Explorer
Fantasy/Fairy tale: Explorer, adventurer, delver, mystery seeker
Modern/Horror/Romance: athlete, explorer, adventurer, drifter, detective, scholar, spelunker, trailblazer, investigative reporter
Science fiction: Explorer, adventurer, wanderer, planetary specialist, xenobiologist
Superhero/Post-Apocalyptic: adventurer, crimefighter
You are a person of action and physical ability, fearlessly facing the unknown. You travel to strange, exotic, and dangerous places, and discover new things. This means you’re physical but also probably knowledgeable.
Individual Role: Although Explorers can be academics or well studied, they are first and foremost interested in action. They face grave dangers and terrible obstacles as a routine part of life.
Group Role: Explorers sometimes work alone, but far more often they operate in teams with other characters. The Explorer frequently leads the way, blazing the trail. However, they’re also likely to stop and investigate anything intriguing they stumble upon.
Societal Role: Not all Explorers are out traipsing through the wilderness or poking about an old ruin. Sometimes, an Explorer is a teacher, a scientist, a detective, or an investigative reporter. In any event, an Explorer bravely faces new challenges and gathers knowledge to share with others.
Advanced Explorers: Higher-tier Explorers gain more skills, some combat abilities, and a number of abilities that allow them to deal with danger. In short, they become more and more well-rounded, able to deal with any challenge.
Explorer Player Intrusions
When playing an Explorer, you can spend 1 XP to use one of the following player intrusions, provided the situation is appropriate and the GM agrees.
Fortuitous Malfunction: A trap or a dangerous device malfunctions before it can affect you.
Serendipitous Landmark: Just when it seems like the path is lost (or you are), a trail marker, a landmark, or simply the way the terrain or corridor bends, rises, or falls away suggests to you the best path forward, at least from this point.
Weak Strain: The poison or disease turns out not to be as debilitating or deadly as it first seemed, and inflicts only half the damage that it would have otherwise.
Explorer Stat Pools
| Stat | Pool Starting Value |
|---|---|
| Might | 10 |
| Speed | 9 |
| Intellect | 9 |
You get 6 additional points to divide among your stat Pools however you wish.
First Tier Explorer
First-tier Explorers have the following abilities:
Effort: Your Effort is 1.
Physical Nature: You have a Might Edge of 1, a Speed Edge of 0, and an Intellect Edge of 0.
Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time.
Starting Equipment: Appropriate clothing and a weapon of your choice, plus two expensive items, two moderately priced items, and up to four inexpensive items.
Weapons: You can use light and medium weapons without penalty. You have an inability with heavy weapons; your attacks with heavy weapons are hindered.
Special Abilities: Choose four of the abilities listed below. You can’t choose the same ability more than once unless its description says otherwise. The full description for each listed ability can be found in Abilities, which also has descriptions for flavor and focus abilities in a single vast catalog.
Block
3 Speed Points
You automatically block the next melee attack made against you within the next minute.
Action to initiate.
Find the Way
When you apply Effort to a navigation task because you don’t know the way, are lost, are attempting to blaze a new route, need to choose between two or more otherwise similar paths to take, or something very similar, you can apply a free level of Effort.
Enabler.
Muscles of Iron
2 Might Point
For the next ten minutes, all Might-based actions other than attack rolls that you attempt are eased. If you already have this ability from another source, the effect of this ability lasts for one hour instead of ten minutes.
Enabler.
Practiced With All Weapons
You become practiced with light, medium, and heavy weapons and suffer no penalty when using any kind of weapon.
Enabler.
Danger Sense
1 Speed Point
Your initiative task is eased. You pay the cost each time the ability is used.
Enabler.
Fleet of Foot
1+ Speed Points
You can move a short distance as part of another action. You can move a long distance as your entire action for a turn. If you apply a level of Effort to this ability, you can move a long distance and make an attack as your entire action for a turn, but the attack is hindered.
Enabler.
No Need for Weapons
When you make an unarmed attack (such as a punch or kick), it counts as a medium weapon instead of a light weapon.
Enabler.
Practiced in Armor
You can wear armor for long periods of time without tiring and can compensate for slowed reactions from wearing armor. You reduce the Speed cost for wearing armor by 1. You start the game with a type of armor of your choice.
Enabler.
Trained Without Armor
You are trained in Speed defense tasks when not wearing armor.
Enabler.
Surging Confidence
1 Might Point
When you use an action to make your first recovery roll of the day, you immediately gain another action.
Enabler.
Decipher
1 Intellect Point
If you spend one minute examining a piece of writing or code in a language you do not understand, you can make an Intellect roll of difficulty 3 (or higher, based on the complexity of the language or code) to get the gist of the message.
Action to initiate.
Improved Edge
Choose one of your Edge stats that is 0. It increases to 1.
Enabler.
Physical Skills
You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: balancing, climbing, jumping, running, or swimming. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills.
Enabler.
Endurance
Any duration dealing with physical actions is either doubled or halved, whichever is better for you. For example, if the typical person can hold their breath for thirty seconds, you can hold it for one minute. If the typical person can march for four hours without stopping, you can do so for eight hours. In terms of harmful effects, if a poison paralyzes its victims for one minute, you are paralyzed for thirty seconds. The minimum duration is always one round.
Enabler.
Knowledge Skills
You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two areas of knowledge such as history, geography, archeology, and so on. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills.
Enabler.
Second Tier Explorer
Choose four of the abilities listed below (or from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier abilities with a different one from a lower tier.
Curious
You’re always curious about your surroundings, even on a subconscious level. Whenever you use Effort to attempt navigation, perception, or initiative tasks in an area that you’ve only rarely or never visited before, you can apply an additional free level of Effort.
Enabler.
Eye for Detail
2 Intellect Points
When you spend five minutes or so thoroughly exploring an area no larger than a short distance in diameter, you can ask the GM one question about the area. The GM must answer you truthfully. You cannot use this more than one time per area per 24 hours.
Action to initiate, five minutes to complete.
Quick Recovery
Your second recovery roll (usually requiring ten minutes) is only a single action.
Enabler.
Travel Skills
You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: navigation, riding, running, piloting, or vehicle driving. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills.
Enabler.
Danger Instinct
3 Speed Points
If you are attacked by surprise, whether by a creature, a device, or simply an environmental hazard (a tree falling on you), you can move an immediate distance before the attack occurs. If moving prevents the attack, you are safe. If the attack can still potentially affect you—if the attacking creature can move to keep pace, if the attack fills an area too big to escape, etc. —the ability offers no benefit.
Enabler.
Foil Danger
2 Intellect Points
You negate one source of potential danger related to one creature or object that you are aware of within immediate distance for one round. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a trap triggered by a pressure plate, or a creature’s natural ability (something special, innate, and dangerous, like a dragon’s fiery breath or a giant cobra’s venom). You can also try to foil a foe’s mundane action (such as an attack with a weapon or claw), so that the action isn’t made this round. Make your roll against the level of the attack, danger, or creature.
Action.
Range Increase
Ranges for you increase by one step. Immediate becomes short, short becomes long, long becomes very long, and very long becomes 1,000 feet (300 m).
Enabler.
Wreck
Using two hands, you wield a weapon or a tool with a powerful swing. (If fighting unarmed, this attack is made with both fists or both feet together.) When using this as an attack, you take a −1 penalty to the attack roll, and you inflict 3 additional points of damage. When attempting to damage an object or barrier, you are trained in the task.
Action.
Enable Others
You can use the helping rules to provide a benefit to another character attempting a physical task. Unlike the normal helping rules, this doesn’t require you to use your action helping the other character with the task. This requires no action on your part.
Enabler.
Hand to Eye
2 Speed Points
This ability provides an asset to any tasks involving manual dexterity, such as pickpocketing, lockpicking, games involving agility, and so on. Each use lasts up to a minute; a new use (to switch tasks) replaces the previous use.
Action to initiate.
Skill With Defense
Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type.
Enabler.
Escape
2 Speed Points
You slip your restraints, squeeze through the bars, break the grip of a creature holding you, pull free from sucking quicksand, or otherwise get loose from whatever is holding you in place.
Action.
Investigative Skills
You are trained in two skills in which you are not already trained. Choose two of the following: perception, identifying, lockpicking, assessing danger, or tinkering with devices. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose two different skills.
Enabler.
Stand Watch
2 Intellect Points
While standing watch (mostly remaining in place for an extended period of time), you unfailingly remain awake and alert for up to eight hours. During this time, you are trained in perception tasks as well as stealth tasks to conceal yourself from those who might approach.
Action to initiate.
Third Tier Explorer
Choose three of the abilities listed below (or from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier abilities with a different one from a lower tier.
Controlled Fall
When you fall while you are able to use actions and within reach of a vertical surface, you can attempt to slow your fall. Make a Speed roll with a difficulty of 1 for every 20 feet (6 m) you fall. On a success, you take half damage from the fall. If you reduce the difficulty to 0, you take no damage.
Enabler.
Obstacle Running
3 Speed Points
For the next minute, you can ignore obstacles that slow your movement, allowing you to travel at normal speed through areas with rubble, fences, tables, and similar objects that you would have to climb over or move around. This movement might include sliding on a railing, briefly running along a wall, or even stepping on a creature to boost yourself over something. If an obstacle would normally require a Might or Speed task to overcome, such as swinging on a rope, balancing on a rope, or jumping over a hole, you are trained in that task.
Enabler.
Skill With Attacks
Choose one type of attack in which you are not already trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are trained in attacks using that type of weapon. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of attack.
Enabler.
Expert Cypher Use
You can bear three cyphers at a time.
Enabler.
Wrest From Chance
If you roll a natural 1 on a d20, you can reroll the die. If you reroll, you avoid a GM intrusion—unless you roll a second 1—and might succeed on your task. Once you use this ability, it is not available again until after you make a ten-hour recovery roll.
Enabler.
Experienced in Armor
The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed cost by 2.
Enabler.
Resilience
You have 1 point of Armor against any kind of physical damage, even physical damage that normally ignores Armor.
Enabler.
Stone Breaker
Your attacks against objects inflict 4 additional points of damage when you use a melee weapon that you wield in two hands.
Enabler.
Run and Fight
4 Might Points
You can move a short distance and make a melee attack that inflicts 2 additional points of damage.
Action.
Think Your Way Out
When you wish it, you can use points from your Intellect Pool rather than your Might Pool or Speed Pool on any noncombat action.
Enabler.
Ignore the Pain
You ignore the impaired condition and treat the debilitated condition as impaired.
Enabler.
Seize the Moment
4+ Speed Points
If you succeed on a Speed defense roll to resist an attack, you gain an action. You can use the action immediately even if you have already taken a turn in the round. You don’t take an action during the next round, unless you apply a level of Effort when you use Seize the Moment.
Enabler.
Trapfinder
3+ Intellect Points
You find any traps (like a floor that would give way beneath you) or mechanical triggers to a trap or defense system that might pose a threat. You can do this without setting them off and in lieu of making a roll to find them. This ability can find traps of level 4 or below. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the level of traps that can be found by 2, so using two levels of Effort can find all traps of level 8 or below.
Action.
Fourth Tier Explorer
Choose two of the abilities listed below (or from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier abilities with a different one from a lower tier.
Runner
Your standard movement increases from short to long.
Enabler.
Expert Skill
Instead of rolling a d20, you can choose to automatically succeed on a task you’re trained in. The task must be difficulty 4 or lower, and it can’t be an attack roll or a defense roll.
Enabler.
Read the Signs
4 Intellect Points
You examine an area and learn precise, useful details about the past (if any exist). You can ask the GM up to four questions about the immediate area; each requires its own roll.
Action.
Capable Warrior
Your attacks deal 1 additional point of damage.
Enabler.
Increased Effects
You treat rolls of natural 19 as rolls of natural 20 for either Might actions or Speed actions (your choice when you gain this ability). This allows you to gain a major effect on a natural 19 or 20.
Enabler.
Subtle Steps
When you move no more than a short distance, you can move without making a sound, regardless of the surface you move across.
Enabler.
Tough As Nails
When you are impaired or debilitated on the damage track, Might-based tasks and defense rolls you attempt are eased. If you also have Ignore the Pain, make a difficulty 1 Might defense roll when you reach 0 points in all three of your Pools to immediately regain 1 Might point and avoid dying. Each time you attempt to save yourself with this ability before your next ten-hour recovery roll, the task is hindered.
Enabler.
Fifth Tier Explorer
Choose three of the abilities listed below (or from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier abilities with a different one from a lower tier.
Adroit Cypher Use
You can bear four cyphers at a time.
Enabler.
Hard to Kill
You can choose to reroll any defense task you make but never more than once per round.
Enabler.
Vigilant
5 Might Points
When affected by an attack or effect that would daze or stun you, you are not dazed or stunned.
Enabler.
Jump Attack
5+ Might Points
You attempt a difficulty 4 Might roll to jump high into the air as part of your melee attack action. If you succeed at the jump and your attack hits, you inflict 3 additional points of damage and knock the foe prone. If you fail at the jump, you still make your normal attack roll, but you don’t inflict the extra damage or knock down the opponent if you hit. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to enhance your jump; each level of Effort used in this way adds +2 feet to the height and +1 damage to the attack.
Action.
Free to Move
You ignore all movement penalties and adjustments due to terrain or other obstacles. You can fit through any space large enough to fit your head. Tasks involving breaking free of bonds, a creature’s grip, or any similar impediment gain three free levels of Effort.
Enabler.
Physically Gifted
Any time you spend points from your Might Pool or Speed Pool on an action for any reason, if you roll a 1 on the associated die, you reroll, always taking the second result (even if it’s another 1).
Enabler.
Mastery With Defense
Choose one type of defense task in which you are trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are specialized in defense tasks of that type. You can select this ability up to three times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of defense task.
Enabler.
Parry
5 Speed Points
You can deflect incoming attacks quickly. When you activate this ability, for the next ten rounds you ease all Speed defense rolls.
Enabler.
Group Friendship
4 Intellect Points
You convince a sentient creature to regard you (and up to ten creatures that you designate within immediate distance of you) positively, as they would a potential friend.
Action.
Take Command
3 Intellect Points
You issue a specific command to another character. If that character chooses to listen, any attack they attempt on their next turn is eased, and a hit deals 3 additional points of damage. If your command is to perform a task other than an attack, the task is eased as if it benefited from a free level of Effort.
Action.
Sixth Tier Explorer
Choose three of the abilities listed below (or from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier abilities with a different one from a lower tier.
Again and Again
8 Speed Points
You can take an additional action in a round in which you have already acted.
Enabler.
Inspire Coordinated Actions
9 Intellect Points
If your allies can see and easily understand you, you can instruct each of them to take one specific action (the same action for all of them). If any of them choose to take that exact action, they can do so as an additional action immediately. This doesn’t interfere with them taking their normal actions on their turns.
Action.
Mastery in Armor
The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed Effort cost for wearing armor to 0.
Enabler.
Mastery With Attacks
Choose one type of attack in which you are trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are specialized in attacks using that type of weapon.
Enabler.
Spin Attack
5+ Speed Points
You stand still and make attacks against up to five foes, all as part of the same action in one round. All of the attacks have to be the same sort of attack (melee or ranged). Make a separate attack roll for each foe. You remain limited by the amount of Effort you can apply on one action. Anything that modifies your attack or damage applies to all of these attacks. In addition to the normal options for using Effort, you can choose to use Effort to increase the number of foes you can attack with this ability (one additional foe per level of Effort used in this way).
Action.
Negate Danger
7 Intellect Points
You permanently negate a source of potential danger related to one creature or object within immediate distance. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a creature’s natural ability, or a trap triggered by a pressure plate.
Action.
Share Defense
If your training in a defense task is greater than that of an ally within short range, your advice and insight allow them to substitute your training for that defense task.
Enabler.
Wild Vitality
4 Intellect Points
ou attune with the life force of a natural creature (your size or bigger) within long range that you can see. This is a level 2 Intellect task. If you succeed, the creature is not harmed, but through resonance with its wild vitality, you gain several benefits for up to one minute: an asset to all your Might-based tasks (including attacks and defenses), +2 to your Might Edge and Speed Edge, and 2 additional points of damage on all successful melee attacks.