How Rolls Work / What Are Tasks
The Cypher System uses a twenty-sided die (1d20) to determine the results of most actions. Whenever a roll of any kind is called for and no die is specified, roll a d20. A roll with a D20 is referred to as a task.
The game master (GM) sets a difficulty for any given task. There are ten degrees of difficulty. Thus, the difficulty of a task can be rated on a scale of 1 to 10.
Each difficulty has a target number associated with it. The target number is always three times the task’s difficulty, so a difficulty 1 task has a target number of 3, but a difficulty 4 task has a target number of 12. To succeed at the task, you must roll the target number or higher. See the Task Difficulty table for guidance in how this works.
- The GM sets the difficulty.
- Apply Skills.
- Apply Assets.
- Apply Any Situational Modifiers.
- Apply Effort.
- Roll a d20. If the number is the same or larger than the task difficulty you succeed. If you rolled a natural 20, you also succeed.
- Resolve costs to your pools.
Skills
Characters may be skilled at performing a specific task. A skill can vary from character to character.
For example, one character might be skilled at lying, another might be skilled at trickery, and a third might be skilled in all interpersonal interactions. The first level of being skilled is called being trained, and it eases that task by one step. More rarely, a character can be incredibly skilled at performing a task. This is called being specialized, and it eases the task by two steps instead of one.
Skills can never decrease a task by more than two steps—any more than two steps from being trained and specialized don’t count.
Important Note
The important thing to remember is that a skill, or any combination of skills, can only reduce the difficulty by no more than two steps, and assets can reduce the difficulty by no more than two steps, regardless of the situation. Thus, no task’s difficulty will ever be reduced by more than four steps without using Effort.
Assets
An asset is anything that helps a character with a task, such as having a really good crowbar when trying to force open a door or being in a rainstorm when trying to put out a fire. Appropriate assets vary from task to task. Help from an ally counts as an asset. If the ally is specialized, then the asset eases by two steps rather than one. An asset usually eases a task by one step.
Assets can never ease a task by more than two steps—any more than two steps from assets don’t count.
Important Note
The important thing to remember is that a skill, or any combination of skills, can only reduce the difficulty by no more than two steps, and assets can reduce the difficulty by no more than two steps, regardless of the situation. Thus, no task’s difficulty will ever be reduced by more than four steps without using Effort.
Situational Modifiers
The GM may rule that the PC has an asset when attempting a task or is hindered. For example if a PC is a boxer and has a big fight coming up, if they spend the session before putting in effort to learn how their opponent fights, then they would have an asset on the roll. If in the same situation the PC put no effort into preparing for the fight, and maybe even got drunk the previous night, then their role may be hindered.
Effort
A player can apply Effort to ease a task. To do this, the player spends points from the stat Pool that’s most appropriate to the task. For example, applying Effort to push a heavy rock off a cliff requires a player to spend points from the character’s Might Pool; applying Effort to activate an unusual machine interface requires them to spend points from the character’s Intellect Pool. For every level of Effort spent on a task, the task is eased. It costs 3 points from a stat Pool to apply one level of Effort, and it costs 2 additional points for every level thereafter (so it costs 5 points for two levels of Effort, 7 points for three levels of Effort, and so on). A character must spend points from the same stat Pool as the type of task or roll—Might points for a Might roll, Speed points for a Speed roll, or Intellect points for an Intellect roll.
Every character has a maximum level of Effort they can apply to a single task.
Effort can never ease a task by more than six steps—any more than six steps from applying Effort doesn’t count.
Free Levels of Effort: A few abilities give you a free level of Effort (these usually require you to apply at least one level of Effort to a task). In effect, you’re getting one more level of Effort than what you paid for. This free level of Effort can exceed the Effort limit for your character, but not the six-step limit for easing a task.
Initial Cost
The GM can assign a point cost to a task just for trying it. Called an initial cost, it’s simply an indication that the task is particularly taxing.
For example, let’s say a character wants to try a Might action to open a heavy cellar door that is partially rusted shut. The GM says that forcing the door open is a difficulty 5 task, and there’s an initial cost of 3 Might points simply to try. This initial cost is in addition to any points the character chooses to spend on the roll (such as when applying effort), and the initial cost points do not affect the difficulty of the task.
Edge helps with the initial cost of a task, just as it does with any expenditure from a character’s Pool. In the previous example, if the character had a Might Edge of 2, they would have to spend only 1 point (3 points minus 2 from their Might Edge) for the initial cost to attempt the task. If they also applied a level of Effort to open the door, they couldn’t use their Edge again—Edge applies only once per action—so using the Effort would cost the full 3 points. Thus, they’d spend a total of 4 points (1 for the initial cost plus 3 for the Effort) from their Might Pool.
Roll Modifiers
To determine success or failure, a player rolls a die (always a d20). If they roll the target number or higher, they succeed. Most of the time, that’s the end of it – nothing else needs to be done.
Rarely, a character might apply a small modifier to the roll. If they have a +2 bonus when attempting specific actions, they add 2 to the number rolled. If a character’s modifiers add up to +3, treat it as easing the roll by one step instead. However, the original roll matters if it’s a special roll.
Minor effects like this are a rare, niche rule to cover bases in the Cypher System. If something is providing a +1 or +2 to rolls for something then it is likely something that has an experation date on it, and would need to be turned into a usual vessel for use to keep using. (IE: Turn it into an asset or artifact.)
Roll Cost
To figure how much points in one pool you are spending you (in short) add them all together and then subtract your edge. If your roll is drawing from multiple different pools, then this math is done seperately for each pool.
For example; if a boxing NPC is trying to lift a hunk of frozen meet for exercise and the DM rules that there is an initial cost of 1 might point due to the harsh enviroment he’s in, and when the PC attempts this he uses an ability (which costs 2 might points) and spends one level of effort (3 might points) which he feels safe about attempting because he has 3 points of might edge.
His calculation would [Special Ability Cost] + [Effort] + [Initial Cost] and then minus then subtract the sum of those values by his edge. So his final cost would be 1 + 2 + 3, which would be 6. He subtracts his edge of 3, bringing the total value to 3. He pays 3 might points.
Your edge is only ever removed from the roll’s cost once, at the end, when everything has been added together. If your edge reduces the cost to zero (or below) then you spend nothing and the action is free.
Task Difficulty
| Task Difficulty | Target Number | Task Success Rate | Description | Guidance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | (0) | 100% | Routine | Anyone can do this basically every time. |
| 1 | (3) | 90% | Simple | Most people can do this most of the time. |
| 2 | (6) | 75% | Standard | Typical task requiring focus, but most people can usually do this. |
| 3 | (9) | 60% | Demanding | Requires full attention; most people have a 50/50 chance to succeed. |
| 4 | (12) | 45% | Difficult | Trained people have a 50/50 chance to succeed. |
| 5 | (15) | 30% | Challenging | Even trained people often fail. |
| 6 | (18) | 15% | Intimidating | Normal people almost never succeed. |
| 7 | (21) | — | Formidable | Impossible without skills or great effort. |
| 8 | (24) | −15% | Heroic | A task worthy of tales told for years afterward. |
| 9 | (27) | −30% | Immortal | A task worthy of legends that last lifetimes. |
| 10 | (30) | −45% | Impossible | A task that normal humans couldn’t consider (but one that doesn’t break the laws of physics). |
Weapons
Not all characters are familiar with all weapons. Your type determines which weapons you begin the game practiced with. If you wield a weapon in a category that you are not practiced with, an attack with that weapon is hindered.
Light weapons inflict only 2 points of damage, but attacks with them are eased because they are fast and easy to use. Light weapons are punches, kicks, knives, handaxes, darts, very small pistols, and so on. Weapons that are particularly small are light weapons.
Medium weapons inflict 4 points of damage. Medium weapons include broadswords, battleaxes, maces, crossbows, spears, typical handguns, light rifles, sawed-off shotguns, and so on. Most weapons are medium. Anything that could be used in one hand (even if it’s often used in two hands, such as a quarterstaff or spear) is a medium weapon.
Heavy weapons inflict 6 points of damage, and you must use two hands to attack with them. Heavy weapons are huge swords, great hammers, massive axes, halberds, heavy crossbows, rifles, regular shotguns, assault rifles, and so on. Anything that must be used in two hands is a heavy weapon.
| Weapon | Damage |
|---|---|
| Light | 2 points (attack eased) |
| Medium | 4 points |
| Heavy | 6 points |
Armour
Characters expecting danger frequently wear armor. Even the simplest protective covering helps against stabs and cuts, and more sophisticated or heavier armor protects against graver threats.
Anyone can wear any armor, but it can be taxing. Wearing armor increases the cost of using a level of effort when attempting a speed task.
You can wear only one type of armor at a time—you cannot wear chainmail hauberk and scale armor together, for example. However, Armor bonuses from multiple sources combine to provide a total Armor rating.
In general, light armor is a moderately priced item, medium armor is expensive, and heavy armor is very expensive. Keep in mind that in many genres, it’s quite odd, at best, to run around in armor tougher than a leather jacket.
The following table displays types of armor, the bonus they provide to a PC’s Armor characteristic, and the additional cost (in points from their Speed Pool) the PC must spend for each level of Effort used when attempting a Speed task.
By default, PCs use the Not Experienced with Armor column. However, if a PC has one or more special abilities that reduce Speed Effort cost for wearing armor—Practiced in Armor, Experienced in Armor, and Mastery in Armor—they can use the corresponding column on the table instead. Reducing the Speed Effort cost for wearing armor is also possible through character advancement.
| Physical armor | Armor Bonus | Not Experienced with Armor | Practiced in Armor | Experienced in Armor | Mastery in Armor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light armor | +1 Armor | +2 | +1 | 0 | 0 |
| Medium armor | +2 Armor | +3 | +2 | +1 | 0 |
| Heavy armor | +3 Armor | +4 | +3 | +2 | 0 |