Ironbound uses a simple, unified system to resolve most uncertain actions. When a character attempts something whose outcome is uncertain, the player rolls the appropriate dice, adds the relevant modifiers, and compares the result against a difficulty set by the Game Master. The result is not merely a success or failure; Ironbound uses five degrees of success, allowing exceptionally good or poor rolls to produce correspondingly greater consequences. These rules form the foundation upon which combat, exploration, social interaction, magic, and every other aspect of the game are built.

The most common die roll that a player or the Director will make is an attribute check. To perform an attribute check, the player rolls two ten-sided dice, totals them, and adds the modifier from the requested attribute. Then consult the following table: