TASK RESOLUTION

In order for your character to do something, you need only state the action you wish to take, say the words your character says (in their voice, if you so choose), or otherwise notify the GM of what your character is doing. Most of the time, the GM will describe how the world and its NPCs react to your character's actions. With a few notable exceptions, the same physical laws that govern the real world also govern the world of Afterlight. Barring the interference of the magical and mysterious, the actions your character takes in the game world will likely follow the same logical line of consequences that they would in our world.

Sometimes, the action your attempting may meet with resistance or stand a reasonable chance of failure. When the GM deems it dramatically appropriate, you'll be required to make a Feat​ roll in order to complete your task successfully.

You'll roll a Feat when the task you're attempting stands a reasonable chance of failure or could use a number to rate how well you did. Attacking an enemy, casting a Spell, and picking a lock all have a chance to succeed or fail and a number could articulate just how spectacularly you succeed (or not) at the task you're attempting. A Feat is typically rolled when you attempt something: 

• With a reasonable chance of failure
• Whose degree of success can be measured numerically
• From which you stand to gain or lose
• That requires skill and concentration
• That increases dramatic tension​

Proficiency

You can't pick a lock or translate a language or play the piano without a degree of specialized training or knowledge. When your character tries to do something that requires a niche, learned skill (like picking a lock or playing an instrument), the GM may rule that you need Proficiency in order to attempt such a Feat. This simply means that you must have a Feature that is logically related to the task at hand. Features are unique quirks, training, or knowledge that you have (See the Features page for more information). For example, having the Sneakthief Feature likely means you are adept at picking locks. Entertainer may mean you can sing or play an instrument. And so on.

Actions like opening a door, drinking a potion, or moving from point A to point B don't usually stand a chance of failure and no numerical value can really be assigned to gauge how successful the action was; you either do it or you don't. In such cases, you simply do it (you may or may not need to use one of your limited pool of Actions this turn depending on how complicated or time-consuming it is - see below). Unless the GM decides otherwise, you can take a mundane action to do something: 

• That does not create or increase dramatic tension
• Boring and mundane
• Rote or second-nature to the character
• Where the chance of failure is practically zero
• Where there is no way to numerically measure success; you do it or you don't

BUMPS

When you do need to roll a Feat, you'll roll a number of six-sided dice (d6) and you want to roll as many Bumps as possible.
​Each Bump puts you one step closer to success.

BUMPS

Most of the time, you'll be rolling because a tense situation is testing, stressing, or pushing you and there's a reasonable chance of failure.

Under normal circumstances, you gain a Bump with each result of 5 or 6.

ADVANTAGE

You have Advantage when you have special knowledge, skill, or circumstances working in your favor to give you a signifiant boost.

With Advantage, you gain a Bump with each result of 4, 5, or 6.

DISADVANTAGE

You're at a Disadvantage when distraction, pain, or other adverse circumstances significantly hinder your efforts and make success harder to achieve.

With Disadvantage, you only gain a Bump with each result of 6.

How Many Dice do I roll?

BASIC + Features + Bonus or - Penalty

A character's strengths and weaknesses are represented on a Character Sheet through various Stats. These Stats reflect what your character is good and bad at and therefore come into play whenever you roll a Feat.

Pick the BASIC (see sidebar) that's most related to the task at hand. You'll start with a number of d6 equal this Stat's rating.

Roll one extra d6 for every Feature (unique quirks, training, or knowledge your character has) that could benefit you considering the situation at hand.

You might get to add (or may have to subtract) some extra d6 based on other factors. Any dice you get to add are considered a Bonus while dice you have to take away are a Penalty.

You can't have multiple bonuses or penalties from the same source.

For example, if a Spell gives you +1 to Brawn, you couldn't cast the same Spell again for another +1 bonus (resulting in a total +2 bonus). By the same token, a curse that gives you -1 to Brawn can't stack with another instance of the same curse for a total -2 to Brawn.

basic

Your character's core Stats, which summarize all the various parts of their body, mind, and spirit are summarized and abbreviated with the acronym BASIC (Brawn, Awareness, Skill, Intellect, Charisma)

Brawn: Physicality, strength, endurance, and general athleticism; the ceiling of what your body is able to accomplish using all its parts.

Awareness: Sensory perceptiveness, emotional empathy, and spiritual receptivity; how aware you are of what's happening around you, either actively or passively.

Skill: Coordination, craftiness, dexterity, agility; the ability to deftly control and direct both the gross and fine motor movements of your body to achieve the desired ends.

Intellect: IQ, memory, intelligence, reasoning and logic; the power of your mind to recall and parse all its contents into useful data.

Charisma: Charm, likability, allure/sexiness, confidence, force of person; a spark of personality and willpower that allows you to successfully interact with others on a social level.

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How Many Bumps do I need?

Difficulty

The target number for any given Feat Roll is referred to as its Difficulty. The higher the Difficulty, the harder it is to succeed. A Feat with a Difficulty of 2, for example, would require two of the dice you rolled to Bump in order for you to succeed. In most cases, this should be relatively easy. A Feat with a Difficulty of 8, however, would be much harder to succeed on.

Opposing Feats

Sometimes your attempted action will affect something with sentience and an ability to react to and resist you. This can happen in battle, a contest of wits, a game of hide & seek, an intense social exchange, or any other scenario where your success may be hindered by the will and agency of your competition.

In such cases, competitors each make a Feat Roll. In most cases, the one with the most Bumps wins out. If competitors must overcome a set Difficulty, the one with the most Bumps only wins if they also overcome the Feat's Difficulty. If not, the competition continues until a winner is declared or the situation changes.

Assists

Occasionally, one character may assist another with a Feat. In cases where another's physical effort, advice, or extra pair of hands cound help contribute to success, the GM may allow two players to roll and combine their totals together into a single result.

​Other times, another character's assistance may simply provide Advantage to the one rolling the Feat (see below for rules on Advantage). Be advised that assisting exposes all parties involved in the Feat to the consequences of failure.

Recommended Difficulty

1-2 (Easy)
An action that is relatively easy to pull off, provided you give it the necessary time, attention, and effort.

• Search a well-organized library for information
• Track a wounded animal
• Jump over a low wall

3-4 (Normal)
An action that is not overly difficult, but stands a nominal chance of failure.

• Climb onto the roof of a one-story building
• Question a nervous eyewitness
• Make routine repairs to weapons and armor

5-6 (Challenging)
Even experts in the field might struggle to succeed on an action this difficult.

• Shoot a target from 1000 yards
• Climb a sheer cliff-face in the wind
• Break into a state-of-the-art vault

7-8 (Hard)
This action is extremely difficult, though not completely outside the realm of what is possible.

• Swim for miles in cold, choppy waters
• Walk a tight-rope in the rain
• Climb to the peak of the tallest mountain

9+ (Impossible)
Success on an action this difficult is nothing short of a miracle.

• Shoot a weapon from someone's hands
• Find a needle in a haystack
• Survive a fall from an airship

examples of play - video?