Tests of Fate

When an adventurer’s action within the game's narrative is uncertain, the GM calls for a test of fate .

Adventurers have four attributes, rated 1-4. Each represents an “approach” towards problem solving, and says a lot about how an adventurer achieves their goal.

The GM determines which attribute is most relevant to the test’s outcome. To do this, they ask questions of the player to find out how, exactly, they are attempting the action. The player's description will inform which attribute is being tested.

Attributes

Swords: Swords represents strength and skill [Swords] with weapons. Test Swords to bend the bars of your cell or tip over a heavy bookshelf onto an unsuspecting goblin.

Pentacles: Pentacles represents swiftness and slyness. [Pentacles] Test Pentacles to sneak past a deathknight or slip the sea witch’s conch into your bag without her noticing.

Cups: Cups represents wisdom and training. Test [Cups] Cups to activate an ancient clockwork mechanism or coax a wild winter wolf to accept a gift of meat from your hand.

Wands: Wands represents willpower and charisma. [Wands] Test Wands to convince an art critic that your petrified companion is actually avant-garde art or overcome the dominating gaze of a vampire.

If the player describes being sneaky or quick, the GM will call for a test of Pentacles; if the player describes being mystical or eloquent, the GM will call for a test of Wands—and so forth.

To test fate, the player draws a minor arcana card and adds the associated attribute to the value of the card.

Example

• You test Pentacles and draw a IV of Pentacles. Your adventurer’s Pentacles score is a 2. Your total value is 6.

• You test Pentacles and draw a Knight of Wands. Your adventurer’s Pentacles score is 2 and a Knight has a value of 12. Your total value is 14. There are four possible outcomes to a test of fate.

Success

If the total value is 14+, the result is a success. The GM describes how the adventurer succeeds in their stated goal.

Failure

If the total value is 13 or less, the result is a failure. The GM describes how the adventurer fails and asks what they want to do next.

Great success

If the total value is 14+ and the player drew the suit being tested on the initial draw (not from pushing fate or another source), the result is a great success. Not only does the adventurer succeed, but they succeed extremely well, going above and beyond what was expected.

The GM should invite the player to embellish how impressive , how effortless , how quick , or how thorough their success was.

Great failure

If the player pushes fate and the total value is still 13 or less, the test is a great failure. The GM describes a new significant setback, bad situation, or harmful repercussion as a result. See “Pushing Fate.”

Additional advice for the GM on adjudicating tests of fate can be found on page 182.

Challenge Actions

The Challenge Phase is a subsystem for handling dangerous situations blow-by-blow. Challenge Actions have occasional similarities to the test of fate rules—for example, favor and disfavor can adjust a Challenge Action’s total value. However, there are many important differences: for example, Challenge Actions are not bound by fate and you cannot push fate on Challenge cards. For the specific rules on how the Challenge Phase handles actions, see page 116.