Tests of the Body and Tests of the Mind
Posted: November 17th, 2025, 2:07 amEdited by HispaZargon: main thread of related Giuanni's HQ Inspired Videogame may be found here
In my HQ video game, I'll have the classic actions (attack, defend, move, searches, and cast spells) that work as normal, plus a series of other actions (jump, disable traps, move past occupied squares, feint, trip, recover, and enhance a spell) that follow the following rules:
These actions require the passing of a Test.
There are two main types of Tests: Tests of the Body and Tests of the Mind.
To perform a Test, follow this procedure:
1. Determine the Dice Pool: The performer (the person performing the action) takes a number of
Combat Dice (DC) equal to half (rounded up) of his
MAXIMUM (or starting) score for the required statistic (Body or Mind).
○ Example 1: A Barbarian (Maximum Body 8) rolls 4 DC.
○ Example 2: A Dwarf (Maximum Body 7) rolls 4 DC (3.5, rounded up).
○ Example 3: A Wizard (Maximum Mind 6) rolls 3 DC.
2. Set the Difficulty: The action itself determines the Difficulty, or the number of successes needed to succeed, which is almost always 1 or 2.
3. Roll and Count Successes: The performer rolls his dice. Each Skull rolled counts as 1 success.
4. Resolve the Action: If the number of successes (Skulls) is equal to or greater than the Difficulty, the Test succeeds and the action resolves. Otherwise, the Test fails.
In my HQ video game, I'll have the classic actions (attack, defend, move, searches, and cast spells) that work as normal, plus a series of other actions (jump, disable traps, move past occupied squares, feint, trip, recover, and enhance a spell) that follow the following rules:
These actions require the passing of a Test.
There are two main types of Tests: Tests of the Body and Tests of the Mind.
To perform a Test, follow this procedure:
1. Determine the Dice Pool: The performer (the person performing the action) takes a number of
Combat Dice (DC) equal to half (rounded up) of his
MAXIMUM (or starting) score for the required statistic (Body or Mind).
○ Example 1: A Barbarian (Maximum Body 8) rolls 4 DC.
○ Example 2: A Dwarf (Maximum Body 7) rolls 4 DC (3.5, rounded up).
○ Example 3: A Wizard (Maximum Mind 6) rolls 3 DC.
2. Set the Difficulty: The action itself determines the Difficulty, or the number of successes needed to succeed, which is almost always 1 or 2.
3. Roll and Count Successes: The performer rolls his dice. Each Skull rolled counts as 1 success.
4. Resolve the Action: If the number of successes (Skulls) is equal to or greater than the Difficulty, the Test succeeds and the action resolves. Otherwise, the Test fails.