Book II: The Law of Lead — Chapter 4
The Duelist’s Sum
The Core Resolution Mechanic
— Sheriff Crowe of Rustwater
This chapter details the Core Resolution Mechanic of The Veil & Lead.
Every meaningful action—pulling a trigger, picking a lock, convincing a stranger, channeling the Current—is resolved through the same fundamental process. Master this chapter, and you understand the skeleton upon which the entire game hangs.
The Five Steps of Resolution
- Build the Pool — Determine how many dice you roll
- Determine Target Number — Establish what you need to achieve
- Roll and Sum — Roll your dice and add the two highest
- Apply Roll Modifiers — Add your bonuses, subtract your penalties
- Compare to TN — Determine success or failure
The Core Mechanic
Step 1: Build the Pool
Your dice pool represents your raw capability—the combination of natural talent and trained skill you bring to the moment.
Base Pool = Attribute Rank + Skill Rank
The pool is measured in d8s (eight-sided dice).
| Pool Size | Character Level | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 2–3 dice | Novice | Attribute 1–2, Skill 0–1 |
| 4–5 dice | Competent | Attribute 2–3, Skill 2 |
| 6–7 dice | Professional | Attribute 3–4, Skill 3 |
| 8–9 dice | Expert | Attribute 4–5, Skill 4 |
Example: Caleb has QUICK 3 and Ballistics 3. When he fires his revolver, his Base Pool is 6 dice.
Unskilled Checks (Rank 0)
If your Skill Rank is 0, you roll with Disadvantage:
- Roll your Attribute in dice, plus one extra die
- Discard the single highest die
- Sum the two highest of the remaining dice (minimum 2 dice kept)
This represents the fumbling uncertainty of attempting something without proper training. Some tasks may be impossible without at least basic training (GM discretion).
Example: Caleb has SAVVY 2 but no Medicine skill (Rank 0). He rolls 3 dice (SAVVY 2 + 1 extra), discards the highest, then sums the best two remaining. Rolling [3, 5, 7], he discards the 7 and sums 3 + 5 = 8.
Pool Penalties (Reduce Dice)
Pool penalties represent fundamental impairments—something is wrong with you or the situation that compromises your basic ability to perform.
| Penalty Source | Dice | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Wounded | −1 | Per wound threshold crossed |
| Suppressed | −2 | Fear or psychological pressure |
| Blinded | −4 | Cannot see your target or surroundings |
| Called Shot | −2 | Targeting a specific body location |
| Quick Shot | −2 | Sacrificing accuracy for speed |
| Off-hand | −2 | Using your non-dominant hand |
| Engaged (ranged) | −2 | Shooting at targets other than the enemy in your face |
| Firing into Melee | −2 | Allies are in your line of fire |
Pool Penalty Cap: −4 maximum (excess ignored). Minimum pool: 1 die (you always roll at least one).
Pool Bonuses (Add Dice)
For mundane characters, adding dice to your pool is deliberately rare. When you need to exceed your natural limits, you must take risks.
| Bonus Source | Dice | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Assistance | +1 each | Another character actively helps you (maximum +2 from helpers) |
| Bleed Dice | +1 to +3 | Drawing on desperation and the Current (risk of Backlash) |
Step 2: Determine Target Number
The Target Number (TN) represents the difficulty of what you’re attempting. It combines the inherent challenge of the task with the circumstances affecting it.
Base TN = Difficulty Rating or Defense Value
The Difficulty Ladder
| TN | Difficulty | Description | When to Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | Trivial | Almost automatic; rolling is a formality | Tasks where failure is boring and success is assumed. Consider not rolling. |
| 7 | Easy | A trained professional under mild pressure | Routine work with ample time. The locksmith picking a simple lock in her workshop. |
| 9 | Routine | Competent work under mild stress | Some pressure exists, but the task isn’t demanding. Tracking a trail on dry ground. |
| 11 | Moderate | A real challenge requiring focus | Trained characters succeed more often than not, but failure is plausible. Treating a wound in a moving wagon. |
| 13 | Standard | The baseline for dramatic action | The default TN for acting under active conflict or time pressure. Combat, tense negotiations, dangerous exploration. |
| 15 | Hard | Expert-level difficulty | Even skilled characters may fail. Requires preparation, good equipment, or luck. Surgery in a firefight. |
| 17+ | Legendary | Beyond normal human limits | Impossible without significant Roll Bonuses. Shooting a coin from a man’s fingers at a hundred paces. |
When the TN reaches 17 or higher, success becomes impossible through raw dice alone—the maximum sum of two d8s is 16. You must bring Roll Modifiers to bear, change the tactical situation, or find another approach entirely. This is intentional: some challenges cannot be brute-forced.
TN Decreases (Make the Task Easier)
| Source | TN Mod | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Flanking | −2 | Attacking from opposite sides of a target |
| Target Prone (melee) | −2 | The target is on the ground |
| Higher Ground | −1 | You have an elevated position |
| Point-Blank (pistol) | −2 | 0–2m; impossible to miss center mass |
| Large Target | −2 | Horse-sized creature or larger |
| Massive Target | −4 | Wagon-sized or larger |
TN Increases (Make the Task Harder)
| Source | TN Mod | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Light Cover | +2 | Furniture, foliage, thin wood, smoke |
| Hard Cover | +4 | Stone wall, iron plate, overturned wagon |
| Fortified | +6 | Bunker slit, murder-hole, arrow loop |
| Far Range (pistol) | +2 | 21–50m; pushing a handgun’s effective range |
| Extreme Range (pistol) | +4 | 51m+; nearly hopeless |
| Point-Blank (rifle) | +2 | 0–2m; long guns are unwieldy up close |
| Extreme Range (rifle) | +2 | 51m+; even rifles lose accuracy |
| Target Prone (ranged) | +2 | Smaller profile at distance |
| Target Scrambling | +1 | Moving erratically |
| Fast-Moving Target | +2 | Galloping horse, sprinting runner |
| Small Target | +2 | Child-sized or smaller |
| Tiny Target | +4 | Cat-sized or smaller |
TN Caps: Minimum TN 5 (no task is easier than Trivial). Maximum TN: Uncapped.
Step 3: Roll and Sum
- Roll your dice pool (all dice simultaneously)
- Select the two highest results
- Add them together
- This is your Base Sum
The two-highest system creates a bell curve that rewards larger pools while maintaining meaningful variance. With d8s, the possible Base Sum range is 2 (snake eyes) to 16 (double eights).
Probability Reference
| Pool Size | Average Sum | P(Sum ≥ 11) | P(Sum ≥ 13) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 dice | ~11.0 | 58% | 34% |
| 4 dice | ~12.2 | 75% | 50% |
| 5 dice | ~12.8 | 85% | 63% |
| 6 dice | ~13.2 | 91% | 73% |
| 8 dice | ~13.8 | 97% | 86% |
Step 4: Apply Roll Modifiers
After rolling, you apply Roll Modifiers to your Base Sum. These represent factors you actively brought to the moment—your preparation, your equipment quality, your expertise.
Final Sum = Base Sum + Roll Bonuses − Roll Penalties
Roll Bonuses (Add to Your Sum)
| Source | Bonus | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Aim (1 action) | +2 | Spent a previous action lining up your shot |
| Aim (2 actions) | +3 | Extended aim; must remain stationary |
| Aim (3+ actions) | +4 | Maximum benefit; further aiming provides no additional bonus |
| Braced / Bipod | +1 | Weapon braced against a stable surface |
| Set Defense | +2 | Prepared to receive a charge; applies to first melee attack against you |
| Superior Quality | +1 | Well-made gear from a skilled craftsman |
| Masterwork Quality | +2 | Exceptional equipment (replaces Superior, does not stack) |
| Specialized Ammo | +1 | Ammunition matched to target type |
| Scope (Far range) | +2 | Magnifying scope at optimal sighting distance |
| Specialization | +1 | When your declared Specialization applies |
| Signature Weapon | +1 | A weapon you have bonded with through the talent |
Roll Penalties (Subtract from Your Sum)
| Source | Penalty | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Darkness (partial) | −2 | Dim light, heavy shadow |
| Darkness (total) | −4 | Cannot see; relying on sound or instinct |
| Poor Quality | −1 | Damaged, improvised, or badly maintained equipment |
| Difficult Terrain (melee) | −1 | Unstable footing—mud, ice, rubble |
| Mounted Combat (untrained) | −2 | Fighting from horseback without Ride skill |
Roll Modifier Caps: Maximum total Roll Bonus: +10. Maximum total Roll Penalty: −10.
The Importance of Roll Modifiers
Roll Modifiers transform impossible tasks into achievable ones. Consider: TN 17 (Hard Cover + Far Range on Defense 11 target). Base Sum maximum: 16 (impossible to hit without bonuses). With +4 from Aim (3 actions) and +2 from Masterwork weapon: You now need only Sum 11 to hit.
This is the design intent: against the hardest targets, you cannot rely on luck. You must prepare, equip yourself properly, and create advantages.
Step 5: Compare to TN
Final Sum ≥ TN: Success. You accomplish what you set out to do.
Final Sum < TN: Failure. The task is not accomplished, though the degree of failure matters (see Failure tab).
Margin & Steps
Success in The Veil & Lead is not binary. How well you succeed—or how badly you fail—shapes the narrative and mechanical consequences.
Calculating Margin
Margin = Final Sum − Target Number
A positive Margin means you exceeded the minimum required. A negative Margin means you fell short.
The Step System
For every full 3 points of positive Margin, you gain +1 Step. Steps represent exceptional performance beyond mere success.
| Margin | Steps | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 0–2 | +0 | Bare success. You just made it. The bullet grazes the target; the lock clicks open on your last pick. |
| 3–5 | +1 | Solid success. Clear competence. The shot lands true; the lock yields quickly. |
| 6–8 | +2 | Strong success. Impressive result. The shot hits a vital area; you pick the lock and notice it was trapped. |
| 9–11 | +3 | Exceptional success. Remarkable achievement. The shot drops the target instantly; you pick the lock, disarm the trap, and notice the hidden compartment. |
| 12+ | +4 | Legendary success. The stuff of stories. This is how reputations are made. |
Applying Steps
Steps scale the effect of your success. The specific application depends on context:
| Context | Step Effect |
|---|---|
| Combat | +1 damage per Step |
| Social | +1 to leverage, duration of effect, or depth of information |
| Exploration | +1 to quality of result, bonus information, or time saved |
| Psionics | +1 to duration, area, or intensity of secondary effects (as defined by the Talent) |
| Crafting | +1 to quality tier or reduced resource cost |
Example: Caleb shoots a Consortium Enforcer. His Final Sum is 15 against TN 11. His Margin is 4, granting +1 Step. His Peacemaker deals WR 3 + 1 Step = 4 damage before armor.
Critical Success
A Critical Success represents a moment of extraordinary fortune—the shot that threads the needle, the words that cut to the heart, the gamble that pays off perfectly.
Critical Conditions
A Critical Success occurs when BOTH conditions are met:
- The two highest kept dice are both naturally 8s
- Your roll succeeds (Final Sum ≥ TN)
If using Desperation, these 8s explode for more Steps, but the initial pair of 8s triggers the Critical Effect.
Critical Benefits
When you score a Critical, choose ONE of the following:
| Benefit | Effect |
|---|---|
| Vital Strike | The attack ignores the target’s Armor Rating (AR) |
| Adrenaline Surge | You immediately regain 1 Mettle |
| Trigger Weapon Quality | Activate a Stun, Bleed, or other weapon quality effect |
| Narrative Advantage | GM discretion—information revealed, tactical opportunity created, enemy morale broken |
Failure & Fumbles
Not every bullet finds its mark. How you handle failure defines character—both the fictional character and the player’s experience.
Degrees of Failure
| Margin | Result | Description |
|---|---|---|
| −1 to −2 | Near Miss | Almost. The GM may offer success-at-cost. |
| −3 to −5 | Clear Failure | The task is simply not accomplished. |
| −6 or worse | Severe Failure | Something went wrong. Check for Fumble. |
Success-at-Cost
When your Margin is −1 or −2, the GM may offer you success with a complication. You achieve your goal, but something goes wrong in the process.
| Cost Type | Examples |
|---|---|
| Resource | Spend extra ammo, break a tool, use a consumable you didn’t intend to |
| Time | Takes longer than expected; enemies advance, windows close |
| Position | End up exposed, lose your cover, fall from your perch |
| Complication | Partial success creates a new problem; the lock opens but the alarm triggers |
| Harm | Take 1 Strain from the exertion, or suffer a minor injury |
You may accept the cost and succeed, or refuse and take the failure cleanly. The choice is always yours.
Fumble
A Fumble represents catastrophic failure—the gun jamming at the worst moment, the lie that makes everything worse, the spell that tears back.
Fumble Conditions
A Fumble occurs when ALL THREE conditions are met:
- Your roll fails (Final Sum < TN)
- Your Margin is −6 or worse
- More than half your dice show 1s or 2s
The third condition ensures that Fumbles are rare even on bad failures. You must roll poorly and roll low numbers.
Fumble Effects
| Context | Possible Fumble Effects |
|---|---|
| Combat (Ranged) | Weapon jams (Tempo 4 to clear); weapon breaks; hit an ally; drop the weapon |
| Combat (Melee) | Lose grip on weapon; stumble (Prone); leave yourself open (Exposed) |
| Social | Insult the wrong person; reveal something you shouldn’t; make an enemy |
| Stealth | Knock something over; step on the cat; walk into the one guard who was paying attention |
| Psionics | Backlash effect; Tension Pool gains dice; unwanted manifestation |
Additionally, the GM gains +1 die to the Tension Pool whenever a Fumble occurs. The Frontier notices your mistakes.
The Chamber (Bleed Dice)
When your skills aren’t enough—when the shot is too hard, the enemy too fast, the stakes too high—you can reach deeper. You can Load the Chamber.
Bleed Dice represent drawing on reserves you shouldn’t touch: your desperation, your rage, your connection to the Current that bleeds through the Veil. They give you power. They cost you pieces of yourself.
Adding Bleed Dice
Before rolling, declare you are adding 1 to 3 Bleed Dice to your pool. Use a distinct color (red is traditional). These dice are rolled with your pool and can be selected as your two highest.
You cannot add more than 3 Bleed Dice to any single roll.
Backlash
After rolling, examine the Bleed Dice specifically. Count how many show a 1.
| Bleed 1s | Effect | Severity |
|---|---|---|
| One 1 | The Flicker: Take 1 Strain. The GM gains +1 die to the Tension Pool. Reality shudders—lights flicker, temperatures shift, the air tastes wrong. | Minor |
| Two 1s | The Tear: Take 1 Erosion. The Current has reached deeper than you intended. You feel something tear inside—not physical, but real. | Moderate |
| Three 1s | The Breach: Burn 1 Memory immediately. However, the Talent succeeds with maximum effect—treat your Margin as 12+ regardless of what you actually rolled. The power works perfectly; you’ll just never remember why you used it. | Severe |
Important: Only 1s on the Bleed Dice cause Backlash. 1s on your regular dice are simply low rolls.
Backlash Probability
| Bleed Dice | P(No 1s) | P(Exactly One 1) | P(Two+ 1s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 87.5% | 12.5% | 0% |
| 2 | 76.6% | 21.9% | 1.6% |
| 3 | 67.0% | 28.6% | 4.4% |
When to Use Bleed Dice
Most Valuable When:
- Pool penalties have reduced your dice (Wounded + Suppressed = −3 dice)
- The TN is achievable but unlikely—adding dice improves your high sum
- You need Steps, not just success—a higher sum means more damage
- Failure would be catastrophic—sometimes you cannot afford to miss
Less Valuable When:
- You already have a large pool (diminishing returns)
- Your Strain or Erosion tracks are nearly full
- The TN is so high no roll could achieve it (you need Roll Modifiers instead)
- The stakes are low—why risk your soul for something that doesn’t matter?
Mettle & Desperation
Mettle represents your character’s reserves of grit, willpower, and sheer stubborn refusal to die. GRIT contributes your stubborn endurance—the refusal to go down, the will to act when your body screams to stop.
Mettle Refresh
- Start of Session: Full refresh your Mettle Pool
- +1 Mettle when you invoke a Memory thematically but choose not to use the Spark bonus
- Camp (Full Rest): Regain 1 Mettle if you eat and sleep
- No refresh if you are Fatigued or Depleted (Strain at half Cap or higher)
Spending Mettle
| Action | Cost | Effect | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dive | 1 | Use Take Cover outside of your turn | Against one ranged attack, before rolling |
| Dodge | 1 | Add your QUICK rank to your Defense | Against one melee attack, before rolling |
| Parry | 1 | Add your Melee Skill rank to your Defense | Against one melee attack, before rolling |
| Steel | 1 | Reroll a failed Willpower or Fear check | Immediately after failing |
| Intercept | 1 | Take a hit meant for an adjacent ally | When the ally is hit, before damage |
| Push | 1 | Reroll one die in your pool | After rolling; must keep the second result |
| Desperation | 2 | Enable Exploding Dice for this roll | Before rolling |
Reaction Limit
You may only spend Mettle on Reactions (Dive, Dodge, Parry, Intercept) once between your turns. This prevents high-Mettle characters from becoming invulnerable by blocking every attack.
Desperation, Push, and Steel are not Reactions—they modify your own rolls, not enemy actions—and can be used freely within your Mettle budget.
The Desperation Die
When you activate Desperation, you unlock the potential for explosive success—and explosive failure.
Effect
Any die that rolls its maximum value (8) “explodes”:
- Roll that die again
- Add the new result to the original 8
- If the reroll is also an 8, it explodes again (chain explosions are possible)
A single die could theoretically produce 8 + 8 + 8 + 5 = 29, though this is extraordinarily rare.
Cost: 2 Mettle
Risk: The Cursed Die
If an exploding die’s reroll shows a 1, it becomes a Cursed Die—treated as a Bleed Die for Backlash purposes.
| Cursed Dice Showing 1 | Backlash Effect |
|---|---|
| One | The Flicker: Take 1 Strain, GM gains +1 Tension Die |
| Two | The Tear: Take 1 Erosion |
| Three | The Breach: Burn 1 Memory immediately; roll succeeds with maximum effect |
Desperation + Bleed Dice Interaction
If you use both Desperation and Bleed Dice on the same roll, count all 1s together: 1s on Bleed Dice + 1s on Cursed Dice. Add them together to determine total Backlash severity.
Probability Note: The chance of an explosion producing a Cursed Die is 12.5% (1-in-8) per explosion. With a 6-dice pool: ~53% chance at least one die explodes; ~6.6% chance of at least one Cursed Die per roll with Desperation active.
Opposed Rolls
When two characters directly contest each other—grappling, racing, debating, staring down—neither is acting against a static difficulty. They’re testing their capability against another living will.
The Process
- Both characters roll their relevant pools
- Both determine their TN (typically 11 for opposed rolls, but circumstances may modify this)
- Both apply their Roll Modifiers
- Compare Final Sums: Highest wins
- Calculate Margin of Victory: Winner’s Sum − Loser’s Sum
Ties
In the event of a tie (both Final Sums are equal):
- The defender wins if there’s a clear defender (resisting a grapple, seeing through a lie)
- Stalemate if neither has advantage (arm wrestling, a race)—the situation remains unresolved, and both may try again
Common Opposed Rolls
| Contest | Attacker | Defender |
|---|---|---|
| Grapple | IRON + Brawl | IRON + Brawl or QUICK + Athletics |
| Psionic Duel | ECHO + Channel | ECHO + Focus |
| Chase | QUICK + Athletics | QUICK + Athletics |
| Deception | SWAY + Deceit | SAVVY + Insight |
| Intimidation | IRON or SWAY + Force | ECHO + Resilience |
| Stealth vs. Perception | QUICK + Stealth | SAVVY + Awareness |
| Bargaining | SWAY + Persuasion or Gamble | SAVVY + Insight |
Extended Checks
Some tasks cannot be resolved in a single roll. Picking a complex lock while guards approach, researching an ancient ritual, tracking prey across the wilderness—these require sustained effort.
Setting Up an Extended Check
The GM establishes:
- Success Threshold: How many successes are needed (typically 3–5)
- Time Limit: How many rolls are allowed before failure or interruption
- Interval: How much time each roll represents (rounds, minutes, hours, days)
- Base TN: The difficulty of each individual roll
The Process
| Roll Result | Effect |
|---|---|
| Success | Add 1 to your progress. Steps may add bonus progress (+1 per Step at GM discretion). |
| Failure | Add nothing. May add complications or time pressure. |
| Fumble | Lose 1 progress. Cause a complication (alert guards, damage the object, lose the trail). |
| Critical | Add 2 progress instead of 1. |
Reach the threshold before the limit to succeed overall.
Example: Picking a Complex Lock
- TN: 13 (Hard)
- Threshold: 3 successes
- Time Limit: 5 rolls (guards return on roll 6)
Roll 1: Sum 14 (Success, 1 progress)
Roll 2: Sum 11 (Failure, still 1 progress)
Roll 3: Sum 17 (Critical, +2 progress, now 3 total)
Success! The lock opens on the third attempt.
Assistance in Extended Checks
If multiple characters work together on an Extended Check, each character may contribute one roll per interval. All successes count toward the same threshold. Fumbles by any character affect the group’s progress.
Modifier Summary
The Three Tracks
The Veil & Lead uses three distinct types of modifiers. Understanding which track a modifier belongs to helps resolve edge cases and stack effects correctly.
| Track | What It Modifies | Who Controls It | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool Modifiers | Number of dice rolled | Mostly GM (conditions) | Wounded, Suppressed, Blinded |
| Roll Modifiers | Final Sum (after rolling) | Mostly Player (preparation) | Aim, Equipment Quality, Specialization |
| TN Modifiers | Target difficulty | GM (circumstances) | Cover, Range, Flanking |
Stacking Rules
Like Modifiers Don’t Stack
“Like” means bonuses from the same source applied twice:
- Two Superior weapons wielded together: Still +1 (same source: equipment quality)
- Aimed three times: +4, not +6 (Aim bonus increases with investment, doesn’t multiply)
- Two allies both providing flanking: Still −2 TN (same source: flanking)
Unlike Modifiers Stack
Bonuses from different sources combine normally, up to the relevant cap:
- Aim (+2) + Masterwork weapon (+2) + Specialization (+1) = +5 total Roll Bonus ✓
- Flanking (−2 TN) + Target Prone (−2 TN) + Higher Ground (−1 TN) = −5 total TN ✓
- Superior Focus (+1) + Bonded Focus talent (+1) = +2 Roll Bonus ✓
The Three Tracks Are Independent
Pool Modifiers, Roll Modifiers, and TN Modifiers all apply fully—they don’t interact with each other’s stacking rules. You might simultaneously have −2 dice (Suppressed), +4 Roll Bonus (Aim + Masterwork), against TN 15 (Base 11 + Hard Cover). Resolve each track separately.
Pool Penalties
| Source | Dice |
|---|---|
| Wounded (per threshold) | −1 |
| Suppressed | −2 |
| Blinded | −4 |
| Called Shot | −2 |
| Quick Shot | −2 |
| Off-hand | −2 |
| Engaged (ranged attacks) | −2 |
| Firing into Melee | −2 |
Cap: −4 max, 1 die minimum.
Pool Bonuses
| Source | Dice |
|---|---|
| Assistance (per helper) | +1 (max +2) |
| Bleed Dice | +1 to +3 |
Roll Bonuses
| Source | Bonus |
|---|---|
| Aim (1 action) | +2 |
| Aim (2 actions) | +3 |
| Aim (3+ actions) | +4 |
| Braced / Bipod | +1 |
| Set Defense | +2 |
| Superior Quality | +1 |
| Masterwork Quality | +2 |
| Specialized Ammo | +1 |
| Scope (Far range) | +2 |
| Specialization | +1 |
| Signature Weapon | +1 |
Cap: +10 maximum Roll Bonus.
Difficulty Calibration
| Situation | Approx. Success Rate (6-dice pool) |
|---|---|
| TN 11, no modifiers | 91% |
| TN 11, −2 dice (Wounded) | 75% |
| TN 13 (Standard) | 65% |
| TN 13, −2 dice | 43% |
| TN 15 (Hard) | 36% |
| TN 15, −2 dice | 18% |
When NOT to Roll
Don’t call for rolls when:
- Success is trivial and failure is boring
- The character has ample time and no pressure
- The outcome doesn’t matter to the story