⚔️ Combat in the Shatterlands

The Shatterlands aren’t just dangerous — they’re personal. A fight here is rarely the gentleman’s duel of fiction. It’s a desperate, breathless scramble through collapsing ruins, over jagged metal, and past the flicker of half-dead neon signs. You might not smell victory, but you’ll smell the ozone from a discharged energy rifle or the acrid smoke of a Molotov. This section will guide you through combat in the wastes step by step, as if you’ve never rolled a die before, explaining not just what happens, but why and how.

Maps and Minis? Entirely optional. These rules assume you can picture the action in your head, but if bottle caps make great raiders and a toy truck becomes the party’s armored ride, that’s fine too. Just remember: the Judge’s elbow is still the most dangerous weapon at the table.

The Shatterlands are unpredictable and brutal, and combat here reflects that chaos. Think of each battle as a small story within the larger adventure — a story that unfolds second by second in the chaos of crumbling buildings, the glare of broken streetlamps, and the ringing in your ears after the first shot is fired. Combat is the moment where plans meet reality, and where characters are tested not just by their skill, but by the environment, their enemies, and their own choices.

An encounter begins when the player characters cross paths with someone — or something — that could become a threat. The Judge sets the stage: the sights, the sounds, the smells, the mood. Are you facing a ragged gang in the dim light of a burned-out mall, or a mutant beast in the rusting carcass of an old war machine? The Judge considers whether the enemy is aware of you, what their intentions might be, and what they’re willing to do to achieve them.

From there, the flow of combat follows a clear rhythm:

1. Surprise Check: If one side didn’t see the other coming, they lose their first opportunity to act.
2. Initiative: Each side (or each combatant) rolls to determine the order of actions. A good roll means you can act before your enemies; a poor one might mean taking a hit before you can respond.
3. Rounds and Actions: Combat unfolds in rounds, each lasting about 10 seconds. In that time, every participant can move and take actions based on their abilities and the situation.
4. Attack Resolution: When you attack, you roll against the enemy’s Armor Class to see if you’ve overcome their defenses. A successful roll means you deal damage; a critical roll might change the tide of the fight. A fumble could turn things against you.
5. Damage, Healing, and Consequences: Successful hits reduce hit points; some foes drop quickly, while others cling to life. Healing, morale checks, and other rules keep the fight dynamic until it ends.

Throughout combat, the Judge describes not only the mechanics but the narrative feel of each action. A simple “You hit” can instead become, “Your blade slips between the plates of their armor, and you hear a sharp intake of breath before they stagger back.”

When the fight ends, the story doesn’t. Characters catch their breath, tend to wounds, loot the field, or brace for the next threat. The rhythm of combat is as much about those quiet moments as it is about the chaos itself — the Shatterlands don’t let anyone rest for long.

🚶 Movement

In the Shatterlands, how fast you can move might be the only thing keeping you alive — or the only thing letting you close the distance before your target disappears into the rubble.

Most humans and human-like beings can move 30 feet per action. Some creatures are naturally slower or faster; for example, those with heavy, root-like growths, bulkier frames, or environmental adaptations may move at 20 feet per action. Cybernetics, mutations, and scavenged technology can push this number up or down.

Your movement rate is also affected by what you’re carrying. If you’re laden with scrap, dragging an injured companion, or wearing armor better suited for a statue than a person, expect to slow down. Exactly how much slower? That’s up to the Judge — but if your party insists on bringing the kitchen sink to every firefight, don’t be surprised when you can’t outrun the things chasing you.

Example: Kael, carrying only a pistol and a light jacket, can sprint the full 30 feet per action. Brenna, hauling a salvaged generator and wearing reinforced scavenger armor, lumbers along at just 15 feet. When the concrete starts collapsing, guess who’s making it to the other side first.

📏 Marching Order

Before you’re in combat, you’re usually somewhere else — navigating a dead city street, climbing through a ruin, or winding your way through underground tunnels that smell like rust and rot. Your marching order — the arrangement of the party as you move — matters.

The first person in line will be the first to spot trouble… or to be spotted. The ones in the rear watch for danger coming from behind. In between, you’ve got the people who might not want to be in the thick of it but still have to move with the group.

For small, well-organized parties, this is usually a quick discussion:
“Tank in front, medic in the middle, sniper in back.” Done.

For larger groups — especially if you’re running a mob of low-level characters — try the “table center” method. Everyone arranges their character sheets on the table in the order they’d be walking. The sheets closest to the table’s center are your front line; the ones closest to their players are in the back. Anyone in between is… well, in between.

Example: The Judge looks at the table: two sheets in the center belong to the melee bruisers, while the ones at the far edges are a fragile scholar and a scavenger with a broken leg. The front line will hit danger first — hopefully the rear can avoid joining them.

Choosing your marching order isn’t just paperwork. It can mean the difference between the scout spotting an ambush in time… or the rest of the group hearing about it when the screaming starts.

⏳ Timekeeping

The Shatterlands run on their own kind of clock — one where seconds can decide a life, and hours can vanish without you realizing. In game terms, we measure time differently depending on whether you’re in combat or exploring.

Rounds

Combat is measured in rounds, each one lasting about 10 seconds of frantic, overlapping action. In that brief window, people are shouting orders, dodging incoming fire, swinging weapons, and diving for cover — all happening at once. Even though we take turns at the table, imagine it all playing out in real time, with everyone moving in a chaotic blur.

Turns

Outside of combat, exploration is measured in turns of about 10 minutes. A turn represents the slower, deliberate pace of searching, scouting, looting, or making your way carefully through dangerous ground. You might be checking for traps, listening at doors, or quietly picking through an abandoned market for anything edible.

Rounding Up Combat

When the dust settles after a fight, the Judge rounds the total combat time up to the next turn. That extra time covers the messy aftermath — catching your breath, tending wounds, wiping blood from your gear, replacing broken parts, reloading weapons, or prying bent armor back into shape.

Example: A fight in the ruins of a collapsed transit station lasts 4 rounds — just 40 seconds in the fiction. The Judge rounds it up to a full 10-minute turn to account for the post-battle scramble: swapping magazines, looting the fallen, and dragging your wounded companion to safety.

By tracking rounds and turns, the game keeps tension high in combat while still giving exploration and downtime their own rhythm.

🎲 Initiative

In the Shatterlands, a lot can happen in a few seconds — the difference between living and dying is often measured in who moves first. That’s what initiative decides: the order in which everyone acts once a fight kicks off.

Group vs. Individual Initiative

At low levels, life expectancy is… let’s say uncertain. You might be running more than one character because you expect at least one of them not to see the end of the day. When the table is full of green recruits and the Judge is juggling a dozen combatants, it’s faster to use group initiative.

• Group Initiative: Each player rolls once, using the highest initiative modifier among the characters they control. The Judge rolls once for all enemies. Whichever side rolls higher acts first that round.
• When it’s your turn, you declare actions for all your characters before dice hit the table.

Once the body count thins and each player is only running one or two survivors, individual initiative makes things more dynamic.

• Individual Initiative: Each character rolls separately, adding their own modifiers. The higher the roll, the sooner they act.

Surprise

Before anyone rolls, the Judge determines if either side is surprised.

Being surprised doesn’t just mean “didn’t expect a fight” — it means you didn’t know your enemies were there at all. Maybe they were hidden in the shadows, masked by a sandstorm, or moving under the hum of a malfunctioning power relay. If you didn’t see them, hear them, smell them, or otherwise detect them, you’re surprised.

Surprised characters don’t get to act in the first round. Once that round’s over, they join the initiative order as normal.

Example: The party creeps through an abandoned overpass when a pack of feral synth-hounds bursts from behind an overturned truck. The Judge calls for a surprise check — the hounds were downwind and completely silent. The roll says the party is caught off guard. For the first round, the hounds move and attack before anyone can so much as curse.

Rolling Initiative

To roll initiative, grab the die listed for your weapon and situation:

• Most combatants roll a d20.
• Characters wielding a two-handed weapon roll a d16 instead — big swings take time.

Add your Agility modifier. Certain classes and abilities might also grant bonuses — Sentinels add their class level, some mutants roll an additional Mutant Horror initiative bonus die, and artifacts or mutations may alter the roll.

The highest total goes first, then the next highest, and so on. Ties are broken by highest Agility score, then highest Hit Dice.

Initiative is rolled once at the start of the fight and stays the same for every round — unless the Judge decides circumstances change enough to justify a new roll.

Example: Garrick the scavenger (Agility +2) rolls a 15 on his d20 for a total of 17. His opponent, a patchwork raider (Agility +0), rolls an 18. The raider still goes first despite Garrick’s speed — but if they’d both rolled a 17, Garrick’s higher Agility would’ve given him the edge.

🎯 Actions & Action Dice

Every combatant in the Shatterlands gets a set number of actions each round, and those actions are represented by action dice. Your action dice determine both how many things you can attempt in a round and how good you are at doing them.

How Action Dice Work

Most characters start with one action die, which is almost always a d20. This means in a single round, you can:

• Move up to your normal speed and
• Take one main action (attack, use an ability, activate gear, etc.)

As you gain experience (or if you’re built for speed and efficiency), you may gain more than one action die. High-level combatants might roll something like d20 + d16, giving them two separate actions in a round. These can be attacks, movements, item uses, or other activities, depending on your class and situation.

Example of Multiple Action Dice

A 6th-level Sentinel with d20 + d16 action dice could:

• Move once, then attack with the d20, then attack again with the d16.
• Stand still and make two attacks (one with each die).
• Move twice — covering ground quickly — and forgo attacking.
• Mix in other actions like activating an artifact, reloading a weapon, or attempting a grapple.

Your class abilities might expand what you can do in a round or make certain actions more efficient, but everyone follows the same basic “move + act” rhythm.

Bio-Glyph Program Timing

Running a Bio-Glyph program isn’t always instant.

• If the program takes one action, it’s resolved during that round.
• If it takes multiple actions, each action you spend contributes toward the program’s total runtime until it completes.

This means you might spend a whole round just channeling a program while your allies cover you.

Action Timing Table Examples

Activity	Time
Move up to speed	1 action
Attack with a weapon	1 action
Draw or sheathe a weapon	1 action*
Equip or drop a shield	1 action*
Reload a firearm or crossbow	1 action
Switch weapon fire mode (single, burst, auto)	1 action
Open a door, hatch, or panel	1 action*
Activate an unpowered artifact	1 action
Change power cells or fuel	1 action
Locate an item in a backpack or pouch	1 action
Stand from prone	1 action
Mount or dismount a vehicle or creature	1 action
Reason with an obstinate AI	1 action
Apply a stim, medkit, or bandage	1 action
Kick over furniture for cover	1 action
Throw an object or grenade	1 action
Shove, trip, or attempt a grapple	1 action
Dive for cover	1 action
Pick up an object from the ground	1 action
Shout orders or signal allies	Free action

* Can be included as part of a movement action if the Judge agrees it’s reasonable in the moment.

Example: Arlen the scavenger (1d20 action die) moves 20 feet to get behind a collapsed wall and fires his shotgun — that’s one movement and one attack. Meanwhile, Vesh the gunfighter (1d20 + 1d16) draws her sidearm (as part of moving into cover), fires with the d20, then tosses a grenade with her d16.

Judge’s Call

The Judge decides how much you can squeeze into an action. If you’re doing something simple and cinematic — like drawing a pistol while diving behind a counter — it might still be one action. If you’re trying to rewire a blast door in the middle of a firefight, expect it to take the whole round (and maybe a skill check on top of that).

⚔️ Types of Combat

In the Shatterlands, fights break down into two main styles: melee and missile combat. Both are deadly in their own way, and knowing when to switch between them can mean the difference between walking away and being carried.

Melee Combat

Melee combat happens when you’re close enough to smell your opponent’s breath — usually within 5 feet for human-sized combatants. This is the domain of blades, clubs, makeshift spears, brass knuckles, and bare fists.

When making a melee attack:

• Add your Strength modifier to both the attack roll and the damage roll.
• Some weapons may have additional bonuses or penalties depending on size, weight, or design.

Example: Jaro swings his crowbar at a charging feral. He rolls a d20, adds his melee attack bonus, and adds his Strength modifier. When the hit lands, he adds the same Strength modifier to the damage — because a strong arm drives the blow home.

Missile Combat

Missile combat covers any attack made beyond arm’s reach — from a few feet away to the edge of your weapon’s range. This includes bows, crossbows, slings, firearms, thrown weapons, and even hurling a heavy wrench at someone’s head.

When making a missile attack:

• Add your Agility modifier to the attack roll.
• Damage is usually based on the weapon alone (unless a special rule or mutation says otherwise).
• Range can affect accuracy — the farther the target, the harder the shot.

Example: From behind a rusted-out car, Sera fires her revolver at a scavver across the street. She rolls her attack and adds her Agility modifier. The bullet hits hard enough without needing her Strength to push it along.

🔫 Shotguns: Boomstick Justice

Shotguns are the sound of God clearing His throat in a ruined chapel. They aren’t rifles, whispering across a hundred yards. They aren’t pistols, barking like angry dogs. A shotgun is thunder in your ribs, scatter-sky in your chest, a red sermon delivered at arm’s length.

Within twenty-five feet, a scattergun is law. Raiders and scavvers unlucky enough to huddle shoulder-to-shoulder find themselves cut down together — the shot leaps, like lightning, catching any two fools who stand within five feet of each other. Beyond fifty feet the pellets turn to rain, still stinging, still lethal, but the Judge halves the damage as the pattern loses its fury.

Get close — ten feet or less — and the weapon shows its true gospel. The dice step up, every pellet finding meat, every rib turned into splinters. That’s where the shotgun earns its name as the boomstick, the judge, the redeemer.

But there’s always the kick. These beasts demand two hands, a solid stance, respect for the recoil. Try to swagger with one hand on the grip — sawed-off bravado, or pure madness — and you’ll be lucky to hit the barn you’re standing inside of. That’s a –2 penalty to hit, the tax for style over sense.

Buckshot is the bread and butter, the scatterstorm everyone fears. Slugs are another thing entirely: a solid fist of lead, straight and true, no spread, no falloff — just a hole where something used to be. And in the wasteland, rumors travel of shells filled with fire, flechettes, or worse… rare relics of the old world, each carrying its own terrible poetry.

Shotguns are not polite weapons. They are boomstick justice at close range, where no mercy lives.

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📜 Mechanics Summary

• Range: 25 ft. normal / 50 ft. max
• Spread Fire: Between 25–50 ft., may strike two adjacent targets (within 5 ft. of each other); roll damage separately. (Slug rounds cannot spread.)
• Damage Falloff: Beyond 50 ft., damage is halved.
• Scatter Advantage: At ≤10 ft., damage die increases one step.
• Recoil: Must be fired two-handed. Firing one-handed = –2 to hit.
• Ammo Types:
  • Buckshot: Uses all spread/falloff rules.
  • Slug: No spread, no falloff; full damage to max range.
  • Exotics: Dragon’s Breath, flechettes, etc., at Judge’s discretion.

Thrown Weapon Range

You can throw a standard thrown weapon (like a grenade) up to a distance equal to your Strength score × 5 feet, to a maximum of 45 feet without penalty. Throws beyond 45 feet may be attempted (up to GM-set limits, especially for mutants or superhuman characters), but all such throws suffer a -1d penalty to hit or to target, representing the challenge of accuracy at extreme ranges.

• Heavy or awkward objects may have reduced maximum range (GM’s discretion).
• Overhand Heave: You may attempt to double your maximum range (to 90 ft), but suffer -2d to hit and must make a DC 12 Strength check or the weapon lands short (scatter 1d6 × 5 ft).

Strength	Max Range (no penalty)
6	30 ft
8	40 ft
9+	45 ft
10+	45 ft*
18	45 ft**

* You can throw beyond 45’ but you still take the -1d penalty **Exceptionally strong or mutant characters may exceed this cap at GM discretion.

Switching Between the Two

Combat is rarely neat. A gunfight can collapse into a knife fight in seconds, and a brawl can turn into a chase with shots fired over your shoulder. Be ready to change tactics based on distance, ammo, and the environment — because in the Shatterlands, fights don’t wait for you to get comfortable.

🛡 Armor Class (AC)

Your Armor Class (AC) represents how hard you are to hit — the combination of protective gear, agility, and anything else that makes it harder for your enemies to land a clean blow.

The Baseline

Everyone starts with a base AC of 10 when wearing no armor and carrying no shield. From there, your AC goes up if you improve your defenses or down if you’re hindered.

• Armor: Wearing protective gear raises your AC. For example, slipping into a set of scavenged leather armor might boost your AC from 10 to 12.
• Shields: Carrying a shield adds another bump to your AC, as long as you can actually use it in the fight.
• Agility: Your Agility modifier applies to your AC in all forms of combat — melee, missile, and everything in between. A quick, evasive fighter can avoid a blow without relying entirely on armor.

Modifiers and Penalties

Not all defenses come from gear — and not all situations let you take full advantage of your abilities.

• Agility Bonus: If you’re nimble, you can slip or twist away from attacks, adding your Agility modifier to AC.
• Negative Agility: If you’re slow, clumsy, or weighed down, your Agility modifier can lower your AC. A character with a –2 Agility modifier would drop from AC 10 to AC 8 before armor or shields are added.
• Restricted Movement: If you’re climbing a wall, balancing on a narrow beam, tangled in a net, or otherwise unable to move freely, you don’t get your Agility bonus to AC. You can’t dodge if you can barely move.

Example

Kara has no armor (AC 10) but an Agility modifier of +2, bringing her AC to 12. She picks up a metal shield (+1 AC), raising her to 13. Later, she’s cornered while climbing a collapsed support beam — her shield still counts, but she loses her Agility bonus because she can’t maneuver, dropping her AC back to 11.

In the Shatterlands

Armor Class isn’t just about what you’re wearing — it’s about how you move, the cover you can use, and how well you adapt in the moment. Sometimes a thin scrap of metal plate is enough, if you’re quick. Other times, even the heaviest armor won’t save you if you’re caught flat-footed.

🎯 The Attack Roll

Once you’ve decided to strike, it’s time to see if you actually hit your target. An attack roll represents your attempt to land a telling blow — whether that’s with a scavenged machete, a jury-rigged rifle, or a sharpened rebar stake.

How to Make an Attack Roll

1. Roll your action die — usually a d20.
2. Add your attack bonus from class and level.
3. Add any bonuses from mutations, artifacts, or special abilities (for example, Sentinels add a bonus die when using artifact weapons).
4. Add your Strength modifier for melee attacks, or your Agility modifier for missile attacks.
5. Compare the total to the target’s Armor Class (AC).
   • If your total is equal to or greater than their AC, the attack hits.
   • If it’s lower, you miss.
6. On a natural 20, you score a critical hit (see Critical Hits section).
7. On a natural 1, you suffer a fumble — an automatic miss and an immediate roll on the appropriate Fumble Table.

Range and Situational Modifiers

The chaos of combat means you won’t always be swinging or firing under perfect conditions. Modifiers can change your attack rolls in two ways:

• Flat bonuses or penalties (e.g., +2, –1).
• Die type changes (e.g., –1d shifts you down the dice chain: d20 → d16 → d14, and so on).

These modifiers are applied before you compare the roll to the target’s AC.

Attack Roll Modifiers Table

Condition	Melee	Missile Fire
Missile Fire Range
Short range (≤ Normal)	–	–
Medium range (> Normal ≤ Max)	–	–2
Long range (> Max ≤ ×2 Max)**	–	–1d
Attacker is…
Invisible	+2	–
On higher ground	+1	–
Squeezing through a tight space	–1d	–1d
Entangled (in a net or otherwise)	–1d	–1d
Using an untrained weapon	–1d	–1d
Firing a missile weapon into melee*	–	–1
Firing single shots	–	–
Firing burst shots	–	–2
Firing full auto	–	–1d
Defender is…
Behind cover	–2	–2
Blinded	+2	+2
Entangled	+1d	+1d
Helpless (paralyzed, sleeping, bound)	+1d	+1d
Kneeling, sitting, or prone	+2	–2

* Firing into melee also carries a 50% chance of friendly fire if you miss. The Judge randomly determines which ally you might hit, then you make a new attack roll against that ally’s AC.
** The absolute maximum range for firearms is double their listed maximum range.

Understanding Die-Type Modifiers

When a modifier changes your die type, you shift along the dice chain: d24 → d20 → d16 → d14 → d12 → d10 → d8 → d7 → d6 → d5 → d4 → d3 A –1d modifier lowers you by one step (e.g., d20 → d16). Multiple die-type modifiers stack, moving you further down the chain. For example:

• A character using their second action die of d16 suffers a –1d penalty from a condition, shifting that attack to d14.

Example: Melee

Torrin swings a rusty machete (d20 attack die) at a raider with AC 13. Torrin rolls a 15, adds his +2 Strength modifier, and +1 attack bonus for a total of 18. The hit connects easily.

Example: Missile

Selka fires her bolt-action rifle at medium range. She rolls her d20, adds her Agility modifier (+1) and attack bonus (+2), but suffers a –2 penalty for medium range. The final total must still meet or exceed the target’s AC to hit.

💥 Fumbles

Sometimes the battlefield gods are cruel. A natural roll of 1 on your attack die is not just a miss — it’s a fumble, and that means something has gone wrong in a way that everyone will remember. Fumbles automatically miss and can cause all manner of embarrassment, injury, or disaster.

Rolling for Fumbles

When you roll a natural 1 on your attack die, you’ve fumbled.
Fumbles always mean your attack automatically misses — but the worse your fumble roll, the more painful (or humiliating) the outcome.

To determine just how bad it is, you’ll roll on the Fumbles Table. The die size you use depends on how much your gear limits your movement:

• The bulkier or heavier your armor, the bigger the die you roll. Heavy, rigid plating is harder to recover in, so the potential for a spectacular disaster is greater.
• The lighter and less restrictive your gear, the smaller the die you roll. Wearing little or no armor limits how badly you can trip yourself up.

Once you know your die size, roll and then adjust the result by your Luck modifier — in reverse:

• A positive Luck modifier is subtracted from your roll, softening the blow.
• A negative Luck modifier is added to your roll, making things worse.

📏 Fumble Roll Die Sizes by Armor Category

Armor Category	Example Gear	Fumble Die
Powered Armor	Any powered frame or battlesuit	1d20
Artifact / Heavy Armor	Plasteel mesh, bubble helmet, enviro belt, force field	1d16
Medium Armor	Hide, bone, heavy scavenged plating	1d12
Light Armor	Light leather, padded armor, shield only	1d8
No Armor	Unarmored, no shield	1d4

Example: Garrick the scavenger is wearing light scavenger leathers. That means he rolls a 1d8 for his fumble. His Luck modifier is –1, so he adds +1 to the result. He rolls a 5, plus 1 from Luck, for a final result of 6 — his spear is tangled in his straps, and he’ll spend the next round getting free.

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💥 Critical Hits

Every so often, an attack doesn’t just connect — it lands perfectly.
A critical hit is that sweet spot of skill, luck, and opportunity where everything lines up, and your enemy’s day gets dramatically worse.

Scoring a Critical Hit

In the Shatterlands, a critical hit happens when:

• You roll a natural 20 on a d20 attack die, or
• You’re using a die larger than d20, and your roll is 20 or higher.

This means:

• d20 → crits only on a 20
• d24 → crits on 20, 21, 22, 23, or 24
• d30 → crits on 20–30

Any die smaller than a d20 (like a d16 or d14) cannot score a critical hit — you might hit, but it’s not the kind of blow that gets a named chapter in someone’s war memoir.

When you score a crit:

1. The attack automatically hits — no AC check needed.
2. Roll your crit die on the appropriate Critical Hit Table for your class and level.
3. Adjust the result by your Luck modifier (higher Luck makes crits nastier).

Your class table will tell you which crit die to roll and which crit table to use.

• All 0-level characters roll 1d4 on Critical Hit Table I.
• Higher-level characters use larger crit dice and more vicious tables.

Describing the Mayhem

Critical hits aren’t just “big damage” — they’re the moments everyone at the table remembers. A Judge should tailor the scene to fit:

• The attacker’s weapon (a warhammer smash feels different than a beam rifle shot)
• The target’s form (shattering a synth’s servo housing isn’t the same as disemboweling a marauder)
• The tone of the moment (heroic slow-motion or gritty, bone-snapping realism)

If the table result doesn’t fit the scene, the Judge should pick the next lower result that makes sense. Monsters follow the same rules — and yes, they can crit too.

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💥 Critical Hits by Monsters

Players aren’t the only ones who get those fight-changing, bone-crunching moments — monsters can score critical hits, too.

When Monsters Crit

A monster scores a critical hit when:

• It rolls a natural 20 on its attack die, or
• Its description lists a wider threat range (some truly terrifying foes crit on 19–20, 18–20, or even more).

When a monster crits, it’s an automatic hit and the Judge rolls on the appropriate monster crit table. The type of table and size of crit die depend on the monster’s Hit Dice and nature (see the table below).

Luck Modifiers Still Apply

A PC’s Luck modifier always alters a monster’s critical hit roll:

• Positive Luck reduces the monster’s crit roll.
• Negative Luck increases the monster’s crit roll.

That little bit of fate might be the only thing standing between “just a flesh wound” and “you’re now two separate pieces.”

Deadly Encounters

High-HD monsters critting against low-level PCs can result in instant death — the kind of thing the Judge should describe in gruesome, cinematic detail. On the other hand, low-HD creatures fighting high-level PCs might barely scratch them even on a crit. The world is not fair.

Table 4-3: Monster Critical Hits

Monster HD	Sentient Humanoid Bio-Synth	Biological Synthetics & Creatures	Artificial Lifeform
Less than 1	III/d4	BC/d4	A/d3
1	III/d6	BC/d6	A/d3
2	III/d8	BC/d8	A/d3
3	III/d8	BC/d8	A/d3
4	III/d10	BC/d10	A/d4
5	III/d10	BC/d10	A/d4
6	IV/d12	BC/d12	A/d4
7	IV/d12	BC/d12	A/d4
8	IV/d14	BC/d14	A/d4
9	IV/d14	BC/d14	A/d4
10	IV/d16	BC/d16	A/d4
11	V/d16	BC/d16	A/d4
12	V/d20	BC/d20	A/d6
13	V/d20	BC/d20	A/d6
14	V/2d10	BC/d20	A/d7
15	V/2d10	BC/d20	A/d7
16	V/2d12	BC/d24	A/d8
17	V/2d12	BC/d24	A/d8
18	V/2d14	BC/d24	A/d10
19	V/2d14	BC/d30	A/d10
20+	V/3d10	BC/d30	A/d12

Example: A 7 HD bio-synth predator rolls a natural 20 on its bite attack. That means a crit. Looking at the table, a 7 HD bio-synth uses BC/d12 — so the Judge rolls a d12 on the “Biological Synthetics & Creatures” crit table, adjusts the result by the PC’s Luck modifier, and then describes the outcome. Maybe its jaws lock down and tear free a hunk of armor plating — along with what’s underneath.

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☠️ Damage and Death

In the Shatterlands, fights aren’t duels in shining armor — they’re messy, brutal, and often short. When the dust settles, the difference between standing and bleeding out often comes down to seconds.

Rolling Damage

When an attack hits, the attacker rolls the appropriate damage die for their weapon:

• Melee attacks add the attacker’s Strength modifier.
• Ranged attacks don’t add Strength unless the Judge rules otherwise (like hurling a heavy object).
• Add any other bonuses from Biological Synthetic abilities, artifacts, class perks, or situational effects.

A successful hit always deals damage — never less than 1 point, even if modifiers would reduce it below that. You can graze, bruise, or chip away at an opponent, but you can’t “hit” for nothing.

When Hit Points Hit Zero

A creature or character is considered dead at 0 hit points — but for adventurers, that line isn’t always final.

• 0-level characters: Death is immediate and irreversible. The wasteland doesn’t give them second chances.
• 1st level and higher: Dropping to 0 HP means you collapse, bleeding out and on the edge of death.

Bleeding Out

When bleeding out:

• You have a number of rounds equal to your level to be healed before death becomes permanent.
  • 1st level → 1 round
  • 3rd level → 3 rounds, etc.
• Healing during this window restores you to the amount rolled on the heal check, starting from 0 HP.
• If not healed in time, you’re dead. No saving throws. No arguments.

The Price of Coming Back:
Survivors of bleeding out don’t walk away unmarked:

• Permanent –1 Stamina (the wound never fully heals)
• A visible, story-worthy scar — a reminder to you, and everyone else, of how close you came to dying.

Recovering the Body

Sometimes “dead” isn’t as dead as it looks. If an ally reaches a fallen comrade’s body within one hour, they can attempt a Luck check for the downed character:

• Success: The “corpse” was just unconscious, stunned, or otherwise incapacitated.
  • Restores them to 1 HP.
  • They suffer –4 to all rolls for the next hour due to shock and lingering pain.
  • Permanent –1 to Strength, Agility, or Stamina (roll randomly).
• Failure: Sorry. It wasn’t just a knockout.

Example: Vex, a 2nd-level scavver, takes a spear through the ribs and drops to 0 HP. His allies have two rounds to patch him up. On the second round, a medic slaps on a tourniquet and uses a healing patch. Vex survives — but forever after, his breathing whistles faintly, his Stamina drops by 1, and the jagged scar across his side earns him the nickname “Windpipe.”

❤️ Healing

In the Shatterlands, healing isn’t a matter of waving a magic wand — it’s slow, stubborn work. Most injuries come with bruises, scars, and stories you’ll be telling for the rest of your (hopefully long) life.

Rest and Recovery

Your body heals naturally when given the chance:

• Adventuring with a full night’s rest → Regain 1 hit point.
• Complete day of bed rest → Regain 2 hit points per night.

You can never heal beyond your natural hit point maximum without the aid of artifacts, Bio-Glyph, or other extraordinary means.

Healing Critical Hits

Critical hits don’t just hurt more — they sometimes maim.
The extra damage from a critical hit heals at the same pace as the hit points it cost you.

Example: You take a crit to the knee — 4 extra damage and a –10’ speed penalty. That speed penalty lasts until you’ve healed those 4 extra hit points.

Some crit effects are permanent injuries — the kind that no amount of sleep will fix. Only advanced tech, rare Bio-Glyph, or unique Biological Synthetic abilities might restore what’s lost.

Healing Ability Score Loss

Lost ability points (except Luck) heal like hit points:

• Good night’s rest → Regain 1 point.
• Bed rest → Regain 2 points per night.

You can recover hit points and ability score points on the same night’s rest.

Luck Never Heals (…Almost)

Lost Luck is gone for good.
No amount of rest, herbal tea, or wishful thinking will bring it back — unless you earn it.

Certain rare boons can restore Luck:

• Pure Strain Humans and some Biological Synthetics have special abilities that can recover it.
• Extraordinary acts — like defending a Prime AI against overwhelming odds — might earn a divine favor.
• Conversely, offending such powers might cost you Luck.

The Judge decides when the scales tip in your favor… or against you.

Example: After a brutal skirmish, Lysa holes up for two days of bed rest, healing 4 hit points and 2 lost Stamina. But her Luck score, burned to avoid a lethal shot, stays stubbornly low. Until she does something worth the attention of the Ancients, that missing Luck isn’t coming back.

🎯 Saving Throws

Sometimes, your character’s survival comes down to one roll — the saving throw.
Saving throws measure your ability to resist extraordinary dangers: poisons, radiation bursts, ancient security systems, psychic domination, or traps designed by someone who really hated intruders.

How They Work

To make a saving throw:

1. Roll 1d20.
2. Add the relevant modifier for the type of save:
   • Fortitude → Physical toughness and endurance (Stamina-based)
   • Reflex → Agility, speed, and instinctive reaction time (Agility-based)
   • Willpower → Mental resilience and focus (Personality-based)
3. Compare the total to the DC set by the Judge.
   • Equal or higher → You resist the effect.
   • Lower → You suffer the consequence.

Your class and ability scores determine your base save modifiers, and situational effects (cover, Bio-Glyph, artifacts) can add more.

Example: A collapsing ruin rains debris on your party. The Judge calls for a DC 14 Reflex save. You roll a 12, add +3 for your Reflex modifier, and dodge aside just in time. The Bio-Synth next to you rolls a 6 and takes the full brunt of the falling masonry.

⚑ Morale

Not every creature is willing to fight to the bitter end. Fear, pain, and self-preservation can make foes break and run — or throw down their weapons and surrender.

When to Check Morale

Morale checks are for monsters, minions, and NPCs — never for player characters (your choices are yours to make). A morale check might be called for in situations like:

• Group of enemies → When the first creature is slain, and again when half the group is dead or incapacitated.
• Single enemy → When it’s lost half its hit points.
• Minion → When it first encounters combat or danger in each adventure, and again at the adventure’s end.

Making the Roll

1. Roll 1d20.
2. Add the creature’s Willpower save modifier.
3. If it’s a minion, also add their master’s Personality modifier.
4. Compare to DC 11 (unless the Judge sets a higher DC due to special circumstances, such as artifact effects).

• Success (11+) → The creature holds its ground.
• Failure (10 or less) → The creature tries to flee, surrender, or otherwise disengage.

Modifiers and Motivation

The Judge can apply a situational modifier from +4 to –4:

• +4: The creature is highly motivated — defending young, sacred territory, or a Prime AI’s shrine.
• –4: The creature doesn’t care much about the fight’s outcome, is poorly paid, or just wanted an easy meal.

Creatures Without Fear

Some beings feel no fear and never make morale checks:

• Artificial lifeforms (androids, robots, holograms, AIs)
• Unintelligent undead (such as screamers)
• Anything incapable of self-preservation

Example: A gang of raiders loses their leader in the first round of combat. The Judge calls for a morale check. They roll a 9, add +1 for Willpower — total 10. They fail, break ranks, and scatter into the ruins. One of them even yells, “Not worth it!” as he disappears down an alley.

🍀 Burning Luck

Luck isn’t just a passive stat — in the Shatterlands, you can set it on fire for that one, desperate moment when failure isn’t an option.
Burning Luck gives you an immediate, one-time bonus to a roll… at the cost of permanently lowering your Luck score.

How It Works

When you burn Luck:

1. Announce you’re spending it — either before or after you roll.
2. State how many Luck points you’ll burn.
3. Add that number directly to your roll’s result.
4. Permanently reduce your Luck score by the amount burned.

You can only burn Luck once per roll — no topping off after you’ve already decided how much to spend.

Restrictions

• You can only burn Luck to affect your own rolls.
  (The sole exception: certain class abilities, like those of some Biological Synthetics or Plantients, may allow aiding others — see class descriptions.)
• You cannot burn Luck to change another creature’s roll, even if it directly affects you.
• Your Luck modifier still applies to certain rolls (like when an enemy crits against you), but that’s separate from burning Luck.

What You Can Boost

Burned Luck can apply to:

• Attack rolls (melee or ranged)
• Damage rolls
• Bio-Glyph program checks
• Saving throws
• And sometimes, anything else the Judge rules is eligible — like certain skill checks, artifact activations, or critical situations in the narrative.

Example: The Judge calls for a DC 15 Reflex save to dodge a collapsing walkway. You roll a 13. Close — but not enough. You burn 2 Luck, bumping the roll to 15, and leap clear. Your Luck score drops from 12 to 10. From now on, every roll that uses your Luck modifier is just a little worse… but at least you’re alive to regret it.

🏃 Withdrawal

Sometimes, the smartest move in a fight is knowing when to get the hell out of it.
But in the Shatterlands, backing away from an armed opponent isn’t as simple as just walking off — they’re not going to politely let you leave.

Disengaging from Melee

Once you’re engaged in melee, stepping out of that close combat zone means exposing yourself to danger.
If you choose to withdraw — whether to:

• Retreat entirely,
• Shift to a better position, or
• Attempt an action somewhere else…

…every enemy you’re currently engaged with gets one free attack against you as you pull away.

What Counts as Withdrawal

• Retreating to safety.
• Circling away to gain distance for a ranged attack.
• Falling back to protect another ally or objective.

If you stay in melee range and just reposition around your foe, it’s not a withdrawal — but if you leave their reach entirely, expect them to take a swing.

Example: Mara is toe-to-toe with a raider when she hears the wet growl of something big coming from behind. She decides to fall back toward the group. The raider gets a free slash at her as she moves — fortunately, it misses, and Mara makes it to the relative safety of her squad.

⚔ Other Combat Rules and Status Effects

Combat in the Shatterlands is rarely “just” trading blows.
You’re dealing with burning debris, strange toxins, psychic assaults, and the occasional giant insect trying to rip your head off.
This section covers special combat situations and the conditions that can mess you up — temporarily or permanently.

Ability Loss

Some attacks reduce your ability scores. The results can be crippling:

• Intelligence 1–3 → Barely more aware than a feral animal.
• Intelligence or Personality 0 → Babbling, incoherent, unable to feed yourself.
• Strength or Agility 0 → Incapable of movement.
• Stamina 0 → Collapse into unconsciousness.
• Luck 0 → A walking disaster. Everything goes wrong.

Judge’s Tip: If a PC hits 0 in a stat, describe the impact in a way that makes the table wince. “Your legs go jelly-soft and you pitch forward, face-first into the dust.”

Catching Fire (Burning)

If you catch fire, take 1d6 damage per round until it’s extinguished.
Put it out by spending your entire round doing stop, drop, and roll, then make a DC 10 Reflex save.
Hotter or stickier fires (chemical, plasma, mutant bile) may deal more damage or be harder to extinguish.

Judge’s Tip: Don’t just say “you take 4 damage.” Tell them how the flames blister skin, curl armor edges, and make the air smell like burnt hair.

Charge

A reckless headlong rush at the enemy:

• Must move at least half your speed in a straight line.
• Gain +2 to attack rolls for that action.
• Suffer –2 AC until your next turn.

Judge’s Tip: Perfect for dramatic last stands or bad tactical decisions.

Concentration Check

Whenever a PC or creature is maintaining a mental effect (casting, trait use, telepathic link, etc.) and suffers a disruptive event — such as taking damage, being shoved, or targeted by a distracting mental ability — they must roll a Concentration Check to avoid losing the effect.

How to roll:

• d20 + appropriate attribute modifier (usually INT for mental focus, PER for emotional stability, or STA if it’s sheer grit).
• DC is generally 10 + damage taken or the opposing effect’s roll (Judge’s choice).
• Failure: the effect ends immediately, and the trait/spell/program may be lost for the day depending on its normal rules.

Dropping a Torch

When a torch hits the ground, there’s a 50% chance it goes out.

Falling

Falling hurts:

• Take 1d6 damage per 10 feet.
• For every die that rolls a 6, you break a bone.
• Each broken bone inflicts a permanent –1 Strength or Agility (player’s choice).

Judge’s Tip: Landing in soft sand or muck might save their bones… but then they have to deal with what’s in the muck.

Firing into Melee

If you miss your intended target in melee, there’s a 50% chance you hit an ally instead.
Randomly determine the ally, then reroll the attack against their AC.

Judge’s Tip: Name the ally before you roll. Watching the color drain from their face is half the fun.

Grappling

• Make opposed attack rolls, using the higher of Strength or Agility modifiers (monsters use Hit Dice).
• Size advantage grants bonuses:
  • ×2 size → +4
  • ×3 size → +8
  • ×4 size → +16
• Win the roll → Opponent is pinned.
• Lose the roll → Grapple fails.
• Pinned targets can’t move or act until they escape with another grapple check.
• Miss a melee attack against a grappled foe? 50% chance you hit the ally doing the pinning.

Judge’s Tip: Grappling in the Shatterlands isn’t clean wrestling — it’s biting, headbutts, and someone trying to jam a thumb into someone else’s eye.

Recovering Armor

Armor from a fallen foe (or ally) is often damaged:

• 25% chance it’s useless without repairs.
• Repair cost is typically ¼–½ of original value.
• Armor made for a specific build (human, Synth, Bio-Synth, etc.) can only be worn by similar physiologies.

Recovering Missile Weapons

Missed missiles can be recovered:

• 50% chance they’re destroyed.
• Otherwise, they can be reused.

Subdual Damage

For knocking out foes instead of killing them:

• Certain weapons (axes, clubs, spears, daggers) can deal subdual damage.
• Damage die is one step lower than normal.
• At 0 HP from subdual, target falls unconscious.

Unarmed Combat

• Inflicts 1d3 + Strength modifier subdual damage.

📜 Status Effects

Condition	Effect
Battle Rage	Spend Personality or Intelligence points to add +1d12 damage per point on a critical hit. Points heal over time (faster with rest).
Bleeding Out	Lose 1d3–1 HP per round until healed. (See Damage & Death for rules on stabilizing.)
Blinded	–4 to attacks, half movement speed.
Burning	See Catching Fire.
Confused	Random action each round; attacker may target allies or enemies by mistake.
Corroded / Armor Damage	Armor AC reduced until repaired; from acid, extreme heat, etc.
Dazed	–2 to all rolls.
Dehydration	Each day without water: Fort save DC 12 + (days²). Failure → 1d3 temp Stamina & Strength loss. Attribute loss can’t heal naturally while dehydrated.
Disease / Infection	Ongoing HP loss, stat penalties, or other effects until cured.
Drowning / Suffocating	Lose 1d6 Stamina per round; death at 0. Stamina returns in 1d6 turns after breathing resumes.
Entangled / Restrained	No movement, –2 to attack rolls, –2 AC.
Exhausted	Movement halved, –1d to physical rolls until rested.
Fear / Panic / Shaken	Immediate movement away from source; may drop items, –1d to attacks and checks.
Frozen / Slowed	Movement halved, –2 to attacks.
Hallucinating	Perception checks fail; may target allies as enemies.
Infected Wound	Healing halved until treated; risk of disease.
Pinned	Grappled and unable to act; escape with grapple check.
Poisoned	Take damage or penalties over time; severity varies by source.
Prone	Melee attackers get +2 to hit; ranged attackers get –2 to hit you.
Radiation Sickness	Stamina loss, nausea, possible mutations or death with prolonged exposure.
Starvation	Each day without food: Fort save DC 12 + days. Failure → 1d3 temp Stamina or Strength loss. No natural healing while starving.
Stunned	Only one action per round; duration stacks but never below one action.

Judge’s Tip: Status effects are opportunities to get cinematic. Instead of “You’re stunned,” say, “Your ears are ringing, your knees won’t lock, and you’re trying not to vomit.”

🧠 Bio-Glyph Programs

Bio-Glyph programs are mental constructs — encrypted data clusters, algorithmic rituals, and physics-defying protocols — installed directly into a user’s neural pathways by a Prime AI.
While retained in memory, these constructs allow the user to alter reality in specific, pre-coded ways through a mix of concentration, verbal triggers, hand gestures, and sometimes specialized hardware that channels the effect.

In game terms, Bio-Glyph programs function like spells do in DCC RPG:
They have levels, require program checks, and can fail spectacularly. The difference is that here, the “magic” is really the stored will of ancient machine minds running code through the Bio-Glyph of a human (or Bio-Synth, or Forged) brain.

Prime AI Access

Bio-Glyph programs come in two categories:

• Branded Programs – Marked with the identity of their originating Prime AI.
  These can only be learned if the user is bonded to that specific AI. The bonding represents the trust (and control) needed for the AI to grant access to its proprietary code.

• Open Source Programs – Labeled as open source.
  These can be learned by any Bio-Glyph user, regardless of Prime AI bonding. Open source programs are rare, often cobbled together from scavenged machine code, leaked AI archives, or black-market datastores.

The Prime AI Bond program itself is a special case. It can be taught via the appropriate channeling device for a specific AI, granting the initial link necessary to learn branded programs.

It is possible — though rarely wise — to bond with more than one Prime AI to gain access to multiple program lists.
While this may expand your options, it also means serving the often conflicting agendas of more than one machine god. Judges are encouraged to make such dual loyalties dangerous, rewarding, and rife with consequences.

Maximum Number & Level of Bio-Glyph Programs

The maximum number and level of Bio-Glyph programs a character can learn is determined by their class progression.
Each Bio-Glyph-capable class has its own chart detailing:

• How many programs can be known at once
• The highest program level accessible at each class level

Your Intelligence modifier may still increase or decrease the total number of programs you can retain in active memory, but you can never exceed the caps listed on your class table.

Characters of higher levels may eventually learn 4th- and 5th-level Bio-Glyph programs, which are not covered in this core volume.
These advanced programs — and potentially higher tiers — are intended for future high-level Afterglow adventures and supplements.

Judge’s Tip: Bio-Glyph isn’t just “press button, get effect.” Describe the upload lag, the electric taste in the user’s mouth, the way the air warps as the code takes hold. Make the players feel like they’re bending reality through alien math.

🖥️ Making a Bio-Glyph Program Check

Running a Bio-Glyph program isn’t just flipping a switch — it’s forcing alien math through the folds of your brain until reality blinks.

When a character attempts to execute a Bio-Glyph program, the player rolls that character’s action die (most commonly a d20), and adds:

• Caster Level (CL) — usually equal to class level for Bio-Glyph-capable classes.
• Intelligence modifier — Bio-Glyph is still brainwork, after all.
• Any other situational bonuses or penalties.

The total is then compared to the program’s result chart to determine what happens.

Example:

• A 1st-level Bio-Glyph user with Intelligence 14 runs Invoke Prime AI.
  Roll: d20 + CL 1 + Int mod +1
• A 3rd-level Bio-Glyph user with Intelligence 16 runs the same program.
  Roll: d20 + CL 3 + Int mod +2

Coilburn

Some Bio-Glyph-capable classes may have the ability to Coilburn — sacrificing points from physical ability scores (Strength, Agility, or Stamina) to supercharge a program check.
Each point burned adds +1 to the roll, and the decision to Coilburn must be declared before rolling.

Burning Luck

Any Bio-Glyph user may burn Luck to boost a program check.
Luck burn can be declared before or after the roll, but only once per check.
Burned Luck is permanent unless recovered through class abilities, rare artifacts, or Judge fiat.

Judge’s Tip: Even if the math is quick, the description should be rich. The hum in the user’s ears, the flicker of light across their eyes, the smell of ozone — Bio-Glyph should always feel like you’re doing something dangerous to your own mind.

Tech Checks

A Tech Check measures how quickly and accurately a character can understand, operate, or adapt unfamiliar technology. When you attempt to activate, repair, or reprogram a device you’re not trained on, the Judge calls for a Tech Check.

The Roll

Roll 1d20 + Intelligence modifier + any applicable bonuses. If the total meets or exceeds the device’s DC, you succeed. The DC reflects how complex or different the system is from what you already know. The Judge may grant a +1 to +3 familiarity bonus for similar prior experience, available manuals, working examples, or team assistance. Conversely, being under pressure, working in the dark, or lacking tools may impose a –1 to –4 penalty.

Interpreting Results

Success: You figure out how it works or get it operating correctly.
Failure: You don’t understand it yet; another attempt may be possible after time, study, or guidance.
Critical 1: You trigger an unintended behavior—sparks, overload, or lockout (Judge’s discretion).
Critical 20: You spot an optimization or hidden function that grants an edge on later rolls.

Typical DCs

Task Type	Example	DC
Familiar machine, different interface	Old model pump, industrial drone	10–12
Common pre-Fall tech, some quirks	Security panel, med-scanner	13–15
Specialized or restricted system	Drone swarm node, reactor control	16–18
Hybrid/AI-linked device	Phase Gate console, Coil relay	19–22
Experimental or corrupted tech	Glitched AI core, biotech overrun	23+

🛠️ Common Skills

While each character class has its own unique talents, almost everyone in the Shatterlands grows up with a core set of survival skills — the things you need to make it from one sunrise to the next in a dangerous, resource-starved world.
Whether you were raised in a scavenger enclave, a remote farming commune, a nomadic caravan, or a hidden undercity, you’ve learned how to get by with what’s at hand.

This might mean knowing how to:

• Identify edible plants and safe water sources
• Hunt or trap small game with improvised weapons
• Patch together tools or clothing from scavenged scraps
• Navigate ruined streets, tangled forests, or flooded subways
• Light a fire without modern tools when the cold moves in

In play, if a player can reasonably describe how their character’s background relates to the task at hand, they can make what’s called a trained skill check.
If it’s the kind of task any competent survivor in your world could attempt — even under stress — it counts as trained.

🧩 Making a Skill Check

• Trained skill check: roll 1d20
• Untrained skill check: roll 1d10

Add any relevant ability modifier (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Personality, Intelligence, or Luck as appropriate) and compare the total to the Difficulty Class (DC).
If your result equals or exceeds the DC, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail.

🎯 Difficulty Challenge Levels

• DC 5 — Child’s Play: Almost anyone could manage this under normal conditions.
  (Example: climbing a sturdy ladder, following a broad trail, lighting a fire with dry tinder.)

• DC 10 — Adventurer’s Work: Not everyone could pull it off; takes some strength, skill, or nerve.
  (Example: forcing open a rusted security door, scaling a slick wall, spotting a hidden sentry.)

• DC 15 — Daring Feat: Impressive, risky, and not something most people would attempt.
  (Example: leaping a collapsing catwalk, snatching a pistol from an opponent’s hand.)

• DC 20 — Legendary Effort: Only the most capable heroes attempt — or survive — these.
  (Example: swinging from a cable to crash through a window while under fire.)

🎲 Scaled DCs & The Power of Soft Failures

How to Use Scaled DCs

When you call for a Scaled DC (ScDC) check, treat the target number as a guide, not a gate. The DC tells you how hard it is to achieve a full success, but it shouldn’t mean “succeed or nothing happens.” Use the actual roll to shape what the PCs learn or accomplish—and how the story moves forward.

If the party rolls low, don’t block progress. Instead, give them a soft failure: partial information, a new complication, or an incomplete clue. The goal is to keep the narrative flowing and maintain player agency, not leave them stuck or confused.

🧠 Why Soft Failures Matter

Roleplaying games thrive on momentum and discovery. A failed roll should never mean the story stops—instead, treat failures as forks in the road, offering new challenges or partial truths.

• Keep the action moving.
• Avoid dead ends.
• Let players react to setbacks, not just accept “no.”

Example: Spotting an Ambush (ScDC 10)

• 1–5: The party glimpses a fleeting shadow between buildings.
• 6–9: They spot a couple of shadows moving between buildings.
• 10–15: They clearly make out three shadowy figures darting between buildings.
• 16+: They identify three small, humanoid Muties with scaly green skin running from one building to another.

💡 Soft Failure in Action

• Partial Success: Give part, but not all, of what the players want.
  Example: “You don’t spot the assassin, but you notice a window closing across the street.”
• Complication: Success comes with a twist or cost.
  Example: “You pick the lock, but a guard hears the click.”
• Lead, Not Wall: On a miss, offer a clue, another path, or a risky next step—never just “nothing happens.”

Remember:
The dice don’t say “no”—they say, “something else happens.”
Your job as Judge is to turn every roll into a story beat, not a brick wall.

🤼 Opposed Skill Checks

When two characters are directly competing — arm wrestling, wrestling over a weapon, racing for a falling object — both roll the appropriate skill check. The higher total wins.
(Example: a Sentinel tries to yank a rifle from a Forged’s grip — both roll Strength checks; the higher roll wins.)

🚫 When Not to Roll

Skill checks are a tool, not a replacement for player description. If a player clearly explains an action that would automatically succeed, don’t ask for a roll.
Reserve checks for moments when:

• Failure carries a consequence
• The outcome isn’t obvious
• The challenge is beyond routine experience

📋 Common Skill Checks

Activity	Ability
Balancing on narrow or unstable surfaces	Agility
Breaking open containers, doors, or restraints	Strength
Climbing (sheer surface)	Strength
Climbing (natural holds or aided)	Agility
Dodging falling debris or sudden hazards	Agility
Enduring extreme weather or radiation exposure	Stamina
Foraging for edible plants or safe water	Intelligence
Identifying dangerous flora/fauna	Intelligence
Jury-rigging a device from scavenged parts	Intelligence
Listening for movement, machinery, or danger	Luck
Navigating through wilderness, ruins, or tunnels	Intelligence
Picking locks (mechanical or simple electronic)	Agility
Salvaging parts from ancient machines	Intelligence
Searching/spotting hidden objects or threats	Intelligence
Sneaking past sentries or predators	Agility
Swimming or wading in hazardous waters	Strength or Stamina
Tracking creatures or vehicles	Intelligence
Treating wounds with basic supplies	Intelligence
Withstanding toxins, disease, or chemical exposure	Stamina

Judge’s Note: If you’re not sure which ability to call for, think about how the character is approaching the task — climbing by brute force leans on Strength, while climbing by careful handholds leans on Agility. The fiction decides the roll.

Judge’s Tip: Lean on the player’s description first. The roll should come when we don’t know how things will turn out, not when they’ve already found the obvious solution. You can also give your players an option to roll using their luck modifier as an alternative to one of the physical or mental stats.