Travel

Safe Havens

Characters are assumed to camp and rest regularly while they travel. Normally this is part of their routine, so there is no need to roll or pay particular attention to it. However, in some situations they will need to find a safe spot to recover from injuries and conditions or to hide from their foes. In these cases, characters can decide to set up a temporary Camp or to look for a Safe Haven.

Camping

Travelers in dire need may try to set up a long-term camp in the wilderness. This solution is usually avoided except in desperate situations, as camps like these tend to attract unwelcome attention and rarely stay safe for long.

Once the characters have decided to set up a camp, one of them takes the lead, finding a safe and defensible camping spot and guiding the group to it. The others should describe how they are preparing and what precautions they are taking: watching for approaching enemies, tending to the horses, preparing meals, or gathering firewood are all common activities, but players are encouraged to be creative.

The leading character must make a Wandering Skill Roll with a Difficulty based on the size of the group, the type of terrain, and the general danger level of the area. Other heroes making themselves useful are considered to be Helping. If no character is Helping with the camp preparations, this roll suffers an additional -20 penalty.

Exposed Terrain covers places that offer little to no cover, like deserts or flatlands. Dangerous Areas are places that are inherently perilous, like treacherous bogs or haunted ruins. Darklands are places under the direct influence of the Darkmaster or His lieutenants. All other terrain counts as Normal Terrain. Group size is the number of party members (including pack animals and other companions), plus any modifier.

Camping Roll Difficulty

If the roll succeeds, the party can safely rest for one day, but must make a new Wandering Skill Roll the next day. A Partial Success means the heroes can rest, but will also be plagued by some minor complication that taxes their resources or slows them down: some rations may rot away, or one of the pack beasts may be injured during travel.

On a Failure, their rest is interrupted. The GM rolls on the Camping Roll Failure Table below.

Camping Roll Failure Table

Safe Havens

A much better option for characters seeking refuge is heading to a Safe Haven. Safe Havens are beacons of light in the wilderness: houses of healing and bastions against the forces of the Darkmaster. They are places where the heroes can rest without worrying about their enemies and tend to their wounds with the help of some of the greatest healers in the land.

Characters resting in a Safe Haven halve their recovery time for Injuries and Conditions and recover double the normal amount of Hit Points. Safe Havens are also a great opportunity to replace or repair broken equipment, meet new friends and allies, research information, or ask the locals for guidance on a difficult subject.

Finding a Safe Haven

Unfortunately, Safe Havens are very rare and usually difficult to find. The Darkmaster sees them as a threat to His dominion and would certainly send His armies to destroy them if He ever found them. For this reason, Safe Havens are hidden in secluded or inaccessible locations, concealed by magic, heavily guarded, or some combination of all of the above.

Unless the characters already know how to find a Safe Haven (because they have been there before, or because someone can guide them), reaching one will not be easy. Heroes seeking a Safe Haven should make a Songs & Tales Skill Roll, with a Difficulty based on the influence of the Darkmaster in the area.

Finding a Safe Haven Table

Free Lands are civilized areas whose inhabitants valiantly oppose the Darkmaster. Wildernesses are large unclaimed regions, far from civilization but also free from the Darkmaster's influence. Borderlands are areas whose inhabitants neither directly oppose the Darkmaster nor ally with Him, or Free Lands that border Darklands or Blighted Lands. Blighted Lands are areas where the Darkmaster's influence is strong and palpable, or accursed places forever tainted by terrible tragedies. Darklands are regions completely under the control of the Darkmaster and His minions.

A Success means the character remembers a tale or legend describing the general location of a Safe Haven within 1d5 days of the party's position. The group can then use the Pathfinding rules to reach it. A Partial Success counts as a Success, except that either the Safe Haven's inhabitants will be wary of the characters' motives, or the heroes will encounter an additional Hazard on their way. A Failure means the character got something wrong and either leads the party to an unforeseen obstacle or to the ruins of a haven long fallen into disrepair or under the influence of Dark forces.

Once found, Safe Havens are marked on the world map by the GM, and characters can visit them again without rolling. No more than one Safe Haven may exist in a given area.

Generating a Safe Haven

Safe Havens tend to play an important role in a campaign once discovered. Players will likely want to visit them often, possibly even using them as a base of operations. GMs should pay particular attention when introducing a new Safe Haven.

Each Safe Haven has a Master (a particularly powerful or influential individual presiding over it), a Defence (something protecting it from the Darkmaster's minions), a Place (the type of location), and a Special Feature for which it is renowned.

Safe Havens Table

Below are descriptions of the ten Special Features listed in the table above.

Great Healer. A famous healer of unsurpassed skill inhabits this Safe Haven — someone rumored to be able to treat afflictions normally deemed incurable and, in some cases, even defeat death itself.

Oracle. This Safe Haven is home to an illustrious loremaster, a great diviner who can peer into the past, present, and future. Or perhaps it holds a powerful scrying device that those who can bend it to their will can employ to unlock untold secrets.

Noble Steeds. The people of this Safe Haven are known for breeding exceptional mounts: marvellous beasts that can ride faster than the wind, or soar in the sky or across the waves. They do not usually part with their beloved steeds, but could lend them to the heroes for a time, should they be convinced of the urgency of the mission.

Blessed Orchard. A unique kind of special herb, that cannot be found anywhere else in the world, either grows or is cultivated here. One with a very peculiar ability, possibly directly linked to the heroes' quest or needs.

Wyrdwood Trees. A few Wyrdwood Trees stand in the middle of this Safe Haven, unchanged since the beginning of creation. Their wood is precious, but the Trees themselves and the Spirits they host could hold secrets even more valuable to the heroes.

Everflame Forge. A mythical Dwarven artifact called the Everflame Forge is kept here. Some say its furnace burns with pure Runefire and that, given the right materials, a master smith could use it to forge weapons like those wielded by heroes in the forgotten Age of Legend.

Enchanted Vessel. The Master of this Safe Haven has access to a unique means of transportation, such as a flying ship or a vessel that can sail between worlds. The heroes should be mindful when inquiring about a passage, since travels on such an exceptional vessel are rarely simple or uneventful.

Wayfinder. Far more than a simple guide or tracker, the mysterious Wayfinder residing here is said to know every secret way and passage in existence, even those leading to the grey lands of the Great Beyond or into the fortress of the Darkmaster Himself.

Tinkerer. One of the dwellers of this Safe Haven is an unorthodox yet brilliant artificer: a master alchemist or mechanical engineer far ahead of their time, often deemed a lunatic by academic authorities. The heroes could find this Tinkerer's latest prototypes quite interesting, should they actually work as intended.

Fabled Relic. This Safe Haven hides a powerful relic: a treasure of great power surrounded by contrasting prophecies. It could be something the PCs are looking for, the Darkmaster's Coveted Artifact, or merely one of the many wonders destined to leave their mark in the heroes' tale.

Optional rule: No Place to Run. To emphasize the exceptional nature of Safe Havens, consider setting a limit on how many the heroes can discover during the game. The suggested maximum is one for single-adventure scenarios and short campaigns, and two to four for longer campaigns. Once all Safe Havens have been discovered, the PCs can continue visiting them as normal, but cannot find new ones.

Activities in a Safe Haven

Safe Havens grant the PCs a chance to take a short break from their adventures and tend to their affairs or pursue other activities. Regardless of the duration of their stay, each character may take only one activity per pause — unless they want to retire from the adventuring life for good.

Resting

As noted above, characters resting in a Safe Haven halve their recovery time for Injuries and Conditions and recover double the normal amount of Hit Points. The GM can assume the Safe Haven has skilled healers capable of treating basically any mundane wound or illness. This activity can be carried out alongside most of the others listed here and does not count toward the limit of one activity per pause.

Revelation

Heroes in a Safe Haven can spend a Milestone to undergo a Revelation. Players controlling these characters should spend a few words describing their experience and the way they discovered this newfound strength.

Learn a Spell Lore

Characters can opt to learn a new Spell Lore by spending their time studying with the Master of the Safe Haven, communing with the Spirits, deciphering an ancient tome, casting the runes, or any other similarly esoteric activity. The player announces what Spell Lore their character intends to learn and, if the group agrees, writes it down on their character sheet, assigning a single Skill Rank to it for free.

Solo Adventures

Some characters may have unfinished business or wish to pursue a more active enterprise while their companions rest. The players should arrange a solo session together with the GM, outside of the normal group schedule, to play out the events of this adventure.

Learn a Language

Characters can mingle with the locals or study to learn one of the languages spoken in the Safe Haven. Players briefly describe their characters' linguistic efforts and add the new language to their known languages.

Research

Many Safe Havens are places of learning or home to well-learned scholars. Characters who spend their time researching must tell the group the subject of their research, make a note of it on their character sheet, and discard any Clue Token they might have. They then gain a Clue Token (use a glass bead or similar marker to represent it), which they can spend at any time to automatically succeed at a Nature, Arcana, Songs & Tales, or Cultures Roll about the chosen subject.

Economic Endeavor

War against the Darkmaster can prove taxing to a hero's resources. Characters can take advantage of their break from adventuring to improve or replenish their wealth by seeking employment, managing their assets, or investing in some business. The players controlling these characters must explain how their economic endeavors will improve their financial situation. If the group agrees, their characters' Wealth Level is increased by one point.

Merriment

Alternatively, characters in a Safe Haven can simply sit back, relax, and enjoy the merry atmosphere and hospitality, forgetting about their troubles for a little while. Players controlling these characters must describe a funny or joyful episode they were part of during their stay. If they impress the other players, or make them smile with their tale, they gain a point of Drive.

Retire

Players can use the pause in the campaign narrative to retire their characters from adventuring, whatever their reasons might be. Discuss it with the other players and spend a few minutes playing out a farewell scene between the retiring characters and their companions, or to introduce any new character that might replace them.