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Several SFX involve taking a die from the Doom Pool and adding it to your pool, then steping it up and returning it to the Doom Pool.

For example:

SFX: Berserk. Add a die from the doom pool to one or more attack actions. Step up the doom pool die by +1 for each action; return it to the doom pool when you’re done.

SFX: Eye of Agamotto. Add a doom die to your next action including an Arsenal of the Herald or Master of the Druidic Ways power. After your action, step up the doom die and return it to the doom pool.

What if that Doom die is a d12? Does it mean the character gets a free d12 to his actions as long as there is one in the Doom Pool?

On one hand I can understand the logic of "those characters shine when the situation is really dire".

On the other hand, a free d12 on all actions seems a bit broken, and unfair to the other characters.

How to handle those situations?

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2 Answers 2

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This part from page OM06 of the core rules should help:

You can’t step dice up beyond d12—usually the rules tell you something else happens (such as a hero being stressed out by taking more than d12 stress); otherwise you should step up the next highest die on hand (such as in a dice pool).

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  • \$\begingroup\$ What the... I've been GMing that campaign for more than four years, and this is the first time I hear about this rule. My life is a lie. This is going to change a lot of things, thanks! \$\endgroup\$
    – Cristol.GdM
    Commented Jul 5, 2017 at 1:42
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The rule on OM06 tells you to step up the next highest die available. (As @Magician stated).

There may be rare situations where there is no other such die, such as when your Doom Pool is a single die, or only has d12's in it. Or when an SFX directs you to step up a specific trait die, such as Boost or Burst.

In these situations where you may need to step up a d12, one solution is to replace the d12 with a d12 and a d6. It's a natural progression, and if multiple steps occur after that you can just continue to step up the d6.

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  • \$\begingroup\$ Is replacing a d12 with a d12 and a d6 a houserule or is it based on some rule? Also, why a d12 and d6 instead of a d12 and d4? \$\endgroup\$
    – Thunderforge
    Commented Jul 4, 2017 at 23:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ It's a house rule based on "stepping up the Doom pool". When a player rolls a 1 you can pay them a PP and step up the lowest die in the Doom Pool, or add a d6. If you think of this whole process as "I get a d6 and I can either add it directly or use it to step up another die", then it makes a logical sense to think of the whole stepping up process as adding a d6. \$\endgroup\$
    – Zimul8r
    Commented Jul 10, 2017 at 2:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thanks, just wanted to be clear that it was a houserule (and one that sounds pretty sensible). I'm still curious though, why not add a d4? That seems to me like one step, since it's the smallest die, whereas a d6 sounds like two steps, since it's the second smallest die. \$\endgroup\$
    – Thunderforge
    Commented Jul 10, 2017 at 3:03
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    \$\begingroup\$ You could in fact use a d4 step, since adding a d4 to any die is the same as stepping it up. The reason I start this progression at d6 is that Distinctions tell us that adding a d4 to your dice pool is a penalty (because of the high risk of rolling opportunities). Since this is intended to be a benefit, starting at a d6 avoids that. In the same way that activating Opportunities adds a d6 to the Doom Pool, not a d4, and Assets always start at d6, not d4. Again, not a perfect rationale, but there's enough precedent to make the argument. \$\endgroup\$
    – Zimul8r
    Commented Jul 13, 2017 at 10:25

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