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11 The D20 dice system is the dialogue and decision layer of Rewinding Cadence. When the player picks a high-stakes option in a conversation, the game rolls a 20-sided die, applies a modifier based on the character's stats, and uses the result to choose between branching outcomes. The mechanic is borrowed directly from tabletop role-playing games, and the developer has cited that lineage in promotional material.
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33 How a Roll Works
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5-When a dice-gated option appears, the screen surfaces the option clearly and shows the relevant stat. The player commits to the choice, the die rolls, and the result is interpreted against a target number. A roll above the threshold succeeds, a roll below it fails, and certain very low or very high results trigger their own special outcomes the way critical hits and critical fails do at a tabletop. The die roll is visible during the interaction, which is the same idea as a public roll in tabletop play: the randomness is not hidden, and the player can see exactly how close a roll came to passing.
5+When a dice-gated option appears, the game rolls a 20-sided die in the background, adds a stat-based modifier, and compares the total to the threshold for that option. A high enough total succeeds and unlocks the favorable branch; a lower total fails and routes the conversation through the unfavorable branch. The exact UI presentation of the roll, the precise threshold numbers, and the full set of stat modifiers have not been published outside the closed beta and should be treated as unconfirmed in detail until the developer publishes them.
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77 Stats and Modifiers
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9-Each dice option references a stat. The player's base stats and any situational modifiers are added to the raw die result before it is compared to the target number. Stats grow through the Returner's progression and through certain story-driven boosts. Concrete stat names, exact target numbers, and the full list of modifier sources have not been published in detail outside the closed beta and should be treated as unconfirmed until verified post-launch.
9+Each dice option references a stat. The player's base stats and any situational modifiers are added to the raw die result before it is compared to the option's threshold. Stats grow through the Returner's progression and through certain story-driven boosts. Concrete stat names, exact threshold values, and the full list of modifier sources have not been published in detail and will be added to this article as material is confirmed.
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1111 Outcomes
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13-A dice roll can resolve in any of the following ways:
13+In broad terms a dice roll resolves into one of two states:
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15-ResultEffectCritical successBest-case branch unlocks. May open content unavailable on a normal success.SuccessIntended favorable outcome. Persuasion, recruitment, or unlock proceeds.FailurePath closes for this attempt; consequences may compound for the rest of the loop.Critical failureWorst-case branch. May trigger combat, lose an ally, or hard-lock content for the cycle.
15+ResultEffectSuccessFavorable branch unlocks. Persuasion, recruitment, or unlock proceeds.FailurePath closes for this attempt; consequences may compound for the rest of the loop.
16+Whether the system also features special tiered outcomes for very low or very high results, the way a tabletop game treats critical successes and failures, has not been confirmed publicly. The wiki does not list tiered effects until they are confirmed.
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1618 Story Impact
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18-Because dice rolls happen during the active time loop, failures are not permanent in the cosmic sense. They lock content for the current cycle but not for the entire game. This is by design. Players are encouraged to try ambitious dialogue routes even with low odds, gather what information they can from the failure, and try again on a future loop with better stats or different supporting choices.
20+Because dice rolls happen during the active time loop, failures are not permanent across the wider game. They lock content for the current cycle but not for the entire game. This is by design. Players are encouraged to try ambitious dialogue routes even with low odds, gather what information they can from the failure, and try again on a future loop with better stats or different supporting choices.
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2022 Tips for Using the Dice
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2224 Save big roll attempts for the period when the relevant stat is at its strongest, especially on routes that cannot be retried for many in-game days.Treat a failed roll as data. The dialogue that follows a failure usually reveals what stat or item the system expected, which is information for the next loop.Dice options stack within a single conversation. Failing an early roll can lock the better-modifier branch later in the same scene, so the order of attempts matters.Combat and the Star-Wanted system do not roll dice; the system is exclusive to dialogue and explicitly choice-driven moments.
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26+Related
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28+See also time-loop system, FAQ for common questions about how rolls behave across loops, and Getting Started for first-loop dice strategy.