Luck¶

Every adventurer has a special eighth attribute called Luck. Primarily representing fate and good fortune, Luck also reflects a character's accumulated experience dealing with perilous hazards and dangers. There are two kinds of Luck rolls: Luck saves and Luck checks.

Luck Saves¶

Luck saves are for resisting serious adverse effects such as spells, traps, special monster attacks or major environmental hazards (particularly those with an area of effect). Luck saves are made in response to an attack or active danger, as opposed to an action you instigate, which are generally covered by attribute checks.

Luck Checks¶

Luck checks are primarily for Major Exploits, Rescues (see Combat) and Party Retreats, which rely on the Luck resource to pull off.

Starting Luck¶

At the start of an adventure, a character's Luck attribute is equal to 10 + half their level (round up). To make a Luck roll, roll 1d20 and apply any modifiers. If the result is equal to or less than the current Luck attribute, the test is successful. Note that a character's Reroll Pool (p.49) is available for all Luck rolls. A successful Luck roll means the character avoids the threat (or lessens its effect), or performs the intended martial exploit.

A Luck check or save may be modified by an attribute bonus or penalty, depending on the nature of the attack or hazard. For example, an adventurer's Dex modifier applies to dodging out of the way of a Lightning Bolt spell. In such a case the notation would be a Luck (Dex) save.

Every time a character succeeds in a Luck roll, their Luck attribute is reduced by 1 point, to a minimum of half their level (round up). Luck is not reduced on a failed check.

Other Uses¶

Luck is a flexible and ephemeral quality however, with some additional uses (eg: Party Retreat p.68). Your table might allow further applications.

For example, a GM might compare Luck scores to decide which PC is initially targeted by a trap or monster, call for a check to see whether a guard patrol turns the corner at a critical moment, or to determine whether an old lantern has any oil left in it. Such "oracle" like uses of Luck to determine independent parts of the game world do not reduce a PC's Luck score.

Similarly, PCs might find other uses for Luck, subject to GM agreement. In playtesting for example, one player made a Luck check to choose their summoned monster instead of rolling for it (via Monster Summoning). In this example, the PC's Luck score was reduced as normal.

Regaining Luck¶

Generally speaking, Luck returns at a rate of 1 point per long rest (see page 81).