This is a PvE (Player-versus-Environment) system for events in which a Game Master (GM) presents enemies and challenges for players to face through coordinated rolls. All rolls use a single unified range of 1 to 999, so everyone consults the same tables regardless of session.
| Platform | Command | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Final Fantasy XIV | /dice | 0 to 999 |
Results of 0 on FFXIV's /dice are treated as 1 for table purposes. This system is played entirely in-game through FFXIV's dice command.
This system was built on the shoulders of games that came before it. None of it would exist without them, and none of it intends to replace them. They are the foundation that made it possible to build something small and personal out of something much larger.
Dungeons and Dragons, Pathfinder, Changeling, Vampire and Tormenta 20 shaped the core logic of how a dice roll translates into narrative outcome for us, with their long traditions of threshold-based resolution, character building through choices, and tabletop storytelling as a collaborative act. The Conquest D20 System, used in World of Warcraft roleplay communities, provided direct structural inspiration for the Combat Roll and Environmental Roll framework adapted here, and its elegant simplicity is the clearest echo in this document.
All of them served as building blocks for something smaller and more specific: a system designed to live inside the roleplay posts of a Final Fantasy XIV community, keeping the math light and the story central.
Special thanks to Momo and Nopertwo (youtube / linktree)
Every player begins with 10 HP. HP is tracked and displayed by each player at the end of every action post. See the Action Post Format section for how this works.
A player is incapacitated the moment their HP reaches 0 and cannot take turns while incapacitated.
An incapacitated player does not need to be brought all the way back to a specific threshold: the moment an ally restores at least +2 HP to them, they are revived and may act immediately, on that same turn, if they have not yet acted.
For the healing rules themselves, including how to split HP restored between multiple allies, see the Healer page.
On any successful Combat Roll, a player may choose to restore HP to themselves or an ally instead of dealing damage. The amount restored follows the same table as damage dealt. Let the target player know so they can update their post tag. Check the Combat Roll section for more inf.
Any player who has chosen at least one Healer Combat Art (White Mage, Scholar, Astrologian, or Sage) or has chosen Verdant Sigil as Gear Class gains this ability automatically; it does not cost a Combat Art slot. On a successful Combat Roll used to heal, a Healer may split the total HP restored among two or more allies of their choice instead of giving it all to a single target, as long as every recipient gets at least 1 HP.
Each turn, players roll to act. A result of 500 or higher is a success: deal damage or restore HP. A result of 499 or lower is a failure: the player takes damage instead. Rolling 900 or higher is a Critical, dealing or restoring a flat +6 regardless of any other modifier.
| Roll (1 to 999) | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 to 50 | -4 HP |
| 51 to 150 | -3 HP |
| 151 to 300 | -2 HP |
| 301 to 499 | -1 HP |
| 500 to 649 | +1 DMG or +1 HP |
| 650 to 749 | +2 DMG or +2 HP |
| 750 to 849 | +3 DMG or +3 HP |
| 850 to 899 | +4 DMG or +4 HP |
| 900 to 999 | Critical +6 |
When the party faces an external threat such as an explosion to dodge, toxic terrain, an area-of-effect attack, or a collapsing structure, the GM calls for an Environmental Roll. There is no damage to deal on Environmental Rolls. The only outcomes are taking damage or coming out safe.
1. The GM announces the threat and sets a safety threshold. The default is 499, meaning 500 or higher is safe. The GM may raise this for more severe threats.
2. Every affected player rolls independently. Above the threshold: Safe. At or below: damage from the table below.
3. Combat Arts and Battle Marks cannot be used during Environmental Rolls unless an Art explicitly states otherwise.
4. Tag the result as ENV -X for damage taken, or ENV Safe for a clean pass.
| Roll (1 to 999) | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 to 50 | -3 HP |
| 51 to 200 | -2 HP |
| 201 to 499 | -1 HP |
| 500+ | Safe |
Each player chooses one Gear Class at the start of an event. It represents the nature of their equipment and cannot be changed during the event.
Each player chooses one Battle Mark at the start of an event. Battle Marks are always active and require no action to trigger. They do not count against your Combat Art limit.
In addition to Gear Class and Battle Mark, each player also chooses TWO ATTRIBUTES at the start of an event. Attributes represent your character's natural aptitudes and cannot be changed during the event.
Every test the GM calls for, whether it is a Knowledge Roll, a Perception Roll, an Attribute-based check, or any other threshold check outside standard Combat and Environmental Rolls, normally has three tiers of difficulty for the GM to choose from depending on the situation:
| Tier | Threshold | Use For |
|---|---|---|
| Easy | 300 or higher | Something most characters could plausibly manage. |
| Medium | 500 or higher | A genuine test of the character's training or awareness. |
| Hard | 700 or higher | Something only a specialist, or a very fortunate roll, should achieve. |
Each player chooses 2 Combat Arts at the start of an event. Each Art may be used up to 3 times per battle. Arts cannot be changed during the event.
Arts are organized by FFXIV job for flavor, but any player may choose any two regardless of their character's class. Choose whatever fits your build.
Normally, only one Combat Art may be activated per turn. Passive, Healing, and Bonus-granting Combat Arts are the exception: they may now be used in addition to your Combat Roll on the same turn, not instead of it. This means a player can, for example, use their Combat Roll to attack and also use a healing Art on an ally in the same post. Arts that replace your roll entirely (see below) still count as your one action for the turn.
Some Combat Arts are marked Roll-Replacement. These Arts take the place of your Combat Roll entirely, both for the turn they are used and for your following turn, so they represent a two-turn commitment. When activating a Roll-Replacement Art, the player must declare their objective, damage or healing, and their target(s), before anything is resolved. The Art then resolves with a fixed, guaranteed result rather than a rolled one, on both turns it covers.
Most Combat Arts are not Roll-Replacement. As a general design principle, Combat Arts in this revision favor immediate damage or healing you can use right now, rather than bonuses banked for a later turn. Arts that grant a bonus to a roll happening in the same turn they were declared, a declare-then-roll sequence, are not considered delayed and remain unchanged.
The format below is a suggestion. Players are not required to follow it exactly. What matters is that every action post indicates, somewhere at the end, the player's current HP after the action and the result of their roll, so the GM and the party can follow the state of combat clearly.
HP shows current and maximum after this action. ROLL shows the number rolled. The outcome field uses: DMG (damage dealt to an enemy), HEAL (HP restored, note the target name), LOSS (HP taken by the player), ENV (Environmental Roll result), CRIT (critical hit), and SAFE (clean Environmental Roll). Any wording that communicates the same information clearly is welcome.
When a character attempts something that relies on specialized expertise (deciphering a script, identifying a toxin, recalling lore about a creature, recognizing a faction's insignia), the GM may call for a Knowledge Roll.
1. The GM announces the task and sets a target number based on difficulty (see Difficulty Tiers).
2. Players announce their bonuses based on their Attributes.
3. All eligible players roll. Those who meet or exceed the target succeed. The GM communicates results privately.
When something hidden might be noticed (enemies in ambush, a concealed passage, a forged document, an out-of-place detail), the GM may call for a Perception Roll.
1. The GM announces the task and sets a target number based on difficulty (see Difficulty Tiers).
2. Players announce their bonuses based on their Attributes.
3. All players roll simultaneously. Those who roll above the threshold notice the hidden element. The GM communicates privately, starting with the highest roll.
4. If no one succeeds, the GM may offer a vague narrative hint or allow another attempt under different circumstances.
Share your sheet with the GM and party before an event. HP starts at 10 for everyone and updates live through each action post during the event.
Use the table below as a template when building your own sheet. Fill it out and share it in the event channel or with the GM before the session starts.
| Character Name | |
| HP | 10 / 10 |
| Gear Class | Iron Veil / Verdant Sigil / Crimson Edge |
| Battle Mark | Tenacity / Resilience / Resolve / Lifeline |
| Attributes | STR / AGI / WIS / INT / DEX (choose two) |
| Combat Art 1 | (Job) 3 / 3 uses |
| Combat Art 2 | (Job) 3 / 3 uses |
- ✦Paladin: Hallowed Ground: Now declarable on behalf of an ally, not just yourself, when a failed Combat Roll would deal damage. Lost the "deal 1 fixed damage to one enemy" clause entirely. New cost: if used to protect an ally, you take 1 damage that cannot be reduced or negated. | Cover: Damage absorption increased: you can now transfer up to 2 damage to yourself, up from a flat 1.
- ✦Warrior: Upheaval: Bonus damage reduced from +2 to +1. New secondary effect: you now choose an ally taking damage this round and reduce their damage by 1. New passive clause: you take no damage this round when this triggers. | Inner Release: Now declarable on behalf of an ally, not just yourself, when a failed Combat Roll would deal damage. No longer negates all damage taken. When triggered on yourself, it now only reduces the triggering damage by 1. The 2 fixed damage to an enemy is unchanged.
- ✦Gunbreaker: Burst Strike: No longer conditional on rolling 750 or higher. Reworked from a roll-scaling bonus into a fixed guaranteed effect: 2 damage to one enemy and 1 damage to a second enemy, or all 3 damage to a single enemy if only one is present. | Superbolide: Fully reworked. No longer a damage-reduction safety net for near-death hits. New function: declarable after you or an ally fails a Combat Roll, forcing that player to reroll and use the new result. New cost: you take 2 damage that cannot be reduced or negated after the reroll resolves.
- ✦It was made clear that HP never drops below 0. Damage taken while incapacitated does not apply, so HP holds at 0 instead of dropping into negative numbers.
- ✦Incapacitation triggers the moment HP reaches 0. Revival still requires at least +2 HP from an ally, and a revived player may act immediately on that same turn if they haven't acted yet.
- ✦Split Healing is now automatic for any player with a Healer Combat Art (White Mage, Scholar, Astrologian, Sage) or Verdant Sigil as Gear Class: HP restored on a successful healing Combat Roll can be divided among two or more allies, each getting at least 1 HP, at no cost to a Combat Art slot.
- ✦Combat Arts are now split into two types: Bonus Arts (usable alongside a Combat Roll on the same turn, at no action cost) and Roll-Replacement Arts (substitute the Combat Roll for the current turn and the next, resolving with a fixed guaranteed result, and require a declared objective before anything resolves).
- ✦Most "bonus applied to a future turn" effects have been converted into immediate damage or healing. Ley Lines is the one exception, keeping its future-roll bonus.
- ✦New Attributes system: STR, AGI, WIS, INT, DEX. Choose two at character creation. A roll tied to a chosen Attribute gets a flat +300 bonus.
- ✦New standard Difficulty Tiers for any GM-called test outside Combat and Environmental Rolls: Easy (300+), Medium (500+), Hard (700+).
- ✦Knowledge Rolls and Perception Rolls simplified: players announce their Attribute bonus directly instead of requesting a private background bonus from the GM.
- ✦Discord rolling removed. The system now runs entirely on FFXIV's
/dicecommand (0 to 999, treated as 1 to 999). - ✦Dark Knight: Flood of Shadow removed. Blackest Night added, a reactive shield Art usable on any player's turn that negates failed-roll damage and deals 2 fixed damage back if it fully blocks.
- ✦Astrologian: Divination and Celestial Opposition removed. Earthly Star (10 HP split across 2 to 4 allies) and Combust (6 fixed damage) added.
- ✦White Mage and Scholar heal Arts increased in output: Benediction now restores 6 HP to one ally, Medica restores 2 HP to all allies, Deployment Tactics restores 3 HP to two allies, Whispering Dawn restores 2 HP to three allies.
- ✦Reaper's Enshroud now also deals 1 fixed damage immediately, on top of negating damage taken.
- ✦Bard's Mage's Ballad converted from a future roll bonus into an immediate 2 HP heal split between two allies. Troubadour expanded to also boost the next heal by +2 HP.
- ✦Machinist's Reassemble redesigned into a Roll-Replacement Art: declare your objective, get a guaranteed +3 this turn and +2 next turn toward that same objective.
- ✦Dancer's Technical Finish simplified to a flat 2 fixed damage, no roll required.
- ✦Summoner's Searing Light, Red Mage's Embolden, and Pictomancer's Starry Muse converted from future-roll bonuses into immediate combined damage/heal effects, no roll required.