Dice Category. The dice used in Dragon Ball Universe are d4, d6, d8 and d10, in varying amounts. When a specific die’s Dice Category is increased, that means going up a certain amount of steps in this scale – for example, if a rule gives you an Extra Dice of +1d4 and another increases that by +1 Dice Category, you’d replace the 1d4 with a 1d6. If a rule would increase the Dice Category of a die past the d10 you instead add a d4 to it, and any future Dice Category increases will affect that smaller die until it too becomes a d10 and it wraps around again.

This means Dice Categories progress like so: 1d4, 1d6, 1d8, 1d10, 1d10+1d4, 1d10+1d6, 1d10+1d8, 2d10, 2d10+1d4, 2d10+1d6…

Any multiplication applied to a die, such as (T) or (bT), is maintained through Dice Category increases, and applied to all the dice that might be added due to wrapping around. So for example, a 1d10(T) that incurs a +1 Dice Category increase becomes a 1d10(T)+1d4(T).

Category Increase Limit. The maximum amount you can increase the Dice Category of an Extra Dice (except Energy Charges) is equal to your base Tier of Power plus 1. For example, at PL1, you can only increase your Tier of Power Extra Dice from 0 to 1d6 (2 Dice Category increases), but at PL5, you could increase it from 1d4 to 1d10 (3 Dice Category increases).

Dice Rules. When rolling the Base Die, there are certain rules that need to be remembered, described below:

• Critical Target. Some Traits, Talents and other effects may reduce your ‘Critical Target’. Your Critical Target is the minimum Natural Result required to score a Critical Result. By default, your Critical Target is 10. For example, if you have a Critical Target of 9 on your Strike Rolls, you score a Critical Result on a Natural Result of 9 or 10. If your Critical Target was 8, you’d score a Critical Result on a Natural Result of 8+.
  
  You cannot, through any means, have a Critical Target lower than 7.
• Critical Result. When you score a Critical Result on a Combat Roll or Saving Throw, increase the Dice Score by 1d6. Increase the Dice Category of this Extra Dice by 1 for every Tier of Power reached after the first.
• Botch Range. Some Traits, Talents, and other effects may increase your ‘Botch Range’. Your Botch Range is the highest Natural Result that can score a Botch Result. By default, your Botch Range is 1. For example, if you have a Botch Range of 2 on your Dodge Rolls, you score a Botch Result on a Natural Result of 1 or 2. If your Botch Result was 4, then you’d score a Botch Result on a Natural Result of 4 or less.
  
  You cannot, through any means, have a Botch Range higher than 6.
• Botch Result. When you score a Botch Result on a Combat Roll or Saving Throw, reduce the Dice Score of that roll by 2(bT).
• Skills, Crits and Botches. Skill Checks have different values for scoring a Critical or Botch Result (see — Skills).

Crucial Values

Life Points. Life Points are a representation of your Character’s health. It’s important to keep track of your Life Points, as falling below certain thresholds will incur penalties (see — Health Thresholds), and if they reach 0 then your Character will be Defeated (see — Defeat) or even dead! Your Maximum Life Points do not change, except through effects, but whenever you lose Life Points, you reduce the number of Life Points you possess. Your number of Life Points cannot exceed your Maximum Life Points.

Ki Points. Ki Points are the amount of energy you have in your body, spent to perform most forms of attack and many abilities in DBU. Your Maximum Ki Points do not change, except through effects, but whenever you spend Ki Points you reduce the number of Ki Points you possess. Your number of Ki Points cannot exceed your Maximum Ki Points.

Capacity. Your Capacity is used to limit how many Ki Points you can spend in a single Combat Round. Whenever you would spend any Ki Points, you spend Capacity. The amount of Capacity you possess during each Combat Round is decided by your Max Capacity, which it cannot exceed through any means. You reset your Capacity to match your Max Capacity at the start of each Combat Round.

• Capacity Rate. Whenever your Max Capacity is increased, you regain Capacity equal to the increase to your Max Capacity. If your Max Capacity decreases (even through the end of an effect that increases your Max Capacity), reduce your Capacity by an equal amount (this cannot cause it to be reduced below 0).

Technique Points (TP). Technique Points are points your Character gains and possesses, typically through Skill Improvements or Character Creation, but occasionally through other means (such as effects). You spend Technique Points to create Signature Techniques, Auras, or to buy Unique Abilities or their Advancements.

Combat Rolls. Combat Rolls are the most relevant rolls used during a Combat Encounter, representing your ability to hit an Opponent, deal Damage, and avoid an attack respectively. There are three Combat Rolls:

• Strike: A Strike Roll is your ability to hit an Opponent. When making an Attacking Maneuver, you begin by making a Strike Roll against the Opponent. To make a Strike Roll, roll your Base Die, any Tier of Power Extra Dice, and add your Haste and Awareness to your Dice Score, along with any other bonuses.
• Wound: If you manage to hit an Opponent with an Attacking Maneuver, you make a Wound Roll. To make a Wound Roll, roll your Base Die, any Tier of Power Extra Dice, and add your Damage Attribute (see — Foundation and Profiles) to the Dice Score, along with any other bonuses (such as Ki Wagers). Your Damage Attribute is usually equal to your Force Modifier for Physical and Energy Attacks, or equal to your Magic Modifier for Magic Attacks.
• Dodge: If you are targeted by an Attacking Maneuver, you can make a Dodge Roll without spending anything to try and avoid taking Damage. To make a Dodge Roll, roll your Base Die, any Tier of Power Extra Dice, and add your Defense Value to your Dice Score, along with any other bonuses.

Traits

Traits. Traits are, fundamentally, the abilities possessed by characters in the DBU system. They come in various flavors: Racial Traits (see – Racial Rules), Transformation Traits (see – Transformation Rules), Talents (see – Talents) and Aspects (see – Aspects).

Effects. Effects are the meat of a Trait, representing what exactly a Trait does. Each Trait will list its effects separately, allowing you to refer to them numerically (the first Effect, second Effect, third Effect, etc). Each Trait carries at least one effect, which is usually denoted by the use of Effect Terms, shown below. Effects that occur during a Combat Encounter, unless specified otherwise, stop applying at the end of that Combat Encounter.

Resources. Some effects can give you stacks of a bonus, these are known as a Resource. Effects are only a Resource if they have the Resource term (see below). You lose all Resources at the end of each Combat Encounter. If you gain any Resources from a Transformation Trait’s effects, you lose all instances of that Resource when you leave that Transformation for any reason (except using Surging Strength) unless you enter a higher stage of that Transformation or a Transformation that also has an effect that references those Resources.

Keywords

Passive: Occurs passively. An effect that occurs without a trigger.

Option: You choose an effect from a list and replace this effect with the chosen effect.

Choice: Replace this effect with the effect that represents what you chose in this Trait’s Option effect.

Multi-Option/X: Choose a specified number of effects, the number replacing the X. This Trait gains ALL of the chosen effects.

Graded: This effect details the benefits and drawbacks of this Transformation’s Grades.

Triggered: An effect that occurs in response to a stimulus; an occurring situation during a Combat Encounter. You can choose not to use a Triggered effect, for example, if it wasn’t narratively appropriate or due to wanting to preserve an effect with a limited number of uses. A Triggered effect activates after whatever triggered it is resolved, except if specified otherwise. Certain common Triggers use a keyword and may have unique limitations:

• Triggered/Threshold: This effect occurs when you are knocked through a Health Threshold, specifically after completing the Maneuver that resulted in you being knocked through a Health Threshold. This effect only occurs once for each Health Threshold during a single Combat Encounter. Sometimes, a specific Health Threshold will be listed instead of ‘Threshold’ and therefore the effect can only occur when you are knocked through that specific Health Threshold.
• Triggered/Defeated: This effect occurs when you would be Defeated. An effect with this Keyword applies when your Life Points reach 0 but before you are registered as Defeated. As such, if anything were to increase your Life Points or if you would enter the Undying State, you are not Defeated. You can only trigger a single effect with this Keyword during each Combat Encounter.
• Triggered/Undefeated: This effect may occur when you stop being Defeated for any reason. This can only occur once during each Combat Encounter.
• Triggered/Start of x: This effect occurs at the start of a period of time. This may be a Combat Encounter, a Combat Round or your Turn, which replaces x. The start of Combat Encounter effects occur when you enter the Combat encounter, so it’s possible to gain the effects even if you join a Combat Encounter later than when it started.
• Triggered/(State): This effect occurs when you enter a State. The required State for the effect will replace (State), such as Triggered/Raging.
• Triggered/Power: This effect occurs when you use the Power Up Maneuver.
• Triggered/Transform: This effect is triggered when you use the Transformation Maneuver to enter this Transformation.

Automatic: Automatic effects function identically to Triggered effects, even possessing the same keywords, except for one key difference: they are not optional. If a trigger occurs for an Automatic effect, you must use that effect immediately.

x/Round: This effect can only be used a number of times during each Combat Round equal to the number that replaces x.

x/Encounter: This effect can only be used a number of times during each Combat Encounter equal to the number that replaces x.

Resource: Any stackable bonuses you gain access to through this effect are Resources.

Ruling: This Keyword adds a new term, typically depicted in quotation marks, which is used for various mechanics related to the source. This term is commonly referred to by other effects related to the source, such as other Transformation Traits or Talents that refer back to it.

Permanent: Permanent is a Keyword that is limited to the Traits of Transformations, and allows that Trait to retain its effects or choices even while you are not in the Transformation. Any choices made through an effect with the Permanent Keyword are retained, but you do not benefit from them unless you are in the Transformation.

Constant: Constant is an effect term that is limited to the Traits of Transformations and allows use of a Triggered effect while outside of that Transformation.

Addendum: This effect possesses a mechanic that requires further explanation. Each Addendum effect will have a relevant text box that further explains the mechanic in question.

Twinned: A Trait with any effects with the Twinned Keyword allows you to take this Trait twice. Instead of applying the effects multiple times, on taking this Trait a second time, you gain access to the effects with the Twinned Keyword.

Prerequisite: A Trait with this Keyword is usually a Trait that can be selected, and thus can only be selected under the conditions set out by this effect.

Adventurous: An effect with this Keyword is able to be used outside of a Combat Encounter. Most effects, aside from Passive effects, are limited to use during Combat Encounters, but those effects with this Keyword can be used in Freeform or while Adventuring (if they have a x/Round or x/Encounter limit, they can only be used that many times during an Adventuring Session – if they possess both, this effect is limited by the lower of the two). When used outside of any combat, any effect with the Triggered Keyword will only last for the duration of a single roleplay instance in Freeform, or a single Adventure Maneuver while Adventuring.

Priority

Effect Priority. Sometimes, in DBU, multiple effects may change a certain variable in what could be conflicting ways. To help understand which one comes out on top, consider a hierarchy of a concept known as ‘Priority’. An effect with a higher priority will supersede an effect with a lower priority and thus remain dominant. In ascending order of priority, there are: 

• Base values,
• Aspects,
• States,
• Transformation Traits of a Core Transformation,
• Transformation Traits,
• Racial Traits,
• Talents,
• Auras,
• Combat Conditions,
• Unique Abilities.

For example, the Metamorphosis Transformation allows you to change your base Size Category for each stage of that Transformation, but you may gain the King’s Stature Meta Trait, which increases your Size Category to Enormous. Since Transformation Traits have higher priority than base values, your Size Category would be Enormous regardless of what Size Category you would have chosen previously.

Multiple effects might occur simultaneously that have set minimums. In this case, always use the minimum set by the effect with the highest priority.

Dice Priority. If you have multiple effects that allow you to roll 2d10 and take the highest, they do not stack and you would follow the usual process for rolling 2d10 and taking the highest. If you have multiple conflicting effects, that would cause you to roll 2d10 and take the highest and also roll 2d10 and take the lowest, they cancel out into rolling your standard 1d10, regardless of the amount of effects in either direction.

Effects like this cannot be applied to any rolls that do not use your Base Die.

Clashes

When two characters must roll against each other, this is known as a Clash. While Attacking Maneuvers make use of Clashes in terms of Combat Rolls, the specific rules for them are covered in Attacking. The winner of a Clash is the character who has the higher Dice Score on their roll.

Clashes follow the typical rules for rolling whatever is being clashed. In most cases, that means rolling your Base Dice, any Tier of Power Extra Dice, and the relevant bonuses, but for example, Skill Checks do not use Tier of Power Extra Dice and therefore when rolling a Skill Clash of any kind, you would not apply your Tier of Power Extra Dice.

If multiple characters are targeted with an effect that creates a Clash from a single character, the single character rolls once and all rolls of the other characters are made against their singular Dice Score. Each character is treated as an independent Clash and therefore wins or loses independently, only affecting themselves rather than the other targets.

There are multiple types of Clashes that can be made:

• Parallel Clash. A Parallel Clash is when both characters must roll the same Aptitude, Attribute Modifier or Skill and compare their Dice Scores.
• Varied Clash. A Varied Clash is when both characters may select an Aptitude, Attribute Modifier or Skill from a variety that are listed after the specific Clash. For instance, a Varied Skill Clash could be written as ‘make a Skill Clash (Acrobatics/Athletics)’, meaning that all characters involved could choose to use their Acrobatics or Athletics Skill for the Clash.
• Conflicting Clash. A Conflicting Clash is a type of Clash in which two different Aptitudes, Attribute Modifiers or Skills are contested. While it may also be a Varied Clash, allowing the sides to choose from options, a Conflicting Clash can also force a side to only use one. Generally speaking, the format for a Conflicting Clash is handled very obviously with the format of (Initiator vs Defender).
  
  For instance, a Conflicting Skill Clash could be written as ‘make a Skill Clash (Stealth vs Perception/Clairvoyance)’. In this case, the Initiator (the character who is responsible for the Clash occurring) must use their Stealth Skill for the Clash while the Defender (the target of the effect requiring a Clash) can choose to roll for either the Perception or Clairvoyance Skill.