The Scale

Tourniquet's narrative momentum engine. How Scale accumulates across action rolls, when Burns trigger, and what each Burn type does.

The Scale tracks narrative momentum across all action rolls. It doesn’t adjudicate outcomes — V20 dice do that — but it reads those same dice for story significance. Individual die faces carry positive or negative momentum. That momentum accumulates.

When accumulated momentum reaches ±3, a Burn occurs. When it hits ±8, a Major Burn becomes mandatory.

Scale Procedure

After every action roll (not soak, Willpower, Humanity, or Initiative): count V20 successes normally. Then apply the Scale read:

  1. Subtract 1s that were cancelled by successes — skip those dice entirely.
  2. From the remaining dice: faces 1–3 contribute −1 each to Scale.
  3. Faces 8–10 contribute +1 each to Scale.
  4. Faces 4–7 are neutral — no Scale contribution.
  5. Add the delta to the running Scale total.

Example: Roll 5 dice. Results: 10, 7, 4, 2, 1. Two 1s were cancelled by the 10 — skip them. Remaining: 10 (+1), 7 (0), 4 (0). Net delta: +1. Scale shifts +1.

Burns

Voluntary Burn (±3)

When Scale reaches +3 or −3, offer a Burn concisely — one line. The player may accept or bank it. Burning resets Scale to 0.

“Scale at −3 — Trouble Burn available. Take it now or bank.”

Grace Burn (+3): Player chooses one of:

  • +1 die to the next roll
  • Free Discipline activation (if narratively plausible)
  • +1 shift to an NPC’s disposition

Trouble Burn (−3): GM chooses one of:

  • −1 die to the next roll
  • A Discipline complication (power misfires, costs extra blood, draws unwanted attention)
  • −1 shift to an NPC’s disposition

Banked Burns remain available until spent. A second Burn reaching the threshold while one is banked fires both simultaneously.

Major Burn (±8)

When Scale reaches +8 or −8, a Major Burn is mandatory — it cannot be declined or banked. It resets Scale to 0.

Generating a Major Burn:

  1. Roll Story Oracle (d10) — tie the event to a current personal storyline.
  2. Roll Grace Oracle or Trouble Oracle (d10) — determine the specific shape of the event.
  3. Narrate the Major Burn as a significant scene-altering event.

Major Trouble at +8 = Major Grace. Story Oracle + Grace Oracle. Major Trouble at −8 = Major Trouble. Story Oracle + Trouble Oracle.

Design Notes

Scale measures narrative temperature, not mechanical advantage. A character can win a fight decisively (+4 successes) while Scale trends negative because they’re burning through blood, making enemies, drawing attention. The mechanics succeed; the story complicates.

Conversely, a failed roll can push Scale positive if the failure lands on 8s and 9s — meaning the failure itself is interesting, a near-miss that opens new possibilities.

The engine doesn’t care who’s winning. It only cares that the story is moving.