Build a pool, then roll.
Your Pool
Upgrading turns a green die into a yellow one (or adds a green die if there are none); upgrading Difficulty turns a purple die into a red one (or adds a purple die if there are none).
Exact Odds for This Pool
Worked out by going through every combination of faces, not by simulation. A check succeeds when at least one Success is left after cancelling; a Triumph also counts as a Success and a Despair as a Failure.
| Result | Chance |
|---|
Destiny Points
At the start of a session each player rolls one Force die: every light-side pip adds a light-side Destiny Point and every dark-side pip a dark-side one. Players spend light-side points, which flip to the dark side; the GM spends dark-side points, which flip to the light side.
The Seven Dice
Six symbols, plus the Force die's pips. Positive dice show the first three; negative dice the next three.
Success
Cancels one Failure. At least one left over and the check succeeds.
Advantage
Cancels one Threat. Left over, it's a good side effect.
Triumph
Counts as a Success, plus a big benefit that can't be cancelled.
Failure
Cancels one Success.
Threat
Cancels one Advantage. Left over, it's a complication.
Despair
Counts as a Failure, plus a big problem that can't be cancelled.
Light-side pip
Force die only: fuels powers, or a light-side Destiny Point.
Dark-side pip
Force die only: fuels dark-side power, or a dark-side Destiny Point.
Every face of every die, so you can check the odds above by hand. Scroll sideways on a small screen.
| Die | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
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Building the Right Pool
The roller will happily roll whatever you hand it. Knowing what to hand it is the actual skill, and it comes down to three questions asked in order.
1. How good are you? (your dice)
Compare the characteristic with the skill. Take the larger of the two as your number of dice, then upgrade a number of them equal to the smaller value from Ability (green) to Proficiency (yellow).
Agility 3, Piloting 2
Three dice, two upgraded → 2 Proficiency + 1 Ability. Talented and trained.
Intellect 2, Mechanics 1
Two dice, one upgraded → 1 Proficiency + 1 Ability. Competent, still learning.
Brawn 3, skill 0
Three dice, none upgraded → 3 Ability. Naturally strong, completely untrained.
Presence 1, Charm 3
Three dice, one upgraded → 1 Proficiency + 2 Ability. Well drilled, not naturally charming.
Note the last one: the smaller value decides how many dice turn yellow, so pouring points into a skill while ignoring its characteristic gives diminishing returns. That is why characteristics are expensive.
2. How hard is it? (the GM's dice)
The GM sets the Difficulty in purple dice, based on the task, not on who is attempting it. A locked door is exactly as hard whether a slicer or a pilot is standing in front of it; the difference shows up in the attempt, not the lock.
Simple: no dice
Usually no roll at all. If failure is not interesting, just say yes.
Easy: 1 purple
Routine, but circumstances make it worth checking.
Average: 2 purple
The workhorse difficulty. When unsure, use this.
Hard: 3 purple
Genuinely demanding. A trained specialist expects to sweat.
Daunting: 4 purple
Near the edge of plausible. Keep it for real turning points.
Formidable: 5 purple
Should feel nearly impossible. Used sparingly, it is memorable.
Skilled opposition, high stakes or a GM's Destiny Point can upgrade purple dice into Challenge (red) dice, which bring the chance of a Despair.
3. What else is true? (circumstances)
- Add Boost (blue) for anything working in your favour: aiming, good intel, high ground, plenty of time, a clever plan.
- Add Setback (black) for anything working against you: darkness, a bad angle, an injury, improvised tools.
Boost and Setback are deliberately cheap to hand out. They are the fastest way to make the fiction matter mechanically: if a player describes something clever, give them a blue die and keep the scene moving.
Worked example
A smuggler (Agility 3, Piloting 2) threads a damaged freighter through an asteroid field while being chased. The GM calls it Hard: three purple. The ship is damaged, so one black. The co-pilot has spent the round lining up a safe vector, so one blue.
Pool: 2 Proficiency + 1 Ability + 1 Boost against 3 Difficulty + 1 Setback. The odds table shows it succeeds 57.2% of the time. Roll it a few times and watch the same pool produce a clean escape, a scraped hull and a spectacular near miss.
Reading the Result
Success or failure
Each Failure cancels one Success. If at least one Success is left, the check succeeds; a tie, or nothing at all, is a failure. Extra Successes can add effect, such as damage on an attack.
Advantage or Threat
Each Threat cancels one Advantage. Whatever is left is a side effect, good or bad, whether the check succeeded or not. That is where "yes, but" and "no, but" come from.
Triumph and Despair
A Triumph counts as a Success and also brings a big benefit; a Despair counts as a Failure and also brings a big problem. Their Success or Failure part can be cancelled, but the Triumph or Despair itself never is.
Force pips
Force dice don't succeed or fail. Their light-side and dark-side pips fuel Force powers and set up the Destiny pool. Characters who aren't Force sensitive don't roll them for powers.
Where to Go Next
- Welcome to the Star Wars RPG: What each die means and why the system is built this way.
- Reading the Narrative Dice: Spending Advantage and Threat, Triumph and Despair at the table.
- Playing Star Wars Solo: The same dice turned into a yes/no oracle.