2.3. Exploration Box

While exploring and interacting with the world around you, look to the Exploration Box on Page 1 of your Character Sheet. The Exploration Box lists your Exploration Stats, Exploration Skills, and helpful References of your character's capabilities and limits.

Exploration Stats

Each character has a different balance of Exploration Stats that help you navigate the world and interact with it.

The Exploration Stats are:

Might

The front-line force of the group. Favored stat of skilled strikers, bulky athletes, and seasoned warriors.

Artifice

The back-line specialist of the group. Favored stat of dexterous fighters, skillful snipers, and nimble-handed craftsmen.

Tuning

The magical conduit of the group. Favored stat of Dark mages and enlightened sages.

Starting Exploration Stats

Ask your GM how they want to generate stats. There are two primary methods:

Stat Gen Method: Point-Roll

Start with each stat equal to -1. Perform a Test with a +0 Modifier four times. Your Score determines which Exploration Stat you gain:

Score:

[0!] Critical Failure. No Stat increase.
[1..3] Might Stat +1.
[4..6] Artifice Stat +1.
[7..9] Tuning Stat +1.
[10!] Critical Success. Assign a +1 to any Exploration Stat. Gain an additional die to roll.

Repeat this process a second time, then choose which of the two sets of Exploration Stats you want.

Example:

#Bob rolls 4d10 and gets 0, 3, 7, 9. These Scores correlate with the stats -None-, Might, Tuning, and Tuning.

#Bob determines his first option for stats is Might 0, Artifice -1, and Tuning 1.

#Bob rolls 4d10 again and this time gets 1, 3, 5, 10. Because he got a Critical Success, #Bob is able to roll again and gets a 4. #Bob's Scores correlate with the stats Might, Might, Artifice, any Exploration Stat, and Artifice, respectively.

#Bob assigns his Critical Success to his Might Stat, meaning his second option for stats is Might 2, Artifice 1, and Tuning -1.

#Bob chooses the second set of stats to be his starting stats.

Stat Gen Method: Point-Buy

Start with each stat equal to -1. Assign 4 points to any stat you choose.

Example:

#Alice assigns 0 points to Might, 1 point to Artifice, and 3 points to Tuning.

#Alice's stats are Might -1, Artifice 0, and Tuning 2.

Exploration Skills

The Character Sheet divides the Exploration Skills into a grid with a column for each Exploration Stat and a row for each Exploration Skill category. The three categories are:

Perception Skills - Gathering information about the world.
Covert Skills - Remaining undetected as you move and interact with the world.
Knowledge Skills - Recall information about the world to help you perform specialized tasks.

Perception Skills

The Perception Skills help you learn more about new locations you explore and can help you detect and avoid danger before it happens.

The Perception Skills are most often used with the Investigate Ability. When you use that Ability, the Skill you choose determines which questions you can ask. In this way, each character's own perceptions may reveal different information.

Aside from the Investigate ability, the GM may have you make Tests using the Perception Skills while you are diving deeper into what you have found in the world.

Below are the three core Perception Skills and examples of the Tests a GM may call for:

Recon

Secure a campsite.
Determine the weak and strong points of security. Predict security features, protocols, spells, etc.
Keep watch or scout ahead to detect sights and sounds of nearby creatures that may be using Sneaking.
Identify leadership and hierarchies. Identify lower members of a group that may be more susceptible to attacks, be that physical or rhetorical.
Gather details that may help determine a character's rank or threat level (though a creature's magical or unseen capabilities may require a Conjuring or Enchanting Tests.)

Analysis

Tracking an enemy's movements after-the-fact. While in an Encounter against a Sneaking enemy, you can determine the route that an enemy traveled.
Look over specific objects or phenomena to gather clues with speed and care. Determine how a non-magical mechanism or trap works.
Search for info or a specific item with speed an care.
Note: This skill will not involve altering the subject in any way. For alterations, dissection, or dismantling, use Subtlety Skill instead.

Sensing

Sense the presence of Invisible beings, magical auras, or magical effects in the area (though you will not learn their exact location.)
With a High Score you may be able to see auras. You may also be able to see the afterimage of magic cast within the last hour and gain clues indicating whether it's Conjuration or Enchantment magic. You may also learn clues pointing to what spell it is (The GM may require other Conjuring or Enchanting Skill Tests to fully identify the Spell and recall its specifics.) Note: A skilled magic users can use Abilities like Cryptoarcanology to disguise or hide their magic use from your Sensing Skill. As such, you may not want to always trust what you see with your Sensing.
With a Mixed Score you may feel a general presence of magic with no clear location or direction. You may also miss dormant magic items or dormant magical effects.
On a Low Score you may miss magic that is there or get incorrect information about the magic in the area, though the GM could also tell you the truth. Be careful, as this could lead you into a magical trap!

Covert Skills

Below are the three core Covert Skills that help you avoid detection. The GM may use these Skills in other ways, but you will generally roll them during covert operations (as discussed in 1.10. Covert Operations.)

Sneaking

Use Movement without others hearing or seeing you.

Subtlety

Use Abilities or improvise actions without others hearing or seeing you.
Pickpocket or perform up-close magic.

Hiding

Hide or camouflage yourself, other creatures, or objects.
Bend awareness away from yourself to avoid unwanted attention.

Knowledge Skills

Knowledge Skills represent all other areas of skill that your character has.

Below are the Knowledge Skills and example use cases for each:

Athletics Skill (Might)

Perform more demanding or hazardous feat of sport, like acrobatics, climbing, swimming, wrestling, etc.
Climb or hold on to a slippery, unstable, or hazardous surface while something is trying to knock you off.
Say afloat in difficult waters or while something is trying to interfere with your swimming.
Lift or carry heavy objects. You can freely lift and carry objects that are your same size and weight or less. If the object is up to double your size and weight, you will need to perform a Test to try to lift and carry it. Anything larger or heavier and you will not be able to lift it without help that, with combined weight and size, can once again beat the object's own weight and size.

History Skill (Might)

Recall oral stories, legends, customs, religions, or other historical info that existed or occurred more than 5 years ago. This knowledge can include battles, heroes, politics, etc.
Recall beliefs of religions more than 5 years old.
Recall and perform traditions or traditional ceremonies with accuracy and the acceptance of those familiar with such rites.

Rumor Skill (Artifice)

Recall current events (within the last 5 years.) Recall modern prominent figures. Recall modern customs, conspiracies, secrets, and the inner workings of governments, factions, and new-age religions.
Blend in with the locals or conform to etiquette. When interacting with a class of society with which your character has little experience, you may need to roll with Disadvantage.
Search a town for trustworthy merchants, local establishments, or leads on info about a subject. Find a fence or secret group located in the area.

Tinkering Skill (Artifice)

Craft, alter, dissect, or dismantle things at a physical level.
Disarm or alter a trap or mechanism.
Craft small, crude constructions from raw materials or perform unskilled or crude surgeries. (More complex tinkering in these areas may require specialized tools and supplies. The GM may also ask that you Pass more than one Test.)

Conjuring Skill (Tuning)

Recall information about conjuration magic. This includes spells that: evoke elements from thin air, summon entities from beyond, conjure images in the mind.
Recall information about animals, plants, and other creatures and their innate, natural or magical abilities. This includes gods and primordial beings, such as elementals, demons, fiends, celestials, and arch-fey, provided they did not rise to their position.
When inspecting an active magical effect or the afterimage of a Spell cast within the last hour, you may learn what sort of creature or magic item cast the Spell.
Analyzing Spells beyond the Investigate Ability may put you in harms way. You could cause the spell's echo to affect you in some way or trigger a magical trap.

Enchanting Skill (Tuning)

Recall information about magic that involves enchanting creatures and objects. This includes spells that buff or debuff existing objects and creatures. It also includes charms and the process of creating magic items.
Recall information about unnatural creatures, such as aberrations, cursed beings, and unnaturally ascended beings. This includes gods and other entities warped or modified from their natural state.
When inspecting an active magical effect or the afterimage of a Spell cast within the last hour, you may also learn what the target of the Spell or magic item was.
Analyzing Spells beyond the Investigate Ability may put you in harms way. You could cause the spell's echo to affect you in some way or trigger a magical trap.

Gods

When recalling knowledge of gods and their realms using Conjuring or Enchanting, you will not, by default, recall the customs or beliefs of a cult tied to the god, nor the cult's customs or followers. For that, you'll need to use History or Rumor.

GM Note: Conjuring vs Enchanting

The differences between Conjuring and Enchanting can be hard to tease out at first. Try to do your best.

Often a creature could fall into both categories, but the Enchantment or Conjuration information you could glean would differ. For example, studying a fairy may lead a Conjurer to facts about that fairy's origins, what types of Conjuration magic it can wield, along with natural weakness or strengths. An Enchanter studying the same fairy may instead learn of alterations that the void has made to the fairy, Enchantment Spells that the fairy likely knows, or unnatural weaknesses or strengths that the fairy has gained.

Again, do your best. Try to stay consistent and keeps the two Skills balanced.

GM Tip: Players guessing the wrong skill

Note that some knowledge -- like History and Rumor -- may be unclear to new players. If a player guesses the wrong skill, direct them to the correct Knowledge Skill rather than punishing a player's naivete.

Example:

"Can I roll History to see if I know anything about the cultists?"
"We know this is a newer cult... Roll Rumor instead."

References

The References section lists your character's Size, Movement Styles, and any other helpful references you wish to add.

Size

From the Glossary:

There're 7 core Sizes that are each double that of the previous size. The units listed below are the max area that each size can block off or choose to take up. That said, the creature may not fill that entire size or may fill more than that area:

Size	Reference	Units (in³)	Units (ft³)	Units (cm³)
Tiny	Spider, Chicken, Rat, Roach	¼	1¼	40
Small	Koala, Raccoon, Turkey	½	2½	80
Medium	Donkey, Pig, Emu, Human, Bigfoot	1	5	160 (1.6 m³)
Large	Cow, Moose	2	10	320 (3.2 m³)
Huge	Elephant, Giraffe	4	20	640 (6.4 m³)
Massive	Whale Shark, Blue Whale	8	40	1280 (12.5 m³)
Gargantuan	A swarm of 15 creatures	16	80	2560 (25.6 m³)
If a creature blocking your way is more than one size larger or smaller than you, you can pass through their space fine. If a creature using the Grapple Ability is the same size or larger than you, they may gain an extra effect.

Creatures that fail to fully fit the cube sizes above will list a modifier after their size. These modifiers won't provide an exact size, but help indicate how much extra or less space they take up. The modifiers are as follows:

Size Modifier	Modification Description
Short	Height is closer to half their cube size, or shorter.
Tall	Height is closer to one and a half their cube size, or taller.
Long	Length is closer to double their cube size, or longer.
Below are some examples of creatures for different modified sizes:

Medium Short. Capybara, Panda, Wolf, Dwarf.
Medium Tall. Bear, Minotaur, Bigfoot.

Movement Styles

Most all PCs start with the ability to Walk and Half-Jump. (See 1.5. Phases of Play#Movement.)

Other References

The References section provides blanks for other Movement Styles that you may gain, though you can also use these blanks for any other notes you wish to make about your character.

Next Up: 2.4. Social Box