differ by 3 levels (e.g., Critical vs Fumble) Major – 2 levels (e.g. Success vs Fumble, or Critical vs Failure) Minor – 1 level (e.g. Success vs Failure) Marginal Victory or tie (When results are equal, the lower die roll wins) In keeping with the narrativist philosophy of the game, the most recent version of the rules (Heroquest Core Rules, 2009) suggests that resistances offered by the narrator should generally not be chosen based on any objective assessment of the challenge to be faced, but should rather reflect the dramatic requirements of the story. A side-effect of this is that most published scenarios do not contain statistics for opposing non-player characters or other obstacles, requiring instead that the narrator chooses the level of difficulty that supplies the appropriate dramatic effect. Most obstacles are dealt with via simple contest, requiring only one die roll. Important events such as the climactic end scene of the story may be run as extended contests, in which several simple contests are run with a score being kept of which side is ahead and which is behind. Modifiers Narrators may apply modifiers (bonuses or penalties) to target scores to reflect specific situational factors, such as hurt or impaired characters, characters overcoming more than one opponent, or the use of specialised or inappropriate abilities in a particular contest. Players may apply augments (bonuses) to their target scores by using other abilities to boost their main one, or by having other characters render them some form of assistance. Masteries Once an ability surpasses 20, it gains a level of mastery, noted by a rune (ш) and then drops down to 1. So instead of 21, the character would have a 1ш. This cycle repeats, so after 20ш, one gets 1ш2, signifying two masteries. The first edition book lists some godlike powers up to 12 masteries (ш12), as this system allows for limitless scaling without a huge burden of additional dice or complex math. In a contest, masteries first cancel each other out. So a conflict between a 4ш and a 12ш is mechanically identical to a 4ш2 against a 12ш2 or a 4ш3 vs 12ш3, as they both resolve to a 4 against a 12. When masteries differ, such as a 4ш2 against a 12ш, then the remainder gives the character with the higher mastery an advantage. For each mastery one has over the opposition, they can improve