Reading Results

Every roll in Exodus NDS produces three layers of information: did the action succeed, what else happened along the way, and did anything exceptional break the scene open. Most rolls leave net Boons or Banes, and many produce Breakthroughs or Calamities. This chapter tells the GM and players what to do with those layered results.

It is the most important chapter for table fluency. Without it, players freeze on a successful roll with two leftover Boons and a Breakthrough, and the system stalls. With it, every roll resolves into a clear narrative beat.

The Resolution Order

Resolve every check in the same three-step order:

Did the action succeed or fail? This answers the main question. A roll either accomplished the task or it did not.
What side effects landed? Net Boons or Banes describe what else happened — favorable or unfavorable conditions that color the outcome but do not change whether the task was accomplished.
Did anything exceptional happen? Breakthroughs and Calamities trigger their effects regardless of whether the check succeeded or failed.

Each layer answers a different question. Mixing them, letting a Breakthrough decide success, letting Boons cancel a Bane that should have been a Calamity, collapses the three layers into one and loses the texture that defines the system.

The Anti-Duplication Rule

Side effects should never duplicate the main result.

If a character succeeds at picking a lock, leftover Boons should not just mean the lock opened harder. They should mean something else changed: the character opened it quietly, opened it quickly, also noticed a faint scratch on the doorframe, or left no sign of forced entry.

If a character failed to pick the lock, leftover Boons should not mean the lock partially opened. They should mean something else went right: the character learned the lock is reinforced, avoided alerting the guard inside, or dropped a tool quietly enough that nothing was lost.

Ask "what else?" not "how much?"

Successes vs Boons: Different Axes

Extra Successes and Boons describe different things. They are not interchangeable.

Extra Successes scale the action's primary effect — whatever the roll itself is for. The primary effect is roll-type-specific:

Weapon attacks scale damage. Each net Success above the first adds damage as defined by the weapon and combat rules. More Successes mean a harder hit.
Medicine and recovery checks scale Wounds healed or treatment quality. More Successes mean a better outcome for the patient.
Extended Checks count net Successes against a threshold. More Successes mean the task completes faster.
Most other skill checks are binary: the first net Success means the task is accomplished. Additional Successes describe how well it was done — faster, cleaner, more precise, more impressive — but they stay on the same axis as the task itself.

Boons (and Banes) add separate texture — what else changed beyond the action's primary effect. They live on the Eight Axes below and never reskin the primary effect as "more of itself."

The same roll uses both. On a Stealth check, extra Successes mean you moved cleanly and precisely; a Boon means you also learned the patrol pattern, or saved a charge of your light source. On an attack, extra Successes mean more damage; a Boon means you also reloaded as a free action, or spotted the next threat. On a Medicine check, extra Successes restore more Wounds; a Boon means you also preserved scarce supplies, or identified the cause of the injury.

When in doubt: Successes answer "how well did the action itself succeed?" Boons answer "what else changed?"

The Result Spending Ladder

Net symbols scale by count. Use this ladder as the default for any check.

Net Result	Scope of Effect	Examples
1 /	Minor texture	Recover 1 Strain; small positional shift; brief delay; small clue or oversight
2 /	Named effect	Inflict or shed a condition; gain or miss a useful detail; expose or shore up a weakness; help or hinder an ally's next check
3+ /	Scene-shifting	Alter the environment; bypass or introduce a complication; create a lasting benefit or threat
	Exceptional positive	Critical Injury inflicted; truth revealed; reversal in your favor; lasting advantage
	Exceptional negative	Critical Injury suffered; truth withheld or weaponized; reversal against you; lasting threat

A Breakthrough and a Calamity are meaningfully stronger than a 3+ Boon or Bane spend. They change the shape of the scene; they do not just stack more of the same effect.

Who Spends What

The default protocol:

Players propose positive spends. Boons and Breakthroughs belong to the player who rolled them. The player suggests how to spend them, recover Strain, gain a clue, inflict a condition, learn a fact. The GM may approve, adjust, or offer alternatives if the proposal does not fit the fiction.
The GM applies negative spends. Banes and Calamities are the GM's tool to shape the scene. The GM decides what complication landed, what was lost, exposed, alerted, or worsened. The player may suggest, but the GM has final authority.

This protocol is collaborative, not adversarial. A GM who never accepts a player's Boon proposal is being too tight. A player who tries to dictate Calamity narration is overstepping. Both sides are building the same scene.

When you have leftover symbols and no obvious narrative use, change one of these eight things. This menu works for any skill, any check, any context.

Axis	Boon Spend	Bane Spend
Time	Faster, sooner, in fewer rounds	Slower, delayed, takes longer than expected
Position	Better cover, advantage, footing, reach	Exposed, off-balance, cornered, vulnerable
Information	Learn an extra fact, see a detail, recognize a pattern	Misread the situation, miss a clue, recall something wrong
Resources	Save supplies, ammo, time, money, charges	Lose, expend, or damage supplies, ammo, gear
Attention	Stay unnoticed, avoid drawing notice, slip away cleanly	Draw notice, alert someone, leave a trail
Condition	Apply or remove a temporary condition	Suffer a temporary condition; lose composure
Future Rolls	Add 1 Boon Die to the next related check	Add 1 Bane Die to the next related check
Scene	Open a new path, opportunity, escape route, or pressure point	Introduce a new hazard, threat, complication, or pressure

Spend along whichever axis fits the fiction. A successful Stealth check with extra Boons may move along Attention (you slip past unseen) or Information (you noticed the patrol's pattern) or Future Rolls (your next ally has an easier time). A failed Lore check with Boons may move along Information (you don't know the answer, but you know who would) or Scene (your interest reaches the right ear).

These eight axes are the default. Universes may add their own, Reputation in a court intrigue Universe, Charge in a magical Universe, Heat in a heist Universe, but the default eight cover most situations.

Skill-Family Examples

The eight axes apply to every kind of check. The following examples show what they look like in different domains.

Combat

2 — inflict Disoriented; shove the target a band; reload as a Quick Action; take cover from your strike
3+ — bypass armor on the next hit; reposition allies; control the engagement
2 — drop a weapon, expose a flank, draw a worse threat's attention, suffer 2 Strain
on a hit — Critical Injury inflicted; major battlefield reversal
on a miss — your missed shot reveals an opening, breaks cover for an ally, or destroys a hazard
on a hit — your weapon breaks; the room goes loud; a worse enemy notices; your hit also injures an ally
on a miss — friendly fire; you fall; the enemy escapes; you create the opening you feared

Search, Perception, and Investigation

2 on success — find it quickly; find an additional related detail; preserve the search site
2 on failure — learn where not to look; rule out a false lead; spot a separate hazard
on success — uncover the hidden truth that reframes the scene
on failure — you don't find it, but you find something more important
on success — you find it and trigger the ward, alarm, or watcher
on failure — you miss it and alert whatever was guarding it

Lore, Knowledge, and Recall

2 — recall a related fact; remember the name of someone who would know; identify the maker, era, or origin
on success — the answer connects to something already in play — a known enemy, a missing person, a buried history
on failure — you don't remember, but you remember who told you — and where that person is

2 on success — improve disposition; reduce future difficulty with this NPC; learn a motive
2 on failure — they refuse, but you learn what would work; they respect your nerve; they leave a future opening
2 on success — they agree, but demand a price; remember the imposition; tell someone else
on success — they agree, and immediately betray, blackmail, or weaponize the agreement
on failure — they refuse, but reveal their actual fear, weakness, or true loyalty

Stealth and Subterfuge

2 on success — leave no trace; learn the patrol pattern; place yourself for the next action
2 on failure — you're seen, but only briefly; you misjudged the angle, but the watcher dismisses it
on success — the entire route is mapped; you reach a vantage point you didn't expect
on success — you got through, but left evidence that someone will find

Medicine and Recovery

2 — preserve scarce supplies; reduce treatment time; identify the cause of the injury
— the patient recovers far beyond expectation, or you spot a separate condition that would have killed them
on success — the patient lives, but with a complication: a scar, a weakness, a debt of conscience

Craft, Operate, and Technical

2 — finish faster; conserve materials; add a small feature or improvement
on a successful repair — the system works better than before
on a failed repair — you can't fix it, but you identify the exact part needed and where to find it
on a successful build — it works for now, but is unstable, traceable, or compromised
on operating a vehicle — you maintain control, but lose a system, attract pursuit, or expose a weakness

Spells, Powers, and Universe-Specific Abilities

The default Exodus NDS rules do not include magic or supernatural powers — those belong to the Universe. The spending pattern carries:

2 — reduce the cost; extend the duration; affect a second target; suppress the signature
on success — the effect exceeds normal limits or reveals a deeper truth
on failure — the spell fails, but you learn its true nature, open a future channel, or avoid the cost
on success — the spell works, but warps, drains, attracts attention, or backlashes
on failure — the spell fails and something else gets through — backlash, possession, attention, unintended targets

Mixed Results: The Four Quadrants

The most distinctive moments in Exodus NDS occur when the main result and the exceptional result point in different directions. Use this matrix to read them.

Main Result	+ Breakthrough	+ Calamity
Success	Clean win plus major upside. The task is done and something significant goes your way — a revelation, a permanent advantage, or a turning point.	You succeed, but at a serious cost. The task is done and something major has gone wrong — a price, an exposure, a wound, a debt, a watcher.
Failure	You fail the task, but something major breaks your way. You did not accomplish the goal, but a different opportunity, truth, or advantage opens.	You fail and the situation worsens significantly. The task is undone and the scene escalates — a new threat, a lasting wound, a closed door.

Each cell is a distinct narrative moment. None is just more of the cell next to it.

Examples by Pillar

Combat — Success + Calamity: Your blow lands and the enemy falls. Your weapon shatters in the strike, or your shout draws a worse threat, or you slip and fall Prone next to the body.

Combat — Failure + Breakthrough: Your shot misses. It strikes the chandelier above, the support beam, or the lantern — and the room changes. The enemy is still standing. The battlefield is not.

Investigation — Success + Calamity: You find what you were looking for. Finding it triggered the ward, the alarm, or the watcher. You have the prize. Something now has you.

Investigation — Failure + Breakthrough: You don't find what you were looking for. You find something else — older, stranger, or more dangerous — that you weren't supposed to see.

Social — Success + Calamity: They agree. They will betray you the moment it suits them, and you can see in their eyes that you both know it.

Social — Failure + Breakthrough: They refuse. In refusing, they reveal their true motive, their fear, or their lord's name — something you came for that you weren't asking about.

Spell — Success + Calamity: The spell works. It also tears something — your reserves, the Veil, your reputation, an ally's resistance, or a binding you did not know was holding.

Spell — Failure + Breakthrough: The spell fails. The failure illuminates why — and the next attempt will be different.

Craft — Success + Calamity: The repair holds. It will fail again at the worst possible moment, and you suspect when.

Craft — Failure + Breakthrough: You cannot fix it with what you have. You now know exactly what you need, who has it, and what it will cost.

Floor Rules: When the Table Stalls

If a player has leftover symbols and cannot decide what to do with them, do not let the table stall. Use these defaults.

Unspent (1): Recover 1 Strain. Always available. Always sufficient.
Unspent (2 or more): Add 1 Boon Die to the next ally's check this scene.
Unspent : If no specific effect is chosen, the next ally to make a check this scene adds 1 Boon Die and the GM owes the table a moment of relief — a brief lull, a found item, a shorter watch.
Unspent : The character suffers 1 Strain per net Bane (the GM may instead translate to a fictional setback if one is obvious).
Unspent : If the GM does not name a specific effect, the GM gains 1 Peril Point and the scene tilts perceptibly — a sound from elsewhere, a tremor, a held breath. Something has shifted. The bill comes later.

These are floors, not ceilings. They keep the game moving when imagination stalls. Replace them with anything richer.

A Note for Universes

Every menu, axis, and example in this chapter is a default. Universes may rename the axes (Reputation, Heat, Charge, Veil), restrict the menus, expand the skill-family examples, or add entire new domains (mass combat, ritual, dueling, sailing). The protocol — three-step resolution, anti-duplication, players propose positive, GM applies negative — should remain stable across all Universes built on Exodus NDS.

Where a Universe rule conflicts with the defaults in this chapter, the Universe rule takes precedence.

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