Adventuring
This chapter covers the core mechanics of movement, NPC companions, and traps, allowing players to fully immerse themselves in their adventures. This section provides guidelines for exploring the world, from traversing treacherous terrain to interacting with non-player characters, and avoiding or disarming traps along the way. Whether your character is delving into ancient ruins, tracking down a notorious criminal, or navigating the dangers of the Wild West, this chapter provides the essential rules needed to bring your adventures to life.
Movement
Most movement can be generalized, like “it takes about a day”. If you need something more specific, here are some rules.
Speed and Distance
Every character and monster has a Speed <SPD> Combat Value. This number represents short bursts of movement that cannot be sustained over longer periods.
On foot, assuming 8 hours of walking, the average party can travel roughly 25 miles in a day. If they are trying to rush, they can go up to 30 miles, but they will suffer (flip-2) penalties to Notice skill checks. If a party is trying to be stealthy or they are slowed by other factors, they can halve their movement to 12.5 miles per day.
A party can walk longer than 8 hours, but for each hour after the first everyone in the party must make an External Endurance [EE] Aspect check. The DTN starts at Average (12+) but goes up by one category for each additional hour spent. On a failure, the character suffers one level of exhaustion. Exhaustion is covered in the Conditions section.
Mounted and Vehicular Travel
For shorter periods (up to an hour), some animals such as horses can be ridden to cover twice the distance in the same amount of time when compared to walking. This assumes that the characters are allowing the mounts the appropriate time to recover before galloping off again.
Characters in wagons or carriages travel at their normal walking pace.
Mounted Combat
By using a Combat Move action, you can mount a willing creature that’s adjacent to you.
If an effect moves your mount against its will while you’re on it, you must make an Average (DTN 12+) Ride check or fall off the mount, landing prone in an adjacent space chosen by the GM. If your mount is knocked prone while you’re on it, you can make a Hard (DTN 15+) Acrobatics check to safely dismount and land on your feet in a space of your choosing adjacent to your mount.
If an effect causes you to become prone while you’re mounted, you must make a Hard (DTN 16+) Ride check or fall off the mount, landing prone in an adjacent space chosen by the GM.
Controlling a Mount
While you’re mounted, you have two options: control the mount or let it act on its own. Especially intelligent creatures always act independently.
You can control a mount only if it has been trained to accept a rider. The initiative of a controlled mount changes to match yours when you mount it (after the Combat Move has taken place, so 5 phases in the future). It moves as you direct it, and it has only a subset of actions available: Charge, Combat Move, Hold, Reckless Move, Running Leap, and Shift Position.
An independent mount retains its place in the initiative order. Bearing a rider puts no restrictions on the actions the mount can take, and it moves and acts as it wishes.
In either case, if the mount provokes an opportunity attack while you’re on it, the attacker can target you or the mount.
Corruption and the Shadow
With the collapse of the Wall, parts of the Far West have seen a rapid rise in crime, random violence, and people going crazy. It was quickly determined that the cause was some invasive force or infection that had been freed by the disappearance of the Wall. The Church revealed that they were aware of the potential for corruption (although they did not specify how they obtained that knowledge) and sent agents from Areast to combat it’s growing influence.
The corrupting influence of the Shadow is insidious, slowly and invisibly tainting those that it touches. Some seem to be naturally immune to it, while others can be trained to recognize and resist it’s effects. Those with evil intent and malice in their hearts are most susceptible to it. Entire frontier outlaw gangs have been known to succumb to the rot. Those that do are drawn to even more despicable acts of crime and terrorism.
There does seem to be an intelligence to the corruption, with a goal of gradually spreading east from where it lurked behind the Wall, while also stopping all attempts to rekindle the towers. No one knows if there’s a single entity behind the actions of the Shadow or perhaps multiple powers working together.
The corruption can spread through contact or simple proximity. Those who venture beyond the Wall’s former boundaries are at high levels of risk, as early scouting expeditions found to their dismay. Wounds caused by creatures of the Shadow can spread the infection unless treated properly. Extended exposure to someone who is tainted can spread it as well, much like a virus or disease. Plants, animals, and even the soil itself are not immune and are probably more easily twisted by the dark influence.
This contagion affects the mind, body, and soul. Initially, it may cause nothing more than bad dreams, some odd behaviors, and slight personality changes. If it is allowed to grow, a person or beast may become more hateful, more prone to violence, start hearing voices in their head, and the like. Eventually, it consumes the mind. The person or animal turns into a tool of darkness, an extension of the malevolent forces that come from the Shadow.
The further one gets from the Shadow, the less likely the infection is to spread. There have been no outbreaks in the Midwest or the Six. That’s not to say that there aren’t corrupted folk in those areas, but they don’t seem to have the ability to spread the sickness. It is very possible, if not probable, that corrupted agents of the Shadow are spreading eastward.
In terms of game mechanics, a character who is exposed to the Shadow may be asked to test to see if they are infected. This test is usually set against a DTN set by the GM based on the type of exposure. It is normally a test made using the Discipline skill (with the Resist the Shadow specialization). A failed test will result in one or more ranks of Corruption. The level of corruption is based on the number of ranks a character has.
If a character has at least one point of Corruption, there is a weekly chance that it may grow stronger if not treated. This is an unopposed Skill Test with Discipline (Resist the Shadow) against a DTN from the table below. This skill check can be modified based on circumstances. A test made in a Church or on Holy Ground while being treated for Corruption may result in a (flip+1) bonus, while a test made in the heart of the Shadow may result in a (flip-1) penalty.
| Ranks of Corruption | Level | Weekly Test |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | None |
| 1-9 | Level 1 | Easy (9+) |
| 10-19 | Level 2 | Average (12+) |
| 20-34 | Level 3 | Hard (15+) |
| 35-49 | Level 4 | Very Hard (18+) |
| 50+ | Level 5 | – |
Level 1
The character is slightly infected and most likely unaware of it. They show no signs or symptoms. The corruption could only be detected through magical means, and even that is no guarantee. The character may occasionally have bad dreams, feel like they are being watched, or feel tired for no reason.
The GM may keep this level of corruption a secret from the player, as the character usually would have no idea they were infected.
Level 2
The character shows no obvious physical signs of being tainted but does start to exhibit personality changes. They become quicker to anger and more likely to take questionable or even illegal actions. The bad dreams get worse, and the character may feel weak or sickly at times. Faint voices can be heard in the character’s head. He or she can feel something is wrong but will not admit it, as the corruption continues to grow.
Level 3
The character starts to be transformed, physically, mentally, and spiritually. The character is always angry and paranoid. Friends become enemies. Everyone else is weak. The character appears pale, although darker skin patches can appear, usually around the eyes and fingers. The voices get stronger and more coherent, urging the character to take evil actions. Some are subjected to coughing fits, others to involuntary twitches and muscle spasms, hair color can change or fall out entirely, etc.
The character starts to secretly assist the malevolent forces of the Shadow, subtly sabotaging any efforts to resist the encroachment, attempting to recruit and infect others, lying, stealing, and otherwise causing harm.
Level 4
The character is an agent of the Shadow, used however is best to further the expansion into the West. If the character is a simple fighter, the Shadow finds a way to use his combat skills. If the character is a government official, he or she will attempt to hide the influence and act in more indirect ways. Some have learned to control and even remove physical signs of the taint, making them harder to discover. Others become mutated and are obviously corrupted. These mutations often enhance or exaggerate physical traits the person has, adding excessive muscle mass or elongating limbs.
Level 5
When a character has reached this level of corruption, he or she is no longer in control. They have become an extension of the Shadow, maintaining all of what they knew before but now entirely in the thrall of the Shadow. Humans cannot handle this extreme level of corruption and are eventually burnt out and destroyed, usually in spectacular fashion. The amount of time it takes to be destroyed is based on the character’s willpower and desire to hold onto life.
Catching and Spreading the Corruption
There are many ways to become Corrupted and the Shadow is always looking to exploit any weaknesses it can. The GM may call upon a player to make an unopposed skill test using Discipline (Resist the Shadow) in the following circumstances:
| Event | DTN |
|---|---|
| Prolonged travel in the lands immediately close to the Wall | Very Easy (7+) |
| Travel in the edges of the Shadow | Easy (9+) |
| Travel in the heart of the Shadow | Hard (15+) |
| In close proximity to a creature with 1 or more levels of Corruption | Very Easy (7+) |
| In close proximity to a creature with the Shadow keyword | Very Easy (7+) |
| Seriously wounded by a creature with the Shadow keyword | Average (12+) |
| Upkeeping an ongoing Dark spell for an extended period | Hard (15+) |
A failed test results in a character gaining 1 rank of corruption.
While traveling in areas where it’s possible to become corrupted, the GM may have the characters test daily or weekly, as appropriate. Likewise, the amount of time a character needs to be exposed
While inside one of the Towers, there is no need to test. The Towers have a way to mitigate the Shadow’s influence inside their walls.
There may be modifiers to the flip to resist corruption based on circumstances.
| Event | Flip Modifier |
|---|---|
| A character that already has evil tendencies | (shift-1) |
| A character is aware of a corrupted individual’s potential danger | (shift+1) |
| A character can cast Light spells | (shift+1) |
Cleaning the Corruption
There is no natural means to clear corruption once one has it. There are only two ways that are known to remove corruption. The first is the Remove Corruption spell, detailed in the Magic chapter. The second, known only to a few, is to be within a Tower when it is rekindled. Anyone within a Tower at the moment the magic is rekindled is cleansed of all corruption and becomes immune to the corruptive effects for a week.
Traps and Hazards
Detection and Avoidance
Detection of traps is typically a Notice [SP] against a DTN set by the skill of the person who created the trap and the environment that the trap is located in. Some traps may allow a last-second reaction to avoid damage or other harmful effects. This is done as an Aspect Check against a DTN set by the trap.
Damage
Some traps do damage. This is usually a specific value of STUN damage (reduced by <ER> or <IR>, as usual) along with a number of cards to be flipped. As with combat damage, each Heart in the flip does a point of LETHAL and increases the amount of STUN. Some traps will do half damage even if a character succeeds on the avoidance check.
Sample traps:
Snare Trap
A snare trap is little more than a rope tied to a tree. Setting off the trap will result in the animal or person being yanked violently from the ground into the air, suspended and vulnerable.
Detection: Notice [SP] – Average (12+)
Avoidance: Soft Strength [SS] – Average (12+)
Trap Damage: 5 STUN plus Damage Flip 3
If the trap is triggered, the character can make the avoidance check listed above. On a failure, they are suspended 10 feet above the ground, gains the Immobilized condition, and takes Trap Damage. Any damage to the rope will allow the player to escape the trap, but if they are not careful they will take the Trap Damage again as they fall.
Pit Trap
A pit trap is a simple hole or trench hidden by foliage and filled with sharpened spikes.
Detection: Notice [SP] – Average (12+)
Avoidance: Soft Strength [SS] – Average (12+)
Trap Damage: 5 STUN plus Damage Flip 3 (Avoidance for half).
If the players notice the trap, it’s easy to just walk around the edges of the pit. If someone steps in the pit trap, they take the damage. If they make an Avoidance check, they only take half.
