Dice Rules

Dice OverviewTactical EquipmentStrong AttacksInjuriesConditions

Abilities and Skills

Abilities represent your fundamental strengths as a survivor. Each Ability governs a set of Skills.

Skills are always rolled with their parent Ability.

When you attempt an action using a Skill, roll the following:

d20 + its associated Ability + the Skill level

For example, if you have a +2 Morale and +2 Presence (its parent ability), you'd roll:

d20 + 2 (Morale) + 2 (Presence) 

Compare the total to a Difficulty Class, or DC, set by the narrator or the rules.

Physique
Athletics:	Climbing, jumping, swimming, lifting, and other feats of physical exertion.
Melee	Fighting with close combat weapons or unarmed strikes.
Resilience	Enduring pain, resisting poison or illness, and withstanding physical trauma.
Agility
Aiming	Using ranged weapons accurately.
Stealth	Moving quietly, hiding, and avoiding detection.
Reflex	Reacting quickly to danger, avoiding hazards, and resisting sudden effects.
Finesse	Precise manual control, delicate manipulation, or careful physical actions.
Reason
Awareness	Noticing threats, spotting details, and reading intent.
Medicine	Treating wounds, stabilising injuries, and managing illness.
Technology	Using, repairing, or understanding machines and electronic systems.
Academia	General knowledge, research, and recalling learned information.
Presence
Morale	Resisting fear, maintaining composure, and enduring psychological strain.
Intimidation	Coercing or frightening others into compliance.
Persuasion	Convincing others through reason, trust, or emotional appeal.
Deception	Lying convincingly, misleading others, or concealing the truth.

Difficulty Class and Outcomes

Difficulty Class (DC) is the number that you compare your roll against. They are set by the rules or the narrator.

After rolling, compare your total to the DC.

Over 5 Below DC:	Strong Failure
5 or Less Below DC	Failure
Meets DC	Success
5 or Less Above DC	Success
Over 5 Above DC	Strong Success

Examples:

DC:	Strong Success	Success	Failure	Strong Failure
5	10 and up	5-10	4-0	/
10	15 and up	10-14	5-9	4 and down
15	20 and up	15-19	10-14	9 and down
20	25 and up	20-24	15-19	14 and down

Narrator DC Guidance:

DC:	Strong Success
1-5	Trivial tasks, minimal chance of failure.
6-10	Easy Tasks, most people would be able to succeed.
11-15	Doable Tasks, with some effort this should be doable.
16-20	Tricky Tasks, probably going to fail if you are untrained.
21-25	Hard Tasks, for those with experience.
26-30	Long Shot, Even with training it’ll take a lot of luck to get this done.
31+	Never, Impossible things should not be rolled for.

Advantage and Disadvantage

Some rules give a roll Advantage or Disadvantage. A narrator will tell you if one applies.

Advantage:	Roll two d20's, pick the highest.
Disadvantage	Roll two d20's, pick the lowest.

• Advantage and Disadvantage do not stack.
• If a roll has both Advantage and Disadvantage, they cancel out and the roll is made normally.

Statistics

When skills are mentioned in calculations (not just in this section) only use the skill level, the ability will be listed separately if used.

Health Points

HP = 5 + Physique + (Resilience / 2) rounded down.

• At 0 current HP, you gain the Unconscious Condition.

If you have 2 Physique and 2 Resilience, then your HP would be 8 (5+2+[2/2])

Movement

Movement = 3 + (Athletics + Reflex) / 2, rounded down.

• During your turn you may use 1 movement to move 1 tile.
• Your movement resets to max on the end of your turn.

Stress

• Stress represents psychological strain.
• While resting, you lose 1 Stress at the end of each hour in-game.

Stress Cap = 3 + Presence

• When your Stress reaches your Stress Cap, you must make a Morale Roll and resolve the result according to the table below.

Morale	Result
1-5:	You surrender to your opponents.
6-10	Your movement and AP reduced to 0 until the end of your next turn.
11-15	You must get as far away as you can, until the end of your next turn.
16+	You are stunned until the end of your next turn.

Defenses

Unless otherwise stated by a rule or feature, when someone attempts to attack you the DC is equal to your Base Defense

If you are wearing Armor on a targeted area, add that to the DC, armor does not get added atop Dodge or Parry DC.

Base Defense = 10 + Resilience

Initiative and Rounds

Initiative

At the start of combat, each participant rolls Reflex.

Unless otherwise stated, your AP starts out maxed out at the start of combat, even before your first turn.

Rounds

A round is the sum of all turns taken by everyone in combat.

A round starts with the character who has the highest Initiative and ends after the character with the lowest Initiative has finished their turn.

Once the lowest Initiative character has finished their turn, a new round begins with the highest Initiative character again.

Turns

On your turn, you may spend AP to do your actions.

AP is detailed in the Action Economy section.

Distance and Position

The game uses tiles to measure tactical distance.

One tile represents approximately 5 feet.

When no unit of measurement is used, assume tiles.

Adjacent

A creature or object is adjacent to you if it is within 1 tile of you, with diagonal tiles counting.

Unless a weapon or rule says otherwise, melee attacks can only target adjacent creatures.

Action Economy

Each character has a maximum number of Action Points (AP).

By default, a character has 4 maximum AP.

You spend AP to take actions on your turn and to take Reactions when their triggers occur.

At the end of your turn, your AP is restored to its maximum.

If you spent AP on Reactions before your turn begins, you start your turn with whatever AP you have remaining.

Many items in PZ may be used in all types of situations, but for some of them there are specific rules.

If an item you want to use does not have a rule yet, a narrator decides how it works for that situation, before letting the curator team know about this gap in the rules.

Armor Location

Armor protects the area it is worn on, below is a table that helps figure out which area that is, and how much AC it adds to that area.

Item	Location	AC Bonus
Helmet	Head	2
Mask	Head	2
Vest	Torso	3
Kilt	Torso	1
Shin Guard	Legs	1
Greaves	Legs	2
Thigh Guard	Legs	2
Leg Pad	Legs	1
Pauldrons	Arms	2
Shoulder Pad	Arms	1
Hand Plate	Arms	1
Gloves	Arms	1

Armor Integrity

When a protected body area is hit by a Strong Attack, one piece armor protecting that body area takes 1 Integrity damage.

When Integrity reaches 0:

• The armor loses its AC bonus.
• The armor no longer protects that body area.
• The armor must be repaired before providing protection again.

The type of Armor determines its Integrity.

Type	Integrity
Improvised	1
Scrap	1
Armoured	1
Bulletproof	2
Defender	2
Patriot	2
Vanguard	3

For the improvised category, ask a Curator. This includes things like leather vests, welding masks, etc. and may not give the full AC bonus. Never assume its stats without confirmation from a Curator.

Weapon Attachments

When a weapon attachment is equipped on a weapon, whenever you use this weapon, the following effects/rules apply.

Sling

When the Drop Item Action is used, instead of the floor, your weapon is returned to your main inventory.

Scope

When the Range of your weapon is calculated, your Aiming is multiplied by the scope’s highest multiplier.

If a Scope/Sight has no multiplier listed, consider it 2x.

Bayonet

The Weapon now also counts as a Piercing/Slashing melee weapon.

Suppressor

When you have the Hidden condition and use the weapon, instead of automatically losing the Condition, the target instead can immediately make the Inspect Area Action for 1AP, with the change that it only targets you..

Grip

You gain a +1 to your Aiming rolls using this weapon.

Bipod, 1AP

Requirements: a sturdy surface.

You deploy the bipod. For as long as it remains deployed, you gain Advantage on Aiming rolls with this weapon.

Picking up or moving the weapon removes this bonus.

Explosives

Fire Bomb/Molotov

Can be used as part of the Throw Object Action.

On Strong Failure:

The bomb does not go off.

On other rolls:

·        A circle/sphere with a radius of 4 tiles around where it fell:

·        Objects and Tiles are set Aflame(weak) for 2 rounds.

·        Creatures in this area have to roll Reflex DC12 or also be set Aflame(weak) for 2 rounds. This roll is made with disadvantage if Thrown Object was a strong success.

Misc. Equipment

Improvised Spray

Improvised Spray, 1 AP

You use a spraycan to try and blind an enemy.

If the target cannot use their Dodge DC, they automatically have a Strong Failure.

Requirement:

Enemy without eye protection.

Range:

2 Tiles

Uses:

Spray paint, Hairspray, other sprays that are not originally intended as weapons.

Roll:

Aiming vs Target Dodge DC

Outcome

Success

Target gains Blurred Vision for 3 rounds.

Strong Success

Target gains Blinded for 3 rounds.

Strong Failure

You gain Blurred Vision for 1 round.

When an attack scores a Strong Success, it may trigger an additional Strong Attack effect based on the attack's damage type and targeted body area.

Strong Attack Save DC

• The DC for a Strong Attack Save is equal to the to hit bonus of the triggering attack.
• If they are succeeded, they do nothing.

Attack Type	Strong Attack Save DC
Melee Attack	10 + Physique + Melee
Thrown Attack	10 + Agility + Aiming
Firearm Attack	10 + Agility + Aiming

Strong Attacks: Blunt

Head

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Stunned until the end of your next turn.
Strong Failure	Gain the Concussion injury (Stunned).

Torso

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Take +2 damage.
Strong Failure	Gain the Broken Ribs injury (Weakened).

Arms

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	You have to use the Drop Item Action.
Strong Failure	Gain the Broken Arm injury.

Legs

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Gain the Prone Condition.
Strong Failure	Gain the Broken Leg injury (Slowed).

Strong Attacks: Slashing

Head

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	+1 Stress, and Bleeding for 2 rounds.
Strong Failure	Gain the Deep Wound injury (Bleeding).

Torso

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Bleeding for 3 rounds.
Strong Failure	Gain the Deep Wound injury (Bleeding).

Arms

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Weakened until the end of your next turn.
Strong Failure	Gain the Deep Wound injury (Bleeding).

Legs

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Slowed until the end of your next turn.
Strong Failure	Gain the Deep Wound injury (Bleeding).

Strong Attacks: Piercing

Head

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Blurred Vision until the end of your next turn.
Strong Failure	Gain the Lost Eye injury (Blurred Vision).

Torso

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Take +2 damage.
Strong Failure	Gain the Punctured Lung injury (Slowed).

Arms

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Weakened until the end of your next turn.
Strong Failure	Gain the Deep Wound injury (Bleeding).

Legs

Roll Resilience against Strong Attack Save DC
Failure	Slowed until the end of your next turn.
Strong Failure	Gain the Deep Wound injury (Bleeding).

Injuries are severe wounds that persist beyond normal combat effects.

They require time, medical treatment, or surgery to heal.

Unless otherwise stated, times listed are in-game days.

Concussion

Treatment: 3 days of rest.

• Your AP maximum is reduced by 1.
• You gain the Stunned condition.

Broken Ribs

Treatment: 7 days of rest.

• Your AP maximum is reduced by 1.
• You gain the Weakened condition.

Broken Arm

Treatment: Splint or cast for 7 days.

• When the arm is used in an action:
  • Rolls are at disadvantage
  • Roll Resilience DC10
    • Failure: Take 1 damage.

Broken Leg

Treatment: Splint or cast for 7 days.

• You gain the Slowed condition.
• When you take the Move Action, take 1 damage.

Deep Wound

Treatment: Stitch up wound, DC 14 Medicine.

• You gain the Bleeding condition.

Lost Eye

Treatment: /

• You gain the Blurred Vision condition.

Lost Eyes

Treatment: /

• You gain the Blinded condition.

Punctured Lung

Treatment: 3 days of rest.

• Your AP maximum is reduced by 2.
• You gain the Slowed condition.

Below is a list of conditions your character could have inflicted upon them.

Conditions affect a character in specific ways.

Their duration is indefinite unless noted otherwise.

Stunned

• Disadvantage on all rolls.
• Cannot take Reactions.

Bleeding

• Take 1 damage at the end of your turn.

Prone

• +2 to Aiming rolls.
• While Prone, you have the Slowed condition.
• Melee attacks against you have Advantage.

Blinded

• Disadvantage on Melee, Aiming, and Awareness rolls.
• Cannot use Reactions.
• You have no vision and automatically fail any check that relies solely on sight.

Blurred Vision

• -3 to Melee, Aiming, and Awareness rolls.

Weakened

• Disadvantage on any Physique rolls.

Slowed

• Your Movement is halved.

Grappled

• Cannot use movement.
• You are Stunned.

Grappling

• You are Slowed.
• Grappled target counts as an equipped item.
• Advantage on Physique-based rolls against the Grappled Target.

Hidden

• You gain Advantage on attack rolls.
• Your Detection score is equal to 10 + Agility + Stealth.
• You lose this condition by: Using Movement or attacking.

Horrified

• You cannot willingly move closer to the source of the Condition.
• While you can see the source, you have the Stunned Condition.

Unconscious

• You are Prone.
• You have 0 AP.
• You have 0 movement.

Aflame

At the end of your turn, take Fire Damage based on your Aflame level.

If a creature starts or ends their turn touching something that is Aflame, they have to make a Reflex roll against its Extinguish DC.

On a failure, they become Aflame at one level lower (if possible) than the source, for half of the remaining duration.

	Weak	Medium	Heavy
Extinguish DC:	12	15	18
Damage	1	2	3