Sentinel Comics RPG Core Rulebook

178
Make Every Roll Meaningful
Heroes are supremely competent at what they do.
There’s no question that a character like Legacy,
who has Strength among her powers, can lift a car.
No one should doubt that Wraith can infiltrate
the headquarters of a local ring of smugglers, nor
should it be a challenge at all for Absolute Zero
to survive incredibly frigid temperatures. These
heroes principles define their truth, so be sure to
give them a chance to invoke them.
It’s safe for you and your players to assume that
in a situation where time is not of the essence, all
characters can perform superhuman feats in their
area of expertise as detailed by their powers,
qualities, abilities, and principles without having to
pick up dice.
However, in the heat of an action or social scene,
any action whose outcomes could be uncertain,
problematic, or even downright catastrophic should
require dice rolls. It’s not a question of whether
Legacy can lift a car to throw at an incoming missile;
we know that she can. Rather, it’s whether she
can time her throw and aim properly to divert the
missile into the river before its proximity fuse makes
it explode near the bridge.
This game is about heroes with exceptional
abilities dealing with exceptional problems. Reach
for the dice when the stakes are high… or when
the heroes are way out of their league, such as
when Absolute Zero needs to do an live interview
about work safety on a streaming video channel
particularly popular with teenagers.
“Yes”— The GM’s Best Friend
If a player wants their hero to try something that
feels like it is in the spirit of the game but you don’t
know how the rules apply, try just saying “Yes.”
This is especially true if the hero is trying something
that aligns with one of their principles — you can
simply declare that it works and move the scene
on to more interesting things. There’s no need to
impose a chance of failure on everything any hero
attempts. If it fits the scene, the setting, and the
characters involved, it’s likely a better moment to
give them that moment of success.
“What Does It Matter Which Die I Use?”
Heroes frequently have multiple powers and
qualities of the same die size, sometimes even in
the same category. As a result, some players may
ask what difference it makes to use one or another
if they’re the same die anyway.
The GM’s Principles
First, the use of the die has to make sense. Part of
your job as the GM is to negotiate with the player
to make sure that the appropriate power or quality
is used for the situation. If the hero is throwing a
punch but wants to use Banter instead of Close
Combat, they need to explain how some quick
quips are helping them fight. However, it’s not your
job to talk them out of using a power or quality;
instead, ask clarifying questions on the action to get
everyone at the table, including you, on the same
page as to what exactly is going on.
Secondly, what powers and qualities are used
help inform any consequences of the action,
particularly if the action results in a twist. When
trying to Overcome a challenge to bust open a
door to a villain’s lair, a twist from using Strength will
probably be different than using Telekinesis. Even in
actions that aren’t Overcomes, how villains react
to Attacks, Hinders, etc. will be different based on
what powers and qualities the hero used to build
their dice pool. This is especially true when specific
types of elements/energies are in play, as a villain
might have a specific resistance or vulnerability.
In summary, it can be easy to shortcut to the
same three dice every time, especially when
using the same ability multiple times in a session.
However, describing the actions in a Sentinel
Comics RPG issue is what generates the comic
book feeling of the game; it should be a source of
inspiration in what happens in the story.