Survival measures your ability to endure and operate in the wilderness. This skill governs tracking creatures, predicting weather, foraging for food and water, building shelters, and avoiding natural hazards. Where other skills cover combat and social arenas, Survival handles nature itself.
A trained survivalist can traverse unknown terrain, recognize danger signs, and read subtle tracks in mud, grass, or snow that others would miss.
When You Use It:
Survival applies when:
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Tracking animals or humanoids across difficult terrain
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Predicting weather patterns or recognizing ominous signs
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Identifying edible or medicinal plants in the wild
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Building shelters or fires with limited resources
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Detecting or avoiding natural hazards (quicksand, thin ice, unstable slopes)
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Navigating wilderness areas without obvious paths (overlaps with Navigation when long distances are involved)
Stat Used:
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Always Mind.
Untrained Use:
You may attempt Survival untrained using your full Mind %.
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Basic tasks such as lighting a fire or gathering berries are possible without training.
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Advanced tasks (tracking, predicting weather, navigating featureless wilderness) are difficult and prone to failure without experience.
Passive vs. Active Survival:
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Passive Survival applies when the GM checks for your awareness of environmental dangers, such as noticing nearby predators, spotting quicksand, or detecting a shift in weather.
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Active Survival is used when performing specific tasks like foraging, tracking, building shelters, or navigating unmarked routes.
Opposed Rolls:
While uncommon, Survival rolls may be opposed by another character’s Survival or Stealth (e.g., tracking prey actively trying to cover its trail).
Mechanical Effects:
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Success: You achieve the intended task—finding food, tracking, building shelter, or avoiding danger.
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Critical Success (01): You gain exceptional results (e.g., find ample supplies, predict weather precisely, or cut hours off travel time).
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Failure: You come up short, find nothing, or misread signs.
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Critical Failure (00): You expose yourself to risk, lose the trail entirely, or suffer environmental harm.
Situational Modifiers:
Apply the standard Difficulty Ladder (+50% to –50%) based on conditions:
+50% — Tracking in snow or mud, perfect weather, clear trail
+40% — Ideal conditions, no obstacles, easy to follow signs
+30% — Soft terrain, light weather, and moderate signs
+20% — Typical wilderness travel with no major hindrances
+10% — Familiar terrain or partial trail to follow
0% — Normal outdoor navigation or light tracking
–10% — Light rain or obscured signs, mixed terrain
–20% — Rocky, dry, or wind-blown terrain, signs fading
–30% — Severe weather, disrupted or hidden trail
–40% — Challenging terrain (heavy snow, desert, flowing water)
–50% — Trail lost for days, environment fully wiped clean
Companion Skills:
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Navigation: For long-distance travel and plotting courses
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Perception: For spotting immediate dangers or subtle terrain changes
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Animal Handling: For working with mounts or domesticated animals
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Herbalism: For preparing or using gathered plants
GM Note:
Survival applies when nature itself becomes the challenge. Routine travel and basic camp-making generally do not require rolls unless conditions are hostile or resources are scarce. Use passive checks to alert players to dangers and active checks when they are pursuing wilderness tasks with consequences.
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File Created: 05/01/2025 Last Modified: 05/01/2025