Basics
When you take a risky course of action and the outcome is uncertain, the Judge may call for a check to determine what happens. Describe what your character does and choose an appropriate skill for their approach. The Judge decides whether that skill applies and whether a check is required at all.
For example, you might use Athletics to scale a rocky cliff, Command to bring a frightened horse under control, or Tinkering to disarm an unfamiliar mechanism.
To make a check, roll a number of six-sided dice (d6) equal to your rank in the chosen skill. The highest die determines the result of the check.
✖ 1 - 3 is a failure result. You fail at what you set out to do.
⬖ 4 or 5 is a conflict result. You succeed, but not without complication or cost.
✦ 6 is a triumph result. You succeed cleanly.
In general you are considered to have failed at a check with a highest roll of 3 or lower. A ✖ failure means you don't accomplish what you set out to do. A ⬖ conflict and ✦ triumph are both successes, but a conflict comes with some complication or cost.
The exact outcome depends on what you were attempting. A conflict while sneaking through a castle might mean you make it inside but leave evidence of your passage, while a triumph gets you through unseen.
When you make a check, you should also note any pairs you have rolled. Pairs generate flairs when you succeed and trials when you fail. Each additional matching die beyond the first generates another flair or trial.
a double (two matching dice) generates a flair or a trial.
a triple generates 2.
Four of a kind generates 3 and so on.
On a roll of 6d6 showing [6, 6, 1, 6, 1, 1] you ✦ triumph and gain 4 flairs (two from the 6's and two from the 1's).
Beneficial or dire circumstances can also alter your roll.
Edges represent advantages and favorable circumstances. Each edge adds one die to your pool.
Cuts represent disadvantages and dire circumstances. After rolling, remove your highest die for each cut. Removed dice no longer contribute to the result of the check.
If a die removed by a cut was part of a pair, that pair becomes tainted. A tainted pair inflicts trials instead of flairs, regardless of whether the check succeeds or fails. The trial is determined by the judge.
If you have no dice in your pool (e.g. you make a check for a skill you are untrained in), you roll 2d6 and take the lowest result.
You also roll this way whenever the number of cuts on a check equals or exceeds the number of dice in its pool. Any pairs you roll are tainted.
Flairs and trials are consequences and flourishes to the actions your characters take, and are incurred by rolling pairs as described above (see "Pairs" above).
Flairs are awarded when you succeed on a check and roll pairs. Flairs are the six blessings of adventureres, and each flair lets you choose a benefit that colors the outcome. You cannot apply the same flair multiple times to a single result.
Trials are incurred when you fail on a check and roll pairs. Trials are the perils of your journey, and each trial rubs salt in the wounds of your failure. The Judge chooses each trial for you.
You perform the task with care and attention. You retain something you expected to lose in the effort or avoid paying what seemed like necessary cost. Banishes costly.
You lose something of material value. Maybe the treasure slipped out of your pack as you leapt, or your faithful tool was finally pushed to far.
You accomplish in short order something that should have taken much longer, saving all-valuable time for your companions.
Banishes slow.
The task takes much longer than you thought, and you've lost precious time you couldn't afford to lose. The torches flicker, your stomach rumbles.
You slip beneath the notice of those who might oppose your efforts. You don't draw unwanted attention from unfriendly eyes or arouse unwanted attention from the environment around you. Banishes loud.
You draw attention to yourself with a loud noise or other major disruption. If those nearby didn't know you are here, they certainly do know.
Even though injury might have seemed a certainty given the task at hand, you suffer no harm doing it.
Banishes harmful.
You hurt yourself in some fashion. Depending on what you tried, the harm could be anything from a few scratches to an injury that lasts for weeks.
You display such skill in your attempt that you influence those around you. Perhaps you inspire a watching ally or earn the favour of someone doubting your abilities.
Banishes foolish.
Your effort was so humiliating that those who observed it question whether you belong here in the first place. You might not, but you don't want them realizing that.
You finish your action ready for what comes next and your efforts don't leave you exposed or in a worse position than before.
Banishes chaotic.
Out of the frying pan and into the fire! You are left in an undesirable position; your circumstances have changed and complications arise that leave you in a worse position.
There are no hard and fast rules on the specific effects of flairs and trials. Use them as inspiration for actions and rolls that result in outcomes with consequences. You could always roll a d6 to randomly determine which trial a PC suffers from.
After you fail a skill check (highest roll of 3 or lower) with a skill you have, you can salvage your attempt and accept a devil's bargain. Describe what you are trying to do and choose a trial. The Judge may approve it or suggest another instead.
The trial you settle on is applied to your result and cannot be banished. In return, you get to add a single d6 to your rolled die pool, possibly changing the outcome.
If you accept a devil's bargain and a trial is already chosen by the Judge, you can incur the same trial twice. You can only benefit from one devil's bargain per check.
Sometimes, the narrative load of flairs and trials is a little too heavy for mundane tasks. When the only thing that matters is success or failure, the Judge can call for a simple check. A simple check cannot generate flairs or trials and is only concerned about failure (3 or lower) or success (4 or higher).
The companions don't make checks simply to remember or know something. The judge should freely provide any common knowledge, as well as specialized knowledge that reasonably falls within the character's skills, background, calling, or experiences.
If the answer lies beyond what the character could reasonably know, it must be discovered through play. They might consult a scholar, search an old library, examine the creature firsthand, or otherwise seek out the answer.
A check may still be required when a character acts upon their knowledge in an uncertain or risky situation, but whether they possess that knowledge in the first place isn't determined by a roll.
Darkness is an ever-present threat in the wilderness, and characters are at great danger whenever they lack a torch or lantern to hold it at bay. When a character in darkness attempts any task that would benefit from sight, the Judge adds an extra trial to the check.
Vagabonds have a sixth sense for danger. When you are about to take an action, the Judge may warn you of a feeling in the pit of your stomach: "You sense a lurking trial"
When you receive this warning, it means that one or more trials will be applied to the roll even on a success. When the Judge warns you, they can only say the number of shadows, not the exact penalties you'll face. That's up to you to figure out, but you can always ask the judge for more description.
If you decide to make the check and succeed with one or more flairs, you may be able to banish the trial by choosing the right ones. Each flair has an opposite trial, which is detailed in the flair descriptions above.
After you choose your flair, if any, the Judge reveals the trial. If you choose a flair that opposes one of the trial, that trial is banished and removed from the result. What's left determines what happens.
When the party works together toward a common goal, the Judge can call for a group check and determines which skill is appropriate and how many characters can reasonably participate. Each participant makes a simple check. If half or more succeed, the group check succeeds. Otherwise, it fails.
You cannot enter a devil's bargain during group checks, as they rely on collective, rather than individual skill.
During exploration, you might find ways to pool your efforts into a group check. For example, each character leaping across a chasm would make an individual check, while four character's working in unison to lift the stone lid from a massive sarcophagus would make a group check.
Outside of exploration, the party makes group checks for two things: retreat and room traps.
When the party makes a decision to retreat in combat, make a group check using Grace, escaping on a success. The full rules are found in the encounter chapter.
When the party triggers a room trap, they make a group check. On a success, they spot the trap in time. On a failure, the character with the lowest result springs the trap and suffers the effect.