GM Core
Chapter 1: Running the Game
Running Exploration
Source GM Core pg. 34
Exploration mode is the connective tissue of your adventure or quest—everything that happens as the characters move between encounters. It could be trawling a junkyard for starship parts, trailblazing on a newly discovered planet, or canvassing Absalom Station for a missing person.
Fundamentally, exploration is about rewarding the PCs for learning about their surroundings. To facilitate this, it's important to have and to convey a clear mental picture of the group's surroundings.
Exploration mode is intentionally less regimented than encounters, so you'll be making a lot of judgment calls as you build the world and describe how it changes in response to the players' actions. Encourage the PCs to explore, and reward their curiosity. As you play, you'll get a feel for the aspects of exploration that intrigue certain players, and you can add more of those things to your adventures or emphasize these points in published adventures.
Stakes: Low to moderate. Exploration mode is used when there's some amount of risk, but no immediate danger. The PCs usually stay in exploration mode until they enter a fight or engage in some other direct interaction.
Time Scale: In exploration mode, time in the game world passes much faster than real-world time at the table, so it's rarely measured out to the second or the minute. You can speed up or slow down how quickly things are happening as needed.If it's important to know exactly how much time is passing, you can usually estimate time spent in exploration mode to 10-minute increments.
Actions and Reactions: Though exploration isn't broken into rounds, exploration activities assume the PCs are spending part of their time using actions, such as Seeking or Interacting. If they have specific actions they want to use, they should ask; you decide whether the actions apply and whether to switch to encounter mode for greater detail. PCs can use any relevant reactions during exploration mode.
Fundamentally, exploration is about rewarding the PCs for learning about their surroundings. To facilitate this, it's important to have and to convey a clear mental picture of the group's surroundings.
Exploration mode is intentionally less regimented than encounters, so you'll be making a lot of judgment calls as you build the world and describe how it changes in response to the players' actions. Encourage the PCs to explore, and reward their curiosity. As you play, you'll get a feel for the aspects of exploration that intrigue certain players, and you can add more of those things to your adventures or emphasize these points in published adventures.
Stakes: Low to moderate. Exploration mode is used when there's some amount of risk, but no immediate danger. The PCs usually stay in exploration mode until they enter a fight or engage in some other direct interaction.
Time Scale: In exploration mode, time in the game world passes much faster than real-world time at the table, so it's rarely measured out to the second or the minute. You can speed up or slow down how quickly things are happening as needed.If it's important to know exactly how much time is passing, you can usually estimate time spent in exploration mode to 10-minute increments.
Actions and Reactions: Though exploration isn't broken into rounds, exploration activities assume the PCs are spending part of their time using actions, such as Seeking or Interacting. If they have specific actions they want to use, they should ask; you decide whether the actions apply and whether to switch to encounter mode for greater detail. PCs can use any relevant reactions during exploration mode.
Scenes within Exploration
Source GM Core pg. 34
It can help you to think of exploration as a series of scenes, where encounters break up exploration and function as subsections within it. Many of these are based on geography; for example, exploring a starship's corridors is one scene, and entering the starship's bridge begins another. Other times, you'll break out of a scene at a point of interest. If the PCs decide to stop their travels and investigate a computer terminal, that's a new scene.
When you transition between scenes, describe what was happening to reinforce where the group was, then describe what they now face to show the change. For example, “You've been making your way through the dark corridors of the abandoned starship, but after a moment of debate, you stop, your footsteps and voices still echoing down the corridor. The computer terminal before you is five feet wide and built into the wall. It has a touchscreen interface, but the screen is cracked, and the text it displays is garbled and difficult to discern. What do you do?”
When playing out a scene, your initial description should set the expectation of what level of detail the scene might go into, with you and the players adjusting as needed during play. Since players aren't bound in a strict initiative order in exploration mode, it can be useful to proactively call on PCs to avoid everybody talking at once. If possible, start with someone who instigated the scene change, or perhaps with the PC using the most relevant exploration activity, like a PC Hacking, Investigating, or Repairing the terminal, Deciphering the text, or Searching for secrets in the example above.
When you transition between scenes, describe what was happening to reinforce where the group was, then describe what they now face to show the change. For example, “You've been making your way through the dark corridors of the abandoned starship, but after a moment of debate, you stop, your footsteps and voices still echoing down the corridor. The computer terminal before you is five feet wide and built into the wall. It has a touchscreen interface, but the screen is cracked, and the text it displays is garbled and difficult to discern. What do you do?”
When playing out a scene, your initial description should set the expectation of what level of detail the scene might go into, with you and the players adjusting as needed during play. Since players aren't bound in a strict initiative order in exploration mode, it can be useful to proactively call on PCs to avoid everybody talking at once. If possible, start with someone who instigated the scene change, or perhaps with the PC using the most relevant exploration activity, like a PC Hacking, Investigating, or Repairing the terminal, Deciphering the text, or Searching for secrets in the example above.
Daily Preparations
Source GM Core pg. 35
Before setting out to explore, or after a night's rest, the PCs spend time to prepare for the adventuring day. This typically happens over the span of 30 minutes to an hour upon awakening, but only after 8 full hours of rest. Daily preparations include the following.
Daily preparations are also a good time to ask how players think their characters are feeling. The twentieth morning of a long voyage through the Drift might see the characters wearily strapping on their boots and armor as listlessness sets in, but the sky being blacked out by hundreds of enemy starships could have a tense air of fear. Use this time to set the stage for the adventuring day to come!
- Spellcasters who Focus Points and other abilities that reset during daily preparations refresh. This includes abilities that can be used only a certain number of times per day.
- Each character equips their gear.
- Characters invest up to 10 worn magic items to gain their benefits for the day.
Daily preparations are also a good time to ask how players think their characters are feeling. The twentieth morning of a long voyage through the Drift might see the characters wearily strapping on their boots and armor as listlessness sets in, but the sky being blacked out by hundreds of enemy starships could have a tense air of fear. Use this time to set the stage for the adventuring day to come!
Hazards
Source GM Core pg. 35
Looking for and disarming hazards is a common exploration scene. Hazards shouldn't appear out of nowhere. A trap might be on a door's lock, a security checkpoint, or so on. Foreshadow traps with environmental clues, suspicious architecture, signs of the trap's past activations, and other signs. Remember that a surprise that's entirely unexpected is often very unsatisfying.
Simple hazards occur in exploration mode, but when a complex hazard triggers, move to exploration mode. When any hazard triggers, clearly depict what action by a PC set off the hazard, what happens as the hazard activates, and illustrate any aftereffects. Remember that a damaging hazard won't always have a huge effect. They tend to work best if their activation might alert creatures in the area, lock the PCs out of an area, or cause a similar narrative setback beyond just damage or another easily removed condition.
Simple hazards occur in exploration mode, but when a complex hazard triggers, move to exploration mode. When any hazard triggers, clearly depict what action by a PC set off the hazard, what happens as the hazard activates, and illustrate any aftereffects. Remember that a damaging hazard won't always have a huge effect. They tend to work best if their activation might alert creatures in the area, lock the PCs out of an area, or cause a similar narrative setback beyond just damage or another easily removed condition.
Searching for Traps
Source GM Core pg. 35
PCs have a better chance to detect hazards while exploring if they're using the Search activity (and the Detect Magic activity, in the case of some magic traps). If a PC detects a hazard and wants to disable it, slow down. Ask the player to describe what the PC is doing, and provide concrete details about how their efforts pan out to ramp up tension. If a hazard requires multiple checks to disable, describe what happens with each success to show incremental progress.
Investigations
Source GM Core pg. 35
Investigating and searching for clues is another common exploration scene. Lead with a definite clue that has details but clearly isn't the whole picture. For example, you might say: “This vidgame console looks similar to the ones commonly available for purchase, but it's clearly been modified for some kind of additional purpose,” or “This biotech laboratory has a dozen specimen cells lining the walls, each shut with heavy steel doors and an electronic lock that glows with a steady green light. One of the cell doors is ajar, and its lock flashes red.”
If these details pique a player's interest, transition to a more detailed investigation. They might look at the vidgame console more closely or search the ajar specimen cell. Avoid calling for checks if it isn't necessary. In the last example, you'd likely tell them the specimen cell is empty without another Perception check, and if the missing specimen left a trail you want the PCs to follow, asking for a Perception check to find it might stall the investigation in an uninteresting way. Discerning information about the missing specimen from clues in the cell or a nearby computer console could require a skill check, as lacking this additional information won't stop the investigation.
Though one person starts the investigation, getting others involved can help them become more interested and bring different skills to bear to get other types of information. Reward collaboration and clever ideas.
If these details pique a player's interest, transition to a more detailed investigation. They might look at the vidgame console more closely or search the ajar specimen cell. Avoid calling for checks if it isn't necessary. In the last example, you'd likely tell them the specimen cell is empty without another Perception check, and if the missing specimen left a trail you want the PCs to follow, asking for a Perception check to find it might stall the investigation in an uninteresting way. Discerning information about the missing specimen from clues in the cell or a nearby computer console could require a skill check, as lacking this additional information won't stop the investigation.
Though one person starts the investigation, getting others involved can help them become more interested and bring different skills to bear to get other types of information. Reward collaboration and clever ideas.
Roleplaying Investigations
Source GM Core pg. 36
To make the investigation feel real, it helps to talk a player through their character's thought processes by saying what clue inspired them to think of an important detail, explaining what the detail is, and possibly mentioning further questions that this detail raises. Let the player extrapolate their own conclusion rather than giving them the answers outright. Even if the investigation doesn't lead to an unambiguous conclusion, the players should feel they're more informed than when they started.
Travel
Source GM Core pg. 36
Long journeys are staples of both the sci-fi and fantasy genres, but they take work to be fun in play, especially if the timeline the PCs are on isn't urgent. Vehicles, public transportation, and starships are all commonplace throughout the galaxy, making the physical act of travel simple, reliable, and quick. If the PCs oversee their own journey, you might want to ask for a quick check at the start of the trip to Navigate, Plot Course, or Sense Direction. Use encounters and special scenes only if there's something compelling to cover. It's perfectly fine to fast-forward through exploration to get to the next stage of an adventure. That said, if any players have invested in exploration-themed abilities for their characters, those abilities should still matter.
For survival-themed adventures, or for adventures that focus on exploring newly discovered planets or low-tech worlds, you can lean heavier into the details of overland trips. You might want to have the group Analyze their Environment, Navigate or Sense Direction daily, or Subsist if they run out of food or water.
For survival-themed adventures, or for adventures that focus on exploring newly discovered planets or low-tech worlds, you can lean heavier into the details of overland trips. You might want to have the group Analyze their Environment, Navigate or Sense Direction daily, or Subsist if they run out of food or water.
Starship Travel Times
Source GM Core pg. 36
Starship travel is measured in hours or days. Standard starship engines can be used to go into orbit or land, travel point-to-point on a planet, travel to a planet's satellites and moons, and travel within a system. Drift engines enable hyperspace travel via the plane of the Drift and are used to travel within a system, or between distant systems. Using Drift engines, travel time is based on the region of space you wish to travel to: Near Space or the Vast. A planet is classified into these interstellar regions not by location, but by the number of Drift beacons in the vicinity. Thanks to the Starstone, Drift travel to Absalom Station is always swift, making it a galactic hub. While other galaxies exist, the distances between them and the galaxy of the Pact Worlds— known as Desna's Path—are so incredibly large that there have yet to be any confirmed instances of intergalactic travel.
Drift lanes first appeared in the aftermath of the Drift Crisis, a year during which the Drift was dangerously unstable. Drift lanes are essentially hyperspace highways through the Drift with consistent end points. They connect two locations in a chain and can't be used to rapidly reach other regions of space not on the chain, nor can they be entered at other locations. Some Drift lanes have one or more nodes along their route, which are early exits, similar to a highway's off-ramp. Like the Drift lane itself, these stops are consistent and don't change. Exiting at a node along a Drift lane shortens the overall travel time by an amount determined by you, likely by half or a third depending upon how many nodes are along a Drift lane's route. A starship that purposefully flies out of, or is knocked out of, a Drift lane is deposited in a random location in the Drift and must begin to Plot a Course through the Drift, as normal.
Typical travel times using standard engines, Drift engines, and Drift lanes are noted on the Starship Travel Time table below. These travel times are further modified by the result of a PC's check to Plot Course.
Drift lanes first appeared in the aftermath of the Drift Crisis, a year during which the Drift was dangerously unstable. Drift lanes are essentially hyperspace highways through the Drift with consistent end points. They connect two locations in a chain and can't be used to rapidly reach other regions of space not on the chain, nor can they be entered at other locations. Some Drift lanes have one or more nodes along their route, which are early exits, similar to a highway's off-ramp. Like the Drift lane itself, these stops are consistent and don't change. Exiting at a node along a Drift lane shortens the overall travel time by an amount determined by you, likely by half or a third depending upon how many nodes are along a Drift lane's route. A starship that purposefully flies out of, or is knocked out of, a Drift lane is deposited in a random location in the Drift and must begin to Plot a Course through the Drift, as normal.
Typical travel times using standard engines, Drift engines, and Drift lanes are noted on the Starship Travel Time table below. These travel times are further modified by the result of a PC's check to Plot Course.
Starship Travel Time
| Destination | Standard Engines | DriftEngines |
|---|---|---|
| Travel Point-to-Point on Planet | 1d4 Hours | N/A |
| Go Into Orbit or Land | 1 Hours | N/A |
| Reach Satellite from Orbit | 1 Hours | N/A |
| Travel In-System | 1d6+2 Days | 1d6 Days |
| Travel to Absalom Station | N/A | 1d6 Days |
| Travel to Near Space | N/A | 3d6 Days |
| Travel to the Vast | N/A | 5d6 Days |
| Travel a Drift Lane | N/A | 7 Days |
| Travel Between Galaxies | Unknown | Unknown |
Overland Travel Speed
Source GM Core pg. 36
Depending on how you track movement, the adventuring party might track the overland distance they travel in feet or miles based on the characters' Speeds with the relevant movement type. Typical rates are shown on the Travel Speed table. Groups traveling in vehicles instead use their vehicle's Speed, as noted in that vehicle's entry.
The rates on the Travel Speed table assume that the characters are traveling over flat and clear terrain at a determined pace, but one that's not exhausting. Moving through difficult terrain halves the listed movement rate. Greater difficult terrain reduces the distance traveled to one-third the listed amount. If the travel requires a skill check to accomplish, such as mountain climbing or swimming, you might call for a check once per hour, referencing the resulting distance on the Travel Speed table to determine the group's progress.
The rates on the Travel Speed table assume that the characters are traveling over flat and clear terrain at a determined pace, but one that's not exhausting. Moving through difficult terrain halves the listed movement rate. Greater difficult terrain reduces the distance traveled to one-third the listed amount. If the travel requires a skill check to accomplish, such as mountain climbing or swimming, you might call for a check once per hour, referencing the resulting distance on the Travel Speed table to determine the group's progress.
Travel Speed
| Speed | Feet per Minute | Miles per Hour | Miles per Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 feet | 100 | 1 | 8 |
| 15 feet | 150 | 1-1/2 | 12 |
| 20 feet | 200 | 2 | 16 |
| 25 feet | 250 | 2-1/2 | 20 |
| 30 feet | 300 | 3 | 24 |
| 35 feet | 350 | 3-1/2 | 28 |
| 40 feet | 400 | 4 | 32 |
| 50 feet | 500 | 5 | 40 |
| 60 feet | 600 | 6 | 48 |
Navigating
Source GM Core pg. 37
The Navigate and Sense Direction activities enable characters to detect north, navigate complex paths, and plan a short journey. To plan an interstellar journey, characters instead Plot Course. You can combine these checks with Recalling Knowledge about the area—typically using Nature or Society—for the PCs to get their initial bearings or learn about important locations along their route. The DC for these checks is usually trained or expert but can be more challenging for unexplored or remote regions. Some of these locations might be useful, such as a transmission tower, a fruit tree, or a space station. Others might be mysterious or dangerous, such as an alien's hunting grounds, an asteroid, or an abandoned laboratory. It's best to point out two or three landmarks and let the group decide on their course from there.
Getting Lost
Source GM Core pg. 37
When PCs are traveling through space, exploring the wilderness, or navigating twisting city streets and space stations, they might get lost. This is usually a consequence for failing at checks to Navigate or Sense Direction, or critically failing at a check to Plot Course, but it can also happen based on the story, such as if they crash-land on an undiscovered planet, pass through an interstellar portal, or emerge from an underground passageway into a forest. Playing through the process of trying to find their way can be fun for a party, provided they do so for a short interval. If a party is lost at the start of a session, they should usually have found their way and reached a significant destination by the end.
If the PCs get unlucky or are just awful at Piloting and Survival, they might end up stuck with no way to reorient themselves. In these cases, have someone come to them! They might meet some locals, get captured by predators, or even stumble upon a dangerous location. They've figured out where they are, even if it's not where they wanted to be!
If the PCs get unlucky or are just awful at Piloting and Survival, they might end up stuck with no way to reorient themselves. In these cases, have someone come to them! They might meet some locals, get captured by predators, or even stumble upon a dangerous location. They've figured out where they are, even if it's not where they wanted to be!
Encounters During Travel
Source GM Core pg. 37
You might want to include some encounters if the PCs are in a dangerous area, especially if they travel for a long time. For these encounters, choose creatures and characters that live in that type of environment. Remember that not all creatures attack on sight. An interactive scene with curious creatures, friendly travelers, or cautious locals all work well as travel encounters.
Adverse Weather and Terrain
Source GM Core pg. 37
Exploration gets slower when the party faces dense jungles, deep snow, sandstorms, extreme heat, gravity wells, asteroid belts, or similar difficult conditions. You decide how much these factors impact the characters' progress. The specific effects of certain types of terrain and weather are described in Environment.
Difficult Terrain
Source GM Core pg. 38
Difficult terrain can slow progress during overland journeys but rarely lasts long enough to impact interstellar voyages. Unless it's important how far the group gets in a particular time frame, this can be covered with a quick description of chopping through the vines, trudging through a bog, or piloting through prolonged turbulence or a Drift storm. If the characters are on a deadline, adjust their speed on the Travel Speed table (Travel), typically by cutting it in half if almost all the land is difficult terrain or to one-third for greater difficult terrain.
Hazardous Terrain
Source GM Core pg. 38
Hazardous terrain, such as the caldera of an active volcano, might physically harm the PCs or their vehicles. The group might have the option to travel directly through or to go around by spending more time. You can transition into a more detailed scene while the characters move through hazardous terrain and attempt to mitigate the damage with spells or skill checks. If they endure hazardous terrain, consider giving the PCs a minor or moderate XP reward at the end of their exploration, with slightly more XP if they took smart precautions to avoid damage.
Environmental Hazards
Source GM Core pg. 38
Dangerous crevasses, quicksand, and similar dangers are environmental hazards. Hazards that affect a starship instead use the cinematic starship combat system.
Surprise Attacks
Source GM Core pg. 38
Surprise attacks should be used sparingly, even in dangerous areas. The fact that PCs are usually in a group scares away most animals, and setting a watch can deter even more attackers. Surprise attacks are most likely if the PCs did something in advance that would lead to the ambush. For instance, they might be ambushed by mercenaries if they were flaunting their wealth earlier in the session, or they might be counterattacked by enemies if they attack the enemies first, only to retreat to rest. If the PCs set up camp hastily and decide not to set a watch, they might be in trouble if they're attacked. This should happen only in cases of extreme sloppiness, since if you take advantage of minor lapses, you might end up with a group that repeatedly spends an inordinate amount of time describing all their camping preparation to keep it from happening again. It's usually better to ask the PCs if they're setting up watches, rather than assume that their silence on the issue means they aren't.
Starting Encounters
Source GM Core pg. 38
If an encounter begins, shift to encounter mode by having everyone roll initiative, as described in Starting the Encounter. Call for initiative once a trap is triggered, as soon as two opposing groups come into contact, or when a creature on one side decides to take action against the other. In some cases, a trap or a foe has a reaction that tells you to roll initiative. For instance, a complex trap that's triggered might make an attack with its reaction before the initiative order begins. In these cases, resolve all the results of the reaction before calling for initiative rolls.
Fleshing Out Exploration
Source GM Core pg. 38
The more narrative pace of exploration mode means that you, as the GM, have a lot of freedom to emphasize important parts of the adventure to your players through evocative language and dramatic timing.
Evocative Environments
Source GM Core pg. 38
As the PCs explore, convey their surroundings by appealing to the players' senses. This sets the scene, gives them a better sense of their environment, and can be used to foreshadow what they might find ahead. When determining which details to cover, think about what's familiar versus novel. A new dungeon might have similar architecture to previous ones but feature ancient structures that set it apart. You can use the PCs' familiarity as a tool to single out what's new. When preparing for a game, imagine yourself in the environment and jot down a few notes about what you would sense. Conveying these details keeps the players on the same page about what they sense, even if each character responds to it differently.
Keep in mind that the more you explain something, the more important it seems. This is valuable for you to drive interest, but can also be a mixed blessing, since describing something inconsequential to set the mood can lead players off on a tangent. Sometimes, the best solution is to make that unimportant thing as important as the players think it is!
Keep in mind that the more you explain something, the more important it seems. This is valuable for you to drive interest, but can also be a mixed blessing, since describing something inconsequential to set the mood can lead players off on a tangent. Sometimes, the best solution is to make that unimportant thing as important as the players think it is!
Exploration Activities
Source GM Core pg. 38
In exploration mode, each player who wants to do something beyond just traveling chooses an exploration activity for their character. The purpose of these activities within the game is to clarify what a PC focuses on as they explore rather than unrealistically allowing them to do everything simultaneously. This adds variety within the group's behavior and can show you where players want the story to go. For example, a player whose PC is Investigating wall carvings shows you that the player wants those to be informative.
Exploration activities that happen continually as the group explores are meant to be narrative first and foremost, with the player describing to you what they're doing, and then you determining which activity applies and describing any details or alterations for the situation. If a player says, “I'm Avoiding Notice,” add more detail by asking what precautions they're taking or by telling them which passages they think are least guarded. Likewise, if a player says they're looking for traps and keeping their shield raised and covering the group's tracks, ask them which of these they're prioritizing to narrow down the activity. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of an activity given current circumstances. For instance, someone Scouting might trigger a laser turret before their group can reach them, or someone Investigating ancient alien carvings might critically fail and lead the party in the wrong direction. This doesn't apply for exploration activities that are discrete and occur when the group is taking a pause or zooming in on a particular action, such as Treat Wounds. Characters can always drop out of a continual exploration activity to perform a discrete one (even if they are fatigued and can't sustain an exploration activity as they travel), and they can change activities at any time.
The main exploration activities described in Player Core and what PCs can accomplish with them are as follows.
Skills also have exploration activities linked to them.
Exploration activities that happen continually as the group explores are meant to be narrative first and foremost, with the player describing to you what they're doing, and then you determining which activity applies and describing any details or alterations for the situation. If a player says, “I'm Avoiding Notice,” add more detail by asking what precautions they're taking or by telling them which passages they think are least guarded. Likewise, if a player says they're looking for traps and keeping their shield raised and covering the group's tracks, ask them which of these they're prioritizing to narrow down the activity. Consider the advantages and disadvantages of an activity given current circumstances. For instance, someone Scouting might trigger a laser turret before their group can reach them, or someone Investigating ancient alien carvings might critically fail and lead the party in the wrong direction. This doesn't apply for exploration activities that are discrete and occur when the group is taking a pause or zooming in on a particular action, such as Treat Wounds. Characters can always drop out of a continual exploration activity to perform a discrete one (even if they are fatigued and can't sustain an exploration activity as they travel), and they can change activities at any time.
The main exploration activities described in Player Core and what PCs can accomplish with them are as follows.
- Analyze Environment: Check for hazards.
- Avoid Notice (Stealth): Sneak around undetected.
- Defend: Keep a shield raised.
- Detect Magic: Repeat the detect magic spell (advice under Detect Magic).
- Follow the Expert: Improve your bonus with another tactic by following an ally's example (advice under Follow the Expert).
- Hustle: Travel faster.
- Install Upgrade: Use a repair toolkit to upgrade items.
- Investigate: Recall Knowledge of your surroundings (advice under Investigate).
- Livestream: Broadcast or record footage.
- Recharge: Charge a battery.
- Repeat a Spell: Cast or sustain a spell over and over.
- Scout: Look ahead for danger.
- Search (Perception): Seek out hidden things as you travel (advice under Search).
Skills also have exploration activities linked to them.
- Access Infosphere (Computers): Search local networks for information (advice under Access Infosphere).
- Borrow an Arcane Spell (Arcana): Prepare a spell from someone else's spellbook.
- Coerce (Intimidation): Threaten a creature so it does what you want.
- Cover Tracks (Survival): Obscure the PC's passing.
- Decipher Writing (Varies): Understand archaic, esoteric, or obscure texts.
- Gather Information (Diplomacy): Canvass the area to learn about a specific individual or topic (DCs listed here).
- Hack (Computers): Access, control, or make changes to a secure computer system.
- Identify Magic (Varies): Learn about a magic item, location, or ongoing effect (DCs listed here).
- Impersonate (Deception): Create a disguise.
- Implant Augmentation (Medicine): Use a medkit to implant augmentations.
- Learn a Spell (Varies): Use the skill corresponding to the spell's tradition to gain access to a new spell (Learn a Spell DCs).
- Make an Impression (Diplomacy): Make a good impression on someone.
- Navigate (Piloting): Plan a short journey overland or in space.
- Plot Course (Piloting): Plan a long journey in space.
- Repair (Crafting): Using a repair toolkit, fix a damaged item.
- Sense Direction (Survival): Get a sense of where the PC is or determine the cardinal directions.
- Squeeze (Acrobatics): Squeeze through very tight spaces.
- Track (Survival): Find and follow creatures' tracks (Tracking DCs).
- Treat Wounds (Medicine): Treat a living creature's wounds.
Access Infosphere
Source GM Core pg. 41
Be generous with what you allow your players to discover information on, but don't go in depth with this information. If a character learns everything they need to know off the infosphere, they won't bother interacting with the rest of the setting! It's best to use Access Infosphere to give general information, guidance, and clues to your players and to direct them to other NPCs and locations relevant to the adventure—this makes Access Infosphere a useful tool for everyone.
A character can't retry a check to Access Infosphere, but they can perform a follow-up search based on newly discovered information. If a player is slowing down the game with their incessant searches, tell that player they've found all they're capable of discovering from the infosphere for now, and consider decreasing the amount of information you provide in the future.
A character can't retry a check to Access Infosphere, but they can perform a follow-up search based on newly discovered information. If a player is slowing down the game with their incessant searches, tell that player they've found all they're capable of discovering from the infosphere for now, and consider decreasing the amount of information you provide in the future.
Detect Magic
Source GM Core pg. 41
This activity doesn't enable characters to automatically find every single magical aura or object during travel. Hazards that require a minimum proficiency can't be found with detect magic, nor can illusions of equal or higher rank than the spell.
When characters find something magical using this activity, let them know and give them the option to stop and explore further or continue on. Stopping brings you into a more roleplay-heavy scene in which players can search through an area, assess different items, or otherwise try to figure out the source of the magic and what it does. Continuing on might cause the group to miss out on beneficial magic items or trigger a magic trap.
When characters find something magical using this activity, let them know and give them the option to stop and explore further or continue on. Stopping brings you into a more roleplay-heavy scene in which players can search through an area, assess different items, or otherwise try to figure out the source of the magic and what it does. Continuing on might cause the group to miss out on beneficial magic items or trigger a magic trap.
Follow the Expert
Source GM Core pg. 41
Follow the Expert is a truly versatile activity that lets a PC who's lacking at a skill or exploration activity have a better chance to succeed. It provides a good way to help a character with a low Stealth modifier sneak around, to get a character with poor Athletics up a steep cliff, and so on. Usually, a character who's Following the Expert can't perform other exploration activities or follow more than one person at a time.
It's important that this doesn't become too rote. Let the players decide how one of them is helping the other. The description can give you more to work with and add flavor to the exploration beyond just the mechanics. Also, if one PC helps another in the same way over and over, that could be a sign of character growth. If the envoy has helped the soldier Avoid Notice over and over, the soldier is essentially receiving training in Stealth at that point and might want to consider taking or retraining a skill increase to make that true. Connections like these can breathe life into the characters and their relationships, and it can help promote camaraderie and interactions between characters.
It's important that this doesn't become too rote. Let the players decide how one of them is helping the other. The description can give you more to work with and add flavor to the exploration beyond just the mechanics. Also, if one PC helps another in the same way over and over, that could be a sign of character growth. If the envoy has helped the soldier Avoid Notice over and over, the soldier is essentially receiving training in Stealth at that point and might want to consider taking or retraining a skill increase to make that true. Connections like these can breathe life into the characters and their relationships, and it can help promote camaraderie and interactions between characters.
Investigate
Source GM Core pg. 42
As with Detecting Magic, the initial result of Investigating is usually enough to give the investigator a clue that leads to a more thorough examination, but it rarely gives all possible information. For instance, a character might note that the walls of a bedroom are covered with occult symbols, but they would need to stop to read the text or even determine that it's written in blood.
Search
Source GM Core pg. 42
With a successful Perception check while Searching, a character notices the presence or absence of something unusual in the area, but this doesn't provide a comprehensive catalog of everything there. Instead, it gives a jumping-off point for closer inspection or an encounter. For instance, if an area has both a DC 30 secret door and a DC 25 trap, and a Searching character got a 28 on their Perception check, you would tell the player that their character noticed a trap in the area, and you'd give a rough idea of the trap's location and nature. The party needs to examine the area more closely to learn specifics about the trap, and someone would need to Search again to get another chance to find the secret door.
If an area contains many objects or something that will take a while to search (such as a computer full of files), Searching would reveal the computer, but the PCs would have to examine it more thoroughly to check the files.
You roll a secret Perception check for a Searching character to detect any secrets they pass that are hidden in a place that stands out (such as near a door or a turn in a corridor), but not one in a more inconspicuous place (like a random point in a hallway) unless they're searching particularly slowly and meticulously.
The rules for Searching deliberately avoid giving intricate detail on how long a search takes. That's left in your hands because the circumstances of a search can vary widely. If the group isn't in any danger and has time for a very thorough search, that's a good time to allow them to automatically succeed, rather than bothering to roll, or you might have them roll to see how long it takes before they find what they're looking for, ultimately finding it eventually no matter the result. Conversely, if they stop for a thorough search in a dangerous location, their efforts might draw unwanted attention!
PCs might get to attempt another check if their initial search fails. It's best to tie this to taking a different tactic. Just saying “I search it again” isn't enough, but if a PC tries a different method or has other tools at their disposal, it could work. Be generous with what you allow, as long as the player puts thought into it! If you know a search isn't going to turn up anything useful, make that clear early so the group doesn't waste too much time on it. If they're determined to keep going—which they often are—you might have them find something useful but minor in the search.
If an area contains many objects or something that will take a while to search (such as a computer full of files), Searching would reveal the computer, but the PCs would have to examine it more thoroughly to check the files.
You roll a secret Perception check for a Searching character to detect any secrets they pass that are hidden in a place that stands out (such as near a door or a turn in a corridor), but not one in a more inconspicuous place (like a random point in a hallway) unless they're searching particularly slowly and meticulously.
The rules for Searching deliberately avoid giving intricate detail on how long a search takes. That's left in your hands because the circumstances of a search can vary widely. If the group isn't in any danger and has time for a very thorough search, that's a good time to allow them to automatically succeed, rather than bothering to roll, or you might have them roll to see how long it takes before they find what they're looking for, ultimately finding it eventually no matter the result. Conversely, if they stop for a thorough search in a dangerous location, their efforts might draw unwanted attention!
PCs might get to attempt another check if their initial search fails. It's best to tie this to taking a different tactic. Just saying “I search it again” isn't enough, but if a PC tries a different method or has other tools at their disposal, it could work. Be generous with what you allow, as long as the player puts thought into it! If you know a search isn't going to turn up anything useful, make that clear early so the group doesn't waste too much time on it. If they're determined to keep going—which they often are—you might have them find something useful but minor in the search.
Improvising New Activities
Source GM Core pg. 42
The list of exploration activities isn't exhaustive. More appear in special subsystems and adventures, and you'll often need to create your own. When making your own, it's usually fine to just consider whether the effort required is comparable to theother exploration activities and go from there. If you're having trouble, find a comparable activity. For example, if the PCs are Swimming as they explore, consider that travel speeds are based on the equivalent of 1 action per 6 seconds, and that other exploration activities the PCs can keep up without getting tired are generally based on alternating between 2 actions per 12 seconds, averaging to 1 action per 6 seconds. (Defend, for example, is based on using 1 action to Stride then 1 to Raise your Shield, which is why the PC moves at half Speed.) Hustle is a good example of an activity that can't be done indefinitely, so you can use it as a model for strenuous activities where the PCs are using the equivalent of 2 actions every 6 seconds.
When improvising an exploration activity, consider some advantages and disadvantages of that activity to inspire you. What else might the PC be neglecting while doing this activity? How does it interplay with activities that the rest of the party uses? If the new activity seems like it's a better option than other activities all or nearly all the time, chances are you might want to adjust it so it's more balanced.
When improvising an exploration activity, consider some advantages and disadvantages of that activity to inspire you. What else might the PC be neglecting while doing this activity? How does it interplay with activities that the rest of the party uses? If the new activity seems like it's a better option than other activities all or nearly all the time, chances are you might want to adjust it so it's more balanced.
Setting a Party Order
Source GM Core pg. 43
In exploration mode, it often matters which characters are in the front or back of the party formation. Let the players decide among themselves where in the group their characters are while exploring. This order can determine who gets attacked first when enemies or traps threaten from various directions. It's up to you to determine who gets targeted based on the situation.
When you come out of exploration mode, the group usually remains in the same general formation. Decide the PCs' exact positions, with their input, if you're moving to a grid. If they come out of exploration mode on their own terms, they can move around as they see fit. For example, if they detect a trap and the operative starts attempting to disarm it, the other characters can move to whatever locations they think are safe.
When you come out of exploration mode, the group usually remains in the same general formation. Decide the PCs' exact positions, with their input, if you're moving to a grid. If they come out of exploration mode on their own terms, they can move around as they see fit. For example, if they detect a trap and the operative starts attempting to disarm it, the other characters can move to whatever locations they think are safe.
Resting
Source GM Core pg. 43
Characters require 8 hours of sleep each day, and they can gain the benefits of resting only once every 24 hours. A character who rests for 8 hours recovers in the following ways.
A group in exploration mode can attempt to rest, but they aren't entirely safe from danger, and their rest might be interrupted. The 8 hours of rest don't need to be consecutive, however, and after an interruption, characters can go back to sleep.
Sleeping in armor results in poor rest and causes a character to wake up fatigued. If a character would've recovered from fatigue, sleeping in armor prevents it.
If a character goes more than 16 hours without going to sleep, they become fatigued.
Taking long-term rest for faster recovery is part of downtime and can't be done during exploration.
- The character regains Hit Points equal to their Constitution modifier (minimum 1) multiplied by their level. If they rest without any shelter or comfort, you might reduce this healing by half (to a minimum of 1 HP).
- The character loses the fatigued condition.
- The character reduces the severity of the doomed and drained conditions by 1.
- Most spellcasters need to rest before they regain their spells for the day.
A group in exploration mode can attempt to rest, but they aren't entirely safe from danger, and their rest might be interrupted. The 8 hours of rest don't need to be consecutive, however, and after an interruption, characters can go back to sleep.
Sleeping in armor results in poor rest and causes a character to wake up fatigued. If a character would've recovered from fatigue, sleeping in armor prevents it.
If a character goes more than 16 hours without going to sleep, they become fatigued.
Taking long-term rest for faster recovery is part of downtime and can't be done during exploration.
Watches and Surprise Attacks
Source GM Core pg. 43
Adventuring parties usually put a few people on guard to watch out for danger while the others rest. Spending time on watch also interrupts sleep, so a watch schedule needs to account for everyone's time on guard duty. The Watches and Rest table indicates how long the group needs to set aside for rest, assuming everyone gets a rotating watch assignment of equal length.
If a surprise encounter would occur during rest, you can roll a die to randomly determine which character is on watch at the time. All characters roll initiative; sleeping characters typically roll Perception with a –4 status penalty for being unconscious. They don't automatically wake up when rolling initiative, but they might roll a Perception check to wake up at the start of their turn due to noise. If a savvy enemy waits for a particularly vulnerable character to take watch before attacking, the attack can happen on that character's watch automatically. However, you might have the ambusher attempt a Stealth check against all characters' Perception DCs to see if anyone noticed its approach.
If a surprise encounter would occur during rest, you can roll a die to randomly determine which character is on watch at the time. All characters roll initiative; sleeping characters typically roll Perception with a –4 status penalty for being unconscious. They don't automatically wake up when rolling initiative, but they might roll a Perception check to wake up at the start of their turn due to noise. If a savvy enemy waits for a particularly vulnerable character to take watch before attacking, the attack can happen on that character's watch automatically. However, you might have the ambusher attempt a Stealth check against all characters' Perception DCs to see if anyone noticed its approach.
Watches and Rest
| Groups Size | Total Time | Duration of Each Watch |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 16 hours | 8 hours |
| 3 | 12 hours | 4 hours |
| 4 | 10 hours, 40 minutes | 2 hours, 40 minutes |
| 5 | 10 hours | 2 hours |
| 6 | 9 hours, 36 minutes | 1 hour, 36 minutes |
Environmental Protections
Source GM Core pg. 43
Modern armor has built-in environmental protections that, when activated, protect characters from the dangerous environmental effects of a vacuum and facilitate self-contained breathing. These basic environmental protections allow characters to survive and breathe in thick or thin atmospheres, in space, and underwater. They don't protect characters from other inhaled threats, such as smoke. Armor can maintain environmental protections for a number of days equal to the armor's item level (minimum 1 day).
Starvation and Thirst
Source GM Core pg. 43
When creatures can't eat or drink enough to survive comfortably, they're fatigued until they do. After a number of days without water equal to a creature's Constitution modifier + 1, the creature takes 1d4 damage each hour that can't be healed until it quenches its thirst. After the same amount of time without food, it takes 1 damage each day that can't be healed until it eats.