Two dice, the wilder one kept
Whenever a Gambler takes a skill check (a trap, a hazard or a puzzle), the game rolls a second d20 and keeps whichever result sits further from the middle of the die, 10.5. Ties go to a coin flip. The combat log says so: they throw twice, as they always do, and keep the wilder of the two.
The average of that roll is the same as a normal d20, and the trait card says the odds are the same on average. Your chance of passing a particular check is another matter, because what matters is the number the die has to show:
| Die needs to show | Normal roll | Gambler |
|---|---|---|
| 5 or more | 80% | 68% |
| 8 or more | 65% | 54.5% |
| 11 or more | 50% | 50% |
| 14 or more | 35% | 45.5% |
| 17 or more | 20% | 32% |
| Natural 20 | 5% | 9.5% |
| Natural 1 | 5% | 9.5% |
So a Gambler makes easy checks riskier and hard checks more likely to succeed. The break-even point is a check that needs 11 on the die.
Modifiers decide which side you are on
The die is only part of the throw. Level and traits add a modifier: Trap-Wise +2 on traps, Lucky +2 on everything, Methodical +2 on puzzles, Reckless and Hot-Headed −2 on everything, and so on. A hero with a big modifier who only needs a 5 on the die is better off without Gambler; one who still needs a 15 is better off with it.
Interactions with the other dice traits
- Lucky rerolls the first natural 1 each delve. That happens before the Gambler’s second throw, and the two can sit on the same hero, which trims the Gambler’s worst outcomes.
- Jinxed rerolls the first natural 20 each delve, after the Gambler has picked. A Jinxed Gambler hits that reroll sooner, but only once per delve; their other 20s stand.
The route it prefers
At a dungeon fork, a Gambler leading the party leans +2 toward the Sealed Door, the hazard room. With nothing pulling the other way they take it about 80% of the time it is offered. A Sealed Door is a skill check with a gold bonus attached, so the lean suits a hero whose dice favour hard checks. Treasure rooms and Lairs get no lean.
Events and jobs
- “Dice by the Fire”. A Gambler or Lucky hero on the roster can run the dice game straight: the runner gains 4 morale, the hero who was losing gains 2, and the whole guild gains 1. See the events page.
- Gear hunts dislike it. Gear Hunt jobs list Gambler among the traits they would rather not take, which takes 6% off the hero’s suitability.
- Flavour. Quest reports have Gambler lines, and on pair duty the hero speaks with the “luck” voice shared with Lucky, Streaky and Superstitious.
The hero card links Gambler to Decisions. That link is descriptive and does not change the attribute.
How to use a Gambler
Send them at the checks other heroes would probably fail: high-danger traps, hard puzzles, Sealed Doors. Keep them away from routine checks that a normal hero passes four times out of five, because a Gambler fails those noticeably more often.
Conflicts and rarity
Gambler can never appear with Methodical or Consistent.
- Rarity: common, neutral · draw weight 100 of 6,365 · about 1 recruit in 25
- Founding draft: any card.
- In the wiki’s archive: first present in the 2.1.8 build (absent from 2.0.7).
Recruiting
Neutral, and genuinely situational: a plus on a scout you send at hard checks, a minus on a hero whose modifier already passes most checks.