Facing Challenges: The Core Mechanic

The thing that makes a role-playing game different from other kinds of stories is the possibility of failure. If the characters are guaranteed to succeed in everything they try, or if their failure is part of some pre-ordained plan, then you’ve written a story. It might make a very good book or movie, but it isn’t a game. In games (and in life), the possibility of failure is always present, and it isn’t always part of some grand scheme.

In Exterminis: Reign of Destruction, players roll dice to determine if their plans succeed or fail. This is called facing a challenge.

To face a challenge, roll 2d6 and add the relevant characteristic score, skill, and any bonuses. The total result is known as your Challenge Total. The maximum bonus is +8, even after all modifiers have been applied. The minimum roll is always 2d6 +0, and the maximum roll is always 2d6 +8.

The GM will roll 2d20. These are known as the Eyes of Exterminis, and they represent the power of Exterminis working against you. These dice are not added together. Instead, each one is considered separately.  A roll of five and seven, for example, is read as 5 and 7, not 12. No adjustments are made to the Exterminis dice.

If your Challenge Total is higher than both of the Exterminis dice, then you pass the challenge with a strong success, and something extra good happens. You cross the log safely, and at the last minute, you also kick the log into the river, cutting off your pursuers. This result can be interpreted as “Yes, and…”

If your Challenge Total is higher than one Exterminis die, but not both, you pass the challenge with a weak success. You succeed at whatever you were trying to accomplish, but there is a slight complication. You cross the river safely, but trip at the last second, and have to take some time getting back up (maybe). This result can be interpreted as “Yes, but…”

However, if both of the Exterminis dice are higher than your Challenge Total, you fail the challenge. In the example above, you fall off the log and into the river. This result is interpreted as “No.”

If both of the Exterminis dice match (i.e. two 7s, two 5s, etc.), then something really good or really bad happens (depending on if you pass or fail the challenge).