Survival (choose terrain): This skill allows the character to easily find food (especially vegetables and fruits), shelter, and water in a single type of terrain, selected from one of the following: desert, forest/jungle, mountain/hill, open sea, plains, arctic. Desert Survival doesn’t give the character the ability to survive in the forest; he must also take Forest Survival for that. A character with the Survival skill forages automatically in fertile areas, even when on the move. If he is trying to supply more than just himself, he must make a skill check at a + 1 penalty to his die roll for each additional person that he is trying to supply. He must roll each day, and failure indicates that he has not found enough food for everyone he is trying to supply.
⛺ Racial Variants #
| Variant | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Dwarven | Deep-Earth Shelter | (Mountains/Indoors) Dwarves don’t “build” shelters; they find “breathable” stone. They can identify natural thermal vents in caves or hills that provide heat without the need for a fire. |
| Elven | Photosynthetic Rest | (Forest/Jungle) Elves can find “Living Shelters”—spaces within the roots of great trees or canopy folds that offer the same protection as a stone building. They require 25% less food if they have access to sunlight. |
| Halfling | The Burrower’s Eye | (Plains/Rural) Halflings are experts at “stealth-camping.” They find depressions and hollows that make their campsites nearly invisible from 50 feet away, even in open terrain. |
| Lizardfolk | Ectothermic Stasis | (Jungle/Swamp) They can “hibernate” to bypass the need for food for up to 3 days, provided they have a water source. They ignore the first -1 penalty when supplying others. |
🗺️ Terrain-Specific Variants #
- The Desert “Still-Maker”
In the wastes, Survival is about Moisture Reclamation.
- Specialty: Solar Distillation. They can extract drinkable water from poisonous plants or damp soil using “solar stills.” They are immune to the “Dehydration” status as long as they have a few hours of sunlight each day.
- The Arctic “Ice-Tunneler”
In the freezing north, the wind is a predator.
- Specialty: Snow-Vaulting. They can construct an Igloo or Quinzhee in under an hour. These shelters are so efficient that the party ignores “Extreme Cold” penalties while resting inside.
- The Forest “Canopy-Catcher”
In the deep woods, everything is a resource.
- Specialty: Emergency Foraging. They are experts at finding “high-calorie” grubs and inner-bark starches. They ignore the penalty for supplying two extra people (up to a total of 3) before the -1 penalties begin to stack.
- The Open-Sea “Raft-Master”
Survival on the water is about Salt-Management and Sun-Shielding.
- Specialty: Pelagic Foraging. They can survive on raw fish and collected rainwater indefinitely. They gain a +4 bonus to their skill roll to find food for others if they have access to a Fishing Kit or net.
🍎 The “Supplying Others” Mechanic #
As per the rule, you take a +1 penalty for each additional person (making it harder to roll under your skill).
- The “Half-Ration” Rule: If a character fails their Survival roll, they can choose to provide “Half-Rations” to everyone. This prevents starvation damage but prevents the party from regaining any hit points during that night’s rest.
- Critical Success: If the roll is a natural 1 (or succeeds by 5+), the survivalist finds a “Bounty.” The party gains a +1 bonus to their next day’s Endurance checks because they are so well-rested and fed.
⚖️ Synergy with Other Skills #
- Survival + Fire-Building: The character can maintain a “Smokeless Fire” in their chosen terrain, allowing for warmth without revealing the party’s location.
- Survival + Weather Sense: (If the character has both) They can predict a life-threatening storm 12 hours in advance and identify the exact “Natural Bunker” needed to survive it.
