As with all Heroquest contests, set the stakes and chose the primary abilities that will be used for the contest. On your turn you declare either "modifier" or "ender" for your action. A modifier contest either raises or lowers your or your opponents default ability for the contest. An ender brings the contest to an end, win or lose.

A modifier action uses a non-primary ability of yours to augment your primary ability, or your primary or non-primary attribute to lower the primary ability of your foe. You describe your action, including how it could help you or hurt them in the contest, and then they must resist with an ability that would let them counter what you are trying to do. If you win you get an augment to your primary ability or they get a penalty as shown on the following chart:

 Complete Victory  -- 1/2 of the attribute as a bonus to you or penalty to them
 Major Victory     -- 1/3rd of the attribute as a bonus to you or penalty to them
 Minor Victory     -- 1/4th of the attribute as a bonus to you or penalty to them
 Marginal Victory  -- 1/10th of the attribute as a bonus to you or penalty to them
 Marginal Defeat   -- 1/10th of the attribute as a penalty to you or a bonus to them
 Minor Defeat      -- 1/4th of the attribute as a penalty to you or a bonus to them
 Major Defeat      -- 1/3rd of the attribute as a penalty to you or a bonus to them
 Complete Defeat   -- 1/2 of the attribute as a penalty to you or a bonus to them