Roll, and let the heavens judge
The Narrator acts as Fate itself, guiding the story and responding to player action.
Like the other players, they participate in the story’s conversation, but they have at their disposal Narrator Moves: introducing danger, changing momentum, or deepen consequences.
When to Make a Move
A key responsibility for the Narrator is deciding when to make a move and which move fits the moment. The rules give guidance without being rigid.
The Narrator makes a move whenever realistic consequence or story moment calls for it. Such moves should flow from the fiction, keeping the story believable and its pace alive.
Typical prompts include:
- The danger dice creates a consequence
- A Hero’s action provokes a response
- The players’ choices open a fresh risk or opportunity
- The scene loses momentum or drags on
- A location or encounter has outstayed its welcome
Danger Dice
Danger dice measure how harsh dangers might be when an Action is risky. Add one danger die for every serious peril that impacts the attempt, then roll them alongside (or immediately after) the Hero dice.
Players only refer to the danger dice, if the Hero dice produce a swing or a miss. On a hit or a crit, they ignore these dice entirely.
The following threats always add a die:
- Fray: the scene is open combat or high-stakes action
- Critical Health: the Hero is on their last health box
- Encumbrance: the Hero carries more than they can reasonably manage
- Monster: the foe is truly monstrous
- Hazards: the environment itself is deadly
Soft Move: If the highest danger die is 1-3, then the Narrator may make a soft move against the players.
The Narrator may turn this into a hard move by spending Fate.
Hard Move: If the highest danger die is 4-6, then the Narrator may make a hard move against the players.
The Narrator may turn this into a doom move by spending Fate.
Doom Move: Doom moves are only available through the Narrator spending Fate.
Such moves are uniquely dangerous and disastrous for the Heroes.
Narrator Moves
Soft Moves introduce a complication or threat but leaves room for the Heroes to respond and avoid the worst outcome.
- Show the world’s reaction
- Ask a question, build on the answer
- Let an NPC act upon their motive
- Reveal an unwelcome truth or looming danger
- Hint at an approaching threat
- Act off‑screen: advance a clock or reposition foes
- Separate the group (no immediate harm)
- Draw attention or alter the environment
Hard Moves deliver an immediate, unavoidable consequence that harms, hinders, or forces a costly choice.
- Inflict stress or harm
- Capture a key ally or asset
- Spotlight an adversary with a decisive action
- Turn the environment hostile
- Restrain or pin a Hero
- Escalate the threat: advance a clock or add peril
- Remove a vital resource or opportunity
Doom Moves are hard moves that are severe, which are only available when the Heroes create a perfect opening or the Narrator spends Fate.
- Seize initiative, allowing a adversary to act immediately
- Trigger betrayal by an ally
- Completely destroy something important
- Escalate danger or peril
- Significantly advance a threat by advancing a clock twice
- Prevent a Heroic power from affecting an NPC
- Sour a success with an unintended cost
Openings are when a Hero’s action or choice exposes them or perfectly sets them up for a dramatic response, where the fiction demands an extreme response.