Exploration
Exploration involves delving into places that are dangerous and full of mystery. The rules in this section detail some of the ways adventurers interact with the environment in such places.
Adventuring Equipment
As adventurers explore, their equipment can help them in many ways. For example, they can reach out-of-the-way places with a Ladder, perceive things they wouldn't otherwise notice with a Torch or another light source, bypass locked doors and containers with Thieves' Tools, and create obstacles for pursuers with Caltrops.
See Equipment for rules on many items that are useful on adventures. Weapons in that chapter can also be used for more than battle; you could use a Quarterstaff, for example, to push a sinister-looking button that you're reluctant to touch.
Note: For the time being, Echoes for 5E does not provide sections on Tools and Adventuring Gear. Please, find those directly in the SRD 5.2; adapting those items when needed is left to the Game Master (GM).
Vision and Light
Some adventuring tasks—such as noticing danger, hitting an enemy, and targeting certain spells—are affected by sight, so effects that obscure vision can hinder you, as explained below.
Obscured Areas
An area might be Lightly or Heavily Obscured. In a Lightly Obscured area—such as an area with Dim Light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage—you have Disadvantage on Perception (DEX) checks that rely on sight.
A Heavily Obscured area—such as an area with Darkness, heavy fog, or dense foliage—is opaque. You have the Blinded condition when trying to see something there.
Light
The presence or absence of light determines the category of illumination in an area, as defined below.
Bright Light. Bright Light lets most entities see normally. Even gloomy days provide Bright Light, as do torches, lanterns, fires, and other sources of illumination within a specific radius.
Dim Light. Dim Light, also called shadows, creates a Lightly Obscured area. An area of Dim Light is usually a boundary between Bright Light and surrounding Darkness. The soft light of twilight and dawn also counts as Dim Light. A full moon might bathe the land in Dim Light.
Darkness. Darkness creates a Heavily Obscured area. Characters face Darkness outdoors at night (even most moonlit nights), within the confines of an unlit dungeon, or in an area of magical Darkness.
Special Senses
Some entities have special senses that help them perceive things in certain situations. The list that follows describes such senses and defines the general rules. The TP cost and requirements for those available to players are provided in the Talents section.
Blindsight
If you have Blindsight, you can see within a specific range without relying on physical sight. Within that range, you can see anything that isn't behind Total Cover even if you have the Blinded condition or are in Darkness. Moreover, in that range, you can see something that has the Invisible condition.
Darkvision
If you have Darkvision, you can see in Dim Light within a specified range as if it were Bright Light and in Darkness within that range as if it were Dim Light. You discern colors in that Darkness only as shades of gray.
Tremorsense Δ
An entity with Tremorsense can pinpoint the location of moving entities and objects within a specific range, provided that the entity with Tremorsense and anything it is detecting are both in contact with the same surface (such as the ground, a wall, or a ceiling) or the same liquid.
Tremorsense can't detect entities or objects in the air, and it doesn't count as a form of sight.
Truesight
If you have Truesight, your vision is enhanced within a specified range. Within that range, your vision pierces through the following:
- Darkness. You can see in normal and magical Darkness.
- Invisibility. You see entities and objects that have the Invisible condition.
- Visual Illusions. Visual illusions appear transparent to you, and you automatically succeed on Wisdom saving throws against them.
- Transformations. You discern the true form of any entity or object you see that has been transformed by magic.
- Ethereal Plane. You see into the Ethereal Plane.
Hiding
Entities often hide, whether to spy on one another, sneak past a guardian, or set an ambush. The Game Master decides when circumstances are appropriate for hiding. When you try to hide, you take the Hide action.
Interacting with Objects
Interacting with objects is often simple to resolve. The player tells the GM that their character is doing something, such as moving a lever or opening a door, and the GM describes what happens. Sometimes, however, rules govern what you can do with an object, as detailed in the following sections.
What Is an Object?
For the purpose of the rules, an object is a discrete, inanimate item like a window, door, sword, book, table, chair, or stone. It isn't a building or a vehicle, which are composed of many objects.
Time-Limited Object Interactions
When time is short, such as in combat, interactions with objects are limited: one free interaction per turn. That interaction must occur during an entity's movement or action. Any additional interactions require the Utilize action.
Finding Hidden Objects
When your character searches for hidden things, such as a secret door or a trap, the GM typically asks you to make a Perception (DEX) check, provided you describe the character searching in the hidden object's vicinity. On a success, you find the object, other important details, or both.
If you describe your character searching nowhere near a hidden object, a Perception (DEX) check won't reveal the object, no matter the check's total.
Carrying Objects
You can usually carry your gear and treasure without worrying about the weight of those objects. If you try to haul an unusually heavy object or a massive number of lighter objects, the GM might require you to abide by the rules for carrying capacity.
Breaking Objects
As an action, you can automatically break or otherwise destroy a fragile, nonmagical object, such as a glass container or a piece of paper. If you try to damage something more resilient, the GM might use the rules on breaking objects as per SRD 5.2 Rules Glossary.
Breaking Magic Items Δ
The Echoes RPG System will provide dedicated rules for handling wear and tear on both non-magical and magical objects. In contrast, SRD 5.2 applies HP and AC rules to non-magical objects, implying that magical objects are indestructible (with extremely rare exceptions).
As of version 0.8, the Echoes for 5E integration does not alter the SRD 5.2 rules directly but strongly recommends that Game Masters allow for the destruction of magical objects. This can be achieved through narrative or plot devices, by setting very high HP, AC, and damage thresholds, or a combination of both.
Hazards
Monsters are the main perils characters face, but other dangers await.
Burning
A burning entity or object takes 1d4 Fire damage at the start of each of its turns. As an action, you can extinguish fire on yourself by giving yourself the Prone condition and rolling on the ground. The fire also goes out if it is doused, submerged, or suffocated.
Dehydration
An entity requires an amount of water per day based on its size, as shown in the Water Needs per Day table. An entity that drinks less than half the required water for a day gains 1 Exhaustion level at the day's end. Exhaustion caused by dehydration can't be removed until the creature drinks the full amount of water required for a day.
Water Needs per Day
| Size | Water (Liters) | Water (Gallons) |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 1 | 1/4 |
| Small Δ | 3 | 3/4 |
| Medium | 4 | 1 |
| Large | 15 | 4 |
| Huge | 60 | 16 |
| Gargantuan | 240 | 64 |
Falling Δ
An entity that falls takes 1d6 Bludgeoning damage at the end of the fall for every 10 feet (3 meters) it fell, to a maximum of 150d6. When the entity lands, it has the Prone condition unless it avoids taking any damage from the fall.
To avoid rolling tens dice, calculate the Bludgeoning damage using the d6 average value (3.5), according to the following formula:
Bludgeoning Damage = Round_Down(Number of dice * 3.5)
For example: 120d6 = 120 * 3.5 = 420
An entity that falls into water or another liquid can use its Reaction to make a DC 15 Athletics (STR) or Acrobatics (DEX) check to hit the surface head or feet first. On a successful check, any damage resulting from the fall is halved.
Malnutrition
An entity needs an amount of food per day based on its size, as shown in the Food Needs per Day table. An entity that eats but consumes less than half the required food for a day must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level at the day's end. An entity that eats nothing for 5 days automatically gains 1 Exhaustion level at the end of the fifth day as well as an additional level at the end of each subsequent day without food.
Exhaustion caused by malnutrition can't be removed until the entity eats the full amount of food required for a day.
Food Needs per Day
| Size | Food (Grams) | Food (Pound) |
|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 100 g | 1/4 |
| Small Δ | 350 g | 3/4 |
| Medium | 500 g | 1 |
| Large | 2 Kg | 4 |
| Huge | 7 Kg | 16 |
| Gargantuan | 30 Kg | 64 |
Suffocation
A creature can hold its breath for a number of minutes equal to 1 plus its Constitution modifier (minimum of 30 seconds) before suffocation begins. When a creature runs out of breath or is choking, it gains 1 Exhaustion level at the end of each of its turns. When a creature can breathe again, it removes all levels of Exhaustion it gained from suffocating.
Travel
During an adventure, the characters might travel long distances on trips that could take hours or days. The GM can summarize this travel without calculating exact distances or travel times, or the GM might have you use the travel pace rules below.
If you need to know how fast you can move when every second matters, see the movement rules in the Combat section.
Marching Order
The adventurers should establish a marching order while they travel, whether indoors or outdoors. A marching order makes it easier to determine which characters are affected by traps, which ones can spot hidden enemies, and which ones are the closest to those enemies if a fight breaks out. You can change your marching order outside combat and record the order any way you like: write it down, for example, or arrange miniatures to show it.
Travel Pace
While traveling outside combat, a group can move at a Fast, Normal, or Slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table. The table states how far the party can move in a period of time; if riding horses or other mounts, the group can move twice that distance for 1 hour, after which the mounts need a Short or Long Rest before they can move at that increased pace again.
Distance Traveled Per...
| Size | Minute | Hour | Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast | 120 m / 400 feet | 7 Km / 4 miles | 50 Km / 30 miles |
| Normal | 90 m / 300 feet | 5 Km / 3 miles | 40 Km / 24 miles |
| Slow | 60 m / 200 feet | 3.5 Km / 2 miles | 30 Km / 18 miles |
Each travel pace has a game effect, as defined below.
- Fast. Traveling at a Fast pace imposes Disadvantage on a traveler's Perception, Survival and Stealth (DEX) checks.
- Normal. Traveling at a Normal pace imposes Disadvantage on Stealth (DEX) checks.
- Slow. Traveling at a Slow pace grants Advantage on Perception and Survival (DEX) checks.
Vehicles
Travelers in wagons, carriages, or other land vehicles choose a pace as normal. Characters in a waterborne vessel are limited to the speed of the vessel, and they don't choose a travel pace. Depending on the vessel and the size of the crew, ships might be able to travel for up to 24 hours per day.