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Checks

Dewprism Tactics is played with a twenty-sided die - otherwise known as a d20. These rolls are made whenever you need to leave an event or action up to chance - not even the DM knows what will happen next. This includes seeing if a character can scale a cliff, using an class ability to thwart an opponent, how long it takes them to decipher a codex, or just about anything else where the results are uncertain.

In Dewprism Tactics (and most other TTRPG's), rolling a d20 and comparing it to a score is called a check. You can acquire a d20 from just about any hobby gaming store, or through free apps that simulate dice.

Typically, the DM will prompt you to make a check when the appropriate time comes. They might say, "Roll a Skill check and beat 12," or "Roll for luck", and you as the player will be compulsed to roll your d20 and see what happens. The higher you roll, the better. Often, lower results mean failure - either through a penalty of precious time, or (heaven forbid) bodily harm to your character.

While all checks roll a d20, how the check is treated and measured is determined by the context. Some checks have bonuses and are compared to a score, while others may not get bonuses at all. Below is a list of checks that Dewprism Tactics uses.

Talent Checks

A general check normally used against passive obstacles such as pits, cliffs, and traps. It measures your ability of speed, strength, and coordination in the face of a pass-fail situation.

Talent checks are typically formatted as [Talent] X, in which X is the score you must roll to meet or beat in order to pass.

Roll d20, adding the relevant talent score as determined by your DM, comparing against a difficulty, typically above 10 and maxing at 20.

Failure, in this case, means falling into the pit and being burned by acid, falling down the cliff and taking fall damage, or accidentally springing the trap.

If your total result meets or exceeds the difficulty, then you've passed the check. You've leapt over the pit, scaled the cliff, and/or disabled the trap!

Using Melee, Magic, and Skill

If you should come across a challenge that your talent list doesn't cover, you can make a check from either your Melee, Magic, or Skill. Simply use the designated Accuracy score as your bonus and roll. Like with other checks, you're rolling to see if you can meet or beat the difficulty rating.

Gained Advantage

When making a talent check, you can spend an additional 5sta, 5mna, or 5fcs (or any combination thereof) to grant yourself advantage. This can be done up to three times for a single check.

Self-Checks and Evade

During combat, there may be times when your Melee, Magic, or Skill attributes may be challenged specifically. For this, you'll roll 1d20, subtracting your relevant Accuracy bonus and any relevant modifiers, while adding in the offender's Accuracy bonus, and then roll below the Evasion score of that attribute. Rolling below counts as a success, while rolling equal to or above counts as a failure.
For example: Melee Self-check Roll 1d20-[your Melee Accuracy] and roll beneath [your Melee Evasion]-[their Melee Accuracy]

Accuracy

A check generally used in combat for common attacks, such as with your primary weapon, or through an ability, in order to strike an opponent.

Based on the type of check (Melee, Skill, or Magic) you'll add the Accuracy modifier to your check before coming to the enemy's Evasion score of the same type.

Additionally, some abilities list their Accuracy checks with either a +X or -X, where in this case, X is the bonus (or penalty) to the check.

If your check meets or exceeds the Evasion score, then the attack has connected. If it's an ability, any OnHit (or similar) effects would take place, such as damage, status effects, or even more checks!
Failure in this case means your attack misses - the ability stops there!
Upon rolling critical (a natural 20), the ability's rank (found in between parenthesis) increases by 1 where applicable.

Make a Skill 10 check.

Luck

A check for general luck. This can take place inside and outside of combat, most often ability scores will use it to see if they succeed or not. Abilities such as Rend Weapon, Lightning Strike, and Resurrection, all use Luck checks.

Outside of combat, this can be for more slice-of-life tasks, such as drinking contests, finding out if it will rain later that day, or even common gambling. In a way, Luck checks are very simple and very useful.

Simply roll a d20 and compare against the score listed between the square brackets. If the result meets or exceeds the score, then your luck was good and the check passes.

Just like with accuracy checks, if a luck check lands on 20, if applicable, the rank of the check increases by 1.

Roll for luck!

Efficiency

A check used to determine the duration of a task, where success is inevitable, but more importantly just a matter of time. This is a check done in peacetime, often with the help of your friends to make things move faster. Efficiency checks may include transporting heavy cargo, repairing a broken boat, or deciphering an ancient codex.

Unlike other checks, unless you run out of time or are interrupted, there's no real way to lose. The only immediate penalty for low rolls is your precious time.

Roll d20, adding any necessary Talent bonuses, and compare to a difficulty. Getting 5 or above the difficulty is good time, often 25% faster than expected, while getting 10 above is great time, with 50% faster than expected.

Likewise, getting 5 or lower than the difficulty means poor time going 25% slower, and 10 below is horrible time taking 50% longer.

In the case of critical success, the task goes 100% faster (half the time), and in the case of a critical failure, the task takes 100% longer (double the time).

Roll for efficiency and beat 10!

Extra Modifiers

There may come a time when the execution of your check is modified by internal or external circumstances. When repairing a broken boat, having the right tools on hand can really make your progress fly, or if it's raining, scaling that sheer cliff might very well be impossible.

Though in combat these modifiers may be explicit, outside of combat, you can attempt to invoke them through your own creativity, or your DM may have the option of bestowing it upon you.

Critical success/failure

Sometimes a check goes well - so well, in fact, that the result turns out better than you could have hoped for. This is called a critical success.

Whenever a d20 is rolled, if the die lands on a 20, then it's a critical success. Depending on the check, this means different things. For a general attack check, use Crit damage instead. For an ability's accuracy check, increase the rank (in between parenthesis) by 1. For an Efficiency check, completing the task in half the time. For a Talent check, it's up to the DM, but it could be anything.

Upon landing on a 1, it's a critical failure. For a hit check, this means flubbing the action and spending an extra 50% in resources for the rest of the turn. For Efficiency, this means you take twice as long to accomplish your task. For a Talent check this could mean completely misinterpreting a codex, accidentally offending a crowd with a culturally insensitive remark, or falling off a cliff and falling directly on your head!


Nat 20 - you deal critical damage!

Advantage/Disadvantage

Making a check with Advantage means you'll roll the d20 twice and choose the higher of the scores before adding in any of the bonuses.

Likewise, rolling with Disadvantage means doing the same, but choosing the lower of the scores.

Roll Hit with Advantage.

Competitive

A check made between two competitors in an attempt to either accomplish the a single task better or faster than the other.

The check's instigator (either player or NPC) makes a Talent check, where the difficulty is equal to 10 plus the opponent's matching talent. If the instigator meets or exceeds the difficulty, then they win.

To run multiple competitors against each other, choose an instigator and a competitor and make the check, where the winner then instigates against another competitor, until a single winner is found.

Roll Acrobatics and beat 13.

Assist

As the saying goes, 'Teamwork makes the dream work.'

When making a Talent or Efficiency check, your opponent can attempt to help make the check pass out by offering their assistance. This can include offering their strength to move a heavy boulder, collecting clues while investigating, or even being your guitarist while singing in the town square.

Assisting is easy. The assistant adds on their Talent modifier to the attempter's check.

You combine each other's strengths to lift the game!