2.3.0 Skill Checks
Most characters are skilled, competent men and women who are perfectly capable of carrying out the ordinary duties of their role. Sometimes, however, they are faced with a situation or challenge beyond the usual scope of their role and the GM calls for a skill check.
To make a skill check, roll 2d6 and add the most relevant skill level and attribute modifier. If the total is equal or higher than the check’s difficulty, the check is a success. On a failure, the PC either can’t accomplish the feat at all, bad luck cheats them, or they achieve it at the cost of some further complication. The GM determines the specific consequence of a failure.
If the character doesn’t even have level-0 in the pertinent skill, they suffer a -1 penalty to the roll. In the case of particularly technical or esoteric skills they might not even be able to attempt the skill check at all.
The GM is always the one who calls for a skill check, and they do so at their discretion. The player simply describes what their PC is attempting to do, and the GM will tell them what skill and attribute combination to roll. If multiple skills or attributes might plausibly fit the action, the player can pick the one most favorable to them. If the combination is only marginally relevant, but still reasonably plausible, it might suffer a -1 or -2 penalty at the GM’s discretion.
2.3.1 Skill Check Difficulties
The following difficulties ratings reflect common challenges.
| Difficulty | Skill Check |
|---|---|
| 6 | A relatively simple task that is still more than the PC would usually be expected to manage in their regular background. Anything easier than this isn’t worth a skill check. |
| 8 | A significant challenge to a competent professional that they’d still succeed at more often than not. |
| 10 | Something too difficult to be expected of anyone but a skilled expert, and even they might fail. |
| 12 | Only a true master could expect to carry this off with any degree of reliability. |
| 14+ | Only a true master has any chance of achieving this at all, and even they will probably fail. |
Helpful or hostile circumstances can modify a skill check by -2 to +2. Usually, no combination of situational modifiers should alter the roll by more than this, or else it becomes a near-foregone conclusion. This does not include modifiers applied by gear mods, magic items, or PC aid.
2.3.2 NPC Skill Checks
When an NPC needs to make a skill check, they roll 2d6 and add their listed skill modifier if their action is something they ought reason ably to be good at. If it isn’t, they roll at +0, or even at -1 if it seems like something they’d be particularly bad at doing. If the NPC is special enough to have actual attribute scores and skill levels, they use those instead.
2.3.3 Aiding a Skill Check
To aid a comrade’s skill check, a player explains what their PC is doing to help. If the GM agrees that it’s plausible, they may roll a relevant skill and attribute modifier against the same difficulty as the check they are aiding. If they succeed, their ally gains a +1 on their skill check. If they fail, no harm is done. Multiple PCs can try to aid if their actions are plausible, but the total bonus can’t exceed +1.
Aiding a comrade is usually done in ways that let the aiding PC leverage their own special talents or skills. A PC may not have the skills to attempt to Sneak past a vigilant guard, for example, but they might have a good Perform skill they can use to create a distraction that helps their comrade skulk past.
2.3.4 Opposed Skill Checks
When skills oppose each other, each participant makes a skill check and the winner is the one who rolls higher. In cases of ties, the PC wins. Thus, a PC trying to sneak past a guard might roll 2d6 plus their Dex/Sneak against the guard’s 2d6 plus their skill modifier. If the guard was significant enough to actually have attributes and skill levels, it might be a Dex/Sneak challenge versus their Wis/Notice.