Demon Academy Gameplay Example
A When It Clicks RPG - Core Gameplay
CONTINUED FROM Dice Mechanics & Tokens
Gameplay Example
Tower Dungeon Delve
The Setup
GM: “You’re on Floor 15 of Seattle’s Tower Dungeon. The corridor ahead narrows into a chamber where pulsing spiritual energy emanates from the walls. Your target - a Foundation Establishment guardian beast - waits inside. This is your team’s qualification trial. Mei, you said you entered first. What do you do?”
Mei’s Player: “Yes, I want to assess the chamber before we rush in. Can I sense the formation patterns?”
GM: “Absolutely. This sounds like a Task Roll. Your purpose is to scout the chamber and identify threats. I’m setting Initial Risk at 7 - this is a dangerous floor, the guardian is alert, and time pressure is building because you’ve triggered alarm formations earlier.”
Building the Dice Pools
Mei’s Player: “I’ll be the Roller.”
GM: “Ok. What Keywords are you using?”
Mei’s Player: “I’ll use my ‘Formation Theory’ Standard. I studied this stuff. That’s +1dT. My ‘Time Chi’ is Nixed until I can recover. So, that’s out. “
GM: “Good start. Anyone else contributing?”
Jun’s Player: “Even though I’m guarding the rear, I’ll add my ‘Studied Under Master Chen’ Standard. He taught us both about dimensional locks. That’s another +1dT.”
Wei’s Player: “I’m still recovering from that last fight, but I’ll contribute ‘Blood Moon Teachings’ Secret. I recognize these formations from my world. That’s +1dT and +2dR. Plus we ignore 1 CT because it’s a Secret.”
Mei’s Player: “I also want to include my ‘Unstable Core’ Flaw. My Chi sense is sharper because of the instability, but it’s risky. That’s +1dT and +1dR.”
GM: “So let’s count. Task Dice: 4dT total. Risk Dice: Initial 7, plus 2 from Wei’s Secret, plus 1 from Mei’s Flaw... that’s 10dR total. Mei also has a Blip from earlier, ‘Disoriented’ from the Chi deviation. That adds another +1dR. Final pool: 4dT and 11dR. Why are you all holding back?”
Mei’s Player: “Wait, before I roll, I have 2 dice in my Boost Pool. I attach them to my ‘Formation Theory’ to make it stronger. I’m extra focused on it, and this is where it will pay off.”
GM: “Absolutely fine idea. Your ‘Formation Theory’ now contributes 3dT instead of 1dT. New total: 6dT and 11dR.”
The Roll
GM: “Roll them.”
Mei’s Player: Rolls 6dT (using d6s): 5, 2, 6, 4, 1, 4
GM: “High numbers are 4, 5, 6 on d6s. You got four successes on the Task Dice. But remember, your Risk Dice will cap how many STs you can earn. Which is not an issue here because you’re rolling 11dR.”
Mei’s Player: Rolls 11dR (using d6s): 6, 2, 5, 1, 4, 6, 3, 4, 2, 5, 1
GM: “Count the high numbers: 6, 5, 4, 6, 4, 5. That’s six high rolls, meaning 6 CTs.”
Mei’s Player: “So I earned 4 STs. All four of my Task Die successes count because I have way more than 4 Risk Dice, and it’s still 5 or less. And I earned 6 consequences.”
Wei’s Player: “But my ‘Blood Moon Teachings’ Secret lets us ignore 1 CT, so that brings it down to 5 CTs we need to spend.”
Spending Success Tokens
GM: “Do you want to spend the Success Tokens first? You have 4.”
Mei’s Player: “Yes. First ST goes to Basic Achievement. I successfully assess the chamber and identify the formation patterns.”
GM: “You see it clearly now. The chamber has a three-layer ward system. The guardian can trigger collapse if threatened.”
Mei’s Player: “Second ST for Insight. What’s the weakness?”
GM: “The wards are anchored to corner nodes. Metal-aspect Chi could disrupt those anchors, but you’d need to hit all three simultaneously or the formation adapts.”
Mei’s Player: “The third ST I’ll use to recover my Nixed ‘Time Chi’ by using Master Feng’s breathing flow technique, because we’re going to need it. The Forth ST... I’ll offer it to Jun. Maybe he spots something I missed?”
Jun’s Player: “I’ll take it and spend it on Advantage. I notice the guardian’s blind spot, a shadow zone behind the left pillar.”
GM: “Excellent. You’ve thoroughly scouted this room.”
Spending Consequence Tokens
GM: “Now the hard part. You have 5 CTs to spend. Remember, you must spend ALL of them.”
Mei’s Player: “I’ll take a Blip, ‘Pained’ from pushing my Chi sense too hard. That’s 1 CT.”
Wei’s Player: “I’ll take a Setback. My ‘Blood Moon Teachings’ showed me too much. That formation is similar to ones from my destroyed world. ‘Haunted’ by memories Setback, Severity 1. That’s 1 CT.”
GM: “Three CTs left.”
Jun’s Player: “I’ll take 1 CT as a Blip too, ‘Anxious’ because this is taking too long and I heard something behind us.”
Mei’s Player: “That leaves 2 CTs. I’ll spend them on a Complication for the party.”
GM: “Interesting. What are you thinking?”
Mei’s Player: “The guardian knows we’re scouting it. And it’s preparing for us.”
GM: “Perfect. As you complete your assessment, the spiritual energy in the room surges. The guardian is channeling power. When you engage it, it’ll be ready for you. I’ll add +2dR to the Initial Risk of your next Task Roll.”
The Result
GM: “So to summarize: Mei successfully scouted the chamber and identified the formation weakness and the guardian’s blind spot, and even managed to re-acquire access to her time based abilities. However, Mei is now Pained, partially due to the rushed breathing technique, and Wei is haunted by traumatic memories, Jun is getting anxious, and the guardian is now fully alert and charging power. What do you do?”
Jun’s Player: “We attack now, before it finishes charging. Use the blind spot approach and hit those corner nodes with metal Chi.”
GM: “Alright, new Task Roll. Jun, you’re taking lead on this one?”
Jun’s Player: “Yes. This is going to be intense...”
GM: “It is. Initial Risk for attacking a ready Foundation Establishment guardian... I’m setting Mei’s earlier Complication to enhance the stakes higher at 11dR. That’s 11dR before we even add Keywords. And Jun, you still have that Blip...12dR so far. Now, what Keywords will you add?”
Takeaways from This Example
Notice how:
Multiple players contributed - even though only Mei was scouting - Jun added distant knowledge, Wei added dangerous expertise
Boost Pool - came into play strategically to strengthen a key Keyword
Blip from earlier - automatically added to the current Risk pool
Risk Dice capped Success Tokens - 3 ST from potentially more Task Die successes
Secret’s CT ignore ability - reduced consequences from 6 to 5
Recovery on the fly - weaved and justified right into the narrative flow
All tokens were spent - no carrying over, no saving for later
Consequences created narrative momentum - they’re not just mechanical penalties but story elements that drive the next scene
The Complication wasn’t just random - it was player-chosen and narratively appropriate, setting up the next challenge
Collaborative pool-building, meaningful risk, and immediate token spending drives the story forward.
Note
Notice how players combined Keywords creatively, shared risks, and contributed to both success and complications. This is the heart of When It Clicks.
https://wicdemonacademy.substack.com/p/demon-academy-ways-to-use-keywords