Places of Power makes use of four, six, eight, ten, twelve, and twenty sided dice (also known as D4, D6, D8, D10, D12, and D20 respectively). These dice are used to represent how good the players’ characters are at certain things, with D4 representing low ability, and D20 representing exceptional ability at that thing.

Every player character has 8 Attributes, 22 Core Skills, 12 Weapon Skills, and 7 Mere Skills. Each of these has a dice value associated with it, ranging from D4 to D12 (some Skills may reach D20 later in the game).

When the players encounter a situation that requires a dice roll, they will select the Attribute and Skill that best reflects their approach to resolving the issue, and will roll the two dice defined by this combination. The GM can also request that players roll a specific combination of an Attribute and Skill in a given situation. For example, a player character is asked a question by an NPC and they decide to lie. The GM might ask them to roll Charisma (Attribute) + Deception (Skill) to see if their lie is successful.

Standard Dice Rolls

Every task players attempt to perform in Places of Power will have a difficulty level, most commonly specified by the GM. Difficulty ranges from Easy to Very Hard. Each difficulty rating represents a value you need to roll equal to or higher than in order to successfully complete the task. The difficulty levels and values are as follows:

• Easy - 7

• Normal - 9

• Difficult - 13

• Hard - 16

• Very Hard - 20

If you roll less than the targe value then that counts as a Failure to complete the task.

If you roll a number between the exact value required and one below the value of the next difficulty level, for example with Normal difficulty that would be a number between 9 and 12, then that counts as a Partial Success. This means that you successfully complete the task, but you did not do so cleanly, and the GM may impart a minor negative consequence on you as a result.

If, however, you roll a value equal to or greater than the target value for the next level of difficulty up, then that counts as a Full Success. You successfully complete the task, and there are no negative consequences for doing so.

Difficulty Levels

If you roll and both dice land on the same number, and the total value of the two dice is over the target value of the Difficulty Level required, then that counts as a Critical Success. It also counts as a Critical Success if you roll the maximum value possible on both dice. Not only did you succeed at your given task, but you excelled at it. The GM will apply an additional positive result to the outcome of the roll.

However, if you roll the same value on both dice, and the total value is below the target value of the Difficulty Level required, then that counts as a Critical Failure. Not only did you fail to complete your task, but things have gone badly wrong. The GM will decide exactly how bad, but it is likely you won’t be able to achieve what you were trying to do, and you may have to start running.

Critical Successes and Critical Failures

At times players may be asked to roll at either Advantage or Disadvantage. Rolling at Advantage represents a situation where everything is in your favour, and your likelihood of success is higher than normal. Disadvantage, on the other hand, is where everything is against you, and your odds of success are lower than normal.

When you roll at Advantage you Step Up the lowest of the two dice you are rolling by one level. So a D6 would become a D8, or a D10 becomes a D12.

When rolling at a Disadvantage, you do the opposite, Stepping Down the highest of your two dice by one level. So a D12 becomes a D10, and a D8 becomes a D6.

Advantage and Disadvantage

If you fail a given roll that doesn’t necessarily mean there is no coming back. As long as you did not fail Critically then you have the option to attempt a single re-roll. However, if you choose to do this then you immediately take a Condition against the Attribute you used in the roll. Taking a Condition means that all rolls using that Attribute, until the Condition is removed, are performed at Disadvantage, including this re-roll.

Furthermore, should you fail the re-roll, even if it is just a regular failure, it counts as a Critical Failure. Unless the GM states otherwise, re-rolls are always an option, but be sure to use them wisely.

Re-Rolls

For each of the eight core Attributes there is an associated Condition. Conditions can be applied for numerous reasons, though they are usually a result of something going wrong for the player. Once applied, any rolls made using the associated Attribute are done so at a Disadvantage, until the condition can be removed, usually by Resting. The Conditions, and their associated Attributes, are:

• Strength – Weakened

• Stamina – Exhausted

• Agility – Dizzy

• Dexterity – Numb

• Intelligence – Dazed

• Perception – Distracted

• Empathy – Angry

• Charisma – Anxious

Conditions

All player characters have an occupation. If you are asked to make a roll in a situation that directly relates to your character’s occupation, or you can convince the GM that it does, then you can roll an additional D6 on top of the dice you would usually roll.

As well as adding to the overall value rolled, this dice is also included when identifying Critical Successes and Critical Failures. If you roll the same number on any two of the three dice rolled, you have rolled Critically, with the overall value deciding whether it is a Critical Success or a Critical Failure. Rolling the same value on all three dice does not add anything further to the equation.

Occupation Rolls

Hero Points are a limited resource that players can use to change the game in their favour. At the start of each session all of the players gain 1 Hero Point. During the session, the GM can award additional Hero Points for things like creative and engaging play, strong character moments, or just because the player told a good joke. Importantly, at the end of each session, any unused Hero Points are lost, and the next session starts with everyone back at one. Hero Points can be cashed in at any time during the session to perform a variety of beneficial actions. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Reducing the Difficulty of a Roll

• Removing a Condition

• Restoring a Hit Point

• Turning an incoming Critical Hit into a regular Hit

• Reduce a Critical Failure to a regular Failure

• Cheat Death, restoring your Character to a single Hit rather than having them die

• Activating a Flashback

Hero Points

Flashbacks are one of the actions you can perform using Hero Points. They let you act as if you had set something up earlier in the time line of the game, even though you are just encountering it for the first time. The GM may get you to play out the flashback scene, but in most cases you can just describe what you did. However, if elements of what you describe would have normally resulted in a Skill Check, then the GM may still get you to roll, in order to add an element of randomness to the flashback. Further, it is ultimately up to the GM if your flashback makes sense or not, and they can decide to change it to something more fitting if it doesn’t.

Flashbacks

Initiative order in Places of Power is a mix of rolled value plus narrative story telling. At the start of combat, all players roll a D12 and add their Initiative Modifier. The GM also rolls a single D12 plus Initiative Modifier for the group of all NPCs, both foes and allies, that they will be controlling during the fight. Any players who roll equal or higher than the GM will go before the NPCs, and any that roll lower will go after. The exact order in which players proceed is dictated by the GM based on what is going on during the fight itself.

Initiative is not automatically re-rolled at the start of each round. Rather, initiative is only re-rolled when something fundamental in the fight changes, for example the number of active combatants, the nature of the environment, or a timer expiring, and then only if the GM decides they want the re-roll.

Initiative Rolls

Occasionally, players will find themselves in a situation where there willpower or morale is being tested. When this happens, they will need to roll a D20 against their Willpower value. If they roll less than or equal to the Willpower value then their willpower/morale held, however if they roll over it then their willpower was broken, and the GM will describe what happens next.

Willpower Rolls

There are times when it is not enough just to roll successfully, sometimes you also have to roll better than someone else as well. This is called an Opposed Roll. For example, you find yourself in an arm wrestling competition with an NPC. In this situation you and the GM would both roll Brawling + Strength, and the person who rolls the highest wins the match. If you beat your opposition by an entire difficulty level then you might even injure their arm in the process.

Opposed Rolls

Levelling Up Skills

As you progress through the game your character will have the opportunity to Level Up their Skills. Whenever you make a roll that results in either a Critical Success or a Critical Failure, mark the box next to the Skill you used on your Character Sheet. The next time your character takes a Long Rest you will have the opportunity to Level Up these skills.

To Level Up a given skill you roll a D20 against a target value dictated by the current value of the Skill you are attempting to Level Up.

• Current Skill D4 - Next Level D6 - Roll 6 or above to Level Up

• Current Skill D6 - Next Level D8 - Roll 9 or above to Level Up

• Current Skill D8 - Next Level D10 - Roll 12 or above to Level Up

• Current Skill D10 - Next Level D12 - Roll 15 or above to Level Up

• Current Skill D12 - Next Level D20 - Roll 18 or above to Level Up

If you successfully roll the target value or above, remove the mark from your Character Sheet and then replace your current Skill Level for that Skill with the next level up. If you fail the roll, simply remove the mark and leave the Skill at its current level.

When you are Levelling Up one of your Mere Skills that is already at level D10 or above, you have an additional choice as to what you can do. If you successfully roll the required value you can just Level up as normal, e.g. from D10 to D12, or you can choose to gain a Mere Activation Point instead. This Mere Activation Point can be used to increase your Activation Level with a colour of Mere you have already unlocked, allowing for more complicated spells with that colour, or you can use it to unlock a new Mere colour, and gain access to a whole range of new spells at the base level.