Exploration Rules Exploration mechanics focus on traveling, resting in the wilderness, and dungeon delving.

Traveling Rolls A full day of traveling includes: A Weather Roll at the start of the day. An Encounter Roll at any point during the day, and another during rest at night. A Behavioral Roll for each encounter. A Disease Roll at the end of the day for Difficult Weather and Terrain (if applicable).

Hex Crawling Traveling involves moving characters through different hexes on a map. Each Hex is measured in both distance and travel time. The World Map uses World Hexes, while smaller areas use Region Hexes.

Traveling Travel times reflect more than distance—they include navigation, terrain, and the cautious pace of armed adventurers in hazardous areas. A Traveling Roll forfeits an Encounter or reveals nearby creature types. Adventurers choose between two travel modes: Standard and Forced.

Standard Travel balances movement and rest, allowing use of Effective Hours. Disease Rolls are made during Camping.

Forced Travel doubles distance covered but causes Fatigue the next day, removing Effective Hours. Repeating it leads to Exhaustion. Disease Rolls are made during Traveling.

Resting Resting subjects the adventurers to an additional Encounter Roll. Resting Encounters are influenced by noise and visibility. As a result, activities and the presence of a fire can increase the likelihood of encounters. Resting allows characters to use their Effective Hours. Common activities include Food Gathering, Crafting, Healing or Training. The Minimum Resting time is 6 hours per day to avoid Fatigue. Consuming 1 Ration daily protects a character against Starvation. Sleeping in heavy armor costs 1 Effective Hour the next day.

Encounter Table (D20) Danger Encounter Terrain Modifier Settled Lands 20 Forest +1 Borderlands 15 Swamp +1 Wilderness 10 Snow +1 Hazard Zones 5 Mountain +1 Hostile Sites 2 Road/Trail -1 Guarding +1 Bad Weather -1 Camouflage +1 River -2 Training -1 Sea -2 Fire -1 Night +1

Training Training grants general Experience Points but also attracts monsters due to noise. Studying and Practicing grant Experience Points for a specific Skill but Studying requires a Book. Each character gains 3 Effective Hours daily that are commonly used before or after Rest. While in settlements it is wise to use Effective Hours for Tutors or Libraries to gain more Skills.

Camping Camping provides Insulation benefits for the party by setting up tents and lighting fires, but it takes up 1 effective hour of a party member’s time. Camouflaging and Guarding the camp reduce the chance of Encounters.

Weather Effects A Weather Roll is made daily to determine the type of weather. Weather effects impose Cold or Heat Factors, potentially triggering Disease Rolls and impacting both Travel and Combat. Clothes and basic equipment can protect from Cold, Heat and other effects. Regular Clothes lose benefits unless they are changed during bad weather. A Nature Skill can predict the next day’s weather.

Diseases Common diseases such as Flu or Heatstroke occur when traveling in challenging weather. Other diseases such as Mire Spike or Night Blight are determined by the environment.

Weather Protection Each item offers a level of defense. If a character’s Insulation Level (IL) is lower than the Weather’s Cold Factor (CF), a Vigor Roll is required to determine if they contract a disease. In warm climates and during Heatwaves, Insulation must be lower than the Cold Factor to prevent discomfort or adverse effects.

Insulation Table

*Not regarded for warm climates

Darkness & Illumination Darkness affects Grit Levels dynamically. Illumination sources such as Candles, Torches and Lanterns protect against darkness. Illumination is measured in Real Time when exploring Dungeons. Grit Level Penalties that derive from Darkness occur outside of any Illumination Radius.

Darkness Table Type Grit Adjustment Normal - Dim Light -1 Grit Level Darkness -2 Grit Levels

Doors Dungeon Doors are common challenges when Dungeon Delving. Locks can be unlocked with a Mechanics Skill. Traps can be detected with an Observation Skill. Doors can be Forced Open, their Difficulty depends on the Door Type. Either by Force or Skill, only a maximum of 3 Efforts in total can be made against a locked door. Extra efforts will deplete 1 Grit Point each. Lost Grit can be recovered during Rest. A Group Effort provides a +1D10 Bonus Die when using Force.

Doors Table Type Force Open Lock Wooden 10 4 Iron 15 8 Steel 19 12 Stone N/A 16

Scouting Scouting allows the examination of an area before crossing it. It utilizes the Tracking Skill. A successful Scouting Roll will reveal any potential Encounters but allows the Players to prepare first. They notice the Encounter before they are noticed.

Encounter Behaviors Not all Encounters should behave as expected. Monsters can also behave differently to add flavor to the story. Adventurers can use diplomacy, stealth, violence or cunningness to deal with encounters.

Encounter Behavior Table Roll Type Effect 1-5 Hostile Immediate Attack 6-7 Vigilant Malleable 8 Flexible Bribe/Intimidation 9 Neutral Easily Distracted 10 Friendly Non-Aggressive

Extra Activities The list of activities that characters can engage in during their Effective Hours is extensive. As characters gain experience, their options will expand, with more skills, items, and other elements requiring Effective Hours. The system is designed in a way to make the characters decide how and where to progress.

Urban Environments Cities can offer amenities that help adventurers recover from excessive traveling. Resting in Inns and safe environments provides the Well Rested Condition. Spending a night in a tavern filled with music and dance provides the Spirited Condition. Libraries offer Books (Skills, Spells) for a small subscription fee.

Rations from Creatures Food Gathering can be used to produce Rations from slain creatures. This includes animals and monsters. Producing Rations from creatures varies according to the size of each creature and requires a successful Food Gathering Roll against a Difficulty of 5 or else the Rations are destroyed.

Rations From Creatures Table Creature Rations Small 2 Medium 3 Large 4 Huge 5 Gigantic 6

Harvesting Organs Harvesting Organs from creatures is a common and favorite activity of adventurers who wish to increase their gains from hunting down vicious adversaries. A character with the Necropsy & Monster Skills can Harvest components from a dead creature. Details regarding this skill are provided in the Book of Monsters.