Exploration Turns

Exploration Turn Actions

During an Exploration Turn, the Company may perform one significant action, such as moving from one room to another, searching or exploring a room, attempting to force a door open, and so on.

The Company usually acts as a group, but a larger group action can be broken down into separate individual actions, such as each Errant examining a different part of the room.

Alternatively, smaller individual actions can be ‘bundled together’ to create a significant action of the Turn (e.g. one Errant explores a side passage, one talks to the floating donkey on top of the bookshelf, while the third sits in a corner and ingests copious amounts of divine placenta).

If in doubt, the caller is always free to ask the Guide if a given action will take an Exploration Turn, or for the Guide to inform the Company if their desired activity counts as their action for the Exploration Turn.

Graphic: Three Errants in a dark dungeon marching towards the frame. There is a robe-wearing, staff-wielding occult; a gruff violent carrying an axe, and a short deviant with her hair and a tight bun and two daggers held in reversed grips. They glance around cautiously, but do not see the glinting eyes and sharp teeth leering at them from a nearby doorway.

Pace

The rate of movement in Exploration Turns is expressed by Pace, which is represented as a fraction.

The numerator determines how many significant locations (e.g. a room) can be travelled, while the denominator represents how many Turns that takes. The standard Pace is 1/1, representing one significant location travelled per Exploration Turn.

Pace is modified by the tempo at which the Company chooses to travel, as well as factors such as the size of areas and whether they have been previously explored.


Moving slowly	x/+1	+1 positive Event Die. Any hazards or points of interest are automatically detected.
Moving quickly	+2/x	+1 negative Event Die. No mapping can occur. Hazards or points of interest are overlooked.
Large areas	x/+1
Huge areas	x/+2
Explored areas	+3/x

Mapping

When the Company is exploring a dungeon or other location, the Guide should give them reasonably exact descriptions of the areas in which they find themselves, including details such as the width, breadth, and height of rooms and such; the standard Pace assumed in an Exploration Turn assumes careful mapping and noting of such information.

However, the Guide is under no obligation to correct any but the most egregious of errors in the map the players create for themselves, unless failing to do so would hinder play. The Errants should be left to suffer the consequences of their own actions.

Marching Order

In enclosed sites of adventure such as dungeons, the Company would be wise to decide upon their marching order judiciously.

Generally in a 10’ hallway, Errants can stand two abreast.

Scout - Errants who are scouting are exploring ahead of the Company before signalling them to continue. If the Company declares that they are moving from one room to a room on the other end of a hallway, for example, the scout would generally first traverse that hallway and enter the room, while the rest of the Company stays behind in that first room, till the scout gives the all clear. Any encounters and encounter signs are found by the scout first, and they make any necessary Reaction Rolls. If encountered by NPCs, scouting Errants are allowed to make a Check to hide.
Van - Errants in the front line of the Company generally end up in closest engagement during combat. They are the first to encounter or spot any hazards or details ahead of the Company, such as traps, characters, hidden treasures, and so on, and make any Checks pertaining to those, if necessary. They also will generally make Reaction Rolls for any NPC encountered, assuming that those NPC are encountered from the front.
Main - the middle rank of the Company will often find themselves stuck behind the front row in an engagement, and so longer weapons such as spears are recommended (as is placing shorter Company members in the front). Any hazards or details that might emerge within the Company’s midst, say from the floor, ceiling, or walls, are within the purview of the characters in the middle rank, and they make any relevant Checks or Reaction Rolls that deal with such.
Rear - in an engagement, those in the back row will often have to resort to missile weapons, Sorceries, and Miracles, though they should take care not to catch their comrades in the crossfire (placing the tallest members of the Company in the back is generally a good idea). Any hazards or details that encroach from behind the Company are the responsibility of the back row, as well as any Checks or Reaction Rolls thereof.

Resting

An Errant who spends an Exploration Turn Resting may use an armour repair kit to replenish their Blocks.

Graphic: A man slumped against a low wooden fence, mopping his brow with a hankerchief. He is dressed for the road, and surrounded by the accoutrements of an Errant: sword, shield, pack, and satchel.

Illumination

Darkness is not a static, passive thing to be easily banished by candle or torch. Darkness is a giant beast that laps greedily at the pool of light, always encroaching.

Most adventure sites will be dark, and thus characters require illumination to see.

Bright light, however, obviates the possibility for surprising foes, and alerts the denizens of deep and dark places, for whom the shadows hold no secrets, to the Company’s presence. Generally, if the total amount of Burn from light sources is equal to or greater than the number of Company members, the Company is considered to be in bright light.

If the total amount of Burn from light sources is less than half the number of Company members, the Company is considered to be in dim light. A single Errant moving with a deliberately discreet form of illumination, such as a hooded lantern or candle, is also considered to be in dim light.

Doors

Graphic: A crenelated stone tower with fleshy arms, legs, and face. It squats, massive mouth open wide and dongue draped out across the ground. It looks out from the picture as if annoyed that the viewer hasn’t already walked into its toothy maw.

Doors are the natural enemies of all Errants, jealous guardians of the treasure that prying hands seek to make their own.

Opening a stuck door is DV 4 phys Check by base, though this may be increased if the door is heavy, large, and/or barred or otherwise obstructed.

Each additional Errant assisting in forcing the door open reduces the DV of the Check by 2, provided their phys is at least twice the DV to open the door. The number of Errants that can try to force open the door at once is limited by the door’s width: one Errant per five feet. Using a prybar reduces the DV by 4, but limits the Errant using it to only receiving assistance from one other Errant also using a prybar, who will reduce the DV of the Check by 2. Trying to force a stuck door open takes one Exploration Turn.

If a door cannot be forced open, the Errants may choose to try to break it down. A wooden door takes two Exploration Turns to break down; a door made of stone or metal would take considerably longer. Using inappropriate items to break down a door, such as weapons, causes them to lose 1 point of Quality or make a Breakage roll per Exploration Turn. Breaking open a door causes a great deal of noise, and will doubtless alert all and sundry nearby to the Company’s presence, and causing +1 negative Event Die to be rolled.

A locked door may be forced open, or an Errant may attempt to Lockpick it. Successfully picking a locked door does not take an Exploration Turn, but failing to pick the lock will cause an Exploration Turn to elapse.

Stuck doors may swing shut behind Errants who pass through them, becoming stuck once more, unless they are wedged open with spikes.

Doors will happily and freely admit all NPCs not allied with the Company to pass through.

Lockpicking

Picking a lock requires burglar’s tools, and selecting the correct Lockpicking actions in the correct order. These actions are twist, tap, and turn. Every lock requires three actions to unlock; no action is ever used in a row. Upon selecting the wrong action, the lock will become stiff. Once a lock becomes stiff, it remains so until it is unlocked. If the wrong action is chosen while the lock is stiff, the lock is jammed and becomes unable to be unlocked.

If a character is trying to open a lock during Initiative Turns, each Lockpicking action counts as one action.

Locks of the same type are all opened the same way (e.g. if the pattern for a tin lock is twist, tap, and turn, all tin locks are opened by twist, tap, and turn).

Modifiers can increase the diversity of lock types without increasing the complexity of solutions. For example:

Cracked - for the first action, any action taken will be correct.
Weathered - ignore the first time a lock would become jammed.
Secured - the first wrong action causes the lock to become jammed.
Spiked - each wrong action deals D4 damage to the lock picker.

Graphic: A fancy lock, with little curls of metal spreading out from either side of the keyhole.

To generate a lock, roll a D12 for each column.


1	Strange	Twist, Tap, Twist	Spiked
2	Adamantine	Twist, Tap, Turn	Spiked
3	Mythril	Twist, Turn, Twist	Secured
4	Diamond	Twist, Turn, Tap	Secured
5	Dwarven	Tap, Twist, Tap	Weathered
6	Elvish	Tap, Twist, Turn	Weathered
7	Steel	Tap, Turn, Twist	Cracked
8	Iron	Tap, Turn, Tap	Cracked
9	Brass	Turn, Twist, Tap	Normal
10	Copper	Turn, Twist, Turn	Normal
11	Tin	Turn, Tap, Twist	Normal
12	Crude	Turn, Tap, Turn	Normal

Strange locks are anything out of the ordinary: crystal, organic, magical, clockwork, etc.

Graphic: A round-topped wooden door set in a stone wall. A knocker hangs from a menacing face: fanged mouth, glaring eyes, and horns splayed out around it like the rays of the sun. The flagstone in front of the door is large and raised above the rest. Almost as if it’s a welcome mat…or a pressure plate.

Stealth

Moving silently and unseen is a skill Check with a DV equal to the Errant’s Encumbrance.

Scouting characters are allowed to make a Check to hide reactively when an NPC is encountered.

When attempting to move stealthily as a group, one member of the group rolls the Check. The DV is equal to the total Encumbrance of the group, divided by two.

Factors such as visibility, scent, noisiness of terrain, etc. should be considered when determining Position and Impact.

Graphic: A lone Errant steps carefully over uneven stone ruins, hand resting on a precarious column for support. They wear a tunic over a chain shirt and coif, and hold a longsword at the ready. Atop the precarious column, not visible to the Errant, a menacing face is depicted.

Traps

An Errant who triggers a trap may make a Saving Throw to avoid its effects. The base DV for avoiding a trap is equal to the level of the dungeon the trap is located on; if this is not applicable, the Guide may set whatever DV they feel is appropriate.

Some old traps may have a chance not to trigger; in this case the Guide may roll the Die Of Fate.

Disarming or re-arming a trap takes an Exploration Turn. If the method the Errants have described for doing so is risky or uncertain, they make a Check to see if they are successful.

Harvesting Materials

Harvesting inert materials from flora and fauna, such as fur, teeth, leaves, etc., is a generally trivial matter. Each Errant can harvest about 1 Item Slot’s worth of such components per Exploration Turn.

However, harvesting active alchemical components, such as a spider’s poison sac or a psychedelic mushroom, in a manner that preserves their properties is a more delicate task. Doing so requires a skill Check which takes an Exploration Turn, and an alchemist’s kit with space to store the items.

A Check to harvest alchemical components from a creature has a DV equal to half their Threat.

An alchemist’s kit can hold four alchemical components. Most plant matter counts as a single alchemical component. An alchemical component harvested from a creature counts as a number of alchemical components equal to half their Threat.

Graphic: A bearded man in an iron helm lingers over a dead spider. The beast is easily half his own size. He holds the creature’s freshly-removed guts in his gloved hands.

Collapsed Structures

Oft has an Errant, in their folly, disturbed the structural integrity of whatever dank cave or dusty hallway in which they have found themselves, leaving them trapped in a tomb of their own making. If the Company finds themselves facing a collapsed tunnel or other structure, all hope of progress is not lost.

Without any tools, an Errant can manage to dig out about one cubic foot of rubble per Exploration Turn.

An Errant properly equipped with, say, a pickaxe or a shovel can dig out about five cubic feet of rubble per Exploration Turn.

Basically: a hole just big enough to crawl through.

Crawling through such a hole does not affect Pace; careful movement and mapping proceeds at about the same rate of movement as a crawl (though they obviously will not be able to map or notice relevant features of the environment while doing so).

To fully clear a collapsed structure takes significantly longer, and will depend on the specifics of what is being excavated; a general rule of thumb is that one person with proper tools can dig out about 150 cubic feet per day (such an excavation is a good job for an Expedition).

Graphic: Three Errants work to dig out some rubble, their work illuminated by lantern light. One figure squats down on a pile of loose refuse and stone, struggling to lift a large rock. Another figure, shirtless, uses a shovel to dig at gravel and dirt, throwing it over his shoulder. The last figure takes cover as the flying dirt and gravel goes over their head. The room they work in has half-collapsed with one of the pillars tilted to one side, covered with treasure and refuse alike, ranging from swords to music boxes to lanterns.

Exploration Turn Procedure

The Guide declares the start of an Exploration Turn; the timekeeper notes down which number Exploration Turn this is.
The caller relays the Company’s action for the Exploration Turn to the Guide.

- If they are moving, the caller declares the Pace they are moving at, and the Guide makes any other necessary adjustments to their Pace.

The timekeeper rolls the Event Die.
The result of the Event Die and the Company’s action are resolved.