Checks

Checks are a narrative tool and a way to explore the depth of your characters and the world around them. To enhance this experience, we have refined certain aspects of checks, aiming for a balance between realism, player agency, and compelling storytelling.

Passive Knowledge

For skills related to Nature, Arcana, History, and Religion, your character possesses a passive knowledge score. This score is calculated as 10 + your character’s skill modifier. This determines how much your character knows about certain topics. When determining what your character knows in the moment, you may choose to use passive knowledge or you can take your chances with an active check.

In some situations, the DM may decide to add your proficiency bonus to the passive knowledge score, if it’s determined that your character has a reason to know more about the topic in question. Likewise, the DM may allow you to roll with an advantage if you choose to make an active check, isntead.

Check Limits

While persistence may be a virtue, we recognize that certain actions have inherent limitations. Unless the situation demands individual checks for each player (such as perception, initiative, and investigation), actions that involve skill checks have a limited number of attempts. This limit is usually 2 or 3 times for the group, depending on the nature of the action and the GM’s discretion.

Repeated attempts can have negative consequences. For instance, if you try to pick a lock too many times, you may jam it and make it impossible to open. Similarly, a rickety ladder may break and cause you to fall.

The purpose of these limits isn’t to punish players or “railroad” them, rather to encourage alternative solutions to problems.

Nat 20s Aren't Game Breaking

The nature of a nat 20’s success depends on the situation, the character’s abilities, and narrative logic. The result might be a moment of extraordinary luck or skill; however, it’s still within reason. A physically weak character who attempts to break down a door of fortified stone won’t shatter the door, but they might discover a hidden key or encourage an NPC to come through the door from the other side. Similarly, you might not be able to change the mind of a highly principled NPC, but you may create a moment of doubt that can be exploited later, or you may be able to convince them to be lenient.

This rule helps to maintain narrative consistency and prevents improbably outcomes that can undermine the story’s integrity or the skills other members of the party possess.

Diverse Intimidation

Intimidation is a multifaceted skill that can be wielded in various ways, reflecting the diverse strengths and personalities of our characters. To capture this nuance, we’ve expanded the scope of intimidation checks.

Charisma (Intimidation)

The standard intimidation check relies on Charisma, reflecting the character’s ability to exert mental or emotional pressure through their personality, verbal and emotional threats, or manipulation tactics. This remains a valid choice, particularly for characters with strong social skills.

Strength (Intimidation)

Physical prowess can be equally, if not more, intimidating. A character with great Strength might use brute force, physical threats, or displays of their power (or muscles) to cow their opponents.

Dexterity (Intimidation)

A character with exceptional finesse might use subtle threats, displays of agility, or a threat of precise violence to instill fear in their opponents. This approach is effective against those who value their safety and possessions.

Intelligence (Intimidation) or Wisdom (Intimidation)

For spellcasters and those with keen intellect or wisdom, intimidation can take on a more magical or psychological form. They might use illusions, threats of arcane power, or displays of knowledge to manipulate their opponents.

Constitution (Intimidation)

In desperate situations, a character’s sheer resilience and determination can be terrifying. A character with high Constitution might threaten survival, vow revenge, or display an unnerving ability to endure pain. This is valuable against anyone who values self-preservation.