The Core Mechanic
So how do I do stuff in this game?
To resolve actions in The Burning Isle, we'll be using a simple Dice Pool mechanic (don't worry, we're not asking for buckets of d6s like in Shadowrun.)A typical action roll for a player consists of at least three dice. No matter how many dice you roll, you choose two to add together for your result. You choose which dice are used for your result.
Great, but where do I get these dice from?
Just about everything on your character sheet will have a die rating, telling you what size of die to roll. For our game, a roll will usually be comprised of a Distinction, an Attribute and a Skill. Distinctions are key phrases about your character. They're what make you you. So if you have Scheming Courtier - d8 on your character sheet and you're trying to convince a Duke that a war is a Really Good Idea, you would add that d8 to your dice pool. Each character has three distinctions, so there's almost always at least one d8 in your pool.Attributes are core building blocks of your character. They include Courage, Faith, Guile, Grace, Reason and Vigour, and each can be rated from a d4 (not great) to a d12 (incredible. Every action you take will likely call upon one of these six attributes, so you'll add a die from one of them to your pool. In the previous example, the Scheming Courtier is probably using subterfuge and wit to get his way, so he'll add his Guile - d8 to the pool.
Skills are trained aptitudes that a character develops over the course of their life. They range in rating from d4 (untrained) to a d12 (grandmaster.) Continuing with our ongoing example, our courtier is trying to influence the King, so he adds his Influence - d10 die to the pool.
Once the dice pool is assembled, the player rolls and chooses two dice to form their total result. To succeed, they'll need to beat the difficulty, not just meet it. Ties go to the defender in this game.
So we only tally two dice... what happens to the other one?
Great question! After determining your result, you choose a third die to act as your Effect Die. This is the impact you have on the situation at hand; it's how hard your sword swing lands, or how effective your argument is. An Effect die can range from a d4 (Weak) to a d12 (Staggering). After you roll, you have to decide which two dice are forming your Result and which one will be your Effect die, which is not counted towards your Result total.Continuing with our previous example, our Scheming Courtier is rolling 2d8 and 1d10. Let's say he's lucked out and they've all rolled incredibly high; he's got two 8's and a 10. He could choose to max out his result by choosing the d10 and a d8 as his Result dice, leaving him with a massive 18 score and a d8 die for Effect... or he could choose the two d8s as his Results, setting his final tally at 16, with a bigger d10 die for Effect.
This is, of course, assuming you don't roll any Hitches.
Wait, what's a Hitch?
So glad you asked! Any dice that come up as a 1 are counted as Hitches. They don't count towards your total and can't be chosen as Results or Effect dice; they're effectively big bad zeroes. What's more, if a die comes up as a 1, the GM can hand you a Plot Point (more on those later) to introduce more complications to the scene.If Hitches leave you with no dice to choose for your Effect die, it defaults to a d4. Tough, but them's the breaks.
