Defining Task Difficulty

When used in a check to represent the challenge posed by a task, the difficulty level is indicated with one of the following labels: Simple, Easy, Average, Hard, Daunting, or Formidable. This label is followed in parentheses by the number of Difficulty dice d to be added to the dice pool. For example, you might face an Easy (d ) Perception check or a Hard (d d d ) Medicine check. We’ve provided some more extensive explanations of each difficulty level in this section.

We’ve also included the rough chance of success for each difficulty. To calculate this, we’re assuming a starting character with a characteristic of 3 and one rank in the relevant skill, which adds two Ability dice d d
and one Proficiency die c to the pool. This represents a newly created character whose player has invested enough experience in a certain skill and characteristic to be reasonably confident of success. This is our focused character—a character focused on accomplishing this kind of task. We’ve also provided a starting character with a characteristic of 2 and no ranks in the skill; this is our general character—a character with no particular skill at accomplishing the task.