Omens & Consequences

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The Omen Die and Consequences

Every roll includes one extra die: the Omen die — a d20. It is independent of Marks, Traits, and Exertion. It never changes the primary success reading. It may introduce a Consequence — a genuine side-effect.

Face	Default
7	Positive Consequence
13	Negative Consequence
Other	Blank, or pre-assigned by the Storyteller for the scene

Storyteller-assigned faces can mean a sudden arrival, structural failure, weather shift, infection, and the like. Assignments are set and cleared through automation.

When a Consequence fires, the Storyteller interprets it. Constraint: it must remain a side-effect — it cannot rewrite the primary outcome of the roll it rode on. The appropriate side-effect is made up by the Storyteller in narration: unforeseen complications and boons, not a second pass/fail.

In multi-party contests, Omens also feed The Tide. How Primitive, opposed, and collective rolls are read lives there, as the preamble to the Tide.

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Worked scene — the sword

Same roll. Same Marks. The blade is true. Only the Omen face can add a Consequence.

Tomas at the forge

Tomas spends the night on a longsword. Strength + Smithing & Forging, d8. 2 Marks — the blade comes out true. That reading does not move. Select an Omen face.

Blank Face 7 Face 13

Marks: 2 — the sword is good work. Not a master-piece, not a failure.

Omen: neither 7 nor 13, and no scene face loaded. Nothing else arrives. Tomas sheathes it and sleeps.

Do not let a Consequence rewrite the roll. If the Marks say the work succeeded, it succeeded. A Consequence is a genuine side-effect.

Related: Dice Mechanics, Marks & Tiers, Tide.

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