Dice & Dice Pools

The Core

In the Genesys RPG, characters regularly find themselves utilizing their skills and a healthy serving of luck to perform tasks and actions. Determining success or failure – or any unforeseen circumstances – requires the character to perform a skill check. There are two basic elements to skill checks.

1. Create a pool of dice and roll them.
2. After all factors are considered, if at least one Success symbol remains, the task is successful.

When a character attempts an action, the first thing they do is gather the appropriate dice to form a dice pool. Several factors determine how many dice to roll, including the character’s natural abilities, training, equipment, and the inherent difficulty of the task. The GM might also add dice based on the environment or the situation. For instance, attempting to break in to the roof access of a building on a clear day versus trying to jimmy the lock in a downpour, without tools, while being shot at are quite different. Once all the necessary dice are collected, the player rolls the entire pool.

The second step is understanding the results. After rolling, you examine the symbols that appear on the dice. Some symbols work in pairs, with one type canceling out its opposite. Other symbols apply no matter what and add extra effects to the task's outcome. By first comparing Success and Failure symbols, you determine whether the action succeeded. Then, you compare Advantage and Threat symbols to see if there are any positive side effects or complications. Finally, you resolve any remaining symbols to finalize the outcome.

This core mechanic, the skill check, is the backbone of the game. Every other rule or effect interacts with either the process of building the dice pool or interpreting the results once the dice are rolled.

The Dice

The symbols on the Genesys dice provide a foundation for the action in the game. Understanding how the symbols interact with each other will allow the game to run more smoothly. When the GM calls for your character to make a skill check, the dice allow you and the GM to resolve the role quickly, determining success or failure and narrative implications. There are six types of dice used to make this happen, and each die face is either blank or has one or two symbols representing positive or negative outcomes.

A dice pool will generally contain between five and eight dice, though smaller – and larger – pools aren’t unheard of; difficult circumstances might call for more dice while more mundane ones require fewer.

The dice can be divided into two categories: Beneficial dice and disruptive dice. Beneficial dice include symbols used to accomplish tasks, while disruptive dice feature symbols that cancel those from their counterparts and hinder success.

Ability, Proficiency, and Boost dice are beneficial dice, while Difficulty, Challenge, and Setback dice are negative and disruptive.

Positive or Beneficial Dice

The three types of beneficial dice feature symbols that increase the odds of success in finishing a task or gaining positive side effects.

Ability Dice

Green eight-sided dice represent your character’s Ability; these dice form the core of most dice pools. They embody your character’s basic aptitude when making a skill check and are represented by in text.

Proficiency Dice

The yellow twelve-sided dice represent your character’s proficiency, a combination of innate ability and training. They have a greater likelihood of success and are the only dice that include the Triumph symbol. Proficiency dice are upgraded versions of Ability dice and are represented by in text.

Boost Dice

Situational advantages are represented by light blue six-sided dice. Boost Dice represent luck, chance, advantageous actions your character takes, and circumstances surrounding the characters, such as having the right equipment or perfect lighting. Boost dice are shown as in text.

Negative or Disruptive Dice

The three types of disruptive dice include symbols that thwart success or provide unexpected – and unwanted – complications.

Difficulty Dice

Purple eight-sided dice represent the inherent complexity or difficulty of a task. The more Difficulty dice in a dice pool, the less likely the roll is to be successful. They possess detrimental symbols that cancel out the positive symbols in a dice pool and are represented by in text.

Challenge Dice

Challenge dice are dark red twelve-sided dice. They represent intense adversity and contention. They are likely to show up in place of Difficulty dice during more daunting challenges and circumstances, such as those posed by highly-skilled or powerful opponents. They include negative results, like Difficulty dice, but are the only dice to feature the potent Despair symbol. Challenge dice are upgraded versions of Difficulty dice and are represented by in text.

Setback Dice

Represented by black six-sided dice, Setback dice are the thematic opposite of Boost dice. They represent bad fortune and difficult circumstances, such as poor lighting, insufficient resources, or difficult terrain. They’re added to a roll to represent situations or environmental difficulties that don’t increase the basic difficulty of the task. They’re represented by in text.

Percentile Dice

In addition to the Narrative Dice, the game also uses a pair of percentile dice, either as percents or a simple roll of one to ten and are most often used for critical injury results.