Exploration (Arden-Vul)

Arden-Vul > Rules > Exploration

Dungeoncrawling

Light & Vision

Light Level

• Brilliance
  • So bright you must squint to see.
  • -2 to attack, defense, and saving throws.
  • Search checks take twice as long, or increase difficulty a level (1 die size) if conducted at the normal rate.
• Bright Light
  • Comparable to daylight.
• Dim Light
  • Shadowy and indistinct. Too dark to read, make out most fine detail / color, and identify unfamiliar individuals.
  • -2 to ranged attacks or saves against ranged effects.
  • Search checks take twice as long, or increase difficulty a level (1 die size) if conducted at the normal rate
    • Some things may be impossible to perceive, e.g. you might notice writing but be unable to read it.
• Darkness
  • Full darkness.
  • Blinded (-4 to attack, defense, and saving throws).

Obscuration

• Light
  • Thin mist / rain / snow / smoke, sparse vegetation or a light crowd. Can remain concealed only with Hide in Shadows.
  • -2 to ranged attacks or saves against ranged effects.
  • Search as Dim Light.
• Heavy
  • Thick mist or smoke, driving snow or rain, dense vegetation, or a heavy crowd. Adequate for anyone to hide in.
  • Blinded (-4 to attack, defense, and saving throws). Might be able to see things within a foot or two.

Sources of Illumination

• Candle
  • Burns for 3 Turns. 5' Bright Light, 10' Dim Light.
  • Thicker, heavier, longer-lasting candles can be purchased at great cost.
• Torch
  • Burns for 6 Turns. 20' Bright Light, 20' Dim Light.
• Lantern
  • Burns 1 pint of oil every 4 hours (24 Turns). 20' Bright Light, 20' Dim Light.
  • Hooded: can be shielded, reducing light to as little as 5' of Dim Light.
  • Bullseye: illuminates double its normal ranges, in a 60 degree arc.
• Darkvision
  • Dim Light is treated as Bright Light, and Darkness up to the vision's range is treated as Dim Light.
  • Disrupted if in Bright Light, permitting only normal sight.

Exploration Movement

• Choose a pace, and use the speed of the slowest party member.
  • Cautious: (10 x Speed) feet / Turn
    • Normal surprise chances, mapping, checking for traps and details.
  • Walking: (50 x Speed) feet / Turn
    • Can't surprise, +1 to be surprised, won't notice details, can't map.
  • Running: (100 x Speed) feet / Turn
    • Can't surprise, +2 to be surprised, won't notice details, can't map, may lose track of where you are if not careful.

Perception

- Levels of Search - Glance - Inspect - Rifle - Toss - Ransack - Search - Basic examination of a room of moderate size usually takes 1 Turn. Bigger or more cluttered ones may take more. - Carefully searching a 10' x 10' x 10' area (or three 10x panels of wall) takes 1 Turn and assumes at least Rifling. Up to 2 people can search the same space at the same time. - Roll Spot vs 7 to notice a secret door or compartment when searching. - The same space can be searched as many times as desired. - Targeted diegetic searching can take place much more quickly and may avoid stumbling into dangers that would be touched in a generic search roll. - Modifier - -1 to notice a secret door just Glancing from within 10' (impossible for unskilled humans) - +1 to notice concealed but non-secret doors - Listen - Listening at a door or passage for faint noises takes 1 Turn and requires the party to be still and quiet. Up to 2 people can listen at a door at the same time.

Resting

- Brief - 1 Turn / 10 minutes of no more than light activity (resting, talking, reading, easy searching, routine gear maintenance). Interruption restarts the count. - Short - 1 hour of no more than light activity in a situation of at least moderate safety (e.g. not in a thoroughfare, or with enemies known lurking around). Interruption restarts the count. - Each member should have access to food and drink, but not enough is consumed to decrement the supply. If either is lacking, the party member must make a CON check vs 3 to benefit from the rest. If both are lacking, make the check vs 5. - Long - 8 hours of sleep in a situation of at least moderate safety. Can be taken no more than once per 24 hours. Depending on conditions, a CON check may be required to benefit from the rest. - Casters require 8 uninterrupted hours to focus enough to rebuild any mana. - Others can break their rest up into two 4 hour spans, allowing for a turn at watch. - Each individual consumes food and drink. - Camping Conditions - Easy (no check needed), Moderate (vs 4), Difficult (vs 6), Impossible (vs 8) - Bedding, Tent, and Campfire: see Dolmenwood rules (pg 159) - Treat a standard dank dungeon as Spring / Autumn. Notably warm areas treat as Summer, and cold ones as Winter. - Lack of Food (-2), Lack of Water (-4), Intermittent Sleep (-1), Miserable Environment (-1 or more) - Bolstering the Party (optional: each success gives +1). - Cooking: one cook can make a WIS check vs 4 to make a hearty meal, given fire or other necessities. If failed with a roll of 1, save vs Doom or waste the rations used. Firelight, cooking smells, etc might attract attention. - Camaraderie: one entertainer can make a CHA check vs 4 to liven things with banter, music, stories, etc. If failed with a roll of 1, save vs Doom or the mood sours, giving -1 to rest CON checks instead. The noise might attract attention.

Natural Healing

Hazards

Falling

• 1d6 damage per 10' fallen.
• If falling beside a wall or down a steep slope that could be used to slow one's fall (grabbing at ledges, vegetation, sliding, etc), roll DEX vs 5 to halve damage taken.
• Half damage or less if landing on a sufficiently soft surface.

Suffocation

• A Medium-sized creature consumes the air in a 10' cube per Turn. Double or halve the amount needed for each size larger or smaller.
• You can hold your breath for (Constitution) rounds of activity, if given a chance to prepare, or 1/3rd of that if suddenly unable to breath (e.g. suddenly choked or pulled underwater).

* Remaining still and calm halves the rate of air consumption. * Once out of air, gain 2 Fatigue per round.

• Once able to breath again, recover 2 fatigue per Brief Rest.