🎯 Aspect Checks

Aspect Checks are the primary way most challenges are resolved. Whether you're trying to sneak past a guard, decipher magical writing, hit an enemy, or climb a cliff, you’ll roll a number of d4s based on your character’s Aspect value.

Taking Actions during conflict (i.e. when in Initiative) is described elsewhere. This section is all about making Aspect Checks outside of the Action Economy, so you typically don't involve Action Load in the calculations.

To make an Aspect Check:

• 🎯 Describe what you're doing and how
• 🧠 GM identifies the Aspect (e.g., Agility for climbing, Insight for investigation)
• ⚖️ Calculate your Net Advantage
  • GM will indicate instances of Disadvantage
  • Players might take reactions, interrupts, or Team Actions that add Advantage instances
  • You may have Features that give you Advantage
• 🎲 Roll a number of d4s equal to that Aspect’s value + Net Advantage
• ➕ Add all rolled dice together
• 📏 Compare your total to the Difficulty Class (DC)

✅ If your total meets or beats the DC, you succeed.

If your Aspect Value ≤ 0, you cannot initiate a check using that Aspect.

However, if the GM calls for a roll, you always roll at least 1d4, even if your Aspect is 0 or negative.

A higher roll can yield stronger results:

• 🧗 Climb faster
• 🕵️ Find extra clues
• 🎭 Impress more people

Failure might still reveal partial info or create a new complication. Make success and failure narratively meaningful.

Multiple characters may attempt a task together. Each rolls separately. The GM may:

• Use the highest roll
• Add the combined total
• Average the rolls
• Grant a flat bonus per helper (e.g., +2)

Which method to determine outcome is up to the GM and how they interpret the situation.

Some Team Actions allow allies to spend dice on another player’s turn for stronger, more direct assistance.