Splatbook*

Alternative roll structures

A few moves use a totally different type of roll, and yours can too. For example:

  • Wishing Candles has the player roll a Die of Fate to see what their wish costs them, emphasizing the candles' fickle nature.
  • Fear of the Flame uses a risk roll, where the player rolls a d6 and a bad thing happens if they roll under some number that grows each time. This a good way to reflect magic that's increasingly risky/costly to use.
  • The Horn of Storms has the player roll a pool of dice and assign one die each to the storm's onset, intensity, reach, and duration, with an outcome for each based on the result of the assigned die. This allows you to have multiple axes of effect, each with a different tier effect.
  • The Blackened Splinter has the player roll 3d6, with the effect depending on whether they roll over or under the target's current HP. This is a good trick for effects that can straight-up defeat a foe.

You can combine alternative rolls with standard rolls, too, like how the Power of the Lidless Orb has the player roll +CON to call on an effect, and one of those effects involves a roll vs. the victim's current HP.

Feel free to experiment, and try other types of rolls for your moves, too!

For my shrooms move, I've decided that the PCs will roll to see what happens. I'm initially thinking that they'll roll +CON. On a 10+ they'll experience a profound sense of connection; on a 7-9, they'll pick between a debility, a bad trip, or needing to take a bigger dose.

For a 6-, I think I'll have them pick two of the 7-9 results and draw unwanted attention from the spirit realm.

Is CON the right stat, or would WIS be a better choice? Or should I build up the modifier from things that are true, like "+1 if you've taken shrooms before" and "+1 if you practice meditation."

I decide to go with +WIS, as I feel like this is more about knowing your own mind than, like, resisting poison. And I'm not sure how I'd apply the "build the modifier" method to Rhianna's crew.

Someone's first shroom trip does tend to be the riskiest, as they don't know what to expect. I think I'll add a modifier like, "If you've taken shrooms before, roll with advantage." It's a nice chance to learn a bit about each PC's past. And given that everyone is going to be making this move, there's still a good chance that someone will roll low even if everyone has advantage.