The rules
Most of the rules consist of handling tests. Tests are used when a character tries to do something where the outcome is uncertain. But before we go into details, we will go through the different kinds of attributes that are used in Velox and how they are used.
Characteristics
The five characteristics determine how many six-sided dice you should use when making a Test. Each time you need to make a test, you decide together with the Narrator which attribute best fits the task.
Advantages
Advantages are narrow areas where you excel in some way. For a new character, your advantages are your two positive traits, your profession, and maybe your title. Advantages will give you an extra die to roll when you can explain how it would help you in a certain situation. It can also make you succeed without a roll. If you, for example, have Barrister as an advantage, you will know how the legal proceedings work in your culture.
Disadvantages
Disadvantages are the opposite of advantages, and they could either reduce your roll by one die or make the task impossible for you. The Narrator will decide when one of your disadvantages affects you.
Trauma
Trauma is temporary disadvantages, usually from wounds and other forms of physical or mental trauma, but it could be used for other things as well.
Skills
Your skills come in three levels: skilled, expert, or legendary. These skills show your above-average proficiency in certain areas that set you apart from most people. Additionally, you can attempt unskilled tests for common skills, other skills, and even tasks that you could accomplish through dumb luck. The skill levels determine the threshold for success on each die, ranging from five for legendary skills to one for situations relying solely on dumb luck.
Languages
Languages are just a list of languages you speak; you never have to make a roll for them. But they could be used as an advantage when you try to understand other related languages.
Knowledge
Your knowledge is things you know, and you usually don’t have to make any tests for them. But a roll could be made to check if you have very advanced knowledge within that field or if you know something closely related to that field. They could sometimes also be used as advantages for other skills.
Experience points
These points can be used to give you a temporary advantage on a roll or to accrue new attributes between adventures. After each adventure, you will be rewarded with a number of Experience points.
Making Tests
When you make a test, you roll a number of dice. The base number is one of your attributes, and then it is modified by other attributes as described above. The goal is to get as many of the dice as possible to be equal to or below a certain value. Every die that meets this goal is called a success, and the more successes you get, the better it goes.
The number you have to get depends on what skill you use. If, for example, you are using a skill where you are an expert, you need to get four or less on the dice for it to count as a success. If you are using a so-called other skill, only dice with a result of one or two are counted as successes.
Depending on how hard the test is, you need to get a number of successes to succeed. If you get less than that, you have failed, you get a temporary disadvantage, or some kind of complication occurs. If you get extra successes, you have completed the task with ease or get some kind of temporary advantage.
| Difficulty | Successes needed |
|---|---|
| Easy | 1 |
| Challenging | 2 |
| Hard | 3 |
| Extreme | 4 |
| Absurd | 5 |
| Successes rolled - Sucesses needed | Effect |
|---|---|
| -2 | Spectacular failure and disadvantage |
| -1 | Failure, complication or disadvantage |
| 0 | Succes |
| 1 | Success and advantage |
| 2 | Spectacular success and advantage |
Temporary advantages and disadvantages
Besides your own advantages and disadvantages, the situation itself and how you handle it can present additional challenges. A slippery floor, harsh weather, or poor lighting could impose additional disadvantages. On the other hand, if you devise a clever strategy, receive assistance, or have the right tool, you can gain an advantage.
Opposed rolls
When characters or entities directly compete against each other, an opposed roll is used to determine the outcome. Both parties make a roll, and the one with the most successes will succeed.
Having the upper hand: If both participants get the same result the one with the upper hand will win. The reason for having the upper hand can be almost anything but here are a few guidlines:
- A named skill always wins over an unnamed skill.
Example: Mathilda and Robert are racing to be the first one to climb a rock face. Mathilda is a skilled Mountaineer, and Robert is using climbing as a common skill. If they both get the same number of successes, Mathilda will win since she is using a named skill. - A more precise skill always wins over a less specific skill.
Example: In a fencing match, Arthur is using the skill Swordsman while Shara is using the skill Fighter. If they both get the same number of successes, Arthur will win since he is using a more precise skill. - Better equipment always wins.
Example: In a street fight, Laura is fighting against a thug. Laura has nothing but a broken bottle while the thug is armed with a baseball bat. If they both get the same number of successes, the thug will win since he has the better equipment.
Let's call it a draw: If both rolls result in the same number of successes and no one has the upper hand, there is either no winner, or the one with the lowest individual dice result wins. If the lowest dice are the same, go to the next lowest, and so on until a winner can be determined. If it is a complete tie, the player character always wins.
When to use: Some examples of when an opposed roll can be a good alternative are a physical struggle, attack and avoid, chases, debates, haggling, or any other situation where one character's success depends on directly overcoming another.
Combat
There are no special rules for combat. It is solved with the same kind of rules as every other situation. The consequences of a failed roll is usually a Trauma like “A broken rib”, “A bullet to the left shoulder” or “A stab wound to the thigh”. It could also be the death of an opponent or even a player character, but that should usually be avoided unless in a dramatic situation at the end of a stand alone adventure or campaign.