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Flashpoint Challenge Subsystem
Setup
Choose a Scene Goal: What each side wants if they “win.”
Determine Starting Dispositions:
Party Disposition: 6 + # of PCs engaged in the challenge
Opposition: Party Disposition + Challenge Rating
Challenge Rating: -1 trivial, 0 low, 1 moderate, 2 severe, 3 extreme, 4 mythic
Set Duration: Typically 2–4 rounds, depending on scene/narrative importance.
Round Procedure
Each round represents an exchange in the Flashpoint. Unlike combat, rounds in a Flashpoint unfold over varying lengths of time, determined by the narrative context.
Secretly choose an Action: (each side picks one)
- Advance – Force progress, attack the challenge head on
- Fortify – Regroup, defend your position, hunker down, recover
- Subvert – Trick, undermine or redirect
Reveal and roll:
- Each side makes one opposed check (pick the most relevant skill).
- The higher roll wins the exchange.
- If one side rolls 10+ their opponent's roll, it’s a critical success.
Consult the Flashpoint Matrix
End of Challenge
The Flashpoint ends when:
- One side hits 0 Disposition, or
- The set # of rounds elapses.
The side with higher remaining Disposition “wins” their goal — but it might come at a cost:
Remaining Disposition %
75–100%
50–74%
25–49%
<25%
Cost
Minor (small concession or delay)
Moderate (allow key point or partial success)
Major (win with a painful cost)
Severe (technically win but concede major ground)