When the game calls for a Skill check, Attack roll, or saving throw, you will roll a d10. Your success in the roll is determined by whether you equal or exceed the difficulty rating, taking into account all modifiers and relevant factors.
A roll results in a critical success if the number rolled is 6 or more above the difficulty rating, and it's a critical failure if the number rolled is 6 or more below the difficulty rating. The specific effects of critical successes and failures for each roll type are detailed further below.
Different abilities and situations will potentially give you an advantage or disadvantage.
When rolling with advantage, you roll a d4 for each advantage you have and add the result to the d10 roll. In opposition, disadvantage has you subtract a d4.
You can have multiple instances of advantage and disadvantage, however they cancel each other out. So if you have 3 advantages and 1 disadvantage, you will roll with only 2 advantages.
Players and creatures can have Karmic Points that allow them to impose an advantage or disadvantage on rolls made by or against the user. Players can use Karmic Points to grant themselves an advantage or impose a disadvantage on their own rolls. Only one Karmic Point can be used per user per roll.
Players earn one Karmic Point whenever they roll a critical failure or are the victim of a critical success.
Additionally, the Dungeon Master can freely distribute Karmic Points, using them as a tool to reward exceptional role-playing or creative problem-solving.
When a player or creature has proficiency in a skill, attack, or saving throw, they add their level as a modifier to the roll.
Skill checks occur when a player or creature attempts an action that isn't a guaranteed success and is outside the scope of an attack.
For example, pushing open a door does not require a roll, as it's a simple action with a guaranteed outcome. However, a skill check is necessary if the door is locked and requires lockpicking.
In the game, players describe the actions they wish to take, and it's the Dungeon Master's responsibility to decide whether a Skill Check is needed based on the situation.
In some cases, the attribute used for the skill check is indicated, while in other cases, it will be up to the interpretation of the Dungeon Master.
Players will describe the action they wish to take, and based on the description, the Dungeon Master will request the appropriate attribute.
For example:
Case 1:
Jimmy: "I'm going to use my thief's tools to lockpick this door."
Dungeon Master: "Alright, make an agility skill check."
In this scenario, Jimmy is not providing any details on how he approaches the situation, so the Dungeon Master defaults to a standard agility-based skill check.
Case 2:
Timmy: "I'm going to try to lockpick this door. My character has studied extensively on how locks are built, and I would like to use my intelligence for the roll."
Dungeon Master: "Alright, you can use intelligence for the roll. Since your character's backstory involves studying under a locksmith, I will give you advantage on the roll."
In this scenario, Timmy presented the Dungeon Master with how his character would approach the lockpicking skill check. As it made sense with the character's backstory, the Dungeon Master allowed it and rewarded the initiative with advantage on the roll.
Note: By principle, there is no set attribute for a skill check. Players and the Dungeon Master should use their common sense as much as possible. Additionally, the Dungeon Master should reward players who find creative ways to approach problems or present well-thought-out solutions. Rewarding players who role-play convincingly when interacting with NPCs, laying out arguments, rather than those who simply say, "I want to do a persuasion skill check to convince him."
After players have described their intended actions, the Dungeon Master must establish the difficulty rating for skill checks. Difficulty ratings can be determined using the following guidelines:
- An average difficulty rating for a player who is proficient in a skill is calculated as 10 + (player level * 1.5).
Here's an example to illustrate these difficulty guidelines:
If a player says, "I want to pick the lock on the door blocking our way," the Dungeon Master can then decide on the appropriate difficulty rating based on the context. For instance:
0 - 5: The door is not locked; it swings open with ease.
6 - 10: The door is secured by a simple latch, which can be manipulated with a lockpick.
11 - 20: The door has a standard lock that requires a key, but a skilled locksmith could pick it.
21 - 30: The door is reinforced and features a complex lock; only an experienced locksmith has a chance of opening it.
31 - 40: The door boasts a complex lock with enchantments; picking it is challenging due to the added magic.
41 - 50: The door has two enchanted locks that need to be opened almost simultaneously; only the best locksmith could manage it.
51 - 60: The door lock is a divine contraption meant to only be opened with the key; it will require more than skill to ever be able to open this.
70+: It is just impossible.
Your explanation is mostly correct, but there are a couple of small errors in the text. Here's a revised version:
Example:
In this example, we will be comparing Timmy and Billy. They are both attempting to pick a lock. Both are level 5, with a +10 in agility. However, Timmy is proficient in lockpicking, while Billy is not.
The lock difficulty rating follows the given formula, which means 10 + (5 * 1.5) = 17.
Timmy, being proficient, would have a +15 modifier to his lockpick roll, meaning he needs at least a 2 on a d10, giving him a 90% chance to succeed and a 30% chance to critically succeed.
Billy, on the other hand, would have a +10 modifier since he is not proficient. This means he needs at least a 7 on a d10, giving him only a 40% chance to succeed and a 10% chance of critical failure.
Note: Keep in mind that the system is designed for players who are proficient in something to succeed most of the time, with a risk when they are not proficient. And thosoe are calculation for an average difficulty rating the dungeon master should feel free to adjust, not all task are equally difficulty.
For skill checks, the interpretation of critical failures and successes is left to the Dungeon Master's discretion.
Saving Throws are made by players and creatures in response to various in-game events, such as spell effects or environmental dangers like traps.
The particular attribute and difficulty rating used for the saving throw depends on the specific spell or effect or is determined by the Dungeon Master.
Proficiency is always applied to saving throws.
The outcomes of succeeding or failing a saving throw are typically outlined by the spell or effect in question. In rare instances when it isn't specified, the Dungeon Master has the creative liberty to interpret the results as they see fit.
In the event of a critical success on a saving throw, if the effect would normally result in the creature taking half damage, they instead take no damage. Otherwise, the critical success has no additional effects, and the Dungeon Master has the freedom to interpret the critical success as they see fit.
On the other hand, in the case of a critical failure, if the effect would have the creature take damage, the number of damage dice rolled is doubled.Otherwise, the critical failure has no further impact, and the Dungeon Master can use their discretion to enhance the narrative and gameplay experience.
In the game, whenever a player or creature encounters a situation that involves making an attack, whether it's a spell attack, melee attack, or ranged attack, it implies that they need to roll a dice to determine the success of their attack against the target's defense. This roll is crucial in determining whether the attack lands effectively or if the target manages to evade or block it.
In the event of a critical success on an attack roll, if the effect would typically result in damage, they double the amount of dice rolled for damage. Otherwise, the critical success has no additional effects, and the Dungeon Master has the freedom to interpret the critical success as they see fit.
The result of a critical failure is up to the Dungeon Master, as there are no set rules governing it.
The last type of rolls you can encounter is an opposed roll. In an opposed roll, both parties make a roll, and the highest roll wins. In the case of a draw, both parties reroll.
An example of opposing skill checks would be arm wrestling, where both parties roll for strength, and the highest roll wins.
Note: Opposing rolls can be made with different stats. For example, a grappling check can be done with either strength or agility.