Adventure and Exploration
Random Events
There is danger everywhere in Kuyama. We represent these shifting and unpredictable circumstances by random events tables. The GM is encouraged to roll for a random events when the party is being slow, reckless, or when they spend time in a dangerous place.
Random events should be used to interject new features of a locale and as a consequence for player action (or inaction).
Travel
In Kuyama, roads are rare and the wilds are perilous. Journeys must be undertaken with care and preparation, and finding the resources for a long voyage is an adventure unto itself.
Distances
In general, a well-provisioned party can travel the following distances, given good conditions and known roads or trails.
- 20km per day on foot.
- 25km per day if traveling with laden mules.
- 40km per day by canoe.
- 50km per day on horseback.
- 150km per day by tradeboat.
The following modifiers can be applied:
- If terrain is treacherous or conditions are poor, the party travels at half speed for the day.
- If the party pushes themselves and their mounts, or travels through the night, they may double their speed. Each party member becomes exhausted
- If the party is mounted, they must make a group Horsemanship test or a mount becomes injured and cannot be ridden further.
- If the party is traveling by water, they must make a group Boating test or their boat becomes damaged and must be repaired over a day before traveling onwards.
When considering a journey, the GM should decide on the appropriate distance and can estimate the number of days. Depending on the characters knowledge, they may not know the exact travel distance or time.
Each day, decide whether the party is traveling through safe roads, unknown lands, or shrouded places.
Weather
If you wish, roll on the Weather table. Adjust results up by 1 or 2 for stormy seasons or places.
| D8 | Weather |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sweltering |
| 2 | Beautiful |
| 3 | Fair |
| 4 | Brisk |
| 5 | Foggy |
| 6 | Dismal |
| 7 | Foul |
| 8 | Treacherous |
| Fog is common throughout the day, even in the summertime. Treacherous weather can be wind and dust-storms as well as rain, or heavy snowfall in the mountains. |
Safe Roads
Safe roads in Kuyama have an abundance of wild game and fresh water. Hospitality is the rule and small villages or towns will happily host well-mannered travelers.
Travel via safe roads may be hand-waved, though you may roll on the Roadside Events table where appropriate.
| D10 | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | A small band of traders with stuffed burden-baskets and laden mules walk slowly down the path. They trade chocolate, tobacco, and one or two rare items. |
| 2 | A single flamboyantly dressed dwarf rides a dappled horse, strumming a guitar. Trades tales of giants and mountain-spirits for a coin or a drink. |
| 3 | A distressed rider with a wide-brimmed hat and lariat thunders down the trail, looking for a small herd of lost, or stolen, horses. |
| 4 | A pair of shovelhorns pull a plush cart with three bored diplomats and a handful of guards. They have connections to a nearby village. |
| 5 | A cloud of dust announces a sweat-soaked messenger, riding hard. She carries news of an alliance between two longtime rivals. |
| 6 | A grinning forager has come into a windfall - fish, berries, mushrooms, nuts, and seeds. They offer to share all they have. |
| 7 | A rockslide or fallen tree has blocked the road. Clearing it will take hours of hard work, the alternate path is treacherous. |
| 8 | Four grim-faced riders in heavy leather armor ride down the trail, lances pointed at the sky. They are fresh from a skirmish and have lost one of their number. |
| 9 | Something large rustles through the bushes alongside the trail. A deer, mountain lion, or wild turkey? |
| 10 | A dust-devil whips alongside the road. Someone spiritual might notice that it leaves an omen in its wake - foreshadowing a great danger or blessing in the near future. |
Unknown Lands
While not hostile, unknown lands require care to traverse and present the risk of becoming lost or running out of supplies. In unknown lands, there is no-one to consult for directions.
Each day of travel in unknown lands requires a single member of the party to make a test to navigate. On a failure, the party becomes lost for that day. They make no progress and must roll a deprivation. Worse, the next day's test to navigate is made with disadvantage.
| D10 | Deprivation |
|---|---|
| 1 | D3 rations or 1 provision spoil. |
| 2 | A mount is lamed and cannot travel further. |
| 3 | Poisonous vines irritate skin and inflame tempers. The party's Grit and Wits are impaired until the following day. |
| 4 | Bees swarm an unlucky partymember. Their Quick is impaired until the following day. |
| 5 | A partymember scrapes themselves on a branch. A pack of gorewolves gets the scent and begins to stalk them. They will attack an isolated person or animal. |
| 6 | The party takes a poor path through a marsh and becomes stuck. Each player must make a skill test to free themselves. A failure results in the loss of an item. |
| 7 | A flock of inkbats descends on the party! |
| 8 | The smell of smoke precedes a flash brushfire. The characters must test Quick or be singed by the flames and take 1 wound. |
| 9 | A timbersnake strikes out at an unlucky partymember or mount. If they fail a Quick test, they are poisoned for UD8 damage per day. |
| 10 | A water source has spoiled. Test Grit or suffer the quakes (disease, UD4 Quick). |
| Foraging food is not guaranteed in unknown lands. The party must make a group test to forage. On a failure, the party must consume a provision or each character must consume a ration. |
You may use the following table for events in unknown lands.
| D10 | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | Enormous shovelhorn tracks smash their way through the brush. Interleaved within them are the tracks of a pursuing feral thornback. |
| 2 | A browsing herd of elk cross the path. |
| 3 | The moaning roar of a khorsine mauler echoes through a valley. The massive beast is nearby, and distressed. |
| 4 | A tipsy, musket-toting tracker staggers out of the brush. He's been tracking a lost dog for days, and is thoroughly over it. |
| 5 | A pure-white heron lands on the path and stares the party down, before coughing up a pellet. Inside the hairball is a gold-veined quartz in the shape of a skull. |
| 6 | Branches crash as a berzerk giant banana slug trundles from the brush. It is stuck with a poisoned arrow and crazed with pain. |
| 7 | A painted arrow leads to a hidden cache of nuts, dried meat, and a bundle of healing herbs. |
| 8 | An out of season storm blows in suddenly, drenching the party and turning the trail to mud. The next day's travel is at half speed. |
| 9 | The keenest-eyed party member spies a shortcut across a small creek. Navigating the treacherous bank requires a test. If successful, the party moves double speed for the day. |
| 10 | A warm breeze fresh with the scent of spring flowers washes over the party. A single redwing swoops overhead and drops a shining feather. If prayed over during a rest, it will remove a disease, poison, or curse. |
Shrouded Places
Certain locations in Kuyama are thick with peril - and adventurers frequently find themselves is such places.
In shrouded places, time, distance, and rations must be tracked carefully due to the presence of mounting danger. Characters may run the same risk of getting lost or not finding food as in unknown lands.
Gloom
Gloom represents the rising threat triggered by the players' presence in a hostile place. It is intended to apply pressure to characters and prevent them from lingering overlong in dangerous areas.
Gloom has two applications:
- It increases the danger of the random encounters in a region.
- A region may have persistent complications that a GM may activate once Gloom reaches certain thresholds.
The following properties appear in descriptions of shrouded places.
- The interval at which Gloom accumulates. Typically hourly, every 6 hours, or daily.
- How Gloom is dispersed. This might be resting in safe areas, making alliances, or performing rituals.
- A random events table separated into Clear and Shrouded entries.
- When a random event is triggered, roll on the table. Use the Clear entry if the result is greater than the region's current Gloom. Otherwise, use the Shrouded entry.
- Complications that may be introduced as a result of certain thresholds of Gloom.
Example: Where-The-Surf-Splinters-Trees
The rocky coastline of Where-The-Surf-Splinters-Trees is treacherous to land and sea voyager alike. Grinding through slick kelp-coated crags, mountains of water smash against the rapidly eroding cliffside, grinding stone to gravel and mighty redwoods to splinters. Slipper sharks search for prey foolish enough to stray near the tidal zone, and treacherous mistwraiths lead the foolish or unlucky to their doom.
Gloom builds: 1 point per 6 hours travel, plus 1 point on entering the water or getting lost in the fog.
Gloom disperses: When the characters reach a settlement, or if a Sacred Torch is burnt during a night's sleep.
| D8 | Clear | Shrouded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | A wild-eyed trio of traders staggers through the fog. They will discount wares for protection to the nearest settlement. | The smashed bodies of a trio of traders can be seen floating in the surf. |
| 2 | A salt-singer hunting party deftly maneuvers their canoes through the deadly currents. They will not stop, but can lead boats to safety. | A rogue wave capsizes a salt-singer hunting canoe. One of the sailors is tangled in a net. |
| 3 | A tattered fin is visible for a second. | D4 slipper sharks attack anything near the water. |
| 4 | A character feels damp fingers running down their neck. | A mistwraith attempts to lead the party over the cliffside or into the rocks. |
| 5 | A nearby cliffside crumbles, sending a redwood crashing into the ocean. | The ground the party is on or near collapses sending deadly rocks crashing into them! |
| 6 | A trail of seaweed and slime leads into the water. | A stranglekelp hulk begins stalking the party, hungry for meat. |
| 7 | A muffled, rhythmic thumping pulses through the air and then fades. | Ghosts are dancing through the mist. The characters must succeed a Shine test or follow them to somewhere dark and terrible. |
| 8 | A panicked deer sprints across the path, trailing a few drops of blood. | A frenzied gorewolf dances through the trees, drawn to the scent of blood. |
| Bloodcrows (3 Gloom): A flock of red-beaked crows tenaciously follows the party. They will set upon any corpse or Wounded creature, inflicting Ud4 bleeding. If dispersed, they will regroup within an hour. |
Mistwraiths (5 Gloom): The mistwraiths in the fog grow bold and will continually harass any characters caught in the dark, tickling and taunting them and causing paths to become muddled and confused. Any attempts to navigate are at disadvantage, and players must exert every time they venture into the dark.
Storm Surge (8 Gloom): A far-off storm causes the waves to take on monstrous size. Anyone near the cliff's edge must test Quick every 10 minutes or slip into the deadly waters below.
Tip for Creating Shrouded Places
Start with a random encounter table you like and split it into two columns. Decide whether each encounter makes more sense as Clear or Shrouded. Monsters, traps, and other hazards should be Shrouded. Omens, environmental changes, and helpful entries like merchants and travelers should be Clear.
To create Clear events from Shrouded ones, replace the danger with a sign or omen of the danger. A pack of wolves becomes a gnawed deer carcass or howls in the distance. A dragon becomes a pile of dragon-scat or a terrified villager.
To create Shrouded events from Clear ones, the rolled result wants to injure the party. A trader wants to swindle them, a gust of wind causes a rockslide, a gossip at the gathering tries to poison them.
For a normal adventure site, Gloom is typically generated every 6 hours. It is generally dispersed when the players reach safety - this can be safe rooms throughout the dungeon, or when they leave the dungeon.
You don't need any complications, but take a minute and think if there's one thing that could kick in halfway or two thirds through the table. Large environmental changes are good - a storm, a wildfire, the rising tide. Or it can track the alertness of the enemy war-band, the patience of the chief, or the intensity of a battle. Anything that might serve as time pressure can be a good thing to introduce as a Gloom complication.
Over the Water
Canoes, rafts, skiffs, and boats of all kinds are a common sight in Kuyama. Proud tradeboats cut across the Endless Ocean for faraway islands, mighty tomol canoes make the journey to the shark-infested shores, and tule-reed boats silently stalk the marshes and estuaries.
Travel by water has its own set of dangers and challenges. While traveling well-known waters, you may treat them as safe roads provided the craft is well-provisioned. If the journey is along an unfamiliar or unexplored waterway, treat it as unknown lands instead with the following deprivations and events.
| D10 | Deprivation |
|---|---|
| 1 | D3 rations or 1 provision spoil. |
| 2 | The vessel strikes flotsam and and must be repaired. |
| 3 | The vessel becomes fouled in kelp or river-reeds and must be carefully unstuck. |
| 4 | The burning sun causes deep sunburns on anyone unprotected. The afflicted are impaired on Grit tests. |
| 5 | A heavy fog sets in, reducing visibility to dangerous levels. Make a test to navigate or run the vessel aground and wreck her. |
| 6 | A foul miasma rolls across the water, released by some closeness to the Lower World. Anyone who breathes it in must Grit or suffer weeping fever (disease, UD4 Wits). |
| 7 | A flock of greedgulls descends and starts tearing apart any exposed containers or cloth searching for shiny objects. |
| 8 | A water source has spoiled. Test Grit or suffer the quakes (disease, UD4 Quick). |
| 9 | Sudden winds and harsh weather cause everyone to lose sleep. D4 Spirit damage. |
| 10 | A foul, acidic sludge begins to ooze from the bottom of the boat. A slimestar has attached itself to the outer hull and is slowly digesting the wood. It will destroy the boat in D3 days unless dislodged. |
| D10 | Event |
|---|---|
| 1 | A shoal of glittering rainbow kilifish surge around the vessel. They are delicious to eat and fetch 1 coin apiece if they can be brought to market. |
| 2 | Laughing water spirits threaten to capsize the boat unless distracted with music or song. |
| 3 | The grease-stained sails and foul black smoke of a tinkerfolk tug rise over the horizon. They want to trade. |
| 4 | A reeking whalespout tinged with blood erupts nearby, but without any sign of a whale. That night, the party has nightmares of being hunted by harpoons and do not rest. |
| 5 | A massive strangler eel begins stalking the vessel. It will attempt to pick off someone distracted or who leans too far over the edge. |
| 6 | A squall blows through, sending the vessel off-course. Unless they succeed a Hard test to navigate, they lose a day of travel. |
| 7 | A swordfish with a shining necklace of pearls wrapped around its point swims to the surface, spends a moment examining the vessel, then dives deep below. |
| 8 | The water begins to boil with thousands of tiny spidersquid. D4 hungry slipper sharks are not far behind. |
| 9 | A floating bit of flotsam has a sealed oilskin pouch with a map painted inside. It leads to a place of great power. |
| 10 | A landed fish has a severed finger in its belly. It always points towards a muck-filled sea-cave that contains a path to the Lower World. |
Hazards
The following hazards might befall unlucky adventurers during their explorations.
Darkness
In situations where the party cannot see, they may not dodge or parry attacks. They make melee attacks at disadvantage, and cannot make ranged attacks.
Light sources
Torches and lanterns illuminate 10 meters in all directions. Lighting a torch or lantern is an action and requires flint and tinder, or a Woodcraft test and 10 minutes.
A lantern typically burns for UD4 hours. A torch or candle burns for UD4 10-minute stretches. Roll the usage die if the light source is in danger of going out from wind, water, or sudden activity!
Deprivation
Going without a good night's rest, a provision, or half a waterskin of water each day causes exhaustion. After three days of exhaustion, each additional day will deal a D4 Grit damage.
Disease
Disease degrades Attributes over time until treated with a skill test. It is represented as a usage die over an interval, typically UD4 per day. The victim suffers the listed attribute damage at the end of the interval. While diseased, a character may not rest or restore Stamina without supernatural intervention. A night's sleep does not cure a disease.
A skill test will stop a disease from dealing further damage, but the character does not regain lost attributes until they recover.
If an attribute is reduced to 0, the character is lost.
Drowning
It requires a test to perform difficult feats of swimming, swim in dangerous water, or to swim in heavy clothing or armor. On a failure, you sink underwater and must hold your breath.
Holding your Breath
Each round test Grit to hold your breath. Once you fail, you breathe in. If you are underwater, you begin to drown and take D6 damage per round until rescued.
Falling
Falling on something hard inflicts a number of D6 of damage equal to half the distance in meters. A successful test reduces the damage by half.
Fear
Facing down supernatural terrors requires exertion. Some particularly awful experiences may require a Spirit test. On a failure, roll on the table below.
| D6 | Fear effect |
|---|---|
| 1-3 | You flee in a blind panic until you make a successful Wits test on your turn. |
| 4 | You begin laughing maniacally. You lose an action point every turn. |
| 5 | You're filled with blind rage and attack the source of your fear unrelentingly each turn until you make a successful Wits test. |
| 6 | You begin sobbing uncontrollably. You cannot act until you are shaken out of your terror by an ally. |
Fire
Being lit on fire typically deals UD6 damage. In most cases it can be extinguished with an action and some water.
Poison
Poison deals damage over time until treated with a skill test. It is represented by a usage die over an interval, e.g. UD8 per hour. The victim suffers the listed damage at the end of the interval. While poisoned, a character may not rest or restore Stamina without supernatural intervention.
A skill test or night's sleep will stop a poison from dealing further damage, but the character does not regain lost Stamina until they recover.
Races and Chases
Most contests of speed can be resolved by simply comparing the Speed attribute of the participants. For more exciting races or chases you may use this procedure.
1. Calculate Distance Points (DP)
Assign DP to the participants based on their relative Speed scores or other methods of comparing speed.
| Speed | DP per round |
|---|---|
| Slowest participants | 1 |
| Middle of the pack | 2 |
| Fastest participants | 3 |
2. Establish the start and finish conditions
Set a distance target to conclude the contest - 6 to 10 is a good number.
Each participant starts with 0 distance.
For chases, assign the person being chased a 1-3 distance lead over their pursuers as appropriate.
If a more complex pursuit is desired, you can split it up into stages, each with their own DP targets and optionally complications.
3. Resolve a round
Participants act in order of their Speed, slowest to fastest. Each round they may may add their DP to their distance. In addition, they may attempt a maneuver from the list below by making a successful test.
- Sprint - move an additional 1 DP this turn.
- Shortcut - at the beginning of next turn, set your distance to the current highest distance in this stage. If you fail your test, your DP is 0 next turn.
- Attack - make a melee or ranged attack as normal. You may only melee attack someone with the same distance as yourself.
- Impede - Reduce the DP of a single participant equal or ahead of you by 1 next turn.
- Create a Hazard - Reduce the DP of all participants behind you by 1 next turn.
4. Finish the pursuit
For races, the race ends at the end of the round that any participant hits the target DP. The participant with the most DP is the winner. In case of a tie, the participant with the highest Speed wins.
For chases, the chase ends if at the end of any round a pursuer has the same DP as the person being chased. If you wish, you may require a successful test to end the chase.
Hunts
TODO