Dice Reference (Custom Dice System)

Version 1.0 • 3 Custom Dice Types: Attack (2d6) • Defense (Xd6) • Suffering (1d6)

Overview

Penance uses 3 types of custom d6 dice to add brutal randomness to combat:

1. Attack Dice (2d6) - Roll to-hit, determines if attack lands
2. Defense Dice (Xd6) - Roll per damage point, chance to block/mitigate
3. Suffering Dice (1d6) - Church faction & event self-harm mechanics

Design Philosophy:

• tactical mech-style to-hit rolls (2d6 target numbers)
• Modifier stacking (range, movement, terrain)
• Save dice (block damage, critical effects)

1. Attack Dice (2d6)

Die Face Symbols

Face	Symbol	Value	Name
1	[GLANCE]	1	GLANCE
2	[BLOOD]	2	BLOOD
3	[STRIKE]	3	STRIKE
4	[DOUBLE STRIKE]	4	DOUBLE STRIKE
5	[DEATH BLOW]	5	DEATH BLOW
6	[JAM]	0	JAM (critical fail)

Note: Face 6 ([JAM]) = 0 value for tactical unpredictability

How to Roll Attack Dice

1. Calculate To-Hit Target Number
2. Roll 2 Attack Dice
3. Add both values together
4. Compare total to target number

Hit Result Table

Total	Result	Effect
2 (double [JAM])	CATASTROPHIC FAILURE	Weapon jams: discard all Primary Weapon cards from hand, +2 Heat, next attack -2 damage
3-4	Miss	No damage, attack wasted (if target 5+)
5-6	Hit	Standard damage from attack card
7-8	Strong Hit	Standard damage +1
9	Critical Hit	Standard damage +2, bypass 1 Defense
10 (double [DEATH BLOW])	EXECUTION	Auto-destroy 1 Component, bypass ALL Defense

Special Roll Outcomes

EXECUTION (Double [DEATH BLOW], total 10):

• Automatically destroy 1 targeted component (even if <3 Component Damage)
• Bypass ALL Defense (shields, armor, reactive cards don't work)
• Still deal standard damage from attack card
• Defender cannot choose to discard from hand (must discard from deck)
• Brutality: Even a 1-damage attack with EXECUTION destroys a component

CATASTROPHIC FAILURE (Double [JAM], total 2):

• Your weapon critically malfunctions
• Discard all Primary Weapon cards from hand immediately
• Gain +2 Heat (weapon overheats from malfunction)
• Next attack this turn or next turn: -2 damage
• Does NOT end your turn (can still move, use Universal cards)

2. Defense Dice (Variable, 1d6 per damage)

Die Face Symbols

Face	Symbol	Effect
1	[SHIELD]	SHIELD - Block 1 damage
2	[SHIELD]	SHIELD - Block 1 damage
3	[BLOOD]	FLESH WOUND - Take damage (discard 1 card)
4	[PIERCE]	PIERCE - Take damage, cannot use reactive cards
5	[HEAT]	HEAT - Take damage + 1 Heat
6	[CRITICAL]	CRITICAL HIT - Take damage + 1 Component Damage to attacked location

How to Roll Defense Dice

1. Attacker's attack hits → Determine damage amount
2. Defender rolls 1 Defense Die per damage point
   • Example: 6 damage = roll 6 Defense Dice
3. Count [SHIELD] and [ABSORB] symbols
   • Each blocks 1 damage
4. Apply special effects from other symbols
5. Final damage = Original damage - Total blocks

Block Probability: 3/6 faces block ([SHIELD] ×2, [ABSORB]) = 50% chance per die

Defense Dice Example

Setup: Dwarven Heavy takes 8 damage from Church attack

Step 1: Roll 8 Defense Dice

Result: [SHIELD] [SHIELD] [SHIELD] [ABSORB] [BLOOD] [HEAT] [PIERCE] [BLOOD]

Step 2: Count Blocks

• 4 block symbols ([SHIELD][SHIELD][SHIELD][ABSORB]) = Block 4 damage
• Reduced from 8 → 4 damage

Step 3: Apply Special Effects

• 2 Blood symbols ([BLOOD][BLOOD]) = Standard damage (already counted)
• 1 Heat symbol ([HEAT]) = +1 Heat
• 1 Pierce symbol ([PIERCE]) = Cannot use reactive defense cards

Step 4: Defender Chooses Discard

• Must discard 4 cards (chooses 2 from hand, 2 from deck)
• If any Primary Weapon cards discarded → Add to Component Damage

Step 5: Final Component Damage

• Defender discarded 1 Primary Weapon card → +1 Component Damage
• Component now at 1 Component Damage (needs 8 total to destroy with new HP thresholds)

3. To-Hit Modifier System

Base To-Hit Number

Default: 5+ (roll 2d6 Attack Dice, total must equal or exceed 5)

Complete Modifier Table

Situation	Modifier
RANGE
Short range (0-3 hexes)	+0
Medium range (4-6 hexes)	+1
Long range (7-10 hexes)	+2
Extreme range (11+ hexes)	+3
ATTACKER MOVEMENT
Stationary (0 hexes)	+0
Moved 1-3 hexes	+1
Moved 4-6 hexes	+2
Sprinted (7+ hexes)	+3
DEFENDER MOVEMENT
Stationary (0 hexes)	+0
Moved 1-3 hexes	+1
Moved 4-6 hexes	+2
Sprinted (7+ hexes)	+3
FACING
Front arc (hex 1)	+0
Weapon-side (hex 2)	+0
Flanks (hex 3, 5)	-1 (easier)
Rear (hex 4)	-2 (easier)
Shield-side (hex 6)	+1 (harder)
TERRAIN
Open ground	+0
Light cover	+1
Heavy cover	+2
Obscured	+2
Elevated (attacker higher)	-1 (easier)

Complete To-Hit Calculation Example

Scenario:

• Church Scout (attacker) shoots Dwarven Heavy (defender) with pistol
• Range: 5 hexes (Medium)
• Scout moved 4 hexes this turn (aggressive advance)
• Dwarf moved 2 hexes last turn (repositioning)
• Attacking Dwarf's shield-side (hex 6)
• Dwarf is behind light cover (rubble)

Calculation:

1. Base: 5+
2. Range (Medium, 5 hexes): +1 → 6+
3. Attacker moved 4 hexes: +1 → 7+
4. Defender moved 2 hexes: +1 → 8+
5. Shield-side facing: +1 → 9+
6. Light cover: +1 → 10+

Final To-Hit: 10+ (only possible with double [DEATH BLOW] EXECUTION roll)

Attack Roll: [DEATH BLOW] (5) + [STRIKE] (3) = 8 total
Result: MISS (needed 10+, got 8)

4. Suffering Dice (1d6, Church & Events)

Used for: Church of Absolution self-harm mechanics and campaign events

Die Face Symbols

Face	Symbol	Effect
1	[SHIELD]	DIVINE MERCY - No self-harm
2	[BLOOD]	BLOOD PRICE - Discard 2 cards (self-harm)
3	[STRIKE]	ZEALOT'S FURY - Discard 1 card, +1 damage to all attacks this turn
4	[HEAT]	PENANCE - Discard 1 card, +1 Heat, +2 damage next attack
5	[CRITICAL]	MARTYRDOM - Discard 3 cards, +3 damage to next attack
6	[ABSORB]	ABSOLUTION - Discard 1 card, recover 1 card from discard

When to Roll Suffering Dice

Church Faction Cards:

• BLOOD OFFERING: Roll 1 Suffering Die instead of auto-discarding 2 cards
• Flagellant's Zeal: Roll 2 Suffering Dice, apply both effects
• Martyrdom Protocol: When redirecting damage, roll 1 Suffering Die per 3 damage redirected

Campaign Events:

• Penance Rituals (settlement event)
• Taint Purging (when Taint reaches 8+)
• Soul Bargains (desperate deals with Bonelord Karath)
• Flesh Bargain (voluntary body modification)

5. Dice Probability Tables

Attack Dice (2d6) Probability

Total	Probability	Cumulative	Result
2 ([JAM][JAM])	2.78%	2.78%	Catastrophic Failure
3	5.56%	8.33%	Likely miss
4	8.33%	16.67%	Likely miss
5	11.11%	27.78%	Hit (if target 5+)
6	13.89%	41.67%	Hit
7	16.67%	58.33%	Strong Hit
8	13.89%	72.22%	Strong Hit
9	11.11%	83.33%	Critical Hit
10 ([DEATH BLOW][DEATH BLOW])	2.78%	86.11%	EXECUTION

Hit Chances by Target Number:

• 5+: 72.22% (accounting for JAM face)
• 6+: 58.33%
• 7+: 41.67%
• 8+: 27.78%
• 9+: 13.89%
• 10+: 2.78% (EXECUTION only)

Defense Dice Block Probability

Single Die:

• Block: 50.0% ([SHIELD] ×2 or [ABSORB])
• Standard damage: 16.7% ([BLOOD])
• Pierce: 16.7% ([PIERCE])
• Heat: 16.7% ([HEAT])

Expected Blocks (50% block rate):

Damage	Expected Blocks	Expected Damage	Old (33% rate)
3	1.5	1.5	2 dmg
6	3	3	4 dmg
9	4.5	4.5	6 dmg
12	6	6	8 dmg

Impact:

• 50% block rate reduces variance (more predictable outcomes)
• Removed CRITICAL symbol eliminates random Component Damage spikes
• Component Damage now only from discarding Primary Weapon cards (player choice)
• Expected damage reduced by ~25-33% across all attack values

Quick Reference: What Dice to Roll When

During Attack

1. Declare attack → Calculate To-Hit target number
2. Roll 2 Attack Dice → Add values, compare to target
3. If hit → Defender rolls Defense Dice (1 per damage)
4. Apply damage → Defender discards cards

During Defense

1. Attack hits → Determine damage amount
2. Roll X Defense Dice (X = damage)
3. Count blocks ([SHIELD] and [ABSORB])
4. Apply special effects ([CRITICAL] [PIERCE] [HEAT])
5. Discard final damage (original - blocks)

Church Self-Harm

1. Play BLOOD OFFERING card
2. Roll 1 Suffering Die
3. Apply effect (discard cards, gain damage bonus)
4. Make next attack (with bonus if applicable)

See Also

Dice mechanics integrate with these systems: