Dice checks in PoET are d20 ± [X]d6 > 10, where X is the total difference between your modifier vs the target’s modifier.
This is functionally a pretty standard check for a d20 System, with the difference being the total remaining modifier becomes that many d6’s instead of a flat number.
Example Check
I want to use my +3 athletics to bust down a difficulty 2 door. Usually, this would be a “DC 12 Athletics Check” of
d20+3 ≥ 12PoET first simplifies out the modifiers.
d20+3 ≥ 12→d20+3 ≥ 10+2→d20+1 ≥ 10Then, replaces whatever modifier remains with a d6.
d20+1 ≥ 10→d20+1d6 ≥ 10If I was going against a difficulty 4 door, my end result would be
d20-2d6 ≥ 10instead.
Outcome
Differences in modifiers scale fast, basically three times faster. 1
Outcome Table
Chances of rolling above 10
when you add Nd20+N d20+Nd6 d20+(N*3) 0 50% 50% 50% 1 55% 67.5% 65% 2 60% 84.4% 80% 3 65% 95% 95% 4 70% 99% 100%
.png)
This fits the theme PoET is going for, where modifiers represent PoET Tiers of exponential narrative power – ranging from mundane to demigods, all while keeping the math small.
It quickly communicates that a tier 4 politician (e.g. a president) is way more powerful than a tier 1 politician (e.g. a town mayor), because he gets to roll with three d6’s in his favor.
It’s a bit like taking D&D and saying every skill/level/modifier/etc has to fall into the levels 0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15. Rather than each level representing a 5% Increase, it represents a 15% increase – that’s big.
Yes, you get the same result from a tier I vs tier 4 check as you would with a +3 vs a +12 check, but there’s something to be said for deleting all little numbers between them because they aren’t worth narratively tracking.