2. Seasonal Activities
Your Survivor is not idle during a Season. They undertake long-term personal goals and endeavours that take months or even years to complete. Each Survivor can take one of the activities listed below.
BUILD A HOME
Requirements: 8 Resources, Proficiency with Builder’s Tools
Many Survivors share a house with friends and allies or sleep in a communal shelter, and rarely have a place to call home. When you take this activity, you spend a Season building a permanent home for yourself and those you love. Building a home costs 8 Resources. Building a home is a significant act. It gives permanence to the Haven and is a sign, whether consciously or subconsciously, that you have hope for a life where the Haven no longer needs you. When you build your home, the Haven’s Decay decreases by 1. Additionally, at the end of each period of downtime and each Season, your Haven automatically gains 1 Hope.
DOMESTICATE BEAST
Requirements: Proficiency in Animal Handling
The beasts of the Broken World can be dangerous, but some, like the Strongback (see page 249), can prove invaluable if they can be tamed. You spend a Season tracking, wrangling, and training a new Beast in the hopes of domesticating it.
Domesticating a Beast is an Extended Test with a Goal of 15. Over the course of your downtime, you must make three Tests. The first is a DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) Test to track the creature. The second is either a Dexterity (Stealth) Test to sneak up on the beast, opposed by its Passive Perception; or an opposed Strength (Athletics) Test to grapple it. The third Test is to calm and train the beast and requires a Wisdom (Animal Handling) Test with a DC equal to 15 + the creature’s Challenge. If you successfully domesticate the Beast, it provides the following benefits:
• The beast can now be selected as a companion when you or any other Survivor takes the Creature Companion Talent (see Talents thread).
• The beast can be used as a mount, if possible.
The beast may also provide additional benefits, such as a large beast of burden granting a +1 bonus to the Resources a Haven generates, or a hunting animal granting Advantage on Tests during the Source Materials activity (see page 163). Work with your GM to determine what additional benefits the newly domesticated beast can provide to you and your Haven.
If you fail to domesticate the Beast, you can Keep Trying, Abandon Your Progress, or Finish Later. If you choose to Finish Later, you must have somewhere to stable the beast (see Stables, below).
EXPEDITION TO UNKNOWN LANDS
You leave the Haven, spending an entire Season travelling and exploring beyond the boundaries of the world you know. You meet new people, discover forgotten sites, and encounter creatures you have never seen before. Choose one of the following benefits you gain from your journey:
• You spend your time following rumours and collecting tales and legends. You learn three pieces of vital information or forgotten history about the Broken World.
• You walk lost paths in search of other survivors or fragments of the pre-Breaking world. You learn the location of three new sites, such as other Havens or ruins. If you undertake a Journey to one of the sites, the Difficulty is reduced by 3.
• You seek out a Harrowed or a skilled healer, or encounter something pure and uncorrupted. Your Decay decreases by 1d3.
• You find a rare and precious item or piece of equipment. You gain a Very Rare item.
• You venture into a ruined city, vault, or dungeon and claim the treasure within. You gain an Artefact. Your Decay increases by 1d3.
• You gather a variety of goods and equipment to help the Haven. The Haven gains 2d6 Resources.
• You search for strange ingredients and hunt rare beasts. The Haven gains 1d6 Components. Discuss with the GM what Components you gained.
Travelling the Broken World alone is a harrowing experience, and changes you. Until the next period of downtime, you suffer one of the following effects, as chosen by the GM:
• One of your Attributes decreases by 2.
• You have Disadvantage on two types of Saving Throws chosen by the GM.
• You have Disadvantage on Decay Saving Throws.
• You have Disadvantage on Death Saving Throws.
• Your maximum Hit Dice is halved, rounding up.
FOUND A NEW HAVEN
You decide to begin anew and found a new Haven, perhaps because the Haven has grown too big or the loss of loved ones has left you with too many painful memories. Regardless of the reason, you gather up your belongings, say your goodbyes, and leave to start a new Haven with anyone willing to join you.
To found a new Haven, choose a location within 150 miles of your old Haven and create your Haven using the Haven Creation rules on page 10. To determine the Population, roll 10d10 to see how many people have joined you, and decrease your old Haven’s Population by the same amount. When you found a new Haven, the following happens:
• Your Survivor becomes an NPC.
• If you left your old Haven on good terms and the average Decay between the Havens is less than 3, a trade route is automatically established between the Havens. See Establish Trade Route on page 161 for more information.
• Depending on the circumstances surrounding your departure, your old Haven may have gifted you additional Resources or Components to begin your new life.
GATHER SURVIVORS
Requirements: Proficiency with Seeker’s Tools
There are many lost souls wandering the Broken World in search of a safe place. You spend a Season searching for survivors to join your Haven.
Gathering survivors is an Extended Test with a Goal of 10. Over the course of the Season, you must make three Tests. The first is a DC 10 Intelligence (Seeker’s Tools) or Wisdom (Insight) Test to determine where the survivors might be. The second is a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) Test to track them down. The third is a DC 15 Charisma (Persuasion) Test to convince the survivors you are trustworthy.
If you succeed, your Haven’s Population increases by 2d10; if you succeed by 5 or more, it increases by 3d10; and if you succeed by 10 or more, it increases by 4d10. If you fail, you do not find anyone, or those you find refuse to join you.
GO TO WAR
Requirements: Charisma 16 or higher
You grow tired of reacting to danger and decide to strike first. Along with other willing members of the community, you launch an assault against a nearby enemy and aim to destroy it before it can destroy you. If you fail in your assault, it could have grave ramifications.
Going to war is an Extended Test with a Goal of 15. Over the course of a Season, you must make three Tests. The first is a Charisma (Deception or Persuasion) Test to rally followers to join you. The second is a Wisdom (Survival) Test to reach the target’s home or lair. The third is a Charisma (Intimidation) Test to drive your followers into battle. The DC of these Tests is determined by the target of the attack, as shown below:
• Creature: 10 + the creature’s Challenge Rating
• Monster: 15 + the Monster’s Challenge Rating
• Haven: 10 + 5 per one hundred people in the Population
• Group: 15 + the leader’s Challenge Rating
If you succeed, the target is utterly destroyed. They are no longer a threat and you gain anything of value they had, such as Resources, Components, or Artefacts. However, your group does not escape unharmed. The Haven’s Population decreases by 2d4. Additionally, if the target was another Haven or group that had shown no aggression towards your Haven, the people of your Haven are shaken by the brutality of your actions. Hope decreases by 1d4.
If you fail, you return to the Haven defeated. Hope decreases by 2d4, and many of the people you brought with you are killed. The Haven’s Population decreases by 2d4 plus an additional 1d4 for every point of difference between your Progress and the Goal. For example, if you only made Progress of 11 against a Goal of 15, the Haven’s Population decreases by 6d4 (2d4, plus an additional 4d4).
IMPROVE HAVEN
Requirements: Resources (varies)
There is more to the Broken World than survival. You strive to build something for the future, and leave a lasting mark for the next generation. You spend a Season working with other community members to improve your Haven in some way, such as building an infirmary, constructing a beacon, or tending a garden so children have somewhere beautiful to play.
Choose one of the following Improvements. You gain the benefit listed, and Decay in the Haven decreases by 1. You can take this activity multiple times, and Decay decreases by 1 with each Improvement.
BEACON
Resources: 6
You build a beacon, creating a light in the darkness for others to follow. The Haven’s Population increases by an additional 1d4 at the end of every Season.
COOKHOUSE
Resources: 10
You build a cookhouse, offering warm meals and hearty food to everyone. The children of the Haven grow up strong. Future characters raised in your Haven gain +1 HP every Level.
HUNTER’S LODGE
Resources: 8
You build a lodge dedicated to hunting fresh meat. When the Haven generates Resources, it generates an additional +1d4 Resources or 1 Component (the party chooses).
INFIRMARY
Resources: 10
You build a house of healing to tend to the Haven’s medical needs. The Availability (see Equipment thread) of Healer’s Kits becomes Common in your Haven, and Healing Poultices become Uncommon.
MARKET
Resources: 6
You clear an area for a regular market in the Haven, allowing people to come and trade. When the GM rolls to determine the Availability of an item, they roll twice and take the lowest result.
PERMANENT DEFENCES
Resources: 4
You reinforce an existing Defence (see Build Defences on above). Choose one of your Defences and gain its benefit permanently. It no longer needs to be maintained and is not destroyed at the end of a Season.
PLACE OF BEAUTY
Resources: 6
You build a place of beauty and communal gathering in your Haven, such as a monument to the Haven’s perseverance, a theatre or dance hall, a garden of remembrance for those who have fallen, or a field where children can play safely. At the end of each period of downtime and each Season, your Haven automatically gains 1 Hope.
ROAD
Resources: 6
You build a road into and out of your Haven, smoothing out the path and perhaps laying stone cobbles. The Journey Difficulty when travelling to and from your Haven decreases by 5. When you build this Improvement, you can choose to decrease the Decay along the road by 1 instead of decreasing Decay in your Haven.
SCHOOL
Resources: 10
You build a school where the children of the Haven can learn about the world. Future characters raised in your Haven can choose to gain Proficiency in either Forgotten Lore, Local Lore, or Natural Lore.
SMITHY
Resources: 10
You build a shared smithy or workshop that is open to everyone in the Haven. Survivors have Advantage on all Tests during the Craft Equipment Downtime Activity (see page above).
STABLES
Resources: 6
You build a stable to shelter beasts of burden, or a pen to house potentially dangerous animals. The stables can be used to house animals and other creatures, and offers a safe place for beasts in training as part of the Domesticate Beast Seasonal Activity.
WATCHTOWER
Resources: 8
You build a watchtower to warn the Haven of approaching danger. The watchtower warns the Haven when the next Crisis is coming, so it can try to resolve it before it even starts. During the next Crisis, the Haven suffers no Crisis Damage for 1 week.
INVEST IN THE FUTURE
You know the importance of growing and investing in the future, and spend the precious time you have improving yourself and your Haven. Choose three different Downtime Activities (see above) to undertake during this Season.
• Any Tests required by the Downtime Activity automatically succeed, as you have plenty of time to overcome obstacles or failures you encounter along the way.
• Any Resource Cost is halved, as you are able to partially replenish any Resources you use.
• Any effects that last until your next downtime period or that require maintenance and upkeep, such as the Maintain Waymarkers or Establish Trade Route activities, do not come into effect until the start of The Next Challenge (see below).
MAINTAIN DEFENCES
Requirements: A Haven with one or more Defences
Reliable defences are vital to a Haven’s survival, so you spend a Season making sure they are maintained and kept in good working order. When you take this activity, you can maintain up to three existing Defences (see Build Defences, page 159). The Defences do not crumble at the end of this Season (see below). The Defences can still fall into disrepair during future Seasons. You can build permanent Defences by taking the Improve Haven Seasonal Activity (see above).
REINFORCE WAYMARKER
Requirements: 4 Resources; Proficiency with Builder’s Tools
Waymarkers are vitally important for travellers venturing beyond their Haven, but most eventually succumb to Decay. You spend a Season away from your Haven, building a permanent structure to protect a Waymarker or reinforcing it with Moonstone.
Choose any Waymarker you are aware of as the target of this activity. Reinforcing the Waymarker is an Extended Test with a Goal of 10. Over the course of the Season, you must make three Tests.
The first is a DC 12 Intelligence (Seeker’s Tools) Test to identify the Waymarker you are seeking. The second is a DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) Test to reach the Waymarker. The third is a DC 12 Strength (Builder’s Tools) Test to reinforce the Waymarker.
If you succeed, you reinforce the Waymarker, giving it permanence and protecting it from Decay. The Waymarker is no longer at risk of succumbing to Decay, and Decay within one mile of the Waymarker is now reduced by 2 instead of 1. If you succeed by 5 or more, you have enough time and resources to construct a shelter for travellers on the road. This shelter is little more than a large, hard box, but allows up to four Medium creatures to safely take a Long Rest.
RETRAIN
Requirements: Any Class except Harrowed
You decide to pursue a new path in life. You spend a Season unlearning all that you know and retraining yourself in the use of new skills and abilities. Choose any Class, excluding Harrowed. You swap to that Class. You lose all the benefits of your old Class, including Class features and any Proficiencies, and gain all the benefits of the new Class. Your new Class Level is the same as your old Class Level.
Retraining is a difficult process, and is physically and mentally exhausting. A Survivor can only take this activity once.
Harrowed are born with their abilities, and can’t simply ignore them. Likewise, you can’t learn to become a Harrowed. For this reason, the Retrain activity can’t be taken by Harrowed Survivors and can’t be used to become a Harrowed. However, at the GM’s discretion, you may choose to ignore these rules. If you do, consider how the Harrowed lost their powers or how a Survivor gained the powers — perhaps they were attacked by some strange Monster, and when they awoke they had acquired strange new abilities. Such an occurrence can be a compelling story to explore during your campaign.
RETIRE
You decide it is time to retire and let younger Survivors protect the Haven. You let it be known to the community that, for one reason or another, you can no longer step forward to protect the Haven in times of Crisis. When you retire, take the following steps:
• Add any Resources, Components, and Equipment you have to the Haven’s Resources.
• Mark down the name and Level of your Survivor on the Haven Sheet as a ‘Retired Survivor’
• During the Advance Time stage (see below) of a Season, you do not roll on the Survivor and NPC Events table for any of your retired Survivors unless you want to.
Even when they are retired, a Survivor can still help protect the Haven in times of trouble. A retired Survivor provides Resistance to certain types of Crisis Damage just as a Defence does (see page 159). When you retire your Survivor, work with your GM to determine the type of Crisis the retired Survivor offers protection from. For example, a retired Speaker may give Resistance to Crisis Damage caused by Internal Conflicts, while a retired Warden may give Resistance to External Conflicts. Your retired Survivor provides this benefit for as long as they live.
There are no hard and fast rules about longterm injuries or age that force a Survivor into retirement; it is entirely a narrative tool to be used by players who want to put a full stop to their Survivor’s story. When you retire a Survivor, you are communicating to the group that you are finished with your Survivor’s story and would like to move on. This is most often used to let a player create a new Survivor to play, or in the eventuality that a player has to leave the game for one reason or another. If your group uses Seasons to move decades or centuries into the future, you should consider how, or if your Survivor could live that long.
START A FAMILY
Whether found or made, a family is precious and can be the inspiration a Survivor needs to endure the hardships they face. You spend a Season building a family. This may mean finding a partner and falling in love, having children, or finally admitting to yourself that, despite all the arguments, the companions you have been travelling with for years are your true family.
The start of a new family warms the hearts of all in the community, and fills everyone with hope for the future. The Haven gains 2d4 Hope.
TRADE NETWORK
Requirements: A Haven within 1,000 miles; a route with an average Decay of 3 or lower between the Havens; 4 Resources
You seek out new allies and trade partners far beyond your Haven. This Seasonal Activity works as per the Establish Trade Route Downtime Activity (see above). However, the distance between the Havens can be up to 1,000 miles, the Goal increases to 20, and the DC of each Test increases by 3. If you succeed, you gain all the benefits of a trade route and both Havens generate 1d2 Components every 4 weeks.
TRAINING
You are all too aware that you will be called to aid the Haven again, so spend time training and improving yourself. Choose one of the following:
• Gain Proficiency in a Skill of your choice.
• Gain Proficiency with two Tools of your choice.
• Double your Proficiency Bonus in a Skill or Tool you are already Proficient with.
• Learn a new Talent.