Exploration Trees
Athletics, Dungeon Delving, Survival.
3 trees5 advancements + 1 ultimate1 skill point each, 2 for the ultimate
Athletics
Climbing, Swimming, Jumping, Running
- 1
Climber 1 pt
You move vertically like others move horizontally.
Core: Climb surfaces with good handholds at half speed. Hang for several minutes before tiring. Catch yourself from minor slips.
Advantage: Full speed climbing, hanging indefinitely, automatic catch from any slip, climbing while carrying loads.
- 2
Swimmer 1 pt
Water is a medium, not an obstacle.
Core: Swim competently in calm water. Hold your breath for 1 minute of activity. Swim unarmored without difficulty.
Advantage: Full speed swimming, 3+ minute breath holds, swimming in light armor, rough water conditions.
- 3
Leaper 1 pt
You understand exactly what your body can do in the air.
Core: Jump 10 feet horizontal or 5 feet vertical from standing. Land safely from controlled jumps.
Advantage: 15 ft horizontal/8 ft vertical, doubled with running start, always landing on your feet.
- 4
Tumbler 1 pt
You know how to fall and how to fold.
Core: Reduce fall damage somewhat. Fit through gaps with effort. Escape from loose bindings.
Advantage: Ignore first 20 feet of falls, fit through head-sized gaps, escape ropes (1 min)/manacles (10 min).
- 5
Sprinter 1 pt
You can push your body past where others stop.
Core: Run faster than normal for short bursts. Travel efficiently on foot. Function on reduced sleep.
Advantage: Double speed for 1 minute, 50% farther per day, only 4 hours sleep needed.
- 6
Ultimate: Legendary Athlete 2 pts
Prerequisite: 3+ other Athletics advancements
Your physical capabilities reach the edge of human possibility.
Core: Climb sheer surfaces at half speed. Ignore first 40 feet of falls. Hold breath 10 minutes. Fit through fist-sized gaps.
Advantage: Superhuman feats, impossible climbs, surviving lethal falls, physical feats that become legend.
TOTAL: 7 points
Dungeon Delving
Underground Navigation, Hazards, Vertical Movement
- 1
Depth Sense 1 pt
You feel where you are underground.
Core: Have a rough sense of depth. Notice obvious air currents. Feel generally which direction leads out.
Advantage: Precise depth (within 10 ft), sensing passages/caverns from air flow, always knowing nearest exit direction.
- 3
Hazard Recognition 1 pt
You see danger before you step in it.
Core: Identify obviously unstable structures. Recognize clearly bad air or obvious gas. Know which common underground creatures are dangerous.
Advantage: Subtle instabilities, gas pockets before entering, dangerous fungi, all underground hazards.
- 4
Rope Work 1 pt
Vertical shafts don't slow you down.
Core: Set reliable anchors. Tie knots that hold. Climb and descend ropes safely.
Advantage: Anchors that never fail, full speed rope movement, hauling any weight the rope bears.
- 5
Underground Survival 1 pt
You can live below ground indefinitely.
Core: Find water underground with effort. Identify obviously safe food sources. Manage light resources.
Advantage: Reliable water finding, identifying all safe food (fungi, fish, insects), extended stays without resupply.
- 6
Ultimate: Master Delver 2 pts
Prerequisite: 3+ other Dungeon Delving advancements
The depths hold no secrets from you.
Core: Navigate in complete darkness by sound/feel. Sense approaching creatures through vibration. Map complex systems from partial exploration.
Advantage: Perfect darkness navigation, sensing hidden creatures, mapping impossible labyrinths.
TOTAL: 7 points
Survival
Foraging, Shelter, Navigation, Weather
- 1
Forager 1 pt
You see food where others see weeds.
Core: Find enough food and water for yourself each day in any normal wilderness. Identify common edible, poisonous, and medicinal plants at a glance. Know if a water source is obviously contaminated.
Advantage: Foraging for a group, finding food in barren/hostile terrain, identifying rare medicinal plants, feeding others in extreme environments.
- 2
Shelter Builder 1 pt
You make the wilderness comfortable.
Core: Build weatherproof shelter for yourself in 30 minutes using natural materials. Start a fire reliably in normal conditions. Your shelters last for weeks if undisturbed.
Advantage: Shelter for groups (up to 6), building in extreme weather, fire-starting in rain/wind/with wet wood, creating lasting structures.
- 3
Pathfinder 1 pt
You always know where you are.
Core: Determine cardinal directions by sun, stars, moss, or terrain. Retrace any path you've traveled. Estimate distance traveled within 10%. Never get lost in normal wilderness.
Advantage: Navigating featureless terrain, finding specific locations from vague descriptions, pathfinding through magical misdirection, navigating at night.
- 4
Weather Reader 1 pt
The sky tells you what's coming.
Core: Predict weather 12 hours in advance reliably. Identify signs of incoming storms, temperature drops, or dangerous conditions. Know when to travel and when to shelter.
Advantage: Predicting magical weather, 24+ hour forecasts, identifying unnatural weather patterns, finding safe routes through storms.
- 5
Danger Sense 1 pt
The wild warns you of threats.
Core: Sense approaching creatures within 100 feet in natural environments, their direction and whether they're predatory. Can't be surprised in wilderness you're familiar with.
Advantage: Sensing creatures at greater range (300 ft), detecting hidden/ambushing creatures, identifying specific threats, sensing danger in unfamiliar terrain.
- 6
Ultimate: Apex Survivor 2 pts
Prerequisite: 3+ other Survival advancements
You are the apex predator in any environment.
Core: Natural animals won't attack you unless cornered or magically compelled. Move through any natural terrain at full speed without leaving tracks. Extreme temperatures don't exhaust you. Always know the direction to civilization, water, or shelter.
Advantage: Surviving supernatural environments, thriving where survival should be impossible, leading groups through lethal terrain.
TOTAL: 7 points