Enemies and Defenses

Enemies

Enemies and other hazards are ranked from d4 to d20. Minor enemies are defeated by a single wound, but major enemies can suffer multiple wounds, degrading by a die size with each one. For example, a d4 goblin would be defeated by the first wound it suffers, but a d10 ogre could endure four wounds, its die being reduced to d8, then d6, and finally d4, with the last wound defeating it. Elite enemies are even stronger, able to endure several wounds without their die being reduced after each one.

Some enemies have advantage or disadvantage on certain rolls. For example, an armored ogre might have advantage when resisting wounds, while a hunting dog might have advantage when tracking by scent. Similarly, some enemies could have disadvantage on rolls, like an iron golem trying to swim or an illiterate guard trying to identify forged documents.

In some cases, enemies could have special abilities, such as flight, invisibility, or fiery breath. The specific rules for each of these powers should be determined by the narrator for each enemy, though you could learn about an enemy's special powers before encountering them with an intelligence roll (see Adventures and Rewards).

Defenses

When an enemy physically attacks you, roll dexterity to avoid it. If you get hit, roll strength to avoid taking a wound. When you attack an enemy, roll your strength or dexterity against its defense. If you hit, roll the relevant attribute to determine if you cause a wound.

Some situations might also call for rolling other attributes as defenses, such as charisma to resist fear, intelligence to avoid misdirection. Some situations could even require different attributes to avoid wounds, such as intelligence to avoid damage from a psychic attack.