Dice mechanics
Modifiers in Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition
Bonuses, penalties, and situational adjustments.
Explanation
CoC difficulty primarily moves the success threshold (Regular at or under skill, Hard at half, Extreme at one-fifth). Use that lever before stacking small modifiers; bonus and penalty dice (rolling extra d10s, keeping best/worst) handle situational shifts.
Examples
Example: position over +1/-1
Instead of tiny modifiers, change position: better cover, better tools, better information.
Example: keep it consistent
Pick one primary difficulty lever for your table (DV/DC, threshold bands, required successes) and stick to it.
Common mistakes
- Mistake: Stacking many small modifiers. Fix: Use one clear difficulty lever and keep the decision readable.
- Mistake: Applying modifiers without stakes. Fix: Define what success changes and what failure costs before rolling.