Rolls and Resolution

Almost everything uncertain in ØMEN: After Dragons is settled the same way - you build a total from a die, the bonuses that apply to it, and the situation, and you compare it against an opposing total or a difficulty. Once you understand this single shape, every attack, defense, skill check, and save in the game falls into place. The rules below lay out that math from the ground up.

The Roll Primitive

Every roll follows one pattern:

attribute die result + applicable bonus(es) + situational

For a skill roll, the "bonus" is your skill level + attribute bonus. Each character has one Attribute die per Attribute (the die's size varies by class) and a matching Attribute Bonus; when you roll a skill you use the die and bonus associated with that skill.

Skill Check Types

• Contested Skill Check - when an opposing force works against you, each side rolls to resolve the outcome. Before rolling, determine the offensive party (the initiator of the contest) and the defensive party where possible. The GM may rule a situation as equal opposition, or the offensive and defensive sides may switch after each roll.
• Static Check - when you roll against a set difficulty chosen by the GM (predetermined or improvised).

Determining the Outcome

Whether you roll against a set difficulty or against another character, your roll must be higher than the opposition to succeed. Ties always favor the defender, in combat or in contest.

A tie against a set difficulty does not automatically fail the task - it may simply take longer, or represent a stalemate or an ongoing attempt. Likewise, a failure does not always mean the task is impossible; it may just take more time. The continuation, escalation, delay, or narrative result after ties and failures is always determined by the GM.

Attack Rolls

Both attacker and defender roll simultaneously. The attacker rolls only once - two dice together - and both the Hit and the Damage results come from that single roll.

As the attacker, you roll your Primary Attack die and Focus (FCS) die together, then add your Attack Hit Bonus and any modifiers. This is your Hit Roll:

Hit total = the sum of all primary die results + the sum of all FCS die results + static bonus + situational

where static bonus = attribute + weapon + training. The default attack pool is 1 primary die + 1 FCS die.

The Primary die depends on the attack: it is the STR die for a normal melee attack, switches to the AGI die for weapons with the Finesse property, and is the INT die for Spell attacks.

Dice-Pool and Result-Routing Modifiers

Some abilities and conditions change the attack pool rather than just adding a flat bonus. The pool is treated as a list of dice, not a fixed pair:

• Unseen attack (attacking from a hidden position, e.g. shooting from shadow or casting while invisible): +1 FCS die to the hit pool.
• Rogue (unseen expansion): may route either rolled die's result to damage instead of hit.
• Some abilities add +1 primary die; one grants +2 primary dice.
• Brute Rage: rage dice are added to the damage total.
• In general, abilities may add dice to either pool.

Defense - The Defender Always Rolls

Defense Rating is not a static hit-chance stat - the defender rolls every time. Unless incapacitated or paralyzed, the defender always makes the base defense roll for free (no action):

Base defense total = RES die result + Defense Rating

where Defense Rating = RES bonus + Armor + modifiers

Active Defense

After seeing the hit roll and the base defense roll - and before damage is resolved - the defender may spend a Bonus Action on an Active Defense, added on top of the base defense:

Active Defense	Adds to defense
Dodge	AGI die + AGI bonus
Parry	weapon-attribute die + weapon-attribute bonus + Parry Rating
Block	RES die + RES bonus + Block Rating

Total defense = Base + (Active, if a Bonus Action was spent)

Which Defenses Apply to Which Attacks

• Melee attacks can be Blocked, Dodged, and Parried.
• Melee Spell attacks can be Dodged; Blocked only with a magical shield; Parried only with a magical weapon.
• Ranged attacks can be Dodged; Blocked only with Veteran Shield Training.
• Ranged Spell attacks can be Dodged; Blocked only with a magical shield and Veteran Shield Training.

In some circumstances, specializations or abilities may let a defender defend where it normally would not be allowed.

Hit Determination

An attack hits if and only if attack total > total defense.

The attack must strictly exceed the defense - the defender wins ties. The resolution order: attacker rolls hit, then defender rolls base defense, then the defender may spend a Bonus Action for Active Defense, then the two totals are compared, and if the attack hits, damage is resolved.

Critical Hits

A critical compares the attack's FCS portion against the defender's RES portion:

Crit if and only if (the sum of all FCS die results + FCS bonus) exceeds (RES die + RES bonus)

As with ordinary hits, the defender wins ties. The defender may still attempt an Active Defense after a crit is determined.

Damage

The Primary die is not re-rolled for damage - you reuse the Primary die result from the hit roll.

• Normal damage: primary die result + primary bonus + WD + modifiers (WD = Weapon Damage).
• Critical damage: add one additional primary bonus, so the formula becomes primary die result + 2 × primary bonus + WD + modifiers. Only the primary bonus doubles - the die result, WD, and modifiers do not.
• Ability damage dice (such as Brute rage dice) add to the damage total. Result-routing modifiers (e.g. Rogue's) substitute which rolled die result feeds damage.

Physical damage always hits Health Points. Some classes can convert that damage into Will Damage instead; the damage is still considered physical, and all normal reductions apply before it.

Unarmed Attacks

Unarmed Attacks work like normal attacks using STR, but their damage is the raw STR die roll and does not benefit from the STR Bonus. They deal Crushing Damage, and all reductions apply normally.

Damage Reduction

Final damage = damage − (Armor + Resistance[damage type]), floored at 0.

The canonical mitigation order is: type-specific Resistance, then physical rollover, then Armor, then floor at 0, then any incoming-damage modifier.

• Mundane Armor applies only versus physical damage - both to its Defense-Rating contribution and to its damage reduction. Magical attacks require magical armor for either to apply.
• Resistances do not affect Defense Rating - they reduce incoming damage equal to the Resistance Rating (e.g. Physical Resistance reduces all physical damage; Fire Resistance reduces fire damage; and so on).

Saves and Opposed Checks

A save is an opposed single-die check - always one die per side, never the two-die attack pool:

defender die + bonus vs attacker die + bonus

The attributes are defined by the situation or ability: the defender's comes from the effect that called for the save (for example, an AGI Save uses the defender's AGI die and bonus), and the attacker's opposing attribute is set by the ability.

The saver succeeds when their total meets or exceeds the opposing check. Note this is the opposite of the attack tie rule: on attacks the attacker loses ties, but on saves the saver wins ties. The asymmetry is intentional - the acting side is favored in each case. Some edge-case abilities grant rerolls or extra dice.

Failure and Fumbles

There is no universal fumble mechanic. Failure is simply a miss or a failed check. Specific consequences of failure are expressed by individual abilities through their own on-miss / on-save effects, not by any blanket rule.