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Rolls & Mechanics

How dice rolls work in InSpectres VTT.

Skill Roll​

The most common roll. When an agent tries something risky, they make a skill roll.

[Screenshot: Skill Dialog goes here]

To make a Skill Roll: Click a skill on your agent sheet. A dialog appears showing your Dice Pool (skill + Franchise bonus − Stress penalty). Choose whether the Franchise helps (+1 die, costs 1 Resource). Click "Roll" and view results in chat.

Interpreting Results​

The system rolls your Dice Pool and counts Successes (rolling 4-6 = 1 success):

ResultInterpretation
3+ successesClean success. You succeed as intended.
1-2 successesMarginal success. You succeed but at cost (gain stress, complication, lost resource).
0 successesFailure. You fail and things get worse (gain stress, enemy advantage, discovery).

The GM describes what happens based on the fiction and dice result.

Example Rolls​

Example 1: Avoiding a Trap

Agent tries to sneak past a booby trap.

Savvy skill = 2, Franchise helping = +1, Stress = 1 (no penalty)

Roll 3d6: 2, 4, 5 = 2 successes ✓

Result: "You sneak past the trap, but barely. The wire shifts. You're through, but the entity knows someone's here." (Gain 1 stress.)

Example 2: Failing to Maintain Composure

Agent encounters something terrifying.

Cool skill = 1, Franchise NOT helping, Stress = 4 (-1 penalty)

Roll 0d6 (1 - 1 = 0 dice)

Result: "You panic. The entity reacts to your fear. Gain 2 stress and make a bad discovery."

Example 3: Interrogating a Witness

Agent questions someone about paranormal activity.

Savvy skill = 3, Franchise helping = +1, Stress = 0

Roll 4d6: 4, 5, 6, 2 = 3 successes ✓✓✓

Result: "The witness opens up completely. You learn exactly what happened and gain crucial evidence."

Stress Roll​

When encountering something terrifying, agents make a Stress Roll using Psyche (or Guts/Weird, GM's choice) to resist taking Stress. Success means gain 1 Stress; failure means gain 2 Stress. This represents the psychological toll of paranormal investigation.

Example:

Agents discover a mutilated body.

Roll Psyche to resist. Agent has Psyche = 2. Roll 2d6: 3, 5 = 1 success.

Result: Gain 1 stress from the gruesome discovery.

Equipment Roll​

When using special equipment or resources, roll to determine if they work:

  • Success: Equipment works as intended
  • Failure: Equipment breaks or fails; lose the resource, gain complication

Example:

Agent uses ghost-detecting equipment to investigate a haunting.

Roll for equipment reliability (GM calls for d6): 4 = success.

Result: Equipment works. Agent locates the entity.

Dice Pool Calculation​

Base Formula​

Dice Pool = Skill Rating + Franchise Bonus - Stress Penalty

Components​

Skill Rating:

  • 0 = No training (0 dice)
  • 1 = Novice (1 die)
  • 2 = Competent (2 dice)
  • 3 = Expert (3 dice)

Franchise Bonus:

  • +1 die if franchise helps during roll
  • Costs 1 franchise resource
  • Cannot be used if franchise has 0 resources

Stress Penalty:

  • For every point of stress above 3, lose 1 die
  • Stress 0-3: no penalty
  • Stress 4: -1 die
  • Stress 5: -2 dice
  • Stress 6: -3 dice (capped at 0 dice minimum)

Examples​

Example 1: Normal Roll

Agent: Guts 2, Stress 2 Franchise: Helping (+1)

Dice Pool = 2 + 1 - 0 = 3 dice

Example 2: Stressed Agent

Agent: Cool 2, Stress 5 Franchise: NOT helping

Dice Pool = 2 + 0 - (5 - 3) = 2 - 2 = 0 dice (no roll possible; automatic failure)

Example 3: Mixed

Agent: Savvy 3, Stress 3 Franchise: Helping (+1)

Dice Pool = 3 + 1 - 0 = 4 dice

Chat Output​

When you roll, a message appears in chat showing:

  • Skill used and final dice pool
  • Dice rolled (e.g., "4d6")
  • Results (which dice are successes)
  • Total successes
  • Stress gained/lost (if applicable)

The GM narrates what the result means for the story.

Special Rolls​

Group Rolls​

If multiple agents are working together:

  • Leader rolls with full pool
  • Others roll but don't add successes directly; they "help"
  • Group outcome based on leader's result

(Exact mechanics per official rulebook.)

Opposed Rolls​

When agents roll against an opponent (creature, NPC):

  • Agent rolls their skill
  • Opponent rolls (GM controls)
  • Higher successes wins

Difficulty Modifiers​

GM can adjust difficulty:

  • Easy roll: +1 die
  • Hard roll: -1 die
  • Very hard: -2 dice

Modifiers applied before rolling.

Failure is Interesting​

In InSpectres, failure doesn't mean "nothing happens." Instead:

  • You fail but learn something
  • You succeed at great cost
  • A complication arises
  • An enemy gains advantage

Let failure drive the story forward. Don't just say "you fail" — say "you fail AND..."

More questions? See Mechanics or Troubleshooting.

[Screenshot: Roll Result Chat Message goes here]

[Screenshot: Skill Dialog goes here]