Action Dice

Return to Supernatural Game Rules

Every Supernatural character has access to a pool of action dice that represent the cinema hero's knack for seemingly superhuman actions, or the lucky breaks he enjoys as his enemy's weapons fail or miraculously miss.

Action Dice Basics

At the start of each game session, your character receives a number of action dice determined by his character level, and indicated on Table 1. Unused action dice at the end of each session typically disappear and my not be used in subsequent sessions. The only exception to this rule are action dice that are earned by the players from the GM during play as rewards for exceptional role-playing, leadership, or problem-solving abilities.

If a player believes that another player deserves an action die, that player may nominate the other player for the action die. The GM has final decision power on the nominiation. In addition to earning action dice, the player who received the earned action dice also receives an experience point award.

The GM can never carry over action dice from one session to another.

Table 1: Action Dice Earned by Level

Level Action Dice Level Action Dice Level Action Dice
0 2d4 10 4d6 20 6d10
1 3d4 11 5d8 21 7d12
2 3d4 12 5d8 22 7d12
3 3d4 13 5d8 23 7d12
4 3d4 14 5d8 24 7d12
5 3d4 15 5d8 25 7d12
6 4d6 16 6d10 26 8d20
7 4d6 17 6d10 27 8d20
8 4d6 18 6d10 28 8d20
9 4d6 19 6d10 29+ (Level/5+2 rounded up)d20

You may spend action dice in any of the following ways, and as your class, feat, and other abilities allow. Further, some abilities grant a bonus to action die results. Such bonuses apply to each action die rolled, regardless of the number of action dice spent to prompt the rolls.

Action Dice Usage

Convert to a Force Point

With the inclusion of force power rules in the Supernatural game, the following rules apply cumulatively to be able to spend a Force Point. Essentially you spend an action die to convert it to a Force Point, and then the Force Point may be used in any way the SWSE rules allow.

  1. Force Points are not earned each level as usual per the Start Wars Saga Edition rules, but instead you may convert an Action Die to be used as a Force Point up to the number of Force Points the character would have earned for that level.
  2. You must have at least one action die available for spend (per Table 1 above).
  3. Spend a single action die and declare you are converting it to a Force Point.
  4. Force Point rules are to be followed explicity.
  5. If a circumstance prevents you from activating a Force Point you may not convert that action die to a Force Point.
  6. Force Points spent each level are to be tracked separately.
  7. Any feat, force power, force secret, talent, or force technique that allows you to recover a Force Point, you gain the Force Point back as normal, and then it converts back to an Action Die for use later.
  8. You may not spend more Force Points than you earn at each level. As an example if your character would gain 5 Force Points to spend while at character level 6, you may not spend more than 5 Force Points through Action Dice conversions while at character level 6 (unless the character has a way to recover Force Points).
  9. Any unused Force Points at the time of acquiring a new level are lost.

Converting an action die to a Force Point is a free action. Spending the Force Point takes the appropriate action as stated in the SWSE rules for the usage of that Force Point.

Unless otherwise noted, you can spend only 1 Force Point per round.

Common Force Point Usage

See Force Point rules for further information.

  • Increase a single attack roll, skill check, or ability check.
  • Use the Force Point to activate some talents, Force techniques, Force secrets, and Force powers.
  • Keep from dying. (see SWSE rules)

Boost a Die Roll

You may add the result of 1 or more of you action dice to any die roll you make with the following exceptions:

  • You may spend only one action die to boost a single damage result.
  • You may not boost any roll made to increase an Ability score.
  • You may not boost any roll made to increase hit points (temporary or permanent).
  • Some abilities may disallow the use of action dice to boost one or more rolls, as noted in each relevant ability description.
  • Action dice may never be spent to boost a result for which no die roll is made.

You may declare that you wish to boost a die roll at any time, even after making the roll. You may not spend action die to boost a die roll after the results of the outcome of the die roll is known.

Any time an action die is rolled, and the maximum value of the die is naturally rolled the die "explodes". When an action die "explodes" roll the action die again and add all previous rolls to the total. An action die can "explode" indefinately, and therefore add multiple rolls together until the die no longer "explodes".

Boost your Defense (effective 1/2/2009)

At the start of your turn in any combat round, as a free action, you may spend 1 action die to boost your character's Defensive scores by 2 for a number of rounds equal to the action die's result. If the action die "explodes" the defensive scores cumulatively become boosted by 2, 4, 6, and etc for a number of rounds equal to the total action die results for all explosions. As an example, if an action die "explodes" 1 time the total bonus to all defensive scores becomes +4, and the number of rounds is equal to both die rolls.

Activate a Threat (effective 1/2/2009)

Attack Rolls

No threats for any attack rolls must be activated. Attack rolls with a natural 20 automatically activate and become a critical hit per the Star Wars Saga Edition rules.

Skill Rolls

When you roll a natural 20 with any skill check, it usually means that you've scored a threat on the skill check. You may then spend 1 action die to activate it as a critical success, and therefore beating any and all (difficulty class) DC levels for the given skill. The GM will give the action die back to the player if there are no DC levels higher than the natural roll.

Activate an Error

Attack and Skill Rolls

  • When you roll a natural 1 with any skill or attack roll, the GM may activate the error by spending action dice and select a result from the "Activate an Error" table below.
  • When the GM rolls a natural 1 with any skill or attack roll, the defending player may activate the error by spending action dice and select a result from the "Activate an Error" table below. If the roll was not made against any single character, any player may spend an action die to "Activate an Error".

Table 2: Activate an Error

Advanced Melee Weapon
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Character accidentally turns off the powered weapon or fumbles the weapon and must take a move action to turn it back on or recover from the fumble. The move action must be spent even if they have Quick Draw, other feats, or talents that speed up activating or drawing a weapon.
2 Weapon is dropped in adjacent square, the character must take a move action to retrieve the weapon, and is subject to attacks of opportunity while retrieving the weapon.
3 Weapon breaks and is useless until repaired.
4 Weapon breaks, is useless until repaired, and deals full weapon damage1 to character.
Area Attacks
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Weapon becomes jammed or malfunctions after firing and the character must take a move action to clear the jam or malfunction before able to fire again. If the area attack source is not subject to jamming or malfunction, the source of the area attack must take a move action to recover from the error.
2 Target area is miscalculated and the area is moved one square in a random direction.
3 Target area is miscalculated and the area is moved two squares in a random direction.
4 Weapon or source becomes useless until end of encounter. If the source is an incantation, the incantation cannot be utilized again until the next encounter.
Exotic Weapon
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Weapon becomes jammed or malfunctions and the character must take a move action to clear the jam or malfunction. One round of ammunition is effectively spent, if applicable.
2 Weapon is dropped in adjacent square, the character must take a move action to retrieve the weapon, and is subject to attacks of opportunity while retrieving the weapon.
3 Weapon deals 1/2 damage1 (rounded down, minimum 1) to the nearest adjacent character2
4 Weapon deals full damage1 to the nearest adjacent character2
Heavy Weapon
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Weapon becomes jammed or malfunctions and the character must take a move action to clear the jam or malfunction. One round of ammunition is effectively spent, if applicable.
2 Weapon's mount becomes unstable3 until the end of the characters next round.
3 Weapon's mount becomes unstable3 until repaired.
4 Weapon breaks and is useless until repaired.
Lightsaber
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Character trips and falls prone
2 Character is disoriented, and moves -1 step on the condition track.
3 Character hits himself with weapon dealing 1/2 weapon damage1 (rounded down, minimum 1).
4 Character hits himself with weapon dealing full weapon damage1.
Pistol
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Weapon becomes jammed or malfunctions and the character must take a move action to clear the jam or malfunction. One round of ammunition is effectively spent, if applicable.
2 Weapon is dropped in adjacent square, the character must take a move action to retrieve the weapon, and is subject to attacks of opportunity while retrieving the weapon.
3 Weapon becomes jameed or malfunctions and the character must take a full-round action to clear the jam or malfunctiion. The remainder of the clip or power cell ammunition is expended and must be replaced.
4 Weapon breaks and is useless until repaired.
Rifle
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Weapon becomes jammed or malfunctions and the character must take a move action to clear the jam or malfunction. One round of ammunition is effectively spent, if applicable.
2 Weapon is dropped in adjacent square, the character must take a move action to retrieve the weapon, and is subject to attacks of opportunity while retrieving the weapon.
3 Weapon becomes jameed or malfunctions and the character must take a full-round action to clear the jam or malfunctiion. The remainder of the clip or power cell ammunition is expended and must be replaced.
4 Weapon breaks and is useless until repaired.
Simple Weapon
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Character accidentally fumbles the weapon and must take a move action to recover from the fumble. The move action must be spent even if they have Quick Draw, other feats, or talents that speed up activating or drawing a weapon.
2 Weapon is dropped in adjacent square, the character must take a move action to retrieve the weapon, and is subject to attacks of opportunity while retrieving the weapon.
3 Weapon breaks and is useless until repaired.
4 Weapon breaks, is useless until repaired, and deals full weapon damage1 to character.
Skill
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Automatically fails the skill check.
2 Automatically fails the skill check, and moves -1 on the Condition track.
Unarmed
Action Dice Spent Effect
1 Character trips and falls prone
2 Character is disoriented, and moves -1 step on the condition track.
3 Character hits a piece of scenery or is knocked against the scenery, suffering 1d6 subdual damage.
4 Character hits a piece of scenery or is knocked against the scenery, suffering 2d6 subdual damage.

1 Damage is calculated with all bonuses from feats (such as the Dead Eye feat) or talents (such as the Penetrating Attack talent) as available and applicable.
2 The character (PC, NPC, or other creature) must be adjacent to the original target. If multiple characters are adjacent, then roll randomly to determine which character receive the damage. If no character is adjacent, then the damage is dealt to a piece of nearby scenery (determined by player who spent the Action Dice to activate the error.
3 An unstable weapon suffers a -5 penalty to attack rolls.

Heal Your Character (effective 1/2/2009)

During Combat

As a full round action, you may spend up to 2 action dice to heal the action dice totals (including explosions) to hit points. If the 2 action die rolls (including explosions) exceeds your Fortidude Defense, you heal double the amount.

Outside of Combat

You may spend any number of action dice to heal the action die totals (including explosions) to hit points.

Remove Conditions (effective 1/2/2009)

You can improve your condition if you are still conscious by spending 2 consecutive swift actions (may span rounds) and 1 action die to remove a non-persistent condition and move +1 on the conditiion track. Persistent conditions must be removed by meeting the persistent condition remal requirements.

Make a Request Check

You may spend 1 action die to make an appeal to an organization or contact you allowed to contact. See Spycraft 2.0 p.62 for further information.

Pray for a "Hail Mary" (effective 1/2/2009)

Spend an action die to use any skill check untrained one time. A Hail Mary may be used only one time per session.

Action Dice Restrictions

Unless otherwise stated, you may not spend action dice to affect another character in any way.

Some abilities, such as the Soldier's core ability (accurate), allow you to roll 2 action dice instead of one. Multiple sources of such abilities never stack.

Unless otherwise stated, the content of this page is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 License