RIVEN — The Oracle

► The Oracle

Asking the Oracle

Solo play requires a way to answer questions the game doesn't pre-determine. Is there a guard on this side? Does the door hold? Is the rumour true? The Oracle handles all of this.

Ask a closed question (answerable yes or no). Assign a Likelihood based on what seems plausible in the fiction. Roll 2d6 against the Likelihood TN.

Almost certain

Would genuinely surprise you if no

5

Likely

Probably, but not guaranteed

7

50/50

Could go either way

9

Unlikely

Possible, but probably not

11

Almost impossible

Would genuinely surprise you if yes

13

Reading the Result

Compare the 2d6 roll to the standard RIVEN result tiers. The result tells you not just yes or no, but how.

2–5 (Miss)

No, and —

The answer is no, and something additional goes wrong. The situation is worse than you assumed.

6–8 (Partial)

Yes, but —

The answer is yes, but there's a complication attached. You get what you wanted at a cost.

9–11 (Hit)

Yes —

Clean yes. No complication. The situation is as you hoped.

12+ (Critical)

Yes, and —

Yes, and something unexpected and good also happens. An unexpected advantage, a bonus, a story twist in your favour.

How to Use It Ask the oracle constantly. Use it to determine: enemy placement, NPC reactions, whether a door is locked, what's in the next room, whether your rumour was accurate, if the weather changes. Every uncertain fiction question is an oracle question. It never breaks.

► Interactive Oracle

Ask your question, set the likelihood, and roll.

► Enemy AI

Enemy Oracle

In solo play, enemies activate and act using the Enemy Oracle. When an enemy model activates and its behaviour isn't obvious from the situation, roll 2d6 on this table.

You still decide which enemy activates (default: nearest to your models first). The Oracle tells you what it does.

2d6	Behaviour	Detail
2–3	Retreat	Model moves its full speed directly away from the nearest hero. Test Morale if relevant.
4–5	Defensive	Model seeks the nearest cover or hard terrain. Holds position and does not attack unless already in contact.
6–8	Standard	Advances toward the nearest hero. Makes a ranged attack if in range. Charges if within charge distance.
9–10	Aggressive	Charges the highest-threat hero (most wounds, most powerful weapon). If no charge possible, advances and attacks the nearest.
11	Erratic	Unpredictable. Roll on the Complication Oracle to determine what goes wrong.
12	Dangerous	Enemy makes an exceptional move: flanking manoeuvre, calls for reinforcements (+d3 enemies arrive next round), uses a special ability, or targets the Down model first.

Ranged vs Melee Enemies Ranged enemies use the same table but interpret "advances and attacks" as finding range rather than closing distance. Use common sense — a sniper doesn't charge into melee on a Standard result.

► Enemy Oracle Roller

► Complications

Complication Oracle

Whenever a test results in a Miss and you need to know specifically what gets worse, roll d6 on this table. The Complication Oracle can also be triggered by an Erratic enemy result, or any time a partial success needs a cost defined.

1An ally within 6" takes 1 wound — collateral damage, friendly fire, or distraction at the wrong moment.
2Your position gets worse — you lose cover, you're flanked, or an enemy is now in a better position than before.
3The Escalation Meter advances by +2 — noise, alarm, or an unexpected signal brings reinforcements closer.
4Something valuable is lost or damaged — a weapon jams, a carried item breaks, a search token is destroyed.
5An enemy gains advantage — it gets a free additional action on its next activation, or gains cover it didn't have.
6A new threat appears — roll the Encounter Generator. Something arrives next round.

Partial Success Costs On a Partial result (6–8), you don't always need to roll the Complication Oracle — often the fiction makes the cost obvious. A Partial on a stealth move means you got past but left traces. A Partial on an attack means you struck but opened yourself up. Only roll the Oracle when the cost isn't obvious.

► Examples

Oracle in Play

Example 1 — Environment question:
Your warband approaches an abandoned watchtower. You ask: "Is there a guard on the upper level?" The situation suggests whoever held this place left quickly, so you set Likelihood to Unlikely (TN 11). You roll 2d6 and get 9. Hit — Yes. There is a guard. You don't know it yet, but they're there.

Example 2 — NPC reaction:
A frightened villager witnesses your warband. You ask: "Does she help us willingly?" Your warband looks threatening, so Likelihood is Unlikely (TN 11). You roll 2d6 and get 7. Partial — Yes, but. She helps, but she demands something first — or her help puts her at risk and she knows it.

Example 3 — Consequence of a Miss:
Your hero tries to pick the lock on a dungeon door. Wit test, TN 8. You roll 2d6 + Wit (3) = 5. Miss. You roll the Complication Oracle and get 3 — the Escalation Meter advances by +2. The tools slipped, made noise. Trouble is coming.