t i 72 ent cifcuty ofthe task being attempted, The GM may ‘decide thatthe environment or the situation warrants certain dice, 2s well—repatring a starship with ample time and the proper tools is one thing, but attempting repairs in the pouring rain, without tls, while under a hal ofbiaster ire is quite different. Once all the neces. sary dice have been assembled, the player attempting the task rals all ofthe dice inhi pool. The second element involves interpreting the results ‘onthe dice. The players lok a the symbols on the face Lp sides of each die. Certain symbols workin pais, one type canceling out another. Other symbols ae not can celed, and their effects are appied regardless ofthe out comme ofthe task. After comparing the fist set ofpaired THE DICE Triconia ser lot atte speci ce and their symbols. By understanding these dice and syn bols, players will have a better understanding of the ‘core mechanic. This section also discusses haw to as- semble a dice pool, and when to introduce extra dice based on the circumstances. Remember, these dice may be purchased separately, or players may use the ‘Star Wars Dice app to roll them electronically. When a character makes a skill check in Ebce oF me ‘Eun, the dice allow the players to quickly determine success and faire, 3s well as magnitude and narrative Implications To accomplish this, Er oF me EMPe uses seven types of dice. Each de has a specific function and purpose, The dice differ significantly. Each die face wil ther be blank or wil feature one or more symbols that represent various postive or negative effects ‘Atypical dice pool generally ranges from five to eight ice. Tis poo! size covers the majority of situations, Difficult, complex, or epic stuations may include more lice, while mundane situations may involve fewer dice Dice pools are generally not assembled or rolled for tasks so trivial that success is guaranteed. The impact Of generating and roling a dice pool is best used with Important tasks that can influence the story. Dice can be divided into three categories, The frst type features dice which possess symbols beneficial ‘to success and accomplishing tasks. The second type ‘comprises dice which possess symbols that cancel those beneficial symbols and finder the accomplish ment of tasks The third type of dice are Force dice, hich are used slightly iferently than the other dice. Boost. Ability, and Proficiency dice are the beneficial positive dice. Setnack, Difficult, and Challenge dice are the negative, dsruptive dice Force dce are distinct, and While used for a number of situations, Force dice are generally not used ina standard ski check symbols—Success and Falure—the players can deter. rmine if the task succeeds. Then they compare the sec nd set of symbols—Advantage and Threat—to deter mine if there are any beneficial side effects or negative consequences. Finally. any other symbols are resolved te ada the last details to the outcome. This core mechanic. the sil check. forms the foundation of the game. Other rules and effects e ther modify or interact with one ofthese to fun ‘damental elments~the pool of ce being assembled Or goa the resuits-on the dice t eee POSITIVE DICE There are three types of positive dice which provide symbols that improve the odds of successfully com- pleting a task or achieving beneficial side effects. Boost Dice Special advantages, or “boosts” are represented with light blue sixsided dice. Boost dice represent benefits gained through luck, chance, and ad: vvantageous actions taken by the charac ters. They can be added to 8 pool fora wide variety of reasons. Boost dice are mostoften used to reflect the character gaining some sort of benefit or advantage, such as having ample time to complete io task of hhaving the rigit equipment. Boost dice and Setback dice are thematic opposites of each other. Boost dice {are represented by Ein text ABILITY DICE @ ‘bly i represented with geen ect sided ice. Abily cice frm the bass {af most dice pooks led by the payers They represent the. character's aptide or sil Used when attempting a sil check These dice possess postive, Beneeil symbols Abiity dice are opposed by Dificuty dice Abit cice are repre sented by @ intext PROFICIENCY DICE © Proficiency is represented with yellow bwelveided dice Profieny dice rep tesent the combination of innate ab ity and tring. They are most often ted when characters stempting 2 sit check using ski which he strained. Proficiency ater they are rolleddice can also be added to a poo! by investing a Des: tiny Point into an important skil check These dice possess 2 greater likelihood of success, and are the only die that feature the potent Triumph symbol (see page 23), Proficiency dice are the upgraded ver sion of Ability dice (for more on upgrades, see page 21). Proficiency dice are represented by © intext. NEGATIVE DICE ‘There are three types of negative dice which impose symbols that undermine success or introduce un wanted complications. SETBACK DICE Ml Certain complications, or “setbacks,” are represented with black six-sided dice. Setback dice represent problems for minor obstacles during task resolu tion, Setback dice are often used to represent relax tively minor effects that impair or hinder a character. such as poor lighting. obstructive terrain insufficient resources, of facing a hungry rancor instead of an old decrepit one. Setback dice are not as potent as Dit: ficuty dice, and are added to represent additional Circumstances and environmental effects that would hot in and of themselves increase the base difficulty ofthe task Setback dice and Boost dice are thematic ‘opposites of each other. Setback dice are represent: ed by Min text DIFFICULTY DICE @ Diffcuty is represented with purple fight ded cee. Dificuty dice repre Sent the inherent challenge or complex iy of 2 parncular task a character fs attempting n Simplestterms the more Diff dicen ace poo, the more chalenging isto succeed. Difeuty cee possess negatve, harmful symbols thatcancel out the positive, beneficial symbols found on Abily, Boost. Snd Proficiency dice iffcuty dice oppose AbIity dice Dict dice ae represented by In text CHALLENGE DICE @ Challenge is represented with red twebesided dice. Challenge dice rep- resent the most extreme adversity and ‘opposition. These dice may be featured in place of Difficulty dice during particularly daunting challenges posed by trained, ete, or pre pared opponents. Challenge dice can also be added to 2 pool by vesting a Destiny Point into an important Skill check. These dice feature primarily negative. ob: structive results, such as Threats and Failures, but the ‘Challenge dice also feature the potent Despair result (eee page 24) Challenge dice are the upgraded ver sion of Difficulty dice for more on uperades, see page 21). Challenge dice are represented by @in text. FORCE DICE mY ‘The Fe ib: od ihite / & Force is abstracted using white G . tweesided dice. These Force dice represent the power and pervasive. © ness of the Force. and are generally only used in dice pools ty characters (or creatures) with Force Sensitivity, orunder special circumstances. ‘One ofthese special cases is when the players gener- ate their starting Destiny pool at the beginning of a Session (see Destny Ponts, page 27) Unie the other dice used for task resolution which generate results that impact success and failure or ‘magnitude and complication the Force dice generate Fesources. Each ce features both dark side and light side points. There are no blank sides on a Force die When players roll Force dice, they always generate a numberof resources~—ut the resources may be dark side, igt side. or a mix of bath, Force dice are represented by intext. See Chap- ter Vill The Foree for more on using Force dice TEN-SIDED DICE In addition to the custom dice de scribed above, the game also uses standard tensided dice These dice are abbreviated as “d10" when rolled by themselves. Many standard d10s feature a "zero" on one side. If this side is role, itis counted 135 "10." This allows the d10 to generate any number between | and 10, In Eooe oF re Evrae, a more common roll using d10s Is called the percentile rol When making a percentile ral the payer rols two dice, designating one die as the tens dit, and the other die asthe ones cg. A result of zero on either dies counted asa zero. result of"00" on both dice indicates a roll of 100, The percentile rol is ‘abbreviated as 4100, and is used most often as a ran- result Cannot be canceled. Multiple “Tiumphs: are cumulative each Tumph ‘adds one Success, ‘and each can be used fo generate its ‘own special effect. The THumph sym bol oniy appears on the © die. There are three negative symbols found on the task resolution dice. These results are Failure, Threat, and Despall FAILURE Y Foilure symbols are cica foridetermin ‘whether a skil check succeeds or fais Failure un- denmines Success. Mechanical one Faure symbol Y cancels one Success symbol. Based on the core mechanic, there is atleast one Success symbol ¥ re ‘maining in the poo! after al cancelations, the skill check succeeds. Fortunately for characters, multiple net Faure symbols Y do nt influence the magnitude ofthe faiure Failure symbols appear on ML, and @ dice THREAT @ The Threat symbol @ is fuel for negative conse. {quences or side effects, regardless of the tasks suc cess or allure. Some examples ofthese negative side effects could include taking far longer than expected te slice a computer terminal, eaving an opening dur ing a firefight which allows an enemy to duck into cover, of suffering additional strain during a Stressful situation Itis possible for a task to suc- ceed while generating a number of Threats, taint: ing or diminishing the impact of the success. Likewise, Threats fean occur alongside Failure, creating the possibility for some significantly dire outcomes. It is ‘important to remem ber that Threat sym: ls ® do not directly act success oF fall ‘only the magnitude OF potential side effects. eat cancels Advantage Threat symbol @ icels) one Advantage ssymbol (9 The GM gener. Tally resolves Threat effects. There are a wide variety of possible effects that Threat may trigger. Ifa skill check gener. ates one or more net Threat symbols, the GM generally applies one or more special side ef fects. This could include ing knocked prone, los- the advantage of cover, taking more time than an: ticipated, suffering strain using 3 normally routine action, or potentially al- owing an enemy to per- form a maneuver. The applications of Threat ‘are covered in more detail on page 205. Theat symbols appear on. @, and @ dice DESPAIR The Despair symbol @ is a powerful result, indicat ing a significant bane or detrimental outcome. Each Despair symbol imposes two effects: BHFirst, each Despair symbol also counts as one Failure. in every means previously defined as a Failure, This means the Failure portion of a Despair symbol could potentially be canceled by Success symbols ¥ generated during the same skill check. ‘Secondly, each Despair can be used to tigger potent negative effects A Despair symbol ®@ may be used tin dicate a weapon has jammed, or run out of ammunition ‘or energy cel. Despair may activate other potent ef fects as well including effects above and beyond those triggered by Threats. These effects may be set by the CGM, or defined by the environment, an adversary or a special character ability, See page 205 for more infor ‘mation on using a Despair symbol @ to trigger eects layers suffer bath effects with each Despair symbol they do not get to choose between the Failure or the special effect trigger. Asa allure, that aspect of the De- spair symbol can be canceled by a Success symbol ¥ as. Usual, however the second aspect ofthe Despair symbol 1G result cannot be canceled. Multiple Despair symbols 1 are cumuiative—each Despair imposes one Failure, {and each can be used to generate its own special effect ‘The Despair symbol only appears on the @ ce. uring the course of an Eoce oF me Empine acven: ure, characters nd themselves attempting a va Tiety of tasks. These tasks may help resolve interac tions between PCs and NPCS, keep the story moving along. or conduct a fierce firefight between the PCS and enemy mercenaries. When the outcome of a PC's FORCE RESOURCES: ‘The final category of dice symbols represents resources generated by the Force dice. There are two types of re sources: ight side Force points O and dark side Force Points @. Force sensitive characters can use these re SOUrceS to help fuel special abies, such as telekinesis ‘or precogntive combat awareness Ponerfl Force users lke Jed use Force dice frequently, and struggle with the balance ofthe light and dark sides ofthe Force In Eoce oF rue Enns, such powerful Force users are generally quite rare While Player Characters have the potential to be Force-sensiive and gain some fledg: ling control ofthe Force, there are other uses for the Force dice besides using Force powers. One of the ‘most common applications ofthe Force dice in Eoce (oF rue Ewrine is their use to determine the group's starting pool of Destiny Points at the beginning of leach session (see page 27) Uniike the positive and negative dice used for task resolution, Force dice generate resources which are spent to fuel 2 poner's effects, such as magnitude, range, or duration. The Force die and the mechan ics that govern it are very different from the core sil check mechanics of Epot oF me Ewe, and are dis- cussed in greater detain Chapter VII: The Force. task is uncertain, that character will usually need to perform a skll check to determine success or failure ‘of a particular action. These skill checks often utilize 2 umber of afferent character attributes, such as ski special talents, and inherent ability.‘The type of skill check required is determined by the CM. Once the type of check and its ificulty have been set. the player creates a pool of dice based on the different factors involved, This can be a combina tion of many types of dice, and often varies based on the characters involved and the specific situation, [After the dice pool has been created, the player rolls all of the dice assembled. The resuits on these dice are evaluated. Some results cancel each other Cut, others are cumulative. Once all evaluations have been made, the player and GM can resolve the skill check by determining the action's success or failure. They use the information they obtain from the dice results to describe the outcome of the check as well as any additional effects, compli- cations, or surprises THE BASIC DICE POOL foce oF me Eweme utilizes a concept known as dice pool, which is a collection ofthe custom dice needed for the game (See The Dice on page 10) ‘While some advanced or complex actions may re Quire a large dice pool, the basic dice pool is quite simple. The basic dice pool relies on three factors: the PC's inherent ability, any specialized training, and the lficulty of the task being attempted Following a look t these three factors in greater de- tal, this section goes on to describe assembling and resolving a basic dice pool, as well as discusses some additional types of dice pools and checks players may use during a game session. CHARACTERISTICS In Eoce oF me Ewe, a characters intrinsic a are defined by si characteristics Brawn, Agility, Intel lect, Cunning, Wilpower, and Presence. Brawn and Aglity are 2 measure of the charac ters physica abilities, his strength flexibility, athletic prowess, skill with weapons, and general toughness. Intellect and Cunning are the character's mental bil ties, reflecting hs knoniedge, analytical ski, clever ness, and deductive reasoning. Willpower and Pres: tence represent the character's personality and force Of spirit such as his charisma, mental fortitude, and how well he relates to and interacts with others. A character's species determines his starting char acteristic ratings. However, each player has the op portunity to increase these default characteristics during character creation by investing a portion of his starting experience points. [tis important to note that ater character creation increasing characters. tics is a significant in-game investment—something that may only happen a few times over the course of an entire campaign. Players need to think care~ fully about their characteristic ratings, and ‘should consider Investing a significant portion Of their starting experience points in improving their characteristics (more on character creation is covered on page 33) Although it does make sense to focus on characteris- tics that lp the character's core skis and talents (such {5 a Polico character with high Presence or a Soldier witha high Brann rating), the game system offers a great deal of flexibility. Players should consider going against the stereotypes or possibly plan ahead in anticipation ‘of moving into other careers over the course ofa cam Palen. For example, the player may decide that his Plot characteris big and hulking increasing the character's Brann, thinking he might eventually become a Hired Gun or Bounty Hunter. Lkewise Slicer with a high Agi ity rating could be ust as nimble with his body ashe is vith computers, opening up the opportunity to perhaps cone day Become a Thief or infiltration specialist. (CHARACTERISTIC RATINGS Characteristic ratings for both PCs and NPCs gener. ally range from one to sik. Some exceptions exist, es pecially in powerful or unique cases—for exampie, 3 rancor likely has a Brawn rating much higher than one ff the PCs. NPCs like Darth Vader, Yoda, Han Solo, and other exceptional individuals from the Star Wars Universe likely have abilities well beyond the scope of ‘your typical starting NPC. ‘A typical humanoid has an average characteristic rating of 2.A rating of | is weak and below average. AA characteristic rating of 3 of 4 is significantly above ‘average, while ratings ofS or 6 represent exceptional performance and ability. During character creation, ‘no characteristic can be higher than five. Once play begins, PC characteristics are capped at six Each species has a default characteristic profile, reflecting that species’ particular strengths and weaknesses. This profile is then augmented and improved during creation by investing experience points To find the default characteristic profiles of each playable species, see Chapter I: Character Cre- ation. The sx characteristics are defined below. AGILITY The Aglity characteristic measures a character's man: ual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and body con: atrol Characters witha high Agility have a good sense ‘of balance, flexibility, and deft hands. Agiity is used fora number of physical skis such as Coordination, and is key to ranged combat skils such as Ranged (Ught) and Ranged (Heavy) AA character's Brawn represents a blend of a charac: ters brute power, stength, and overall toughness, as Wel as the abiity to apply those attributes as need fed. Characters with a high Brawn are physically ft {and hardy, tend not to get sick often, and have strong Constitutions. Brawn is used for a number of physical Skis such as Athietics and Brawl Brawn is also used todetermine a characters starting wound threshold. Cunning reflects how crafty devious, clever, and cre ative character can be. Characters with ahigh Cunning are savy, quickly pick up on socal and environmental ‘dues. and can more realy come up with short-term plans and tactics. Cunning s used for a number of men tal skis, such as Deception, Perception, and Survival. INTELLECT The Intellect characteristic measures a character’ intelligence, education, ‘mental acuity, and ability to reason and rationalize, Charac ters with a high Intel lect can extrapolate or interpolate data can recall detals and draw from previous ex perience, and can think of long-term strategies ‘and ernision the rami fications of present ac tions. Intellect is used for anumber af men: tal skis, such as ‘Astrogation, Com: puters, and all the Knowiedge skis, such as Lore and Xenology. "EE A characters Presence characteristic is a measure o his maxie, charisma, confidence, and force of person ality. Characters with a high Presence make natural leaders, draw attention when they enter a room, can, easily strike up a conversation with nearly anyone, and are quick to adapt to socal situations. Presence isthe key characteristic or nterpersonalskillssuch as Charm and Leadership, WILLPOWER ‘The Willpower characteristic reflects a character's dis Cipline, self-control, mental fortitude, and faith. Char. acters wit a high Willpower can withstand stress and fatigue, remain composed during chaotic situations, and exert influence over the weaker-wiled. Willpower is used for a number of skis, such as Coercion and Viglance. Willpower is also used to determine a char acter'sstartng strain threshold CHARACTERISTICS IN PLAY. Different careers and professions rely on diferent characteristics more than others. Characteristics also influence sklls, a wide variety of character abilities, ‘and some derived statistics. For example, in add. tion to being used for Athletics and Melee combat skill checks, Brawn is used to determine a character's starting wound threshold and forms the basis of a characters soak value ‘As mentioned previously, characteristics are one of the three determining factors when a player creates a dice pool to perform a check (the other factors being skill training. and task difficulty). See page 15 for mare information about dice pools. ‘SKILLS & TRAINING While characteristics are extremely important and create the foundation of a character's abilities, sil and specialized training ae also key components of character's makeup. Skill represent the character's training or experience in performing specific tasks {and actions. Although a character can attempt almost anything without the proper training or ski, he will be far more effective and capable if he is sklled at performing the task at hand. ‘Skils represent specific training, hands-on exper ence, or focused knowledge in a certain area. Each skil i inked to a specific characteristic, the default billy a character uses when performing a task with 3 Skil For example, the Athletics sil based on Brawn, Deception relies on Cunning, and Lore uss in tellect. The proper sil training can compensate fora low characteristic rating. However, the most proficient characters are those who have both the proper train ing and a strong linked characteristic.‘TABLE 1-3: DIFFICULTY LEVELS eae Ea Route, wih the outcome ray in question, Usually not old unless the GM wishes F ng ing minor cats and tre, nding food ashe on 3 Tush planet shooting a trget at ose ange Peking ypc lock stitching up 2 sal wound, fing food and sheer ona temperate o planet, shooting target at medium range or trying to sik 3 target whe engaged. jas CESS Sa une |e rks tea in aang ea ee [fomane —_looeee | Siterwamamcmmaest mime cen orem reed | ‘A character's career choice provides career shils CCharacters start out with training, or ranks” in some oftheir career skis. Over the course ofa campaign, a character can lear and improve any skill he choos- ; however, improving career sks costs fener expe. rience points than skills outside his current career. For a more indepth look at skls and their applica: tion, see Chapter Ill: Skills. DIFFICULTY ‘The third factor in defining a dice pool in adlition to 2 characteristic and related skil i the dificult ofthe task being attempted. The characteristic and sil ranks add positve dice tothe dice poo, Dificuty adds negs- tive dice, which make success more challenging In ad dition tothe tasks inherent difficulty, other dice may be added to reflect additional complications based on the envionment or specific station While the characteristic and related skill training ‘are defined by the character attempting the task, the difculty of a task is set by the GM. There are six basic difficulty levels (see the Impossible Tasks sidebar on page 18 for an optional seventh dif ficult leve). Some modifiers or situations may war rant checks higher than Formidable, based on the GMs discretion. In addition to providing @ general classification which describes a task’ inherent challenge, the dit Ficulty level also indicates how many purple Difficulty dice are added tothe dice poo! when attempting that particular task. A task performed against a set dif alt level is referred to as a standard check DEFINING TASK DIFFICULTY. When used to descrive the difclty of checks or task, difculty lvls are represented using one of the defined fiat labels, followed By te camber of Dificutycice added to the dice pool n parenthe Sez. For example 2 player might face an Eay (6) Perception check or 2 Hard (@ @ @) Mechanics heck More detaled examples of exc ini lve fae provided ner to give players ear dea oF hat the diferent levels represent SIMPLE TASKS (-) ‘A simple task is something so basic and routine that the outcome is rarely in doubt. Success is assumed for the majority of simple tasks. If failure is vit ally impossible, the task should not even require a check—the GM may simply state the proposed action Succeeds, If circumstances make the outcome uncer- tain, then a simple task may require a roll. Ths is gen- erally only the case if one or more Setback dice are introduced, such as Setback dice added from injuries, the environment, or opposition A simple task adds no Dificlty dice to the skill check’s dice poo! EASY TASKS (@) ‘An easy task represents something that should pose lite challenge to most characters, but something could go wrong and failure is stil possible. Atypical Character with the proper taining resources, andthe Fight tools forthe stuation should reasonably expect to succeed at most easy tasks he attempts. Often the magnitude or potential side effects are more uncer tain than the suecessitselt. ‘An easy task adds one Difficulty dle () tothe sil check’ dice poo"." AVERAGE TASKS (64) ‘An average task represents a routine action where success s common enough to be expected. but failure [snot surprising. A typical character with the proper training. resources, and the right approach tothe situ ation should reasonably expect to succeed at average tasks slightly more often than he fails An average task adds two Difficulty dice (@ @) to the skill check’s dice poo. HARD TASKS (@ © @) ‘Ahard task is much mare demanding of a characte. Success is certainly feasible, bu failure is far from sur prising. A typical character with the proper taining Fesources, and the right toals forthe situation should accept that he might fall at hard tasks more often than he succeeds—especially without Destiny on his side or other advantages. [A hard task adds thee Difculty dice (4 @) to the sh checks cee pool DAUNTING TASKS (© 4 4) ‘A daunting task taxes a character and may push him to his limits. Success may be dificult to achieve, bu it is possible. A typical character withthe proper train ing, resources, and the right tools forthe situation wil likely fail more often than he succeeds at daunting tasks, and he may wish to look for some advantages to aid him, ‘A daunting task adds four Diticulty dice ©) to the skill check’s dice pool FORMIDABLE TASKS (44 4) Formidable tasks seem nigh impossible. In fact, a for midable task most likely is impossible if approached casually However, with proper planning. a well-trained BUILDING A BASIC PR ta ree mary ultng acs of 2 st feneck's dice poo! have been discussed, the folowing section shows how the die pool is actually assembled When a character wants to attempt some sort of action that might have a chance of failure, the player ‘makes a skill check. The skill check utilizes the ap- propriate sil of the character—-Athletcs for breaking {down doors, Knowledge for recalling facts, or Charm for convincing a guard to let the character get past for example, Each ski also has a linked characters: tie—Brann for Athletics, Intellect for Knawedge, and Presence for Charm. Tomake 2 skill check, he assem bles adice poo! allow a PC mags ferent a ; red a ee ree eae ee Ge cee esac and well-equipped character has chance at success. ‘Typical characters almost always fal formidable tasks Even trained veterans fai formidable tasks more often then they succeed Failure seems inevitable unless the character can apply one or more advantages, such as investing Destiny points, or adding bonuses from spe- cificequipment, talents, or assistance Afoidabl takadds ve Diiculy de OOO) tothe kl check cee poo! DICE POOL ‘There are to sides to every basic dice pool—the Side the player contributes {in te form of Ability dice @ and Proficiency dice @) and the side the GM con {butes (n the form of Difficulty dice @, Challenge dice @, Boost dice El and Setback dice Ml). Adition al factors may modify the number and type of cic for a check. When buiding a dice pool, every aspect of both the player's and GM's contributing dice should be explained and defined before the rolis made. The GM sets the difficulty level ofthe task once prior to the rol. After creating the base dice pool, either side may have the opportunity to upgrade diceAPPLYING SKILLS & CHARACTERISTICS The active character's skill training and the skil's as sociated characteristic are equally important when building a dice pool. When performing a task, the GM and player determine which skil is most appropriate This also determines which characteristic is used. For example, if the characteris attempting to bypass security terminal by slicing its alarm system. the skill check would use the Computers sil whic is linked te the Intellect characteristic. The ratings for these two attrbutes determine the number of Ability andl or Proficiency dice that are added tothe dice poo! Once the characteristic and skill re determined, the player can start building his dice pool, The player compares is ranks of skill taining and the linked characteristic’ rating. ‘The higher value between the two determines how many Ablity dice are added to the skill check’s dice ool. Then the player upgrades a number of those Ability dice into Proficiency dice based on the lower of the two values. Ifa characteris unskilled (possesses 10 ranks) in the necessary ski that is automatically the lower value—zero—and the character wil rely solely on the appropriate characteristic (This would also apply ifthe character had no ranks in the characteristic in ‘question; however, in practice, itis almost impossible fora character to have no ranks in a characteristic) EXAMPLE 1: 41-VEX ALVEX is attempting to sie his way past a locked down security terminal. This uses 41-VEXS Computers skil and Intellect rating. 41- VEXhas Computers 2 and intellect 5. His Intellect is higher. othe player begins by adding three Ability dice (@ @ @) to his poo. Hs Computers kil ster, s0 he Upgrades that many dice (oo) ito Pro: ficlency dce (© ©). To attempt tis ac tion, 41-VEXstars outwith three dice in his ook @ © © fone Ability de and two Proficiency die). EXAMPLE 2: OSKARA Later, Ostara the gearhead Tailek bounty hunter must attempt to slice past the same security terminal, Oskara is more experi- enced with scing andhas the kil Comput es 3. However her Intellect is only 2 Her ‘Computers sili higher, so the player be- ins by adding three Ability dice @ @ @) to her pool. Her intellect So she upgrades that many ie Proficiency dice (Q @). To attempt this action, Oskara starts out with three inher poot OO one Ability die and” tho Proficient dc) EXAMPLE 5: LOWHHRICK finaly, Lownrick the surly Wookee hired gun ato peste sof Wooteg ha ucest2 bu no Yan of tae Ine n Computers Hs tec Is higer, 59 he piser begins by adding to AbIy dice @ 4) {Dn pot Since he has ranks in Computer that alee colada aed no Act es are upgraded to Poficency ace. aempt ths acon, Low star out tn ony wo dice nhs hce poo & (vo Abit de Note that both 41-VEX and Ostaa bein with the same ite and typeof ae pol, despite the fot her ranks the Computes sland ne fe ets ett re sie ee character to compensate aac inate ab iyoyimprodnghs ane sil and ce vera7” + “a ge a ‘ APPLYING TASK DIFFICULTY Atter determining which skil and related character istic are required to attempt the task the GM then chooses the level of cifheulty forthe task by consult ing Table 13: Diffieuty Levels on page 17. The Aithcaity teve of the task determines the number of Difhcity dice thatthe player must add to his pool For example, an Average (@ @) skill check means the player ads two Diffcuty de to the dice pool In some cases, the GM may upgrade one or more of these Difficulty dice—removing them from the dice ‘pool and replacing them with an equal rumiber of Chal lenge dice, ificulty dice are most often uperaded into Challenge dice when facing skiled opposition, particu: larly challenging circumstances, or when Destiny points are invested to make a check more challenging. After setting the difcuty level forthe task. the GM adds the corresponding number of Difficulty dice to the actions dice pool. If there are no other Factors in fluencing the outcome ofthe attempt, the basic dice pool is now complete and can be rolled to determine success or failure, as well as any potential side effects EXAMPLE: SETTING DIFFICULTY Following the prior examples, the GM reviews the table of difculty levels. She decides that this terminals outdated and security Is gener= all ax in this area, so she assigns acificuty of Average (@ @) to the task. Two Difficulty dice are added tothe players’ dice pools when at tempting to slice past this terminals security. MODIFYING A DICE POOL It there are no other influences or contributing factors that may impact the outcome ofa task, the dice pool may consist of dice based solely on the acting charac- ter’ skill and characteristic, along with the difficulty level set by the GM. However, in a setting as diverse ‘and action-packed as Star Wars, few actions occur in vacuum. In fac. if an action is important enough to assemble and roll a dice pool, there's @ good chance other factors are invowved. These other factors can affect or modity the dice pool in a number of ways. The most common ways are by adding dice, upgrading/downgrading dice, and re- ‘moving dice. These modifications may.be triggered by the players. the GM, or may simply make sense given the environment and situation. Any number of fac: tors may warrant modification of the dice pool, such as obstructing terrain, poor lighting. tactical advan tages, time constraints, superior equipment, special talents, unlocked career abilities, investment of Des- tiny points, or critical injuries. The following sections scribe these modifications in more detal. Iti also important to note that when modifying a dice poo), players perform the modifications in a spe- cific order First, players assemble the basic poo}, Then they add addtional dice. Then they upgrade dice. Then they downgrade dice. Finally, they remove dice. One way to modify the basic dice pool is to add dice to reflect environmental conditions oF various ‘advantages and disadvantages. This is done primar ily through the use of Boost and Setback dice. As a ‘general rule, one Boost die Eis added to the dice pool for each bonus that would help the character succeed, and one Setback die lis added for each dlisadvantage or obstacle impeding success. single Boost die is often enough to represent the benefits provided by useful gear, ample time, superior Position, or the element of surprise. If more than one ofthese advantages are applicable. the GM may allow ‘multiple Boost dice to be added tothe dice pool. Likewise, a single Setback die lis usually enough to reflect the impact of detrimental or obstructing ef fects ike poor lighting inferior supplies, harsh envi ronments, o outside distractions. IF more than one of these disadvantages are applicable, the GM may add multiple Setback dice tothe dice pool Itis important to note that while these dice are es sentially miror opposites in their use, Boost dice and ‘Setback dice do nat cancel each other out. the stu- ation warrants the addition of two Boost dice and one Setback die, all three dice (EIEN) are added to the dice pool ‘The use of Boost dice and Setback dice is a com- ‘mon resource al players can use to help reinforce im portant elements ofthe story. Players are encouraged to descrive their actions in detall, and point out both advantages and disadvantages that may influence a particular action. Some equipment may add Boost dice to a pool to reflect superior craftsmanship, or certain talents may allow a player to add Boost dice to a pool to reflect special training that applies to the situation. Maneu ‘ers lke aiming may also allow a player to add Boost dice to a pool. Conversely. some effects may specif cally impose Setback dice, suchas the defined effects of critical injury, or a penalty fr using inferior tools fora delicate task hile the players may suggest the addition of Boost or Setback dice, the GM is the fnal arbiter decging which and how many dice are added to the pool. The GM does have acess to helpful guidelines when makingthose decisions, as wellas common sensebased on how thescene and action have been described, See the Pos- Itive Dice and Negative Dice sidebar on page 9 forexamples ofthe types of situations that may warrant the addltion of Boost or Setback dice. EXAMPLE: ADDING CAND il For example, in the computer terminal slicing example used previously, the scene may have been described to reflect the character attempt- ing the task while under heavy ire from enemy forces (a disadvantage) and after suffering a broken wrist (a disadvantage). Fortunately, the character acquired a fragment ofthe terminal, ppasscode algorithms earlier (an advantage) Based on how the scene has been set up and described, the GM adds two Setback dice and ‘one Boost die (MIMIC) to the pool. UPGRADING AND DOWNGRADING DICE In addition to dice beingadded tothe pool, some game effects improve a weaker dle nto a more potent de, or turn a potent dle into a weaker dle. Improving a die is called upgrading Weakening a de is caled downgrad ing. Upgrading and downgrading dice most often occurs when one ofthe participants invests a Destiny point into a Sil check. Certain talents or special abilities may also allow a character to upgrade or downgrade dice. Upgrading dice is a mechanic speci to Ability dice and Difculty dice. These are the ony two types of dice that can be upgraded. When an Abily die is upgraded. it s converted into a Proficiency die © When a Dificulty die @ is Upgraded, ti converted into aChalenge die @ When a special talent or effect cals for one or more dice to be upgraded, the player frst deter mines how many dice ae to be upgraded. Once he determines this. he removes that number of Abil ity dice @ oF Diffcuty dce @ from the pool and replaces them with an equal Number of ether Pro ficiency dice © or Challenge dice @, When an ef fect requies a character to upgrade dice, the rules always state whether Ability dice @ or Difculty dice @ 2re being upgraded UPGRADING MORE DICE THAN AVAILABLE There may be situations in which a player needs to Upgrade Ability dice into Proficiency dice, but there ate no more Ability dice remaining inthe pool, inthis case, the player performs the folowing steps Fist, he determines how many dice upgrades remain. Then, using one upgrade, he adds one adlitional Ability die @ to the pool. If any upgrade opportunities remain, he then upgrades the newly added Abilty die @ into, a Proficiency die @, This process is repeated unt all potential upgrades have been applied Likewise, ifa player needs to upgrade Difficulty dice into Challenge dice but there are no more Difficulty dice remaining, the same process is followed. Firs, ‘one additional Difficulty die @ is added, then if there are any more upgrades remaining, the Difficulty die @ Is upgraded into @ Challenge dle @, and so on, Downgrading dice is also a specif mechanic, and applies only to Proficiency: dice and Challenge dice When a Proficiency die @ is downgraded, it becomesand replaces them with an equal number of either Ability cice @ or Difculy dice @, Wren an effect requires a character to downgrade dice, the ues a ways state whether Proficiency dice @ or Challenge ice @ are being downgraded: DOWNGRADING MORE DICE THAN AVAILABLE There may be situations where a player needs to downgrade Proficiency dice @ into Abity dice @ or Challenge dice @ into Diticuty dice @ Ia the po tential dice are already in their downgraded form, any further downgrades ar ignored an Abily die . When 2 Challenge cie @ is down- UPGRADES & DOWNGRADES IN THE SAME POOL graded, it becomes a Diicuty ce Sometimes abilities wil call for both dice upgrades When a special talent or effect calls for one or and downgrades. When this occurs, al upgrades are ‘more dice tobe downgraded, the player frst deter 9PPlied fst. Then. any downgrades are applied This mines how many dice are to be downgraded. Once ‘important. sine upgrading dice could patently he determines ths, he removes that number of Pro. 24 more dice tothe overall pool ficiency dice @ or Challenge dice @ from the pool ss REMOVING DICE Just lke some effects add Boost dice Gor Setback ice Ml to 2 pool, some effects remove dice from the pool before they are ever rolled. Most often this comes from character talents that allow the removal (of Setback dic i rom a pool, refecting a level of ex ertise in overcomingminor distractions or disadvan: ages that would rattle a less experienced character. Ina similar fashion, a skiled enemy may have a talent that removes Boost dice [from skill checks made ‘gnnst that enemy. “The individual talent or effect describes what cit fcumstances warrant the removal of dice, as well as the number and type of dice to be removed. If an ablity would remove more dice of a type than there ae in the dice pool, the maximum number (of dice avaible are removed, and any addition ‘al removals are ignored. Removing dice is done after all other dice have been added and all upgrades or downgrades have been appliedINTERPRETING THE POOL ter 3 dice poo! is rolled, the players evaluate the results to resolve the outcome. The fst outcame to resolve is determining the success or failure ofthe skill, check. Then, the players can determine if any signf- ‘cant sie effects-good. bad, or both-are triggered SUCCESSES & FAILURES Ia skill check results in both Success symbols % and Failure symbols Y., the total numbers of each type of symbol are compared. Each Failure symbol ¥ cancels ‘one Success symbol 3, Afterall Falure symbols ¥ hhave canceled Success symbols %. 2 pool wil either hhave one or more Success symbols ¥. one or more Failure symbols Y, or everything evenly canceled out. During this step, itis important to note that a Tri- ‘umph symbol @ contributes one Success 3¢ to the ool, in addition to any special effects it may trigger Likewise, a Despair symbol ® contributes one Failure Y to the pool. in addition to its special effects IW all Successes 3 and Failures in the pool are canceled out, or if there are any net Failures Y re: ‘maining, the skil check fails. fat least one Success 3 remains, the skill check succeeds. Remember, a dice ‘pool must have at least one Success symbol % re ‘maining fora sill check to succeed. ADVANTAGES & THREATS Its also likey that a skill check results in either Ad- ‘vantage symbols ©, Threat symbols &. or both. The player ads up the total number of Threat symbols & ‘and compares them tothe total number of Advantage symbols (- Each Threat symbol & cancels one Ad- vantage symbol &, Afterall Threat symbols @ have canceled Advantage symbols ¢). a pool will have one ‘or more Advantage symbols €9, one or more Threat symbols @. or have everything evenly canceled out. Having one or more net Advantage symbols €) in: dicates a positive side effect or benefit. Having one for more net Threat symbols & indicates a negative side effect or complication with the check fall the ‘Advantages €or Threats @ cancel each other out, there are no additional effects This possibilty for a positive or negative side effect can occur regardless ‘of whether the task succeeds or falls. ‘Advantage and Threat can be used to fuel a wide va riety f side effects. The player roling the skl check generally chooses how to spend Advantage, such as triggering @.weapon's special ability, performing an ‘additional maneuver, or possibly recovering some strain. Different weapons, talents, or equipment may hhave special uses for Advantage Threat is generally spent by the GM to impose some sort of complication, with more severe complications requiring more Threat. Threat can result in a number (of side effects such asa task taking longer to complete than expected, sufering strain, providing an opportu- rity to an opponent, faling prone, or being subjected to an environmental effect. Different talents, environ ‘ments, or opponents may have special uses fr Threat For more about taking Advantage or suffering from Threat, see page 205. TRIUMPH & DESPAIR ‘Two symbols represent far more potent effects than the others. Tiumph @ and Despair ® are special cases and operate slightly diferently than the other symbols. Unlike Success and Failure (¥ and Y) or Ad- vantage and Threat (€ and 8), Tiumph and Despair (@ and @) do not completely cancel each other out Rather, they indicate an especially postive or unfor- tunately dite side effect Remember that it's possible fora kil check to re- sult in both @ and & symbols. In this case, both re sults are interpreted separately. Just lke Threat, itis possible fora skill check to succeed but stil impose a Despair effect, or a sil check may fail but stltrieger 2 Triumph effect. For mare about the specific applica: tions of Triumph and Despair, see page 205, ‘TRIUMPH @ AA Triumph symbol @ has to effects. First, each Ti tumph symbol @ counts 3s one Success symbol ¥. Second, a Triumph result indicates an unexpected bboon or significantly beneficial effect related to the task Many weapons and talents have side effects that can be triggered using a Triumph result. Oth- erwise, the scenario or GM may have other options for using Tiumph, It is important to keep in mind that while a Tiumph symbol @ does add a Success symbol % to the pool, the presence of ane or more ‘Tiumph symbols @ does not automatically mean 3 successful skil check, ‘Tiummph can be thought of as an enhanced, more powerful version of Advantage. For example, a single “Tiummph symbol @ can trigger any weapon's special quality orinfict a critical injury, rather than requiring a Certainnumber of Advantage symbols (9. Or while Ad- vantage may allow 3 character to recover strain, inthe fight stuation a Tiumph may allow recovery ofa wound. qos GeDESPAIR U ‘A Despair symbol @ also has two effects. First, each Despair symbol counts as one Fallure symbol Y. Second, a. Despair result indicates an unfortunate Consequence, significant complication, or die effect related to the task Opponent’s abilities, the environ ment, or the encounter description may offer cifrent ‘options for using Despair. Otherwise, the GM adjudi Cates the results of Despair symbols ® based on the Situation, It is important to Keep in mind that while 2 Despair symbol does add a Failure symbol Y to the 'boo|, the presence af one or more Despair symbols {does not automatically mean a failed ski check. Despair can be viewed as an upgraded, more potent form of Threat. For example, 2 single Despair symbol '@ may trigger effects that would normally require sev fal Threat symbols @. Otherwise, Despair may be si rifcant enough to warrant inficting wounds instead of strain, mean an important piece of equipment breaks, that a weapon jams or runs out of ammo, oF coupled with failure, a grenade hits an unintended target UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES With the opportunity for success or failure, as well as the myriad side effects possible through multiple Ad vantages, Threats Tiumphs, and Despais, no two skill checks are the same. There are hundreds of possible ‘outcomes with almost every skill check. A character may achieve a high-magnitude success with no other complications. or 3 low-magnitude success with Ad ‘vantages, or moderate success with Advantages that are tempered with Despair. Likewise, failed checks may hhave a siver lining by also featuring Advantage or Ti lumph, or create truly die situations in which allure is ‘accompanied by both Threats and Despair. The sheer number of possibilities provide op- portunities to narrate truly memorable action se {quences and scenes. Payefs and GMs alike are en couraged to take these opportunities to think about hhow the symbols can help move the story along and ‘add details and special effects that create action: packed sessions. OTHER TYPES OF CHECKS he standard skil check using a basic dice pool can be used to resolve the vast majority of tasks in a {game session. However, there may be some situations that require a slightly different approach to properly resolve. In adaltion to the standard skill check, Eat ‘oF tue Eve uses opposed checks, competitive checks, and assisted checks Opposed checks are often used when the success Cr fallure ofthe taskis strongly influenced by an op: ponent. Competitive checks can be used to deter- ‘mine which character performs better when two or more characters are attempting the same task. AS sisted checks are simply variations of other checks, but two or more characters are working together. OPPOSED CHECKS Sometimes a task is more difficult to accomplish be ‘ause someone is actively trying to prevent the char acter from succeeding, or one characteris trying to ‘overcome or bypass another character. For example, 8 suspected thief lies to the local governor, claiming Fhehad nothing to do withthe burglary of medical sup plies, The thie's Deception check might be opposed by the governor’ Vigilance. ‘Opposed checks aremostoften applicable when task involves directly opposing the task that another character is performing or when a task invotes trying to go unno- tice undetected, or undiscovered by someone ese Opposed checks add and potentially @ to the ski check’. dice pool, Similar fo standard checks However, rather than asigning2 genera icity lev to an opposed check, a quick comparison between the active and opposing characteristics and sil rat ings determines he diiclty ofan opposed check ‘The actve characters dice poo! starts out using the same rues a bung a bas dice pool, using and potently upgrading some into © based on his chara: {erst and sl rating The opposton then introduces and @ based on itsrelevant characteristic and slr ing The oppositions higher value betwen ts character. isc and sl determines how many @ are added othe pool, while the lover value indeates Row many of those (ce ar upgraded into @ (ee veracng on page 21) EXAMPLE: OPPOSED CHECKS For example, Pash the smugglers tying to sneak past a security patrol. Pash has Agiity 4 and ‘Stealth 2, building an inital dice pool of four Abi- ity dice, two of which are upgraded to Proficiency dice ( @ © @ in ota). The security patrol has ‘Cunning 2 and Perception 1. Therefore the oppo sition ads two Difhcuity dice @} tothe check, ‘one of whichis subsequently upgraded to a Chal lenge die @. If there are no other factors, the sil, check has six dice: @@ OOO @.