Encounters

Encounters come in two main types: just as there are attack rolls and skill checks, there are strifes and gambits. These represent more complex forms of resolving the outcome of some uncertain events, with each encounter broken down into rounds. In each round, each participant has a turn on which they take actions and roll dice; all turns happen in the same round, but each turn is played out in sequence to turn the chaos of an encounter into something manageable.

Strife

A strife begins when there is a fight to be had: a duel with a Basilisk, fighting through a horde of Imps, tag teaming the Black Queen with a friend.

In a strife, two or more sides exchange attack rolls against the other’s defenses until one side concedes, flees, or falls.

Each turn, the player character has one major action, one minor action, and move actions up to 30 feet of movement total. They additionally have one reaction they can take at any point during a round. And of course, there are free actions for, among other things, talking.

A strife uses initiative rolls to determine who goes first in a round, damage rolls to determine how much harm a successful attack roll inflicts, and hit points to represent how much harm a given character can handle.

Gambit

A gambit begins when there is a hefty, challenging task to be accomplished: sneaking through a bank, debating someone on public television, solving an ancient puzzle in a lost temple.

In a gambit, the player makes skill checks against a DC, or both sides make competing skill checks against each other, to determine if the task is successfully accomplished, or not.