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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

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Optional Campaign Rules

Adjudicating Results

Source Pathfinder #190: The Choosing pg. 83
When it comes to interpreting how fate is changed in the PC's favor, the GM has a lot of leeway. Look at the card's art. Take into mind the card's name. Consider the card's suit and alignment. Use all of these elements as inspiration to describe, in the game, how chance shifts in the PC's favor. Examples of some potential ways to interpret and apply these results follow.

Merisiel just took a critical hit from a giant and was reduced to dying 2, but worse, it happened while she was hanging from a ledge over a pit of acid. To avoid falling 50 feet into a pit of acid while at dying 2, Merisiel's player flips their card.

Perfect Match: If the card is a perfect match (The Rabbit Prince, which matches Merisiel's alignment of chaotic neutral and her key ability score, Dexterity), the GM could state that the giant not only missed their attack, but that Merisiel was able to leap onto the giant's hand and spring off it to even greater safety on solid ground.

Neutral Match: If the card is a relatively neutral match (The Owl, for example, which is close to her alignment and matches neither her highest nor lowest ability score), the GM could reveal that Merisiel was wise enough to clamber up onto the edge of the pit the instant before she was struck by the giant, but then collapses unconscious at the pit's edge rather than falling.

Horrible Match: If the card is a horrible match (The Forge, which is opposite to her alignment and matches her least-important ability score), then perhaps she falls unconscious and lets go, but her armor snags and keeps her suspended just below the edge of the pit—she can be reached and rescued by her allies, but the damage to her armor leaves it broken in the aftermath.

Regardless of the card's nature, all three of the above card flips save Merisiel from taking a deadly plunge while unconscious into a pit of acid, with the perfect match allowing her to continue the fight, and the horrible match only barely saving her from sizzling doom.