Reality checks - Overseeing success in Beyond the Veil

In our previous blog we looked at how success is measured in Beyond the Veil but not necessarily how that target is determined. In this blog we’ll flip the focus over to the arbiter of success, the Overseer.

As Overseer, your job goes beyond simply managing the mechanics and representing the NPCs and entities of the world. From building tension and maintaining that all important narrative momentum to providing obstacles and challenges for the players to engage with in interesting ways. The Reality Check (RC) system in Beyond the Veil is designed to support that, whether you opt for the default ‘out of the box’ option or fluid ‘choose your own’ version.

Here’s how to get the most out of Reality Checks in your sessions.

Quick recap: What Is a Reality Check?

When a player wants their Investigator to do something that isn’t trivial, maybe picking a lock, forcing a stuck door, persuading a hostile witness, or even just assessing the clues available to look for the bigger picture, you call for a Reality Check. They choose a Skill that is relevant to the task at hand and roll the die tied to the Ability that skill is part of. Adding their Skill Ranks, and any other applicable bonuses gives them their result. Then they compare the result to the RC set by the Overseer for the task.

The default, recommended difficulty scale ranges from 5 (very easy) to 30+ (nearly impossible), but as the Overseer, you decide what makes sense in context. Use the Investigation Module for reference, but don’t be afraid to improvise.

Skill Use: Rulings over Rules

Sometimes the Skill needed is obvious, like using Finesse to sneak past a security guard. But often, there’s room for creativity. Players are encouraged to suggest which Skill they want to use and if they can justify it convincingly, let them run with it. This flexibility keeps the game narrative-focused and rewards inventive thinking. In modules there may be suggested default Skills for an expected action but even those are open to negotiation!

As Overseer, you can always nudge them toward a more fitting Skill by highlighting that a proposed option wouldn’t work, but it’s more fun when players surprise you with how they approach a challenge.

Ways to Elevate Reality Checks

To provide a richer experience for Investigators to interact with the world around them we wanted to have some additional ways in which checks can be made that encourage smart use of expertise, working as a team, or simply taking risks in order to achieve the desired outcome. Here are some key ways you can encourage Players to use to make the best use of their Investigator’s skillset:

1. Business-as-UsualWhen a roll would be silly, like a d20 powerhouse failing to lift a dining chair, let them use the average die result instead of rolling. It keeps things grounded and prevents immersion-breaking moments. (Half the die’s max value, rounded down, plus modifiers.)

2. Lend a HandLet another Investigator assist if it makes narrative sense. Both players roll, using the better dice and modifiers between them. This encourages cooperation, but be sure to remind players that during Escalation phases or the Resolution, helping costs the assisting player their next Action as well!

We talk about this mechanic in more detail here.

3. Scraping ByIf a player exactly meets the RC, they succeed, but only just. Use this to add narrative friction: the door opens, but the noise alerts someone; the lie is believed, but the NPC’s suspicions are raised. This is a great way to add stakes without shutting players down as well as a fun way to advance a narrative in new and interesting directions.

4. Favoured Ability RerollEach Investigator gets one reroll per investigation tied to their Favoured Ability. Players may forget this, so feel free to remind them. It’s a nice cinematic moment when someone pulls a reroll in a high-stakes scene to clutch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Setting RCs: Keep It Fluid

While the table shown in the Prologue offers a  rough guideline for difficulty, don't treat them as hard values. Base your decision on:

• The action's realism in the moment - Is it being performed under stress or is there time to do the job right?

• The Player's narrative justification - Does the proposed skill realistically have a chance of bringing about the desired result?

• How dramatic or pivotal the action is - Is the narrative reliant on the outcome?

• Whether it’s a fun moment to add tension or deliver a win - Rule of cool… end of…

• The Investigator’s general ability to perform a task - Practice makes perfect!

Using these prompts you can adjust an RC to suit, was it 10 by default but being performed by a highly competent Investigator with time to focus? Drop it to a 5. Maybe it’s the other way and the Investigator is attempting something outside of their comfort zone while under stress… increase the RC to dissuade the impossible or encourage those clutch moments.

You can also obscure the target number if you want to maintain flexible control. Using the text equivalents of Very Easy, Easy, Medium etc. you can give an indication of the range without giving the exact number away as Very Easy could realistically be anything from 0-7, Easy might be 8-12 or 13 and so on, they are guides, nothing more.

Final Thoughts

Reality Checks aren’t just mechanics, they’re a tool for storytelling. Use them to build drive the story in a particular direction or highlight Investigator strengths through unexpected outcomes. Encourage creativity, reward bold ideas with dice pool upgrades, and don’t be afraid to introduce complications when someone just Scrapes By.