Target Numbers
A Target Number (TN) is the threshold a die must roll at or below to count as a success. It is always determined by the relative Realm between you and your opponent or the challenge you’re facing.
Target Number Table
Section titled “Target Number Table”| Relative Realm of Opponent / Challenge | TN (roll ≤ to succeed) |
|---|---|
| 1 Realm above you | 3 |
| Same Realm as you | 5 |
| 1 Realm below you | 7 |
A TN of 3 is hard. A TN of 7 is generous. The gap between Realms is substantial — challenging someone a full Realm above you significantly reduces how many successes you can generate.
What “Realm of the Challenge” Means
Section titled “What “Realm of the Challenge” Means”For opposed actions (combat, social confrontations), the TN is set by comparing your Realm to your opponent’s Realm.
For environmental or skill challenges, the GM assigns the challenge a Realm that reflects its difficulty relative to the characters. A Spark (1) character picking a simple lock faces a same-Realm TN of 5. That same character trying to decipher a Flame-tier cipher faces a TN of 3.
The Realm Gap
Section titled “The Realm Gap”Opposing someone two or more Realms above you is near-suicidal. Your TN collapses so severely that almost none of your dice will succeed under normal conditions. Realm is the primary power axis in Metanoia. Raw effort and clever pooling cannot fully compensate for a large Realm gap.
See Realms for full tier descriptions.