Pool Rolling (Skill Checks)

Every obstacle and entity in the game has what is called a 'score threshold' which the player can attempt to beat with their dice pool.

Rolling A Pool

Each player has a dice pool. Dice pools can have up to 10 dice of varying sizes. The check that the player will be trying to complete has a score threshold, which is the required score you need to pass the check. Rolling a low number results in the low-rolled die to be removed from the pool for this round. Rolling a critical number allows for a chance at an additive re-roll. Which means that if a 4 is rolled for example, 4 is added to your total score as is, and can be re-rolled if the player chooses. if you roll a 5 on the subsequent roll, it is added to your score threshold, for a total of 9. However, this comes with risk, as if you roll a low-threshold number, you risk losing your entire score for that die. If you roll a 4, and then re-roll and get a 1, you forfeit the original 4 points, and the die is removed from the pool for the round. There are abilities and perks that can help to mitigate some negative effects.

Rolling a critical means you may add the score and then re-roll the die. If you roll a critical failure on the re-roll, you lose the original dice roll as well.

Additionally, some particularly difficult encounters may have a low-score threshold. For example, an entity may have a low threshold of 7, which means that any roll below a 7 results in removal from the dice pool.

Facing Off - Combat Pool Rolling

Rolling a pool for combat works very much the same as it does for skill checks. Instead of beating an assigned score, you roll your pool against your opponent's pool. Whoever comes out with the highest score wins.

Alternative Pool Rules - Rolling Positives

Some pools will require you to roll for an amount of 'success dice'. For example, on a d4, a 4 is considered a success. To succeed, you need to rack up a set number of successes. So if you need 3 successes to pick a lock, you would need to roll 3x 4's on a d4.