Balance: Rolls & Bonuses – NEWPROTEST Publishing

Rolls and Bonuses

In Balance, the following mechanics are used throughout the game. Some are used during Combat (see the Combat Chapter for more information), and some can be used during non-combat actions.

Lucky

A player may spend a Primary Core Stat point to add a Bonus dice roll for their action.

Lucky rolls must be declared before the roll.
Lucky rolls can used on Defense Dice, Initiative, and for actions related to their Primary Core Stat. For example, a Swashbuckler (Core Stat: Brawn) can use their Brawn Stat Points for Lucky Rolls (e.g., strength actions, injury rolls)
When Primary Core Stat Points reach zero, Lucky rolls are no longer available until Primary Core Stat Points are replenished.

Gameplay Note:

Luck is a central force in the World of Isora. As characters increase in Levels, their Core Stats and available Primary Stat Points increase as well, giving them more opportunities to be Lucky.

Most inhabitants of Isora believe that a long and successful life with high achievement is the result of Luck, although some argue that their countless hours of practice and study provided their victories.

The Sages of Isora always say: Balance is greater than Luck.

Endure

A player can spend a Primary Core Stat Point to reduce 1 point of Injury from an attack or damage.

Note: Endure can be used even when the Primary Stat Points are been spent. Refer to the Fatigue / Exhaustion section for the effects of negative Primary Stat Points.

Gameplay Note:

Endure must always be narratively explained. A Brawn-based character may have forgotten to tighten one of the straps on their armor, causing the armor to slip at the last second and deflecting an otherwise heart-piercing stab. A Wit-based character may have distracted their opponent before an attack is launched, causing the attack to veer off course. Players should have fun with this opportunity to narrate their character’s survival.

Fatigue / Exhaustion

When the character’s Primary Stat Points are reduced to zero, the character can still use Endure, but doing so causes the character to experience Fatigue, resulting in a Penalty Roll for all rolls involving their Mind or Body Stats, depending on their Core Stat. For example:

Discipline is a Mind stat, so Discipline-based characters with Fatigue receive a Penalty Roll on all Discipline and Wit actions, including To Hit rolls involving Spells and Charm actions.
Brawn is a Body stat, so Brawn-based characters with Fatigue receive a Penalty Roll for Brawn and Reflex actions, including To Hit rolls in melee and accuracy in their attacks.

When Stat Points reach -2, the character suffers from Total Fatigue, which imposes a Penalty Roll on all action and combat rolls until Fatigue is resolved by a Long Rest or other means.

At -3, the character experiences Exhaustion, falling unconscious despite remaining Health points. The character can only be revived by a Long Rest or through magical/enhanced means.

Note: Defensive Rolls are not impacted by Fatigue / Total Fatigue

Balance Shock

For each point of Imbalance, all Action and Attack Rolls must be checked for Balance Shock. To determine if the character experiences Balance Shock, roll 2d6 before the action. In Combat, Balance Shock is checked during the Initiative roll.

Note: Balance Shock does not take into account bonuses to the roll. It is based purely on the numbers on the dice.

Imbalance 4: Balance shock when the combined total of the rolls is 4 or less.
Imbalance 2: Balance Shock the total is 2 or less.
Imbalance 1: Balance Shock does not apply, as a 1 cannot be rolled on 2d6.

When a character experiences Balance Shock, the player must roll 2d6. If both dice match (e.g., 1 & 1, 5 & 5), the character finds Balance, and there is no penalty. If the dice do not match, the player must choose between two penalties:

1 point of Injury. This reduces the available Health Points by 1. This cannot be reduced to 0 by Endure.
A -2 on Action and Combat Rolls involving the higher of the two Body (Brawn and Reflex) stats or Mind (Discipline and Wit) stats until after a Long Rest.

Balance Shock can accumulate, causing additional penalties. All Balance Shock is cleared after a Long Rest.

Gameplay Note:

Balance Shock should be understand as a function the Sacred Lines that comprise the World of Isora. These Lines either flow as unhindered paths of intention, or as a tangle or broken lines that impedes a character.
Some religious characters describe Balance Shock as “Isora is not with you,” while others describe it as merely being “out of balance.”

Bonus Rolls / Penalty Rolls

Bonus Rolls and Penalty Rolls cause the player to reroll either their highest or lowest roll.

Bonus Roll: The player rerolls their 2d6, taking the higher of the rolls.
Penalty Roll: The player rerolls their 2d6, taking the lower of the rolls.

Order / Chaos

Prior to any Action or Combat roll, the player may first roll 2d6 for Chaos. If the two dice match, the player gains +6 on their next roll. However, if the numbers do not match, the character gains one point of Imbalance, causing future action or combat rolls to risk Balance Shock.

These extra points of Imbalance are cleared only after the character experiences Balance Shock.

Gameplay Note:

Chaos is conceptualized as a “push against the double-pendulums” in Isora. It’s assumed that the pendulum always swings back, but it’s unclear when or how. Most inhabitants in Isora are wary of Chaos, and they caution that Balance is safer at the center, where life is predictable.

balanced dice

During any combat or non-combat action roll, if the two primary dice match (ignoring additional bonus dice) AND the roll does not result in Balance Shock, the player has rolled Balance and may roll an additional dice to add to their total roll.

Roll Modifiers

Some Class abilities or spells change the behavior of the dice rolled. These modifiers include:

Add to Dice Roll (e.g., +2 changes a 2 to a 4)
Bonus Roll (roll 2d6 twice and keep the highest)
Penalty Roll (roll 2d6 twice and keep the lowest)
Add/Remove Dice from the roll

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