The proto-mechanics of the Nevercast system.

1. Attribute Comparison
The most basic mechanic of Nevercast is to compare the attribute required for the action/technique you're using against the attribute required for the action/technique your opponent is using. The higher score is successful.

2. Gradation of Success / Failure
How acute your success or failure is is determined by how many points your check was above or below the opposition's. There are 4 gradients: minor (+/-1), moderate (+/-2), major (+/-3), and maximum (failed or succeeded by 4 or more points).

3. Randomizers
Some instances will allow you to apply a dice roll on top of your success check. This is typically a 4-sided die(?). Upon rolling a 4, apply another roll on top of your result, repeating until you bypass the opposition's number by the maximum gradient of success.

4. Modifiers
Many instances apply a penalty or a bonus to your success check. For example: "Power Strike" (Sp -2) means that when you perform a power strike, the attribute of the action you are using is "Speed", but your speed score is considered at a -2 penalty when you attempt the action.

5. Passive Opposition
When making a check against a non-responder, such as a still target or an opponent who has no actions to counter your own, then you will make your success check against either A) a passive defense score or B) a difficulty level determined by the GM

Let's give a demonstration of all the core mechanics in the following example:

Kanu Gon and Lo Din are engaged in a martial arts contest. Kanu Gon studies Lo Din's movements while Lodin waits in a poised stance. Kanu Gon quickly rushes within range to attack, but Lo Din spends an extra combat action to time his blow, and stops him with a quick, stiff jab. The jab stuns Kanu Gon.
Mechanics:(A moving-to-attack penalty is applied to Kanu Gon at -2. His attack uses the speed attribute, so speed -2. Lo Din's Poise technique grants a bonus of +2 to his response. Since Lo Din responded with a jab, he also gets a quick strike bonus of speed +2, for a total of speed +4 vs. Kanu Gon's speed -2. However, Lo Din also focused his blow, which granted him a dice roll bonus (he rolls a 2). Let's say that both opponents have an equal speed of 6, which makes the exchange at 12 for Lo Din vs. 4 for Kanu Gon. Therefore, Lo Din beats Kanu Gon to the punch. And, since Kanu Gon was attacking, he must use his passive defense score against Lo Din's attack. Lo Din's attack beats it by at least 4, which means the success is maximum, which results in Kanu Gon being stunned.)
So, what Kanu Gon can safely assume from the exchange is that if he rushes in to attack, Lo Din will consistently interrupt him. He needs to use a wiser tactic of breaking past his defenses.
In the next exchange, Kanu Gon instead decides to use a feint against Lo Din, which bypasses Lo Din's poise bonus for the success check. So, they both must check reflex vs. reflex. Kanu Gon has 7, and Lo Din has 5. Lo Din is about to choose a response action, but it doesn't matter because he failed his reflex check. He falls for the feint, which breaks his poise and takes away an extra action because his timing is now off, and Kanu Gon rushes in with a combination of a jab and a powerful cross. Lo Din barely manages to parry the jab (dexterity vs. speed), but he has run out of actions and the cross hits him with hard force (moderate success). The power strike also increases damage, so the blow knocks Lo Din down.