Basic Rules

These are the basic rules! Here we're going to go over everything you need to know to get started playing Seven Ages. Here you'll find basic rules for rolling dice. There are other pages to check out for rules on Combat and on Jobs.

## Dice

All rolls in Seven Ages are made with one or more D6 dice. No numbers are added together. Instead, your success or failure is based purely on the face of the die and how it compares to a target number. The target number ranges from 2-6, and will always be clear to the players. It will always be easy to tell at just a glance how good your roll is.

### Determining Success

#### Hits

When you roll, each die is compared to the target number set by the GM. If the number is equal to or greater than that target number, that die is a Hit ✴. A Hit ✴ means you make progress in whatever you're trying to do. Many checks only require a single Hit to be successful.

Jim wants to push a rock. The GM says the difficulty is 4. Jim rolls a 5. Jim pushes the rock.

#### Fails

When you roll, each die is compared to the target number set by the GM. If the number is less than the target number, that die is a Fail. It provides no progress toward the task you're rolling for.

Jim wants to push a rock. The GM says the difficulty is 4. Jim rolls a 2. Jim doesn't push the rock.

#### Crits

When you roll, each die that lands on a **6** is a Crit. You roll one more die for each die that crits. An extra die that is rolled as the result of rolling a crit can also result in a crit, letting you roll yet another die.

Jim wants to push a rock. The GM says the difficulty is 4. Jim rolls a 6! Jim rolls another die and gets another 6! Jim rolls another die and gets a 3. 6 is a hit, the second 6 is a hit, and the 3 is a fail. Still, Jim got 2 hits to push the rock, so the rock gets pushed.

### Roll Modifiers

#### Edges

For some rolls you will have some form of advantage. These can be the result of circumstance, a natural aptitude, dedicated training, or a magical benefit. This kind of advantage is called an Edge.

*If you have an edge on a roll, you roll 1 extra die*. You can have multiple edges from any source and they will stack. Extra dice can crit as normal.

Jim is a warrior and wants to push a rock. Warriors have an **edge** to strength tasks. Jim rolls 2 dice to push the rock. He rolls a 2 and a 5. 2 is a fail and 5 is a hit. With a hit, Jim pushes the rock.

#### Hindrances

A Hindrance represents some form of significant difficulty or handicap to your ability to succeed on a task. For each Hindrance, roll 1 extra die *and remove the highest result*. The dice removed by a Hindrance are counted as never being rolled, and therefore cannot crit.

Jim is a warrior and wants to push a rock up-hill. As a warrior he has an edge, but uphill gives him a hindrance. Jim rolls 3 dice: 1 for the check, 1 for the edge, and 1 for the hindrance. Jim gets a 5, 5, and 2. The hindrance removes the highest result, a 5, and Jim has a 5 and a 2. 5 is a hit, so Jim pushes the rock.

#### Pips

A Pip is an expendable resource that can change the result of a roll. When you make a roll and have a pip that can be applied to that task, you may expend the pip to raise the face of one die rolled by 1. If the new result of the die is a crit, that die crits. Once a pip is expended it is only recovered when you take the Breather action.

Lemme tell ya, Jim the warrior is just obsessed with pushing this rock. Jim has an edge, so he rolls 2 dice. Jim rolls a 3 and a 1. Jim decides to spend a **pip** to change his 3 into a 4. 4 is the target number, so it becomes a Hit. Jim pushes the rock.

### Resolving Tasks

#### Abilities

Often characters will have abilities that bypass the need to roll for a task. That ability bypasses the need to roll under normal circumstances. Of course, there may be situations where a roll is still required. Generally if there's danger that comes with failing to get enough hits, a roll should be made.

Tutoria wants to pick a lock. Tutoria is a thief. Thieves have Legerdemaine, which states they can pick locks. Tutoria does not need to roll to pick the lock; she just does it.

#### Edges

Many tasks are less about chance and more about skill and circumstance. For instance, no matter how lucky you are, only your strength will determine whether you can lift a heavy object. In these circumstances, the need to roll can instead be an evaluation of how many edges you get to a certain task. For a hefty boulder, only someone with an edge to strength tasks has what it takes to roll it over.

Jim wants to push a boulder again. Jim is a warrior, and has an edge to tasks that involve strength. The GM says that as long as he has an edge to strength he can push the boulder. Perhaps with 2 edges in strength Jim could lift the rock above his head and walk around with it.

#### Checks

The simplest way to resolve tasks is to make a check. One die is rolled, plus any edges or hindrances, and if there's a Hit the task is successful.

#### Ordeals

Oftentimes a task requires a combination of time and effort to complete. An ordeal is much like a check, but multiple Hits are needed. The GM determines how many Hits are required before the task is completed. If there's no time limit or change in the end result based on how long it takes to complete the task, rolling to complete an ordeal can be waived.

#### Contests

Sometimes a task can be opposed. When this is the case, each side rolls like a check, and the highest rolled dice are compared. Whoever has the highest die roll is considered to get one Hit. If one side has multiple dice with a higher result than the other side's highest die, each of those higher dice is considered a hit. If the highest die is equal for each side, the next highest die is compared. If after a tie one side has another die to compare and the other does not, the side with another die has an edge. If all dice are equal, neither side gets a Hit.

#### Working Together

Characters can work together to complete a task. When doing so, choose one person to take the lead. If one of the assisting characters has an edge that applies to that task, they may add their edge to the task. For each person who can effectively assist with the task, the roll gets 1 pip that can be applied to every roll on that task. If more characters try to assist than is effective, they also add 1 hindrance to the task.