Task ResolutionIn order for your character to do something, you need only state the action you wish to take, say the words your character says (in their voice, if you so choose), or otherwise notify the GM of what your character is doing. Most of the time, the GM will describe how the world and its NPCs react to your character's actions. With a few notable exceptions, the same physical laws that govern the real world also govern the fantasy worlds of Sphere. Barring the interference of the magical and mysterious, the actions your character takes in the game world will likely follow the same logical line of consequences that they would in our world.
Sometimes, the action your attempting may meet with resistance or stand a reasonable chance of failure. When the GM deems it dramatically appropriate, you'll be required to make a Feat roll in order to complete your task successfully. When to RollYou'll roll a Feat when the task you're attempting stands a reasonable chance of failure or could use a number to rate how well you did. Attacking an enemy, casting a Spell, and picking a lock all have a chance to succeed or fail and a number could articulate just how spectacularly you succeed (or not) at the task you're attempting. A Feat is typically rolled when you attempt something:
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Actions like opening a door, drinking a potion, or moving from point A to point B don't usually stand a chance of failure and no numerical value can really be assigned to gauge how successful the action was; you either do it or you don't. In such cases, you simply do it (you may or may not need to use one of your Actions this turn depending on how complicated or time-consuming it is - see below). Unless the GM decides otherwise, you can take a mundane action to do something:
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PROFICIENCY
You can't pick a lock or translate a language or play the piano without some prior training or knowledge. With this in mind, the GM may occasionally rule that you need Proficiency in order to attempt a Feat. This simply means that you must have a Feature related to the task at hand in order to attempt it. Features are unique quirks, training, or knowledge that you have. See the Features page for more information on the various Features a character might have. |
bumps
When you do need to roll a Feat, you want to roll as many Bumps as possible. A Bump is a Feat dice that shows a roll of 5 or 6. The more Bumps you roll, the more likely you are to succeed on a given task.
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Advantage
You have Advantage when circumstances at hand or your knowledge and skill work to swing a situation in your favor. With Advantage, Feat dice Bump on a roll of 4, 5, or 6. |
Disadvantage
You're at a Disadvantage when distraction, pain, or other adverse circumstances throw you off your game. With Disadvantage, Feat dice Bump only on a roll of 6. |
If in doubt, the GM will let you know whether or not you have Advantage on a roll.
How Many Dice Do I roll?
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TOTAL DICE ROLLED
BASIC + Features + Bonuses/Penalties A character's strengths and weaknesses are represented on a Character Sheet through various Stats. These Stats reflect what your character is good and bad at and therefore come into play whenever you roll a Feat.
Pick the BASIC (see sidebar) that's most related to the task at hand. You'll start with a number of d6 equal this Stat's rating. Roll one extra dice for every Feature (unique quirks, training, or knowledge your character has) that comes into play. You might get to add (or may have to subtract) a a few extra dice based on other factors. Any dice you get to add are considered a bonus while dice you have to take away are a penalty. You can't have multiple bonuses or penalties from the same source. For example, if a Spell gives you +1 to Brawn, you couldn't cast the same Spell again for another +1 bonus (resulting in a total +2 bonus). By the same token, a curse that gives you -1 to Brawn can't stack with another instance of the same curse f0r a total -2 to Brawn. Hjornim and Sven engage in an arm-wrestling competition to see who is the strongest. Both roll their Brawn. Hjornim rolls 2 Bumps while Sven rolls only 1. Sven's arm slams down on the table and Hjornim is declared the strongest.
Maus and Trigi eye their mark - a clueless noble with a heavy coinpurse. Trigi swoops in and lays the charm on thick while Maus sneaks up behind the noble to pilfer the purse. Since the noble is distracted, Maus has Advantage. He has a Skill of 3, so he rolls three dice: 4, 2, 6. With two Bumps, Maus is successful and makes off with the loot.
Brandon has been tracking a deadly she-wolf through the forest for days now. He awoke this morning to a downpour, her scent and tracks washing away. He rolls Awareness to pick up the trail, but must roll with Disadvantage. He rolls four dice: 3, 2, 5, 1. Under normal circumstances, he'd have one Bump. But with Disadvantage, only 6s count. No Bumps. Brandon loses the trail.
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BASICYour character's core Stats, which summarize all the various parts of their body, mind, and spirit are summarized and abbreviated with the acronym BASIC.
Brawn: Physicality, strength, endurance, and general athleticism; the ceiling of what your body is able to accomplish using all its parts. Awareness: Sensory perceptiveness, emotional empathy, and spiritual receptivity; how aware you are of what's happening around you, either actively or passively. Skill: Coordination, craftiness, dexterity, agility; the ability to deftly control and direct both the gross and fine motor movements of your body to achieve the desired ends. Intellect: IQ, memory, intelligence, reasoning and logic; the power of your mind to recall and parse all its contents into useful data. Charisma: Charm, likability, allure/sexiness, confidence, force of person; a spark of personality and willpower that allows you to successfully interact with others on a social level. Any time you roll a Feat, the number of dice you'll roll is equal to the rating of the most relevant BASIC, plus any bonuses. When reading rules and abilities, the BASIC associated with a roll will be written with the instruction "roll +(BASIC)". For example:
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Difficulty: The Bumps You Need to SucceedThe target number for any given Feat Roll is referred to as its Difficulty. The higher the Difficulty, the harder it is to succeed. A Feat with a Difficulty of 2, for example, would require two of the dice you rolled to Bump in order for you to succeed. In most cases, this should be relatively easy. A Feat with a Difficulty of 8, however, would be much harder to succeed on.
Jaques is fleeing the town guards and spies a wall up ahead. With all his might, he leaps into the air, attempting to scale the wall in one smooth motion. The GM assigns a Difficulty of 2 to this action. Jaques has a Brawn of 4, so he rolls four dice: 6, 1, 3, 5. With two Bumps, Jaques scales the wall with no problem, leaving his pursuers in the dust.
Opposing FeatsSometimes your attempted action will affect something with sentience and an ability to react to and resist you. This can happen in battle, a contest of wits, a game of hide & seek, an intense social exchange, or any other scenario where your success may be hindered by the will and agency of your competition.
In such cases, competitors each make a Feat Roll. In most cases, the one with the most Bumps wins out. If competitors must overcome a set Difficulty, the one with the most Bumps only wins if they also overcome the Feat's Difficulty. If not, the competition continues until a winner is declared or the situation changes. Troy and Maelin are both clambering up a stone pillar to reach the magic lamp at the top. They pry and pull at one another, each striving to reach the prize before the other. The Difficulty to climb the pillar is 4. Troy rolls and gets a total of 3 Bumps. Maelin rolls 2 Bumps. Though Troy manages to pull ahead of Maelin, he's unable to reach his goal in one go. The competition continues until either Troy or Maelin gets 4 Bumps before their competitor.
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Recommended Difficulty1-2 (Easy)
An action that is relatively easy to pull off, provided you give it the necessary time, attention, and effort.
3-4 (Normal)
An action that is not overly difficult, but stands a nominal chance of failure.
5-6 (Challenging)
Even experts in the field might struggle to succeed on an action this difficult.
7-8 (Hard)
This action is extremely difficult, though not completely outside the realm of what is possible.
9+ (Impossible) Success on an action this difficult is nothing short of a miracle.
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Assists
Occasionally, one character may assist another with a Feat. In cases where another's physical effort, advice, or extra pair of hands cound help contribute to success, the GM may allow two players to roll and combine their totals together into a single result. Other times, another character's assistance may simply provide Advantage to the one rolling the Feat (see below for rules on Advantage). Be advised that assisting exposes all parties involved in the Feat to the consequences of failure.
The doors slam closed. Ruan and Pau find themselves trapped in a small room within the dungeon they were exploring. Ruan notices part of the stone wall is loose and beckons Pau to help him dig through. The GM assigns this action a Difficulty of 4. Both roll a Feat with Ruan contributing 1 Bump and Pau contributing 2 Bumps. A total of 3 is not enough to overcome the Difficulty and the pair of adventurers find themselves threatened by falling rocks as part of the wall collapses towards them.
