Dice challenges

Most of the challenges put to the players will be resolved by dice roles. The Heimr Tabletop RPG Core uses one six-sided die (d6) and multiple ten-sided (d10) dice, where number range 1 to 6 or 1 to 10. Every dice roll in the Heimr Tabletop system follows the same basic format. To make a dice challenge in this system you need to know two things, the consistency (C) of the challenge and the potential (p). These values can be either positive, zero or negative. The dice challenge works as follows:

You roll one d6, and any number of d10 equal to the consistency of the dice challenge. If the consistency is less then zero, use the number in the consistency (with -3, you roll three d10). From that, if the consistency is more then zero, use the result of the highest die. If the consistency of the dice challenge is less then zero, use the result of the lowest die.

If you have a consistency higher then zero and you roll 10 with multiple dice, the bonus is the number of dice with which you roll 10, minus one. If you have a consistency lower then zero and you roll one with multiple dice, the penalty is the number of dice with which you roll 1, minus one. Then add the potential to get the result of the dice challenge.

Which translates into the following rules:

• if (C) is higher then zero: highest dice(1d6, (C)d10) + bonus for every extra 10 + (P) = result
• if (C) is zero: 1d6 + (P) = result
• if (C) is less then zero: lowest dice(1d6, (C)d10) -- penalty for every extra 1 + (P) = result

Side note:

• The closer a consistency is to zero, the more random the result. The further away from 0, the more consistent the result.
• A consistency of 5 is very likely to get a 9 or 10 as the highest die. (67%)
• A consistency of -5 is very likely to get a 1 or 2 as the lowest die. (89%)
• If the consistency is less then zero, your can't roll 7 or higher as the lowest die, since you always roll one d6.
• You can only have a result of zero or less, if the potential is less then zero, or if the consistency is less then zero and you roll one on multiple dice.
• When choosing between increased consistency or potential, think of consistency as reducing risk, and potential as creating opportunity.

Some examples:

• C: 3, P:3. You roll: 1, 4, 9, 10. So the result is: 10+0+3 = 13
• C: 5, P: 6. You roll: 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 10. So the result is: 10+1+6 = 18
• C:0, P:0. You roll: 3. So the result is: 3+0 = 3
• C:4, P:3. You roll: 1, 1, 2, 4, 6. So the result is: 6+0+3 = 9
• C: 2, P: -3. You roll: 3, 10, 10. So the result is: 10+1-3 = 8
• C: -4, P: -4. You roll: 1, 1, 1, 4, 9. So the result is: 1-2-4 = -2

Situational penalties

There are a lot of things that can result in characters functioning under less then optimal conditions. For instance a character might be fighting in darkness, or they might have a hangover while trying to solve a puzzle. Under these circumstance the GM should give players situational penalties. A situational penalty reduces the consistency of a dice challenge. For example if a character has a situational penalty of two on a dice challenge with a consistency of three, the dice challenge must be rolled with a consistency of one (3 -- 2 = 1).

Situational penalties can be applied to abilities, attributes or even attribute groups (physical and mental). If a situation penalty is applied to an attribute or attribute group, all abilities base on that attribute are also effected. So if a character has a penalty on the dexterity attribute, the athletics ability is also affected.

Challenge requirements

When characters oppose each other in any kind of challenge, they will both roll and compare the results. But when a character is faced with an environmental challenge, such as climbing a tree or picking a lock, they must roll against a predefined value. This is called the challenge requirement (CR). Characters roll an ability or attribute to see if they can overcome the challenge. For this they have to roll a number which is equal to or higher then the CR.

Failing a CR might, depending on what the challenge is, have negative consequences. For instance failing a CR on climbing a rock wall could result in a character falling and injuring themselves.

Most CRs do not have these kind of consequences. When characters make a CR, this means they attempt to the best of their ability to pass the challenge. Characters are allowed to re-roll a failed CR at the cost of one willpower for each roll. This is because they are attempting to push themselves beyond their own (previously shown) limitations.

Dice rolls on attributes

When rolling for an attribute (for example a strength check), the GM decides the consistency (how many dice the player gets to role), based on how reliable the type of activity can be accomplished. For example arm wrestling is an activity which is fairly consistent (4 to 6). The strongest person is most likely to win. Therefore a high consistency is applied. An activity that has a higher degree of uncertainty, such as gauging the emotions of a character with sociability has a lower consistency (0 or 1).The attribute it's self is used as the potential of the check.