“Everyone helps” doesn’t mean everyone rolls. I start by deciding whether one character makes the attempt, each person faces a separate risk, or the team shares one result.
Here’s how the three games compare:
Quick Comparison
| Game | Who can help? | Who rolls, and what counts? | Who pays? |
|---|---|---|---|
| D&D 2014 | Someone able to attempt the task and offer useful help | One character rolls with advantage, or everyone rolls a group check; at least 50% must succeed | Those exposed to the risk; combat Help costs an action |
| Blades in the Dark | Someone providing useful aid or joining the action | Assist adds +1d to one roll; a group action uses the best result | An assistant pays 1 stress; a group leader takes 1 stress per participant whose best result is 1–3 |
| Fate Core | Direct helpers need at least +1 in the skill; others can attempt setup actions | The lead gets +1 per direct helper, or helpers roll to build free invokes | Direct helpers share the risk; setup rolls carry their own risks |
My rule of thumb: <u>agree on the roll, cost, and risk before touching the dice</u>. Helping can mean sharing a bonus, a result, or trouble - but those aren’t the same thing.
TTRPG Teamwork: Who Rolls and Who Pays?
1. Dungeons & Dragons: Help and Group Checks
Eligibility
Under the 2014 rules, a helper must be able to perform the task and contribute something useful: access, tools, knowledge, position, or ability. Simply declaring “I help” does not qualify.
Who Rolls
D&D handles teamwork through either one assisted roll or a group check.
| Method | Who rolls | Mechanical effect |
|---|---|---|
| Help | Lead character | Advantage; extra helpers do not stack it |
| Group check | Everyone involved | The group succeeds if at least half succeed |
| Separate checks | Each character facing a distinct risk | Each result resolves independently |
Use Help for one obstacle with one point of failure. Use a group check when the party’s separate efforts determine the same outcome. The difference: sharing one roll versus sharing the risk.
Success Calculation
With Help, roll two d20s, take the higher result, and add the lead character’s normal modifiers - not the helper’s. The check succeeds if the total meets or exceeds the DC.
For a group check, count successful checks instead of adding totals. Exactly half succeeding is enough.
Costs or Consequences
With Help, the lead usually takes the consequence of failure. The helper shares it only if the situation puts them at risk. A failed group check affects the group, though some characters may face worse fallout than others. State who is exposed before anyone rolls.
In combat, Help costs the helper’s action, and the aided check must happen before the helper’s next turn.
How do you design Team-Up Mechanics in RPGs?
2. Blades in the Dark: Assist and Group Actions
Blades separates helping from acting together: a helper can boost one character’s roll, or the whole crew can take a group action.
Eligibility
Assist requires a useful contribution. Each qualifying helper pays 1 stress to add +1d. For group actions, only non-participants can assist, and each assistant adds +1d to one participant’s roll. The leader doesn’t need the highest rating.
Who Rolls
| Procedure | Who rolls | Resource cost | Success calculation | Consequence bearer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assist | One character rolls; helpers add +1d each | Each assistant pays 1 stress | The boosted roll determines the result | Rolling character; assistants may also suffer consequences |
| Group action | Every participating PC rolls the same action, including the leader | Leader marks 1 stress for each participant whose highest roll is 1–3 | Highest result applies to everyone who rolled | Leader pays stress; the consequence follows the shared result |
The choice is between one boosted roll and a shared action result.
Success Calculation
Read the highest die as usual: 6 succeeds, 4–5 succeeds with a consequence, and 1–3 produces a bad outcome. Assist adds a die. It doesn’t guarantee success or automatically improve effect or position.
Sneaking past guards: A cutter creates a diversion, marks 1 stress, and gives the lurk +1d; a group Prowl uses the highest result for everyone.
Costs or Consequences
Leadership stress is separate from action consequences, so the leader can take stress even when the group succeeds. Set the action’s position and effect before rolling. A 4–5 still brings a consequence, and assistants can suffer consequences if helping puts them in danger.
Forcing a door: One helper gives +1d to Wreck, or the whole crew rolls and the leader marks 1 stress per 1–3.
3. Fate Core: Combined Skills and Stacked Advantages
Fate offers three ways to work together: one lead roll with help, multiple setup rolls, or one shared result. It separates direct teamwork from setup actions: one character makes the final roll, while others contribute skill or create advantages first.
Eligibility
Use combined skills when everyone performs the same task. The GM can limit helpers if space or the fiction restricts how many people can contribute. Use stacked advantages for setup actions, such as distractions or positioning.
Who Rolls
The difference comes down to how each helper contributes: adding skill directly or rolling separately to create an advantage.
| Teamwork form | Who rolls | Who can help | Mechanical effect | Who bears the risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combined skills | The participant with the highest relevant skill. | Helpers with at least Average (+1) in that skill and a believable contribution. | +1 per helper; Fate Condensed caps this bonus at the lead’s skill rating. | All participants. |
| Stacked advantages | Helpers roll Create an Advantage; the lead rolls the final action. | Helpers taking a relevant setup action. | Aspects, boosts, and free invokes for the lead. | Each helper risks their setup action’s consequences; failed advantages may help the opposition. |
Success Calculation
For combined skills, add the teamwork bonus to the lead’s skill rating. Fate Core lets the GM set helper limits; Fate Condensed also uses the cap described above.
Use combined Stealth for shared movement and combined Physique for shared exertion.
When creating a new aspect, success grants one free invoke, success with style grants two, and a tie normally produces a boost. Helpers can pass free invokes to the lead, who can use multiple relevant free invokes on the decisive roll.
Costs or Consequences
With a combined roll, participants share consequences such as noise, delay, or exposure. A failed Create an Advantage action may produce no aspect or give the opposition the free invoke instead. Make those stakes clear before accepting assistance.
Comparing Eligibility, Rolls, Success, and Costs
Side by side, these rules show three ways help can work: change one roll, create several rolls, or produce one shared outcome. Each also sets a different cost for coordination.
Eligibility. D&D helpers must be able to attempt the task and contribute usefully. Blades requires concrete aid or direct participation. Fate Core requires a skill threshold for combined skills or a separate Create an Advantage action.
Who rolls. D&D and Blades distinguish between one assisted roll and everyone rolling toward a shared result. Fate Core uses one combined-skills roll or separate setup rolls that feed into a final roll.
Success. D&D grants advantage or requires at least half the group to succeed. Blades adds an assistance die or uses the best group result. Fate Core adds teamwork bonuses or provides free invokes.
Consequences. A shared outcome doesn't always mean shared costs. D&D assigns consequences through the fiction. Blades charges assistants stress, while group leaders take stress for participants’ 1–3 results - even when the action succeeds. Fate Core shares combined-action risks but keeps setup risks separate.
Benefits and Trade-offs of Each Teamwork Model
Compare teamwork procedures by what they save: rolls, time, or risk. The question isn’t just who can help. It’s what that help costs.
| System | Advantage | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| D&D 5e | Help keeps one character’s attempt quick. | Group checks make everyone’s effort count, but add rolls and can expose weak links. |
| Blades in the Dark | One strong roll can carry the team. | The leader takes 1 stress per participant whose best result is 1–3. |
| Fate Core | Combined skills bring shared effort into one roll; stacked advantages reward setup. | Setup actions take time and risk complications. |
Each system balances simplicity against a different pressure: roll count, stress, or setup time. Name the procedure before the first die hits the table. Agreeing on whether the task is shared, assisted, or separate makes the rest of the ruling straightforward.
Conclusion: Choose the Procedure Before Rolling
The rule is simple: decide who rolls, who takes the risk, and which helpers can contribute.
Use a lead roll when extra checks won’t change the stakes. Use individual checks when characters can succeed or fail separately. Use a shared-outcome procedure only when the rules call for one result for the whole group.
Before rolling, state the bonus or target, the resource cost, and the consequence, including who succeeds and who fails. Players should know what they risk by joining the effort.
Skip the dice when nothing is at risk. Otherwise, match the teamwork procedure to the fiction and the game’s rules. Pick the procedure before the first die hits the table.
FAQs
How do I handle helpers using different skills?
Follow your game system’s teamwork rules. Each helper should explain how their skill or background supports the effort. Depending on the game, that help may give the lead character a bonus, lower the roll’s difficulty, or add extra dice.
In D&D, the Help action can grant advantage, while group checks combine individual results. In Blades in the Dark, group actions resolve a shared effort. Check which rule applies - and who faces the consequences.
Can I help after another player fails a roll?
It depends on the game’s teamwork rules. Mechanics like Assist or Support usually help before the first attempt, not after a failed roll.
Most systems treat a failed roll as that attempt’s final result. Working together often means using different skills or trying another approach, rather than repeating the same check.
How do I resolve teamwork with conflicting goals?
Start with clear communication: decide whether the characters share an objective or want different things, and spell out what’s at stake. When their actions clash - one tries to intimidate an NPC while another negotiates - have both sides roll and compare the results. Use the margin of victory to determine how dramatic the outcome is.
Allow room for compromise or partial success. These outcomes can give actions weight and keep the story moving instead of leaving everyone stuck in a stalemate.
