The ICON System, used by Last Unicorn Games for its series of Star Trek role-playing games, is a D6-based die-pool system based on Attributes/Edges, which describe a character's physical and mental characteristics; Skills/Specialisations, which describe a character's learned knowledge base; and Advantages/Disadvantages, which enhance or degrade a character's performance.
6D6 with a Drama Die of 4 and a High Roll of 6
- Die Roll:
- A Die Roll in the ICON System involves rolling a number of dice (the Dice Pool) and add the Skill/Specialisation to the result. The result is determined by rolling the dice (ex. 4, 5, 1, 3, 5 and 6, where the red number is the Drama Die). Since the Drama Die is 6, it is added to the next highest die (5) for a result of 11. The player then adds the Skill/Specialisation (let's say a Skill (Specialisation) 2 (3) for a bonus of: +3), to achieve a total result of 14. This is compared to the Difficulty Level to determine success.
- Dice:
- The ICON System uses standard 6-sided dice, such as those used for boardgames like Monopoly or for gambling games like Craps. These are refered to as "D6" and when a die roll is called for, it is noted as xD6 plus/minus x, where x is a whole number bonus equal to the Skill/Specialisation. For example, 6D6 plus 3 means to roll 6 six-sided dice and add 3 to the result (ex. 4, 5, 1, 3, 5 and 2 giving 5+3=8. If the Skill is not held by the character, the Skill bonus is 0. If the Skill/Specialisation does not allow unskilled rolls then no Die Roll may be made.
- Dice Pool:
- A Dice Pool is the number of D6's that a player is allowed to roll when attempting to perform a certain action. In the ICON system, the Dice Pool equals a number of D6's equal to the Controlling Attribute plus or minus any applicable Edges, as modified by applicable Traits. For instance, a roll against Vitality for a character with Fitness 3 and Vitality +1 who has the Toughness Advantage would be the 3+1+2, or 6 dice, one of which is the Drama Die. Roll as in the above examples and add the Skill level.
- Drama Die:
- The Drama Die in the ICON system is a die from the dice pool, usually denoted by a different colour from the rest of the pool, which modifies the Die Roll. A 6 adds six to the result, while a 1 indicates complications if the roll is unsuccessful. If the Drama Die is a 1 and all the other dice are 1's as well, the roll is a critical failure.
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