the only haven you can trust

Resolve

Resolve is the mechanic by which the party moves around the map, explores the terrain, and generally spends their days.  A high-level summary: for every 3 miles of travel, the party spends one point of Resolve; resting for the night restores Resolve.

Gaining Resolve

At the start of each day the party receives some number of Resolve points, based on the quality of the camp they rested in the night before.

No camp

This level of camp indicates that the party traveled until they were too exhausted to continue, and then simply collapsed on the ground.  No shelters were constructed, no food was prepared, and no attempt was made to secure the camp against wandering encounters.  This level of camp provides 4 points of Resolve.

Rough camp

This level of camp indicates that the party made a brief effort to find a reasonable campsite, secured their belongings, laid out bedrolls, and ate a hasty meal.  Any watch posted was perfunctory.  This level of camp provides 6 points of Resolve.

Note that the party can always make a rough camp, regardless of the terrain.

Standard camp

This level of camp indicates that the party sought out a good campsite, off the road and featuring reasonable shelter.  Where appropriate, the party dug a latrine pit, put up a shelter, built a fire, prepared food, and posted a watch.  This level of camp provides 8 points of Resolve.

The party may not be able to make this level of camp, depending on the terrain or other conditions.

Improved camp

This is the highest level of camp, indicating the party has prepared a site in advance, spent a day building up an existing camp, or happened across a perfect campsite.  This camp features latrine trenches, elevated berms for defense, a shielded firepit, weather shelters, and is sufficiently concealed to allow watchers to see possible danger long before the camp is discovered by intruders.  This level of camp provides 10 points of Resolve.

The party will not usually be able to make this level of camp without prior preparations.  Note that staying in civilization – an inn, a village house, and so forth – counts as an Improved camp.

Dehydration and Starvation

If even one member of the party is dehydrated, having drunk less than 1 gallon of water the previous day, the party receives only half their Resolve points.  This is also true if even one member of the party is starving.  If both conditions exist on the same party member, the party receives only one-quarter of their Resolve points (rounded up).

Using Resolve

The party may spend their Resolve points to travel, or accomplish other traveling-related tasks.  Resolve points can also be spent on other options, as described below.  The GM may offer additional Resolve expenditure options.

Travel
The party may travel 3 miles in exchange for one point of Resolve.  This is further modified as follows:
* In difficult terrain, one point of Resolve allows only 2 miles of travel
* In very difficult terrain, one point of Resolve allows only 1 mile of travel
* Roads and caravan tracks add one additional mile per point of Resolve
* Traveling during the daytime subtracts one mile per point of Resolve, down to a minimum of a half-mile.  ‘Daytime’ is defined here as 2 hours after sunrise until 2 hours after sunset.

Water: Travel costs 1 unit of water per RP spent on travel.  However, the first 6 RP of travel are ‘free’, in that they are already accounted for in the mandatory 6 units of water spent daily by a party regardless of activity.

Extended Rest
After breaking camp, the party may spend 2 points of Resolve to generate an Extended Rest.  Note that this is only available after breaking camp; the party cannot generate another Extended Rest later in the day without making camp and ending the day’s activities.

Also note that if the party does not spend this Resolve, the previous night’s camp does not count as an Extended Rest.

Water: Generating an extended rest does not cost water.

Make Camp
The party can spend Resolve points to make camp.
* Rough: The party can make a rough camp for 1 Resolve point.
* Standard: The party can make a standard camp for 2 Resolve points.
* Improved: The party can make an improved camp for 3 Resolve points.

Note that if the party has not moved since they last made camp, or specifically returns to a previous campsite, they can make camp there at the same level for free, or spend 1 point of Resolve to improve the camp to the next level.

Also note that some camps may not be improvable above ‘Rough’ or ‘Standard’, at the GM’s discretion.

Water: Making camp does not cost water.

Recover Healing Surges
The party can spend a Resolve point at any time to cause every member of the party to recover 1 Healing Surge.

Water: Recovering healing surges costs 1 water unit.

Spend Healing Surges for Resolve
The party can gain an additional point of Resolve if every member of the party spends 2 Healing Surges.

Recover Encounter Power
The party can spend a Resolve point during an encounter to cause every member of the party to recover the use of one Encounter power.

Water: Recovering encounter powers costs 1 water unit.

Thorough Search
The party can spend Resolve points to thoroughly search their current hex; this search happens at a level of 10 + (Passive Perception).  The cost of this search depends on the type of terrain: normal terrain costs 8 Resolve points, difficult terrain costs 12 Resolve points, and very difficult terrain costs 16 Resolve points.

The party can accumulate Resolve points towards this search over multiple consecutive days, but if they leave the current hex any Resolve accumulated towards a search is lost.

Water: RP spent searching are considered ‘travel’ and subtracted from the free 6 RP of travel time.  If the party spends more than 6 RP on any combination of searching and traveling in a day, the excess costs 1 water unit per additional RP spent.

Forage
A party member with the Nature skill can choose to perform a specialized search in their current hex for food and water.  This is a less thorough search than what’s described above, and will not necessarily uncover interesting features of the current hex.  A Forage search costs 1 Resolve point.

The difficulty of the Forage task is set by the terrain:
* Shifting Sands: DC 26
* Obsidian Field: Not possible
* Salt Flats: DC 28
* Scrubland: DC 20
* Forest: DC 18
* Stony Barrens: DC 24
* Rocky Badlands: DC 22
* Mountains: DC 20

A successful Forage attempt generates enough food for one person for one day, and 2 water units.  Additionally, a successful forage adds 1 RP to accumulated Thorough Search RP, as described above.

Each successful Forage in a hex imposes a +2 modifier to the DC.  This modifier expires after one week of no Foraging in that hex.

Multiple party members with the Nature skill can assist in the Forage action, but only one Forage roll is made per RP spent.

Water: Forage RP are handled as Thorough Search RP, above.

Action Point (milestone?)
The party can spend 2 Resolve points at any time to generate an Action Point (milestone?) for every member of the party.

Water: Generating a milestone costs 2 water units.

Escape
The party can spend 1 Resolve point to evade an encounter if they have not yet been detected by the encounter.

Water: Escaping an encounter costs 2 water units.

Campsites

Camp decay

Previously used campsites can be used again at the same level, as described above.  However, campsites decay over time, as scavengers, wind, blowing dust, falling rock and other hazards gradually leave the camp in increasing disarray.  A campsite drops one level of quality after 16 days of disuse.  This value is halved for each of the following that are true:
* The camp is located in a terrain type that changes frequently, such as shifting sands or a salt flat.
* The camp is located in a dangerous area with frequent encounters.
* The camp is located on a road or other commonly-used pathway.

During the camp’s construction, a party member succeeding at a DC 20 Nature check can remove one of the above conditions.

Finding campsites

No Camp and Rough Camp levels require nothing more than a moderately flat patch of ground to construct.  However, finding a suitable site for a camp of higher quality requires a Nature check.  The difficulty of the check is determined by the terrain, as follows:
* Shifting Sands: Not possible (max camp quality is Rough)
* Obsidian Field: Not possible (max camp quality is Rough)
* Salt Flats: DC 14 (max camp quality is Standard)
* Scrubland: DC 14
* Forest: DC 14
* Stony Barrens: DC 16
* Rocky Badlands: DC 18
* Mountains: DC 20

This check is then modified as follows:
* Looking for a site at night: +2 DC
* Looking for a site at night with no moons: +4 DC
* Looking for a site while being pursued or hunted: +2 DC

If the roll succeeds, a Standard campsite is found.  If the player’s roll is at least 4 higher than the DC, an Improved campsite is found.  If the roll fails, the party can still make a Rough camp, or spend a Resolve point to look again.