On Dice

Despite seeming unfamiliar at first glance is quite simple and only requires the player to know two numbers (pool and modifiers) and for things like weapons, spells, and armor, what the damage or damage reduction value is.

The check

Every check requires:

• 0-7 pool d6 dice*
• 2 critical d6 dice
• and opposed roll of pool and critical dice

For convenience, let’s say the pool dice are plain white dice and critical dice are red ones for the purpose of my examples. One can be numbered, the other pipped, it really doesn’t matter so long as they are immediately distinct.

The number of pool dice used in a check is equal to the rank of which pool is being used. This is usually one of 14 skills, but for highly specialized checks, one of the 68 specialities are used instead. They run from 0-5 and are determined by the character’s class, level, and choices the player makes as to where to assign ranks. Other times a mechanic may just require a specific number of dice, as dictated by a specific rule. An attribute check, for example, is typically done with a single pool die.

So only in the most simple case, you would roll the current skill rank number of pool dice (with two critical dice) vs. an opposing pool, either an opponent or a difficulty.

So if you rolled for a Melee attack (ignoring modifiers for now) with a skill rank of 2 against a defender parrying it with a skill rank of 2, you would roll 2D and critical dice, and the GM (or another player) would roll 2D and critical dice.

So for example:
⚀ ⚃ | ⚁ ⚅ vs. ⚂ ⚅ | ⚄ ⚂

To calculate the winner, simply look at who has the highest pool die, or if both have that, the highest number of this value. Ties typically favor the defender/fail state, but there are some case in the rules (or the whim of the GM) where a marginal or partial success is given.

In this case, the defender of the attack got a 6 on his pool dice, which exceeds your 4, so the attack would be unsuccessful.

Modifiers and rerolling dice

However, that is the system at the most baseline. There are additional factors at play. Let’s continue with this same check, but factor in modifiers.

Bonuses and penalties are tallied for roll modification. For a check, you add up any and all relevant modifiers: modifiers for the relevant ability score, bonuses for having relevant speciality ranks, modifiers dictated by situational rules or the GM. When totaled, for each positive modifier, you may reroll any 1 or 2 face value; for each negative, you must reroll any 5 or 6 face value. This applies not only to pool dice but also critical dice.

The maximum bonus a character may have at time of roll is +6, the minimum is -3. As hinted by the asterisk at the beginning, 0D roll (no skill) is actually treated specially, in this case as 1D – 3 (the lowest any check can be). Therefore a person with a very high ability score can overcome the worst of it, given nothing else is working contrary to the effort, but is at best amateurish.

Bonuses and penalties may be exchanged with dice at a rate of 4 to 1. So a 3D-2 could become a 2D+2 or a 2D+6 could become a 3D+2 or a 4D-2, for example. In gameplay, certain circumstances may be more advantageous to roll the most dice, regardless of penalty or lack of bonus, other cases, having bonuses allows one to “fish” high rolls out of poor pool or critical dice values or for lucking onto doubles on the critical dice.

So let’s say, you had in this scenario +2 STR and 2 ranks in Heavy Blades (as specialty under the Melee skill). That would mean your pool while attacking with your longsword is 2D+4. Your opponent is parrying with their weapon, but has no speciality in their chosen weapon and +1 STR. Thus the pool is 2D+1.

Revisiting the same dice:

⚀ ⚃ | ⚁ ⚅ vs. ⚂ ⚅ | ⚄ ⚂

You can see that on the initial roll, you would not hit. But one pool die and one critical die can be rerolled. Obviously, you can’t even tie without a 6. Rerolling the 1, you get a 2. Rerolling that again you get a 6!

However, that is merely a tie, which is a failure.

But now we can look at a first use potential use of the critical dice: a ⚅ ⚅ (6-6) is known as a hard critical. It isn’t an automatic success, but it grants an additional die equal to the maximum of either side, so in this case, a 6. It can turn failures into ties and ties into wins. It’s second use, we can get to later.

So you rerolled twice (using two of the four bonuses), so if that 2 is a 6, you succeed. Unfortunately, you roll a 3 and the dice look like this:

⚅ ⚃ | ⚂ ⚅ vs. ⚂ ⚅ | ⚄ ⚂

You and your opponent each have one bonus in reserve, but without a valid die to reroll, it cannot be used and the contest ends in a tie.

Critical dice and resolution calculations

So on your next action, you attack again (same 2D+4 vs. 2D+1). You can convert to a 3D or keep the 4 bonuses. Opting to repeat with all 4 bonuses, you and your opponent roll.

⚁ ⚁ | ⚀ ⚄ vs. ⚃ ⚀ | ⚀ ⚁

Good thing you have bonuses. You reroll the first 2. 5! Good, you hit. The GM sees this and tries to reroll the 1 in the pool dice. 4. Still a hit.

So given this case, the opponent has lost the check and does not have additional bonuses, so their dice stand. Where to use any of the remaining 3 bonuses? In this case, the critical dice.

The critical dice are used, among other things, to determine the quality of the success. This is our second use in this example and by far the most common use. A blow can land, but if just grazes or glances off, it is not meaningful. A hit, for sure, but not a meaningful or decisive success.

For weapons, the face values of the critical dice are used to determine damage. This is true for many spells as well.

You are using a Long sword (A/12 in the game’s damage notation). It uses the Average of the dice (rounded up) to calculate the base HP dealt by the attack. (1 + 5) / 2 = 3 HP (+2 for high STR). You would expect to deal 5 HP damage before armor reduces it.

Rerolling this can get the average up for sure, but if you roll another 5 (double), you instead take the number after the slash on the damage notation, in this case 12).

So you reroll… 1. Reroll again… 6! Not a double, but the average rounded up is 6 HP damage + 2 for STR, which is 8 HP damage.

There is one last calculation to do, which is for the opponent’s armor. They are wearing a horse-leather buffcoat, a popular light armor choice in this period, which is L2/4. This means it takes the Lowest face value, the number following says it is capped at 2 and after the slash, it dictates that it absorbs 4 HP of damage on doubles. In this case, only 1 HP of damage is reduced, therefore taking 7 HP damage.

Hard critical calculation

One more round, you attack as before:

⚄ ⚄ | ⚅ ⚅ vs. ⚄ ⚂ | ⚂ ⚂

Holy shit! A hard critical!

So right off the bat, you effectively have three 5s, as it counts as having an extra of the maximum die. Two successes, since the opponent also has a 5. Either way, a win. Two successes, for this particular case doesn’t change the situation, but some rules enhance outcomes (or amplify failure) on broader successes and failures.

Now for what the hard critical does to the damage calculation… first, it gives critical (maximum) damage. So 12 HP. Then you get to reroll both critical dice, so we get:

⚄ ⚄ [⚄] | ⚀ ⚃ vs. ⚄ ⚂ | ⚂ ⚂

…but you still have all 4 bonuses left and 1 die showing a 1 or 2.

So you roll… a 3 and that’s it:

⚄ ⚄ [⚄] | ⚂ ⚃ vs. ⚄ ⚂ | ⚂ ⚂

You do 12 (from hard critical) + 4 (average of faces rounded up) + 2 (STR modifier) HP of damage. The opponent, getting doubles, gets to use the critical value for the armor (4) and takes 14 HP of damage.

High success/failure checks

Making one more attack, you instead choose to covert 2D+4 to 3D. A hit of any sort will probably dispatch this opponent, so you decide to change it up by rolling more dice.

⚄ ⚅ ⚄ | ⚀ ⚄ vs. ⚃ ⚃ | ⚄ ⚅

Since you have no bonuses and your opponent cannot use their bonus (no 1s and 2s), it’s a hit. It’s a 3 success hit, as you have 3 pool dice with face values over their highest (4).

In many cases, 3 successes or 3 failures is the lucky number. Where a hard critical represents a deft or insanely lucky strike that pierces through a gap in the armor, or conversely the edge of the blade hitting the most stable and reinforced point of armor, high successes represent overwhelming the opponent or brute forcing any resistance, or for high failures (high success at defense), the defense putting you wide and creating an opening. So in combat rules, the former is a fierce strike and the latter is a riposte—a free counterattack.

Fierce strike is what is relevant here. This grants an additional critical die. Then after any bonus rerolls, the player picks which two critical dice to use:

⚄ ⚅ ⚄ | ⚀ ⚄ ⚃ vs. ⚃ ⚃ | ⚄ ⚅

Only a 4 and no bonuses. You discard the 1 which yields 7 HP damage (rather than 5) and the enemy absorbs 2 (since L2/4 means it caps the 5 at 2), doing 5 HP damage.

The enemy crumples to the ground.

Fierce strike also gives the character a free attack, the might of the hit providing an immediate opening, but… well… the opponent is out for the count.

Not just for extreme violence

This mechanic is used throughout The Meidlands, from mundane skill checks to crafting to spellcasting.

Say you are playing a wizard. You have an Arcana skill of 4. Arcana is the parent skill to all arcane casting skills, but also Arcane Lore, which you have 1 rank in.

Proceeding with a party, ragged from hard battles and hard travel (3 levels of fatigue), into a forsaken crypt, you spot some sort of ancient seal on the stone door. You make a basic Arcane Lore check: Arcana pool (4D) + Arcane Lore (1) + INT (3) – Fatigue (3) vs. a difficulty set by the GM (3D in this case). You then roll, the player next to you giving the difficulty pool a toss:

⚂ ⚅ ⚂ ⚂ | ⚀ ⚅ vs. ⚄ ⚄ ⚄ | ⚄ ⚂

The single 6 was enough for this to succeed. Before you were going to move on, the GM says, “I’ll tell you the precise nature of the enchantment if you get a crit…” Often, even for standard skill checks, criticals (doubles) or hard criticals can indicate a deft application of skill or a particularly strong insight. Rerolling the 1… a 3.

The GM says that, although ancient, it seems to use some sort of Materia school enchantment… perhaps it uses Forma magic and literally reshapes the stone slab to make room for passage, or folds it in impossible ways along the geometric sigils.

This requires a bit more in-depth skill. The GM says you can use your Forma sub school rank to assist with a focused Arcane Lore check. You grown. A focused check uses only the specialty rank as the pool.

So you have to check: Arcane Lore speciality pool (1D) + Forma sub school (2) + INT (3) – Fatigue (3) vs. 3D

⚂ | ⚁ ⚀ vs. ⚂ ⚃ ⚁ | ⚅ ⚃

Nothing to do done. Even getting a hard critical by rerolling the 1 and 2 would only yield a tie, and still fail.

The party rogue reaches into her pouch and hands you a flask: a greater stamina potion. Consuming it, you recover your fatigue and attempt it again, now 2D+1 vs. 3D

⚃ ⚄ | ⚃ ⚁ vs. ⚃ ⚀ ⚀ | ⚁ ⚅

Perfect! The mossy stone slab glows faintly, then churns, like a whirlpool: widening, opening, stretching and disappearing into the dark beyond.

A flexible core

Although explaining this process can be rather long winded and involved, in play, it’s knowing your pool and bonuses, throwing, modifying them based on situation and comparing what is left showing. It tends to add drama, and practically, it takes little more time than rolling a “to hit,” summing to see if it was successful, then rolling different dice and calculating damage. Additionally, as all checks are contested, defense is not passive for the player.

Through this example, I hope you understand the flexible and strategic nature of the dice mechanic better.