User:Cedric/Explorer

Ordinate/Subordinate trait: PER/ASM

Tier Path: Scout -> Ranger -> Explorer -> Navigator -> Circumnavigator and Keeper

Skills:

• Inner: Footfall: gives protection against falls wherever the explorer has traveled before, whether in darkenss or light. The width of protection is equal to the width of body and forms a linear path along where you walked previously. (Does not protect against traps that were missed in previous expeditions.)
• Outer: Weather prediction: reads the wind in the trees and grasses, clouds, animal behavior, even their bones and hair
• Defense: Traveling: trail/route finding, orienteering, survival… (resting?)
• Offense: Hunting (including tracking/animal handling/trapping)

Boon to a party:

• Ability to see things before others: traps, paths, caves or other natural items of interest (to the limit of vision), weather
• Aid in combat (thrown weapons or archery) or defense (diversions, interference)
• Aid in food acquisition (traps), healing (herbs),. If accepting responsibility for the group, food acquired doesn’t count against their karma/alignment, but only against the explorer lerself (how ethically did they capture it?) Other classes need to use the domesticated offerings.
• Usually have a INT-based saving throw hiding around and can say/know the right thing, even if they don’t understand how.

Mana goes to: luck with perceiving or charasma, as they choose.
XP gained by: Exploring the unknown. Scaling mountains, the depths of dungeons. Finding things no one has encountered before. MANA/100 (lands cards) XP per round or double that if you've never been there before. An extra +1 (or 2) if you're going up in elevation or down from the surface.
Dice Use: Special dice get collected for each region and domain explored. This is the only place (besides the dreamer class) where players can have dice normally reserved for the DM. These dice can be rolled to determine direction of the party. If they stay pacifist (purely-aligned) then the hints from godrolls are twice the magnitude as other players — regardless of LVL. The sides of their dice shoudl be related to the number of LVLs they’ve gotten in the locale. Total dice can be used to answer DC checks, but must be rolled before round requiring it begins (creating a tension: do you roll each round to avoid the advantage of the dice not being available?)
Guild or group affiliations: Taverns, where they have a hand sign for fellow travelers and get free drinks and share lore.
Real-world interactions: Dice show-and-tell: They show their dice to fellow explorers to show off the places they've been. In case of disagreements between explorers, the one with the highest or most elegantly crafted dice wins.
Lore: Explorers began when people began wondering what was outside their ken. Their modus operandi is going to new places and exploring the unknown until it becomes the Known. They aren't known for killing things except in self-defense and survival. The ultimate aim for the explorer is to have the tokens (dice) for every domain of the kingdoms.
Alignment characteristics: Evil explorers go exploring places that aren't theirs: castles belonging to nobles, dungeons that are part of their demi-god's domains where they might get guided towards long-secret caches of treasures (keys to open doors, gold, ...), perhaps areas of the Unknown considered forbidden. Chaotic explorers go searching far and wide believing that the answer to some quest will be found.
Moral Code: Without exploring the land, how can you be sure your place in life is right?
God modifier: Gets favor on landscape interactions to notice things that are connected to significant demi-god dynamics.

Explorers go travelling the vast landscape. They ditch everything that is unnecessary and are rangers. They roam the Unknown as part of their person and to get eXPerience for it. They are pacifists by nature and won't kill except to survive. In this way, they accumulate mana and good vibes. Realms aren't as safe when travelling alone, and they learn to be self-sufficient. They might fashion and carry a knife, to be maximally useful in all situations, particularly for food.

Gets XP rewards for finishing an exploration. This could be a mountain peak, a dungeon survey (have you seen all of the secret spots?). Such places shoudl have a special dice characteristic: color, shape, decorations, composition, etc.

Explorer dice will not work in the Underdark. Best not to roll, lest the results demonically influenced. Remember you’re not in your own domain anymore — you’re in theirs. (Maybe if they’re made out of pure gold and do not use paint for numbering...)

Instead of parties wondering where to go, explorers can simply answer the quesiton with their dice. They cultivate different dice to represent the different lands they’ve traveled. The more the exploration, the higher the dice. But if the exploration wasn’t too successful, use a lower-faced die. This is to protect the explorer. Explorers rolls, and then a complex divination occurs that decides either the basic direction on the compass or landmarks on the horizon. The ultimate goal for an explorer is to collect all fo the dice that represent the whole of the lands and be in complete harmony at all time with it.

There are several affects to use. The following is the best knowledge thus far on using the dice for divination of direction.

• The higher the sum of the rolls, the more ambitious your next trajectory should be.
• If the sum is even, the Fates are suggesting to go upwards, if it is odd, go downwards for adventure.
• Use the modulo of 4 to determine a basic cardinal point, if you don’t have any sense at all of where to go, otherwise modulo 8.
• The GM can determine what each of the remainders mean, but to start you can use 0=N, 1=E, 2=S, 3=W (opposite direction for elves and aryans). The thing is that 0 is slightly favored, so gives (or gets) better luck, so whatever direction is assigned goes to the 0. This should affect all players under the same GM.
• The color of the dice which are lowest can inform what terrain you should explore, so that you round out your explorations. Gray = mountains, yellow=meadows, black=evil dungeons, gray=chaotic dungeons, green=forests, blue=sea, specialized colors might mean particular cities that have that color as their flag or ornament.
• The color of the dice which are highest show dominance, which can be read in a number of different ways.
• The volume of the dice can show the gravity of particular places. If a super-large d4 rolls a 1, the area doesn’t want you there at this time.
• If two or more dice have the same roll, then it represents an affinity between the realm the dice represent.d Inform the DM. Definitely, if you see such activity on the same dice more than once. Ditto for three of a kind or more (really for the AL). The probability for rolling a three of a kind on 3d20s is 1:2667. These are useful story development which comes from the universe and can be more interesting than if generated by humans alone. They say the RoT came from such a roll (3d20s all rolling the same, on either a 12 or 13).
• One could also consider how the dice land as extra data points. How they land relative to one another, or what angle they face, etc. These will be left to the adventurer to choose and develop.

The thing to understand about these rolls, is that they pose the same challenges as true divination: how will you interpret, for example, a roll that says go W, when you’re at the western edge of the land? Then, like true divination, you have to seek other indicators. Perhaps there are blue dice which suggest heading out to sea (westward), for example. Or perhaps there is a strong roll on one of the dice representing a city and that city is slightlyi westward, even if it is mostly upwards. The key is to respect the dice, so that they will continue to mean something. Otherwise, their magic gets lost when you don’t care about them and ignore their messages.

A roll should set the course for some number of rounds or days proportional to the LVL and dedication used when roll is/was made.

Each time the group follows the dice, it’s ~100XP per player marked (it’s probably actually 10xLVL if you want to get picky but change it only at tier-changes). If the group stays alive and well, the explorer shoudl collect this investment as extra reward for the party following ter. The explorer can learn to read the dice to see how following the dice led to fulfilling a destiny. They can earn 1000XP for filling out this story.

Their ability stat is PERceptivity. They take in the world, organizing it silently, building their knowledge of the world around them. They might notice things like caves, bird or herb species (by sight not necessarily knowing the name until they learn it from an INT or herbalist class), political dynamics in small villages or large ones (Strider?), pick up bits of information that others would discard like passages found over mountains and such. High-level explorers are never caught off-guard (above the ground)— they have mastered the world above.

XXX: All visual beings compete for perceptivity slots (where the eye was made by a long-lost ancient god, connected to the dragon yet not the dragons themselves) which range from 0 to 20, such that there can only be one being with a perfect score of 20, which probably explains why dragons attack humans to some degree for dominance. This means, you may have to go sub-unit for PER scores. Different explorers can cxompare scores and contend who whould be above whom, depending on the land and dungeons they’ve explored (DM as arbiter, or if multiple DMs they decide through secret conference, or if no consensus there majority vote with all players). So, depending on the feats of different explorers, one may have to swap their scores or the lesser moves down a notch.

There should be no RANK for PER other than fractional values near 20.

Mana can go towards luck (generally expressed during godrolls) or towards CHR or surviving without food. The calculations are as follows: 100*LVL/pt. That means higher level is harder to gain a point. Explorers also expend these points if/when they need more mana.

For this class, they may want to break from the group and explore on their own rather than search for kills, as they don't gain extra experience fighting unless party members give XP to them (this can be converted to gold-pieces if one desires an in-game reward 1gp:100xp). In darkness, damage dice (to their person from falls, etc.) are halved (except for sprung traps that were missed) within familiar territory. This is unique to the explorer class and a product of their high PERceptivity and internal training.

They gain XP by the subterrainean depths they explore or by the elevation they gain above ground, otherwise they gain only a nominal amount and none if they’ve been there before (unless they’re leading other who haven’t). Things like going 10 ft from trail to get more points carries a slight penalty of “off-trail” terrain and you’ll expend mana faster (needing to eat more).

They gain about 5 XP per round of travel (~0.5XP/yard), but 1 XP per person if they've already been there before and helping other who have not, 7 if they're gaining elevation into a mountain range OR going down in elevation while underground (7-3=4 if they've been on that path before, though). This class gains levels by exploring, finding major arcana (an ancient coin with some forgotten language on it) or other rare discoveries (an entrance into a cave system) gets them mad eXPerience, approximately equal to the level of XP in the find itself (a good v5 campaign for example has about 20K-200K XP or more in the whole game, tabulate all of the treasure, the NPCs, and the extent of detail of the campaign, etc and figure out what percentage to award). When they find items of interest, they can make a map. The amount they can sell the map to another player is awarded XP by an amount equal to 10x the copper pieces for which it sells (or whatever the DM wants to reward). A good map not only maps out routes, but records items of interest: a cave (terrain), various flora/fauna found there (horticultural use by herbalists, for example), crystals embedded in rock (geology), skeleton of X (anthropology), and perhaps meteorological interests (persistent fog).

One caveat: the data on 1XP/ft applies in daylight where the explorer can gain all of the perceptual details of the journey. At night, given normal conditions, this is reduced to 1/5 XP/ft. If they are underground, this if further reduced if they have absolutely no light source to 1/10XP per foot. Therefore, explorers should take care to always have a light source of vision enhancement. Explorers over level 50 can get fully restored XP gain with 5ft of light source. Those below best have 30ft of light source or walk 30/ft_light_distance as slow as normal. Gets footfall skill, receiving less liklihood of damage for places previously visited. If you're playing form a map that the playes can see, it counts as "already explored" territory.

They receive up to 1000XP for every NAMED geological feature (not named by anyone else already in-game) that they discover. But they must hold these names, not the DM.

They also can receive or give gifts of XP and loot from/to other players, if they are exceptionally pious and help them on their journey (like to herbalists or from showing others the likely direction of the hidden caves of a dragon). They won't join a fight except to tip the odds in favor of their allies. If they multiclass with a cleric, they become a monk. Who wouldn't be impressed and intimidated with a fab monk in your party, wondering if they were on the bad side of =>righteousness<=?

Regardless of race, at each tier change, they can gain +1 PER (unless they've lost it from frivolity or needless violence) and the peace it gives from attention to greater surroundings (up to 20, unless dragonkind). Can lose PER if frivolous. If you're the DM, show them vistas (the pass which separates two kingdoms?) which give them a sense of their world, small challenges they can win and get food. They don't have a map, so tell them about other interesting objects they can see from those vistas that might motivate the direction of thier next adventure. (The godroll can help them and you here.)

Instead of guilds, this class makes maps which can become highly prized (showing caves, mountain passes, rivers, etc.). If made out-of-game, they can impress the Adventurer’s League Game Masters, perhaps gaining some coin or other items.

If players stay pacifists, their accumulated mana can be turned into semi-permanent HP (which can be useful when multiclassing into a fighter). The conversion rate is 1000 mana equal 1 HP(???). They lose this HP as normal (when fighting or getting exhausted climbing a mountain), but at each tier this class reaches, their mana regeneration is more quicker if they ever multi-class. If they're fighters, this regeneration machinery gets turns into higher HP (rather than mana) which can be turned into CON (10HP = 1 CON). If they didn't stay pacifists, their mana gets reduced by the amount of HP they took unjustly from other characters (-1HP= -100mana??).

This class doesn't head out without a strong sense of a healthy CON to handle whatever their explorations hand to them. Their PTY helps them act wisely and get a sense of the world, but INT helps them make use of their explorations. Explorers use PER to perfect themselves. Damage from falls and such events during exploring, is half-damage. Their higher PER protects them in mysterious ways that you don't have to question, so that they fall, for example, in a protective fashion. (Is this only when they've been there before, though, or perhaps if one of their own ancestors has been there(subconsciously guiding the feet)?)

If an explorer makes maps of his/her explorations, they can save up to half of their XP when they multiclass, depending on the quality and re-useability by the DM. They will still have to advance each level, but they gain levels at any significant event. XXX???

They are good partners to herbalists who are always looking for interesting flora for gathering remedies, while this class can act as the keener eyes for the herbalist, seeing desired places from a distance.

They level on these XP boundaries: +1000, +2000, +3000, +4000, and so on (in other words: must gain (present_level*1000) in XP to get to next level).

Explorers adventure by using the perception, not their fists or their wit. They travel into the Unknown to turn it into power (XP). They receive 1 XP per 5ft (XXX above says 6) of foot-travel (teleporting doesn't count as entering the unknown after the first experience perhaps). If they've been to an area before, they get 2/5 the XP. If they're going into especially dangerous or risky territory, they get 7/5 the XP(or dependent on unknowns???).

They don't get XP from killing (except as gifted by other players), but they do get the food value and they may even get XP for eating something never eaten before (like a grick), even if it makes them sick. How's that for a unique class, eh? Remember, Perceptivity is the main game for this class, so they accumulate abilities by exploring in each sense. But, do keep in mind, if you go sniffing every nook and cranny, you may gain the label "odd" (or slapped).

Listening to a fine orchestra in Neverwinter may gain you experience, proportional to the novelty of it. These kinds of things keep your PER high in the heirarchy. This and staying pure.

The key point to awarding XP in this class is the accumulation of novelty (to their senses, not other kinds). No XP should be gained from recurrent travel between an explorer's home and the city nearby, for example. In other words: exploring.

This class can make maps to earn money. It is not a magic-user, except as it may buy scrolls or quaff potions during it's travels. Quaffing unknown potions or reading unfamiliar scrolls can gain you approximately the same number of XP as the cost in silver for the item (if price hasn't been manipulated). It helps to survive the ordeal.

While other classes may gain XP through learning languages of the realm, this class earns it through learning how to interact peaceably with dragons.

If they stay pacifists, their minimalist pathos and efficiency turns this class's mana into hardiness (extra +HP)? —— Class ideas (XP and renown):

• If they successful scale a peak (even a small hill where they might find remnants of others), they get XP equal to its altitude (ft).
• Finding anything new of interest is potential XP reward point. If they got it from following their dice they get twice the amount of XP.
• If they are the first to get to a new place (like a mountain peak), the peak can get named after them.
• If they scale the highest peak in a range (or other find: above their existing XP in ft/danger), they earn a User:Cedric/Renown Points.

—— DM notes:

• Explorer's luck with perception amounts to noticing things without looking. If they've gotten above or familiar with a domain, they'll notice things that are out-of-place or significant. This could get rid of "passive perception" checks. You'll need an explorer class or a multi-classed character.
• This active perception of explorer's is dependent on the power of their god/dess. If their patron is a higher (or equal) level than the domain in question, they notice things that aren't perfect.
• Explorers get XP for… exploring. So different domains can have a total XP associated with them, and some percentage of this can be rewarded, depending on how much the explorer learned bgth. In a dungeon, when tabulating XP rewards, each room has a certain amount of XP, and each compartment containing some item is an XP reward. So if dungeon is ranked 42,000XP, you can then try to tabulate, how this XP is distributed around the dungeon. Standard terrain rewards are independent of the dungeon rankings. Likewise with a peak, though its not as clear how XP would be distributed (perhaps naming the peak, routes, etc.). UPDATES ABOVE
• If players try to game the system by going 6 ft from the main trail to get 2x XP, then they get burdened by being off-trail or encounter Bad Things. The ideas is novelty.
• PER increases with reaching mountain tops while maintaining the mind (INT must be > 10), meaning they must be collecting arcana too. Those with higher PER can never be snuck up upon by those with lower, generally (traps pose an exception).
• If you know the peak they've encountered has been explored (Because it has a name already), they might only get half of the XP.  ???
• Note dice rolls which have two or more equal numbers. This shows affinity and and can be integrated into gameplay, so that if a d20 representing an elven forest and a d12 from the desert of Kara-Tur come up with affinity several times, then it means there is a relationship happening in the realms between the two. Affinitiies that are above average = something postiive and good.
• It is a fascinating truth that at least some of the campaigns in v5 came about through the complex interaction with the gods (some in the all-seeing-eye, some from the YHVH/Jesus/Pope, some from other demi-gods). For RoT it took about 4d20 events happening on the same event. For Storm King’s Thunder, this was 4d20s: a 1:40,000 chance — hence the leeway for a DM to figure out the proper path to play the campaign; i.e, just what conditions went into making the campaign that should be resolved? I can tell you the giant on Volo’s Guide is relating to the events leading to STK. Other than that, good luck.
• My ways of calculatng these odds, btw, are secret arcana that will requre in-person interaction to figure out, but relate to the rings of power that goverrn our universe. Don’t ask a statistician.
• If the explorer seems particularly tuned to her/his dice, reward them with higher perceptivity, such that they feel more naturally attuned (curious) to things which are human-altered. This perhaps avoids a TPK with the Tomb of Horrors, for example.
• If they remain true to their dice, provide some luck.
• A high level explorer (LVL50?) can also name individual animals, much like an herbalist can give a name to a tree.
• Special Quality: Can name geological place names
• Special equipment: the Broken Compass, that (regardless if known by its keeper) always points to the place holding the keepers deepest desires.
• At high-levels of game play, the explorer could roll their dice during sleep and these rolls affect the dreamer class. A die that is affiliated with an item or event could push influence on the other players, but specifically the dreamer class could utilize these inputs, in a sort of etherial dance. A green die representing the Mirkwood forest getting a 20 pushes a lot of energy that the dreamer might be able to catch and direct, affecting the present high roll for her/his "dreams".
• You should try to make the explorer's dice work out, such that if the warrior in the party wants to go to the canyon westward while the cleric wants to go the opposite direction, the explorer's dice resolve the dilemma in favor of an outcome greater than either. You're asking the gods, instead of insisting on "doing it all yourself". The god's look in favor of such inquiry.
• You can say: “you receive 30K out of 42K XP for this dungeon”, for example.
• If dice numbers get too high, it means that there aren't enough demi-gods holding the kingdoms. As demi-gods reign over and combine territories, their dice can be combined. Generally, mods or special patterns.
• XP is calculated roughly this: 5XP per round (30ft SPEED) for new locales, 2XP if been there previously but leading an expedition. +2XP if gaining or going under ground in elevation (1XP/ft total elevation or depth reached). Capturing food for the party. Can gain by being off-trail and categorizing things found (DM rolls d30?).
• For d60 landscape interactions, if a roll is both mod 4 and mod 5 = 0 (20, 40, 60) then query your universe and see if the demi-gods wish to solicit the player, otherwise roll twice and add any d5 and d4(?) interactions and see if there's something significant there.
• When people kill the animals (good alignment) purely for survival, it does not bring their alignment downward. But when it is not for survival, their alignment goes downward. If they are malicious and uncaring, they go evil on the goddess vector for good vs. evil (gaia vs. hate).