Star Wars: Edge of the Empire Rule Book

IMPOSSIBLE TASKS

T

here are some situations in which the chance

of success is impossibly low. In almost all

cases, the GM simply states that any such

check automatically fails without needing to

assemble and roll a pool of dice.

However, the GM may decide to allow a PC to

attempt a check where success is extremely

improbable—throwing a grenade in hopes that

it will put out a fire, scaling a perfectly smooth,

slick wall, or using reason to calm down a ram-

paging rancor, for example. Allowing the PCs to

make an impossible task should be relegated

to critical moments in a story's arc or truly life-

or-death situations only.

To prevent players from abusing these opportuni-

ties, attempting an impossible task automatically

requires the player to spend one Destiny point.

The player gains no benefits for doing so, beyond

being able to attempt the task in the first place.

He also may not spend any additional Destiny

Points on the check. For simplicity, an impossible

task imposes the same number of Difficulty dice

as a formidable task «><>00<X

AVERAGE TASKS (4 4})

An average task represents a routine action where

success is common enough to be expected, but failure

is not surprising. A typical character with the proper

training, resources, and the right approach to the situ-

ation should reasonably expect to succeed at average

tasks slightly more often than he fails.

An average task adds two Difficulty dice 4 4) to

the skill check's dice pool.

HARD TASKS (• • •)

A hard task is much more demanding of a character.

Success is certainly feasible, but failure is far from sur-

prising. A typical character with the proper training,

resources, and the right tools for the situation should

accept that he might fail at hard tasks more often

than he succeeds—especially without Destiny on his

side or other advantages.

A hard task adds three Difficulty dice [4) 4) 4 to

the skill check's dice pool.

DAUNTING TASKS (4444)

A daunting task taxes a character and may push him

to his limits. Success may be difficult to achieve, but it

is possible. A typical character with the proper train-

ing, resources, and the right tools for the situation will

likely fail more often than he succeeds at daunting

tasks, and he may wish to look for some advantages

to aid him.

A daunting task adds four Difficulty dice 4444

to the skill check's dice pool.

FORMIDABLE TASKS (44444)

Formidable tasks seem nigh impossible. In fact, a for-

midable task most likely is impossible if approached

casually. However, with proper planning, a well-trained

and well-equipped character has a chance at success.

Typical characters almost always fail formidable tasks.

Even trained veterans fail formidable tasks more often

then they succeed. Failure seems inevitable unless the

character can apply one or more advantages, such as

investing Destiny points, or adding bonuses from spe-

cific equipment, talents, or assistance.

A formidable task adds five Difficulty dice 44444

to the skill check's dice pool.

Building a Basic Dice Pool

n

ow that the three primary building blocks of a skill

check's dice pool have been discussed, the following

section shows how the dice pool is actually assembled.

When a character wants to attempt some sort of

action that might have a chance of failure, the player

makes a skill check. The skill check utilizes the ap-

propriate skill of the character—Athletics for breaking

down doors, Knowledge for recalling facts, or Charm

for convincing a guard to let the character get past,

for example. Each skill also has a linked characteris-

tic—Brawn for Athletics, Intellect for Knowledge, and

Presence for Charm. To make a skill check, he assem-

bles a dice pool.

There are two sides to every basic dice pool—the

side the player contributes (in the form of Ability dice

4 and Proficiency dice O) and the side the GM con-

tributes (in the form of Difficulty dice 4. Challenge

dice#, Boost diceQ and Setback dice•). Addition-

al factors may modify the number and type of dice for

a check. When building a dice pool, every aspect of

both the player's and GM's contributing dice should

be explained and defined before the roll is made. The

GM sets the difficulty level of the task once prior to

the roll. After creating the base dice pool, either side

may have the opportunity to upgrade dice.

PLAYING THE GAME

EDCE OF THE EMPIRE