favor. These fortunate rolls are known as a critical success or a 'crit'. A crit occurs when both dice land on the highest possible value (0 on the dice) during an outcome roll. It's crucial to note that crits are possible for Hunters, Horrors, and NPCs alike.
A crit signifies the optimum outcome for a situation. While the Overseer determines what 'optimum' means outside combat, within combat, a crit amplifies the damage of an attack. If an attack roll crits, the number of damage dice doubles, although other additions or modifiers remain unchanged. Remember, a critical success doesn't guarantee a hit or success of a check.
Critical Failure
A critical failure occurs when both dice land on the lowest possible value (1 on the dice) during an outcome roll. A critical failure doesn't guarantee a miss or failure of a check, but it does mean the action goes wrong in a notable way.
If an attack roll is a critical failure and still hits, halve the number of damage dice rolled, rounded down as normal. Other additions or modifiers remain unchanged. For non-combat checks, a critical failure means the attempt creates an unintended bad consequence, even if the check result is high enough to succeed.
An Overseer should never request a roll if there's no chance of success. A player can opt to attempt an impossible action but they won't roll a dice to determine the outcome.
John: "I want to take a shot at the monstrous blob with my pistol."
Overseer: "Alright, make an attack roll."
John: "I rolled two tens, plus my core modifier of 3. That's a crit!"
Overseer: "Excellent, you hit. Your damage dice double for this attack."
John: "That means four D6s instead of two? Beautiful. David, remind me to look brave once this thing notices me."
David: "I'll write something flattering on the incident report."