Luck
Some situations can require a special roll that can either give a bonus or penalty to a character. When a roll involving a d10 is made during these situations, a d4 can be added or subtracted from the roll depending on if the character is lucky or unlucky.
A lucky situation adds the d4 to the roll and, likewise, an unlucky situation subtracts the d4 from the roll.
Lucky roll = +1d4
unlucky roll = -1d4
There are some abilities and specials that give this feature to characters, but it should also be used as a rule of thumb that the game master should keep in mind for on-the-fly rolls.
Lucky Called Shot
Just like regular lucky rolls, it is possible to make your called shots lucky. Some abilities grant you the ability to upgrade your called shot to a lucky called shot, which adds the d4 to the called shot roll.
Lucky Coins
Misata, the god of luck, shines down on those who adventure. The scriptures of the Misata temples proclaim that its power is often granted to those with wanderlust in their hearts. It is their only answer for why these mysterious coins of luck keep appearing on adventurers and no matter how much they try, no one has been willing to part with them. Oddly enough, even fallen adventurers who have been seen with the coins do not have them on their person after death. As if Misata came and took them back.
Adventurers treasure their Lucky Coins and won't part with them, no matter the offer. It is even rumored that if they were given away, it would cause bad luck on the new owner, as each coin holds the original adventurers’ luck. After all, using someone else’s luck is in its own way bad luck.
Once an adventurer gains a lucky coin, they immediately understand how it works and what abilities they can gain with them. As if a list of options appears in their minds’ eye with full understanding. However, once the coins are used and none remain the understanding of how they work is lost until a new coin has been gained.
Giving Lucky Coins
There are two main ways Lucky Coins are given to characters. One way is being immersive with your character and sticking to the design and personality you created, regardless of the situation. The other way is as experience points when a situation does not fit, giving the traditional experience points.
Regardless of how the coins are given, each character cannot have over three coins on them at a time and they cannot use their coins on others. Once a coin is used, it disappears from the character in exchange for the luck ability they chose.
Using Lucky Coins
Each Lucky Coin can be traded in for any of the following:
- Turning in a lucky coin, your next roll can be chained, but this condition applies only to rolls that can be chained.
- By turning in a lucky coin, you can add +5 to your current roll. This can be done before or after you roll, but not after your opponent’s results or the difficulty rating is revealed. This does not apply to damage rolls.
- One lucky coin is worth five talents that can only be used towards paying off a penance of a trait. The talents from the coin is an all-or-nothing payment. If the penance costs six talents and you use two coins (ten talents), the remaining four talents are lost. See paying your penance in the traits chapter.
- Turn in a lucky coin to be exchanged for any favor listed in the reputation section of the game rules chapter that has a cost of fifteen or less.
- Trade in a lucky coin for five knowledge points or to learn one recipe that costs five or less knowledge points.
- Turn one coin in to learn one language as a secondary language or one that is already a secondary into a fluent one. This can only be done a maximum of twice per character.
- Spend one coin to gain one additional elementary spell of a channeling skill that is expertise. This can only be used one per character.
- Use one coin to remove any marks of insanity you currently have and decrease your insanity stage by one if you choose. This does not restore mental health.
- One coin can make either two basic skills expertise or one combat or channeling skill expertise.
- One coin can be exchanged for two talents that can only be used on skills.
Gambler’s Luck
A more involved way to use a Lucky Coin is by leaving your fate up to Misata. The character can flip their Lucky Coin in the air to attempt a major feat. While in the air, they declare that either the front or back side of the coin (heads or tails) will face up when they catch it (it is always caught). If their guess is correct, the feat is carried out successfully, without fail. However, if the guess was wrong,s the opposite happens (the feat fails) and they have horrifically bad luck for the next 1d4 hours.
Whatever is trying to be performed must be done within the physics and laws of the world/character’s abilities. Only the character activating the coin can perform whatever task is being attempted.
The lucky effect granted by the coin cannot apply to someone or something else. You could shoot an arrow to split an opponent during a tournament to help the current king keep his throne. However, trying to jump over a five-hundred-foot chasm with no help is not possible. Or wishing for an enemy to miss their attack they are about to make on your ally also would not work.
