Contest Resolution

Within an ongoing contest, the type and sequence of rolls to be made should be based on the logic of the situation, the underlying reason why it is being rolled for, and the need to involve all participating players. For example, for a challenge that takes place at a time known in advance, there is likely time for as many status actions as can be thought of. A trial with three witnesses to be presented will be three opposed rolls, before a decisive concluding argument.

On the other hand, if there is no time pressure or risk, a task might reasonably be attempted indefinitely until the desired result is achieved. In such cases, it is better to treat the task as automatically successful if there is a non-zero chance of success.

A contest has two or more opposing sides, each of which has one or more contestants. A contestant is typically an individual, but may be a closely cooperating group, or environmental factor.

PCs will commonly be contestants on the same side. But if they are not, then the same rules work.

Only those contestants participating in a given roll are the involved contestants. This will commonly not be all the contestant in the contest, and may be only two. For example an archer and a target, or a lawspeaker and a witness. For either, while the results of that roll will contribute to the success of the battle or trial, only those involved get to roll

In a tactical challenge, additional rules apply to who gets to make what type of roll, and when; see the next section for details.

Types of Roll

A decisive roll represents a test to definitively resolve a contest, determining a winner, using a tie-break mechanism if required. The result indicates what happens, allowing the result to be applied and the story to move on to whatever happens next.

An task roll represents a test to see if specific attempt as an individual challenge or task is successful. It is normally part of a larger sequence of tasks, called a contest, which will eventually terminate by a decisive roll.

The consequences of success and failure apply only to the state of that contest; a task roll that is not part of a contest has no mechanical effect.

A status roll represents an attempt to inspire, prepare for, assist in, or supervise the performance of a task or challenge.

Note that as a contest evolves over a sequence of rolls, it is not necessary to commit to any set of possible consequences until the time a decisive roll is called for.

So a party may scout a group of unknown raiders in order to evaluate their strength, before committing to either a skirmish, a full combat, or running away.

Status Roll

A status roll represents an attempt to inspire, prepare for, assist in, or supervise the performance of a task or challenge.

This is an opposed roll without tiebreak rule, against an opposition set by the GMs estimation of how plausible the action is. The initiating contestant rolls a D100 and zero or more D20, with the number depending on any status effects they have active.

If successful, a status effect is applied to, or removed from one contestant for each level of success.

Status rolls broadly correspond to the QW mechanism of augments. They are less consequential than an opposed roll, but may be possible in circumstances, or at a timing, where a full opposed roll is not.

Task Roll

This is an opposed roll with no tiebreak. All involved contestants roll a D100 and zero or more D20, with the number depending on any status effects they have active.

The number of successes each contestant scores is added to the ongoing tally kept for the contest.

Decisive roll

This is an opposed roll with tiebreak rule applied. All involved contestants roll a D100 and zero or more D20, as for a task roll.

Then the totals for each contestant on each side are added up and compared.

If the final result is an equal number of successes, a tie break rule is applied to all contestants from tied sides to give one side an extra success. This means the contestant with the highest dice value rolled scores an extra success for their side.

In the rare case that this doesn't produce a winner, the outcome is a dead heat. The contest either continues or ends without resolution.