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Beyond the Veil

Overseer Reference Screen — Wrenegade Studios 2024

Core Rules

Abilities & Skills

Each Investigator has 6 Abilities, each assigned one die from the standard set. Skills (5 per Ability) add Rank bonuses to the die result.

Physical

(die assigned at creation)

Athletic
Brawling
Finesse
Parkour
Speed

Mental

(die assigned at creation)

Analysis
First Aid
Knowledge
Languages
Will Power

Technical

(die assigned at creation)

Computers
Driving
Engineering
Equipment Use
Modding

Social

(die assigned at creation)

Deceptive
Diplomatic
Inspiring
Intimidating
Personality

Psychic

(die assigned at creation)

Attuned
Channeling
Focus
Occultism
Power

Senses

(die assigned at creation)

Accuracy
Hearing
Presence
Smell
Vision

Favoured Ability: Each Investigator has ONE favoured ability (★). All Skills in that ability get +1 bonus Rank. Once per Investigation, the player may reroll any check using that ability's die.

Reality Checks (RC)

Roll the ability die + skill Rank bonus. Meet or beat the RC required.

Difficulty	RC Required
Very Easy	5
Easy	10
Medium	15
Hard	20
Very Hard	25
Impossible	30

Special Roll Results

Fortune

If an Investigator rolls the maximum on any Check, they may roll the next die up. If that surpasses the original roll, take it instead. A natural 20 on d20 → roll d4 and add to 20. A 4 on the bonus d4 continues the chain.

Misfortune

If a natural 1 is rolled, immediately reroll. If a 1 again → something bad happens at the Overseer's discretion.

Scraping By

Meeting the exact RC = success, but possibly with unintended consequences at Overseer's discretion.

Helping & Shortcuts

Lend a Hand

Two Investigators both use their Action. Each rolls the applicable die. Take the best die result and the best skill bonus. Both Investigators must use an Action.

Business as Usual

If half of the ability die's maximum beats the RC needed — no roll required. Example: d10 → half max = 5; if RC ≤ 5, auto-success.

Die	Half Max	Auto-pass RC ≤
d4	2	2
d6	3	3
d8	4	4
d10	5	5
d12	6	6
d20	10	10

Upgrade / Downgrade

Overseer may reward or penalise by shifting the die one step up or down (d4 ↔ d6 ↔ d8 ↔ d10 ↔ d12 ↔ d20) for the upcoming check.

Vitality

All beings start with 100 Vitality Points. As Vitality drops, Investigators enter worsening states — roll on the Effect Table the first time entering each state.

Fine
100–76

Bruised
75–51

Weak
50–26

Hurt
25–1

Broken
0

First Aid: Investigation Phase only. One successful heal per Vitality state. Difficulty increases as state worsens.
Stabilising: At 0 Vitality → unconscious & bleeding. First Aid cannot restore Vitality in Escalation/Resolution — but RC 15 First Aid can Stabilise so they survive the scene.
Dicing with Death: Each Escalation/Resolution Round at 0 Vitality: 50/50 check. Failed checks = Death Marks. Easy game = 5 marks; Normal = 3; Hard = 1.

Fear & Threat

Threat

The Overseer controls Threat — applying 1–10 points — to drive Fear. Threat is applied:

Hourly: At the end of every 6 Investigation Phase Turns
Reactively: In response to Investigator or Entity actions
Narratively: At the Overseer's discretion

Threat converts to Fear Points on Investigators. It is the Overseer's primary pacing lever — raise Threat when the investigation stalls or you want escalation.

Fear States

All Investigators escalate through the same Fear States. Acquire one Fear Effect the first time entering each new state.

Fine

Spooked

Shaken

Panicked

Terrified

If Fear Points exceed 100, excess points convert to Vitality damage (Psychic Damage).

Fear Check

When seeing terrifying things: roll a d100 and score over current Fear Points.

Fear Points: Current accumulated Fear (0–100)
Fear Threshold: How many Fear Points an Investigator can withstand before losing control
Fear Modifier: Bonus added to the Fear Check roll (from Belief)

A Fear Check roll of (d100 + Fear Modifier) > Fear Points = resisted. Fail = new Fear Effect triggers.

Belief Value

Investigators have a Belief Value of 1–10. 1 = Absolute Sceptic; 10 = True Believer. Belief affects Fear Threshold and Fear Modifier.

Belief	Fear Threshold	Fear Check Modifier
1 (Sceptic)	+20	+1
2	+18	+2
3	+16	+3
4	+14	+4
5	+12	+5
6	+10	+6
7	+8	+7
8	+6	+8
9	+4	+9
10 (Believer)	+2	+10

Higher Belief = better Fear Modifier (harder to fail Fear Checks) but lower Fear Threshold (loses control sooner). Sceptics resist Fear but their Threshold is high — they don't believe until it's too late.

Lethality Settings

Set at session start. Determines how many Death Marks kill an Investigator:

Lethality	Death Marks to Die
Easy	5
Normal	3
Hard	1

Death Marks accumulate when an Investigator at 0 Vitality fails a Dicing with Death check (50/50 roll each Escalation/Resolution Round).

Dice Roller

Reality Check Roller

Ability Die

Skill Rank

RC Target

Fortune chain: If you roll max on any die, roll the next die up. Keep chaining while you keep rolling max (d4 cap: on max 20, roll d4 and add to 20).

Fear Check Roller

Fear Points

Fear Modifier

Single Dice

Click a die to roll…

Roll History

No rolls yet.

Phases & Combat

Phases of Play

Phase	Time Unit	Tone
1. Prologue	Flexible	Context-setting. Can be brief narration or hours of scene-play.
2. Investigation	Turns = 10 minutes	Considered, collaborative. Ample time for out-of-character discussion.
3. Escalation	Rounds = 10 seconds	Chaotic, panicky, action scenes. Entity confrontation. Minimal OOC discussion.
4. Resolution	Rounds = 10 seconds	Like Escalation, triggered when Investigators have enough evidence to resolve the Entity situation.

Threat accumulates 1 point every 6 Investigation Phase Turns (= every hour of game time). In Escalation/Resolution, apply Threat reactively.

Initiative

Flat roll using either Senses or Psychic Ability die. Highest result acts first.

Spotlight Mechanic

If Investigators are not getting equal opportunity to contribute, the Overseer can implement the Spotlight Mechanic to ensure balanced participation. Upgrade dice for especially inventive ideas or strong roleplay.

Fighting

Combat in Escalation/Resolution Phases follows this sequence:

Attacker rolls: Brawling (melee) or Accuracy (ranged) + Skill Rank
RC required = weapon complexity, not enemy resilience
If hit, Entity rolls their Physical die (Natural Resistance)
Damage = Attack roll − Physical Resistance (minimum 2)

Complexity	Melee Examples	Ranged Examples	RC	Base DMG	Multiplier
Low	Knife, Bat, Machete, Axe	Crossbow, Rock, Slingshot	5 Very Easy	2	×1
Medium	Sword, Whip, Nunchaku	Pistol, Rifle, Bow	10 Easy	5	×2
High	Chainsaw, Advanced Tech	Machine Gun, Advanced Tech	15 Medium	10	×4

Damage calculation: (Attack Roll − Natural Resistance) × Multiplier + Base Damage, minimum 2 total.

Investigators

Conditions 21

Conditions can be applied by the Overseer. Each has a defined effect (see core rulebook page references). Listed here for quick reference.

Angered

Emotional agitation affecting social checks

Bleeding

Ongoing Vitality loss each Round

Blinded

Vision-based checks failed or heavily penalised

Burning

Fire damage ongoing, possible panic

Cursed

Supernatural affliction — specific effects per curse

Deafened

Hearing-based checks unavailable

Disorientated

Difficulty maintaining sense of direction and position

Displaced

Moved from intended position involuntarily

Distracted

Attention divided; penalties to focused tasks

Freezing

Cold exposure; Vitality loss and physical penalties

Hindered

Movement and physical actions restricted

Incorporeal

Partially non-physical; unique interaction rules

Infected

Disease or supernatural corruption progressing over time

Overwhelmed

Too many stimuli; unable to act effectively

Panicked

Fear-driven flight or freeze response

Paralysed

Unable to take physical actions

Restrained

Physically bound or held in place

Threatened

Under immediate hostile attention; Fear risk each Round

Tired

Fatigue penalties; may worsen with each failed rest

Unconscious

At 0 Vitality; unable to act, Dicing with Death risk

Wounded

Significant injury; movement and checks penalised

Session Notes

Notes auto-save enabled