The jinx
Scenes in a delve that need a skill check (traps, hazards and puzzles) are settled with a d20 plus the hero’s modifier. The first time in a delve that a Jinxed hero throws a natural 20 on one of those checks, the game throws the die again and uses the new result. The combat log says so: the jinx reaches for the 20. If the reroll is also a 20 (a 5% chance), the 20 stands. Either way the jinx is then spent until the next delve.
Nothing else changes. Natural 1s, ordinary rolls and every part of combat are untouched.
The family of dice traits
Four traits act on the die itself rather than on the modifier:
| Trait | What happens to the throw | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Lucky | First natural 1 is thrown again | Once per delve |
| Jinxed | First natural 20 is thrown again | Once per delve |
| Gambler | Throws twice, keeps the result further from the middle | Every throw |
| Trap-Wise | +2 on traps and hazards (a modifier) | Every trap throw |
Lucky and Jinxed are exact opposites, and the game never puts both on one hero.
How much it actually costs
Less than the name suggests. A natural 20 comes up on 5% of throws, so on a delve with a handful of checks there is a good chance the jinx never fires. When it does, you lose one top result and get an ordinary roll in its place, which on a routine check is often still enough.
Where it hurts is the single check that needed a 20: a brutal trap or a hard puzzle that only a perfect throw clears. Send a Jinxed hero at the hardest check on the floor and the trait is a real handicap; let them handle the routine ones and you will rarely notice it.
Combinations worth knowing
- Jinxed Gambler. A Gambler throws two dice and keeps the wilder one, which nearly doubles their natural 20s. The jinx catches the first of those each delve, and the Gambler’s other 20s stand.
- Trap-Wise or Quick-Witted modifiers. Trap-Wise adds +2 on traps and Quick-Witted +1 on every check. Each point reduces how often the hero needs a 20 at all, which makes the jinx irrelevant on most trap-heavy floors.
Jobs, the route and flavour
- Gear hunts dislike it. Gear Hunt jobs list Jinxed among the traits they would rather not take, which takes 6% off the hero’s suitability.
- Forks. As party leader, a Jinxed hero leans +1 toward the known path. With nothing pulling the other way, they take a side room only about a third of the time it is offered.
- Flavour. Quest reports have Jinxed lines, and on pair duty the hero speaks with the “clumsy” voice shared with Clumsy and Glass-Jawed.
The hero card links Jinxed to Decisions. That link is descriptive and does not lower the attribute.
Rarity and history
- Rarity: common, negative · draw weight 100 of 6,365 · about 1 recruit in 25
- Founding draft: any card, or as the negative half of the wildcard card.
- In the wiki’s archive: first present in the 2.1.8 build (absent from 2.0.7).
Recruiting
One of the mildest negatives in the game. Give the hardest single check on a floor to someone else, and do not discount a strong hero much for it: attributes and class matter far more than one lost roll per delve.