Exploration
You will trespass upon many ruins and forbidden places in the course of your journey, and each will be more deadly than the last. Their entrances are hidden behind lock and key, in the depths of caverns, beyond vine-tangled gates, at the bottom of wells, and beneath rotting floorboards. They are accursed places where good-natured folk have no business being.
A site consists of two or more connected locations and promises two things: danger and reward. Usually, the danger comes in the form of monsters, bandits, scoundrels, traps, puzzles, and natural hazards, while the reward comes in the form of treasure and magic items. These elements are correlated: the more dangerous a dungeon is, the greater its reward should be. This is a fact of the game that holds true in the world, and one that should be known to the players as well as their characters.
A site's alarm value is a measure of its activity. It typically starts at 0 when the party first enters the site and rises over time as they explore. At 0, the site is quiet and still; at 10 its denizens have fully awakened and are prowling the halls in search of intruders.
The alarm value will reset to zero if the party has an encounter, or if they withdraw and spend at least eight hours away (one journey action).
The alarm value rises by +1 after every exploration round. It also rises by +1 each time the party draw attention to themselves by doing any of the following:
Making a loud noise.
Setting off a trap.
Engaging in combat.
Drawing attention in any other way.
During the exploration frame, time is tracked by exploration rounds, increments of thirty minutes in game time. Each round, the party can take three actions as a group. After each action is resolved, the Judge should mark it on their time tracker.
After every three actions, the exploration round ends and a new one begins. Several things happen when the exploration round ends:
The company make supply checks for any active light sources.
The alarm value increases by +1.
The judge makes an alarm check, rolling a d10. If the result is lower or equal than the current alarm value, the party has an immediate random encounter.
In general, dungeon exploration should be handled with naturalistic language. Give the basic description of each room the party enters, let them ask questions and describe what they want to do, then consult the action list and confirm the action they are taking.
Each exploration round, the party can take three actions as a group. The safest way to traverse a site is carefully and quietly, and trespassers are always covering each other's backs. Even when only one character is working to disarm a trap or pick a lock, the rest of the party is keeping a necessary eye out for danger.
The party spends a few minutes trading words with a creature nearby. They automatically use an action to converse if they spend more than a minute or two speaking to a creature they encounter.
The party attempts to disarm a trap in their current room. One character makes a Tinkering check while the others look out for danger. On a shadow, the trap springs on the acting character.
The party moves into an adjacent, unexplored room and begins searching for traps, hidden doors, and other secrets; or they look over the current room if it has not yet been explored. Each character makes a simple check of Perception, noticing one room detail on a success.
If there is an encounter or room trap present, the action is interrupted, and the party must resolve it before exploring the space.
Wait in silent darkness for the dungeon to become still again. The party makes a group check of Stealth. The alarm value falls by 1d4 if half or more succeed, or by 1d8 if all
succeed.
The party must be in a somewhat secluded room to take this action. They must also cover their light sources for the duration, making a depletion check for each.
The party engages with a feature of the current room in some complex or time-consuming way. This exploration action is open-ended: they could use it to decipher the ancient text scrawled on a sarcophagus, meticulously dredge a murky pool for treasure, or barricade a doorway with piled up furniture. The Judge may call for a skill check or group check as needed.
The party attempts to a pick a locked door or chest. One party member can make an Tinkering check while the others look out for danger.
The party linger in an explored room to investigate it further, learning each remaining undiscovered detail of the current room. No check is required.
The party pauses exploration to take a brief respite. Each character that chooses to rest must eat if possible or else lose 1 endurance. Those who rest can spend any number of recoveries to regain vigor. They also erase a checkmark from one of their rising focus costs and can swap out their equipment.
The party moves to any previously explored room or to the site entrance. They can then take additional actions to search it further, interact with its details, or do something else. The party can take this action to flee the site entirely; when they do, it always triggers one final alarm check.
The party tries to break open a locked door or chest or do some other act of property destruction. One party member can make a check of Athletics. Others can join in to make it a group check instead. The site's alarm value rises by +1 for each participant.
Players will make many checks in the dungeon. When a player earns a spark on a check, it reflects that their character succeeded at the task with flying colors. They should be rewarded materially depending on the spark they chose, and while they get to choose the spark, you as the Judge must choose the precise benefit to award.
You don't know what sparks a player will choose when they make a check, and it can be difficult to interpret them. Here are a few examples of benefits you can grant for choose each of the six sparks:
The acting character performs the task with care and attention. They don't miss any of the smaller details, and they perhaps retain an object they expected to lose in the effort or accomplish more than they thought possible.
The character doesn't need to roll a supply check for any tools they used in the attempt.
The character accomplishes more than expected. For example, they don't just pick the lock, but also reveal the false bottom to the chest.
The character accomplished the task in far less time than was thought possible.
This action was free and the judge doesn't need to mark it.
The acting character performs the task quietly or in some other way that escapes the notice of nearby enemies or threats, allowing for a brief moment of calm.
The site's alarm falls by -1 or the action doesn't raise the alarm it normally would.
The quiet helps refocus the character, allowing them erase a checkmark from one of their rising focus costs.
The character performs the task safely, even though harm seemed inevitable.
The character suffers no damage or lasting states from the thing they attempted, even if they would normally get hurt on a success.
The character neutralizes some other nearby threat, such disarming a trap in the same room, or chasing off an encounter.
The character's display of skill is so impressive that it influences others who might be watching.
The character makes an ally push themselves further, restoring a recovery.
The character can clear a plight from themselves or an ally.
The acting character performs the task with control and composure, leaving themselves or their allies well-positioned for whatever comes next.
An ally can gain an edge on their next check by taking advantage of the character's actions.
You don't get into a worse position you would have had on a success.
Sites are valuable to the game because they are discrete locations with a high density of important decisions for the party to make. A site should feel tense and exciting to explore, and thus, it should be packed with dangers and challenges. When a character fails at a task, it should come at the cost of the party's time and resources. When possible, a check made in the site should always have a material consequence for failure.
While the party is exploring a site, use omen warnings liberally and think about how any failure could result in a real complication. You can and should come up with your own, but this page offers few suggestions for how each of the six shadows can manifest as a material consequence:
The acting character pays a material cost for their their mistake.
The character loses one or more items from their hands or inventory.
The character makes a depletion check for their light source or another object.
The acting character takes longer than intended, wasting the party's precious time.
Finishing the task takes the party an extra exploration action.
One or more active clocks advance.
Some progress the party made in the area is undone.
The acting character makes a loud noise or causes some other disruption, drawing attention to the party.
The site's alarm rises by +1.
The Judge immediately checks for a random encounter.
The acting character suffers injury. This can be in the form of a few scratches, a broken limb, or a brush with death that shakes them to the core.
The character suffers damage.
The character loses 1 or more endurance.
The character gains a wound or plight.
The acting character looks and feels like a fool, and onlookers begin to doubt the mission.
The character gains a plight.
Another character watching the failure gains a plight.
A hireling or other companion tries to abandon the party.
The acting character loses control of the situation. Their mistake leaves things in disarray, putting themselves or their allies in a worse position for whatever comes next.
The character or an ally suffers a cut on their next check related to the failure.
The failure creates a new obstacle or threat that must be dealt with before the party can proceed.