Dice Rolls

The roll mechanics of the system are straightforward and adaptable, designed to encourage creativity and collaboration between players and the Game Master (GM). This section explains how to determine success or failure, apply modifiers, and incorporate teamwork.

The d20 Roll

At the center of the Echoes system is the d20 roll. Whenever a character attempts an activity with a chance of failure – such as climbing a wall, persuading an NPC, or engaging in combat – the player rolls a 20-sided die (d20). The result, along with any applicable modifiers, determines the outcome.

Success Threshold

To succeed, the total score (d20 roll + modifiers) must meet or exceed a threshold set by the GM.

The GM establishes this threshold based on the difficulty of the task and the narrative context. The threshold can be kept secret or revealed to the players.

Players are encouraged to describe their intentions in detail. A vivid description of how their character aims to overcome a challenge can influence the GM's decision when setting the success threshold.

Failures and Repetitions

Failing a roll is part of the game, and the players should embrace these outcomes. New approaches should always be preferred over repeating the same challenge. When repetitions seem unavoidable, the GM should increase the success threshold until it becomes unattainable.

Example: One character tries to unlock a backdoor to discretely enter a building. They roll but don't meet the success threshold, failing. Rather than trying again or having another character attempt it, the group comes up with an alternative plan, such as entering by breaking a window while minimizing noise.

Inverted Roll: Failure Threshold

Failure thresholds are employed when an effect or condition is in place and external elements or passive characteristics of an entity determine whether the effect persists, is removed, or is reduced. In these cases, the player still rolls a d20, but the result is compared to a predetermined failure threshold. To succeed, the total score (d20 roll + modifiers) must be strictly below this failure threshold.

On inverted rolls, modifiers are always consequence of external factors beyond the players' control and are generally not available unless explicitly permitted by the GM due to narrative context.

Bonuses and Maluses

Circumstances and abilities can affect rolls by granting bonuses or maluses in the form of additional dice or flat values.

Bonuses: Additional dice are rolled and added to the total score.
Maluses: Additional dice are rolled and subtracted from the total score.
Order: Bonus dice are always rolled before malus dice.
Common Modifier (d4): The most typical bonus or malus uses a d4, but the GM may choose a different die (e.g., d6, d8) or a flat value depending on the circumstances.

Example: Climbing a slippery wall in the rain might impose a d6 malus, reducing the total roll. Using proper climbing gear might grant a d4 bonus, increasing the total roll. A player describing how they carefully assess the wall for handholds might prompt the GM to lower the threshold.

Assistance

When circumstances allow, characters can assist each other.

Assistance Bonus: Each assisting character grants one or more bonus dice to the roll (typically d4s, as determined by the GM).
Player Descriptions: The effectiveness of assistance is influenced by how players describe how their characters intend to assist. A well-thought-out description might result in a higher bonus (or malus!).
Limitations: The GM has the final say on whether assistance is feasible and how many dice can be added (or subtracted).

Example: Two characters work together to move a boulder. One rolls a d20 for the attempt, while the other describes how they leverage a sturdy branch to help, granting a d4 bonus.

Degrees of Success and Failure

The outcome of a roll falls into one of five categories, depending on how the total score compares to the success threshold and the result of the d20 roll:

Critical Failure (Natural 1): The attempt automatically fails regardless of modifiers.
- If the target is an NPC, the GM gains one Empowering Point.
- If the target is a PC, their player restores one Empowering Point, if they have any missing, or gains a d4 bonus on their next d20 roll.
Failure: The total score is significantly below the threshold. The attempt fails outright, and consequences (if any) are determined by the GM.
Marginal Success: The total score meets or is just below the threshold. The attempt succeeds, though with limited effectiveness or minor drawbacks.
Success: The total score exceeds the threshold. The attempt fully succeeds, and the desired outcome is achieved.
Critical Success (Natural 20): The attempt automatically succeeds regardless of modifiers. The player restores one Empowering Point, if they have any missing, or gains a d4 bonus on their next d20 roll.

The distinction between Failure and Marginal Success is situational, unless specific rules (e.g. combat) provide deterministic results. For GMs who prefer a defined rule, in non-combat scenarios treat a roll as a Marginal Success if it meets the Success Threshold (ST) or misses it by at most 2 (ST-2 ≤ Roll ≤ ST).

Group Challenge

When the entire group faces the same challenge – such as stealthily avoiding detection – each player rolls separately against the same threshold, adding their relevant modifiers.

Group Success: If the majority of the group succeeds, the group as a whole succeeds.
Critical Rolls: A Critical Success counts as two successes, while a Critical Failure counts as two failures.
Threshold Determination: The GM sets a single success threshold by combining each player's narrative contribution.
Tie-Breaking: If the successes and failures are tied, the GM rolls a d20 to decide the outcome. On a result of 10 or higher, the group succeeds. This roll can be secret, disclosed or performed by a player, depending on the GM's preference and the situation.

Optional: Fatebending Rolls

The Echoes system allows substituting any d20 rolls with Fatebending rolls. These rolls are entirely optional and should be integrated into the setting as a limited and expendable resource, as indicated by their rarity in the Roll Comparison Table.

Fatebending rolls use the sum of two dice. The result is then evaluated as if it were a normal d20 roll. They come with both benefits and drawbacks:

No Critical Failure: The minimum result is 2, eliminating the chance of rolling a critical failure.
Average Probability: The outcome probabilities are centered around an average value, making this type of roll particularly useful when the Success Threshold is close to that average.
Critical Successes: An attempt results in a critical success when the result is 20 or higher. This implies that likelihood of a critical success is significantly altered, ranging from being eliminated to more than double that of a d20 roll.

Roll Comparison Table

The table below compares the result probabilities of a standard d20 roll with those of Fatebending rolls. The rarity of Fatebending rolls is defined in Object Attributes, and is also expressed as the average number of d20 rolls that should be made by players or NPCs before a Fatebending roll becomes available.

Roll	Crit. Failure	Average	≥10	Crit. Success	Rarity
d20	5%	10.5	55%	5%	N/A
Fatebending 2d8	N/A	9	43.75%	N/A	Common: 10
Fatebending 2d10	N/A	11	64%	1%	Rare: 50
Fatebending 2d12	N/A	13	75%	10.42%	Elite: 250

Alternative: Player Resource

If integrating Fatebending rolls into the setting seems cumbersome or out-of-context, they can be used as resource given directly to the players, following these rules:

Session Start: Each player gains one Fatebending 2d8 roll at the beginning of each session.
RP Reward: The GM can award a Fatebending 2d8 roll for particularly good roleplay moments by a single player or the entire group.
Fatebending Upgrade: When a player collects three Fatebending rolls of a given tier, they can be upgraded to a single roll of the next tier.
Limitations:
- At most one Fatebending 2d12 roll can be kept by each player.
- Tier downgrade is not allowed.
- Trading is not allowed.