Back to Analects Table of Contents
The following tables provide a collection of Exploration Expertise you may purchase or equip. For more information on their use in the game, see Player's Guide Chapter 7: Gear and Wealth.
| Expertise | Type | Wealth |
|---|---|---|
| Adventuring | General | 2 |
| Athletics | General | 2 |
| Bodybuilding | General | 2 |
| Mindfulness | General | 2 |
| Wanderlust | General | 2 |
| Burglary | Mechanical | 3 |
| Calculation | Mechanical | 3 |
| Legerdemain | Mechanical | 3 |
| Tinkering | Mechanical | 3 |
| Trapsmithing | Mechanical | 3 |
| Academics | Mysticism | 3 |
| Fortunetelling | Mysticism | 3 |
| Harp Casting | Mysticism | 3 |
| Meditation | Mysticism | 3 |
| Umbramancy | Mysticism | 3 |
| Archeology | Navigation | 3 |
| Astronomy | Navigation | 3 |
| Cartography | Navigation | 3 |
| Pathfinding | Navigation | 3 |
| Piloting | Navigation | 3 |
| Bravery | Survival | 3 |
| Hardiness | Survival | 3 |
| Herbalism | Survival | 3 |
| Scouting | Survival | 3 |
| Taming | Survival | 3 |
| Tracking | Survival | 3 |
| Academics | Mysticism Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Only the upper class can afford advanced educations, though sometimes a teacher may take in a talented pupil from the middle or lower class. | ||
| (Action) Hypothesize | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d6 | |
| Special | You may draw a card. | |
| (Reaction) Broad Knowledge | ||
| This Reaction cannot be played against Traps. If the result of the opposed roll is a tie, this Reaction gains Defense: 1d6. | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | Gain +1 Mind. | |
| Adventuring | General Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 2 |
|---|---|---|
| “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” is the mantra of daring souls on the cusp of a grand discovery as well as that of fools who won't see tomorrow. | ||
| (Action) Venture Forth | ||
| Increase the Damage dice level by 2 against Creatures. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d4 | |
| Special | Restore your Power. | |
| (Reaction) Mettle | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | You may draw a card. | |
Gain Fatigue Resistance 1.
| Athletics | General Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Songs sing of Lasah the Quick, who once ran for three days to warn a city of an impending dragon attack, then collapsed dead from exhaustion. | ||
| (Action) Distance Running | ||
| Move 1. Gain +1 Fatigue Weakness until the end of the next round. | ||
| (Reaction) Athletic Evasion | ||
| This Reaction cannot be played against Seekers. You do not suffer any penalties to the Endure dice as a result of swimming. | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | Restore your Resilience. | |
| (Strategy) Skilled Climber | ||
| Play a Strategy from an equipped Tool that aids in climbing. You may draw a card. | ||
| Archeology | Navigation Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Each passing year brings discovery of ruins of ancient Pheron; each discovery brings a new wave of explorers; and each wave brings fresh corpses. | ||
| (Action) Expedition | ||
| This Action cannot be played against Seekers. Increase the Inflict dice level by 1 if the target is an Obstacle that does not Persist. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d8 (Piercing 1) | |
| (Strategy) Mitigation | ||
| An Environ or Trap in your occupied region suffers -1 Power, or -2 Power if this is a dungeon setting. | ||
| (Interrupt) Trained Eye | ||
| Trigger | You trigger an Interrupt from a Trap (you may play this Interrupt on your turn). | |
| Effect | Immediately play Mitigation against the Trap. | |
This Expertise cannot be used in dungeon settings.
| Astronomy | Navigation Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| For some, studying the night skies is a science. For some, it is worship of The Star Painter. And for some, it is a means to survive. | ||
| (Action) Celestial Navigation | ||
| This Action can only be played against Obstacles. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d8 | |
| Special | The target suffers -1 Mind, or -2 Mind if it Persists. | |
| (Strategy) Star Eyes | ||
| If you can see the sky, gain Darkvision until the end of your turn. | ||
| Bodybuilding | General Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Once every three years, the greatest athletes from several nations gather together to compete in an array of games, trials, and battles. | ||
| (Action) Grit | ||
| Play an Action from your Background. If the Action has a Defense entry, increase its dice level by 1; otherwise the Action gains Defense: 1d2. | ||
| (Reaction) Solid Physique | ||
| Defense | 1d2 | |
| (Assist) Carry Burdens | ||
| Trigger | An ally in your occupied region plays a Reaction. | |
| Effect | If the triggering Reaction has Defense dice, increase the dice level by 1. Otherwise the triggering Reaction gains Defense: 1d2. Suffer -1 Power. | |
Gain Fear Resistance 1.
| Bravery | General Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 2 |
|---|---|---|
| “The highest peaks, darkest caverns, and thickest forests the knight-errant searched, for her quest could not be surrendered.”
- The Legend of Cerethe |
||
| (Action) Daring Maneuver | ||
| Increase any Damage dice on the target's Reaction by 1 level. | ||
| Inflict | 1d6 | |
| Damage | 1d8 | |
| Special | A chosen ally in your occupied region gains Fear Resistance 1 until the end of the next round. | |
| (Reaction) Bravado | ||
| If the target's Action has no Inflict entry, this Reaction gains Defense: 1d2. | ||
| Endure | 1d4 | |
| Special | You or an ally in your occupied region gains +1 Fear Resistance until the end of the next round. | |
Gain Poison Resistance 1.
| Burglary | Mechanical Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Most believe the Thieves' Guild to be a rumor, or at most an exaggeration of local gangs. If it does exist, that's exactly what they'd want people to think. | ||
| (Action) Pick Lock | ||
| Lockpick | 2d4 | |
| (Reaction) Padfoot | ||
| This Reaction cannot be played against Environs. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| (Strategy) Cautious Steps | ||
| Gain +1 Resilience. Suffer -1 Power. | ||
| Calculation | Mechanical Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Even magic follows mathematical models, though they can get quite complex, and there are many different models to use depending on the magic. | ||
| (Action) Mathematical Analysis | ||
| You may change this Action's Inflict entry to be equivalent to the target's Endure entry. This removes any enhancement dice applied to the Inflict entry (such as from Rituals). | ||
| Inflict | 1d4 | |
| Damage | 1d6 | |
| (Reaction) Compute Trajectory | ||
| You may change this Reaction's Endure entry to be equivalent to the target's Inflict entry. This removes any enhancement dice applied to the Endure entry (such as from Rituals). | ||
| Endure | 1d2 | |
| Cartography | Navigation Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “When embarking on a journey, bring at least three maps. They'll all be wrong, but oft in different ways.”
-The Wayfarer's Almanac |
||
| (Action) Chart Path | ||
| This Action can only be played against Obstacles. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d8 | |
| Special | If the target persists, it suffers -2 Resilience. | |
| (Reaction) Survey | ||
| This Reaction can only be played against Environs. Environs must target you first. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| Special | The target immediately suffers -1 Power. | |
| Fortunetelling | Mysticism Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “The visions of apocalypse thus destroyed the god's mind. His old name was gone, and he was crowned The Augur of Perdition.”
-Ciu the Wise, “Of The Fall” |
||
| (Action) Foretold Danger | ||
| Inflict | 1d6 | |
| Damage | 1d6 | |
| Defense | 1d2 | |
| (Reaction) Trick Fate | ||
| If the target's Action has a Damage entry, increase the Endure dice level by 2, but also increase the target's Damage dice level by 1. | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| (Strategy) Tarot Deck | ||
| Discard any number of cards. For each card discarded, you may draw a card. | ||
Gain Heat Resistance 1 and Cold Resistance 1.
| Hardiness | Survival Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “Bring too much and you'll be weighed down; bring too little and you'll be caught unprepared for the hazards of the trail.”
-The Wayfarer's Almanac |
||
| (Action) Unimpeded Progress | ||
| If the target is an Obstacle, its Reaction cannot reduce your Stat Tracks. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d6 (Piercing 1) | |
| (Reaction) Take Shelter | ||
| If the target is an Environ, increase the Defense dice level by 1. | ||
| Defense | 1d2 | |
| Harp Casting | Mysticism Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “Intelligent and graceful fae creatures supplied strings for magic harps of old. This new method ends such slaughter.”
-Saint Ravenna the Artificer |
||
| (Action) Ghost Harp | ||
| This Action can only be played against Creatures and Seekers. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d6 | |
| Special | The target suffers -2 Resilience. | |
| (Reaction) Celestial Melody | ||
| This Reaction cannot be played against Seekers. | ||
| Defense | 1d2 | |
| Damage | 1d2 | |
| (Strategy) Soothing Melody | ||
| One ally in your occupied region recovers lost EP equal to half your level (rounded up). Seekers in your occupied region are Alerted. | ||
| Herbalism | Survival Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “Imagine our surprise when we discovered that the final ingredient for triffid antidote was none other than snake oil.”
-Excerpt, “A History of Tinctures” |
||
| (Action) Lethargic Aromatics | ||
| This Action can only be played against Creatures and Seekers. | ||
| Inflict | 1d10 | |
| Damage | 1d4 | |
| Special | The target suffers -2 Power. | |
| (Reaction) Mini Apothecary | ||
| Gain +1 Heat, Cold, Fatigue, Poison, and Acid Resistance until the attack is resolved. | ||
| Defense | 1d2 | |
| (Strategy) Local Herbs | ||
| Discard any number of cards. For each card discarded, you or an ally in your occupied region restores any 1 Stat Track and recovers 1 lost EP, or 2 lost EP in wilderness settings. | ||
| Legerdemain | Mechanical Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Sleight of hand is often used for performance and other simple tricks, but mastery of the art grants other practical applications. | ||
| (Action) Pickpocket | ||
| This Action can only be played against Seekers. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Special | You may swap Gear. The target suffers -2 Skill. If this is the first time you have succeeded with this Action this scenario, gain a Valuable. | |
| (Reaction) Deft Fingers | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | You may immediately play an Action or Strategy from an equipped Item. If you have no equipped unused Item, you may instead equip an Item. | |
| Meditation | Mysticism Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “And if meditation is the nexus of the mystic and the religious, then this tells us something of the nature of the soul.”
-Ando the Philosopher |
||
| (Action) Mantra | ||
| Inflict | 1d10 | |
| Damage | 1d4 | |
| Special | The target cannot reduce your or your allies' Stat Tracks before the start of your next Action Phase. | |
| (Reaction) Clarity of Mind | ||
| You must discard a card to play this Reaction. If you have a Ritual equipped, you may instead forego any bonuses or effects from the Ritual for this Reaction. | ||
| Defense | 1d4 | |
| Special | If you suffer no damage, gain +1 Mind. | |
| Mindfulness | General Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 2 |
|---|---|---|
| “Keeping notes, investigating details, and imbibing useful potions are all key elements to being aware of your surroundings.”
-The Wayfarer's Almanac |
||
| (Action) Self Care | ||
| Recover 1d4 lost EP. Increase the dice number by 1 at level 6. | ||
| (Reaction) Mindful Awareness | ||
| Increase the Endure dice level by 1 against Traps. | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| (Strategy) Contemplation | ||
| Restore your Mind or gain +1 Mind. Suffer -1 Power. | ||
This Expertise cannot be used in civilization settings.
| Pathfinding | Navigation Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “I hate the term 'Pathfinder,' as if the path was just there waiting to be stumbled across. We make paths where there were none.”
-Sir Royder, Pathfinder |
||
| (Action) Pioneer | ||
| This Action can only be played against Obstacles that lack a Lock entry. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Special | The target suffers -1d4 Skill. | |
| (Reaction) Find Shelter | ||
| If the target is a Creature, this Reaction gains Damage: 1d6. | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | Gain +1 Resilience. | |
This Expertise can only be used when you are a Passenger. The Vehicle gains +1 to each of its listed Resistances.
| Piloting | Navigation Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “The wings of his ornithopter grazed the canyon walls, but the creature giving chase was much less fortunate.”
-Excerpt, “Yann the Daring” |
||
| (Action) Drive | ||
| Inflict | 1d10 | |
| Damage | 1d8 | |
| (Strategy) Expert Pilot | ||
| Search your deck for any 1 Vehicle card and put it into your hand. Shuffle your deck afterward. This Strategy may only be played once per scenario. | ||
| Scouting | Survival Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| One folk story tells of a hunter who met his wife when she freed him from his own snare. Versions change genders and in one case makes one a bear. | ||
| (Action) Ten-foot Pole | ||
| Until the start of your next Action Phase, Interrupts on enemy Traps are not triggered by you moving, entering a region, or Searching, and you are notified if you would have otherwise triggered such a Trap. You may perform a Search. | ||
| (Reaction) Hiding Place | ||
| This Reaction can only be played against Creatures and Seekers. Increase the Endure dice level by 1 against Seekers. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| Taming | Survival Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| While many wild beasts can only be partially tamed through a years-long process, short-term control can be asserted with a bit of patience. | ||
| (Action) Beast Handling | ||
| This Action can only be played against Creatures. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d8 | |
| Special | If the target would be defeated by the damage dealt, you may instead set its EP to 1 and its Mind to -5. | |
| (Reaction) Dominance | ||
| This Reaction can only be played against Creatures. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| Special | You may immediately play Beast Handling against the target. | |
| Tinkering | Mechanical Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| The recent resurgence of the tinkering craft has many scholars fearful of another Thrane Castle disaster. Some societies still outlaw the practice. | ||
| (Action) Activate Gadget | ||
| This Action cannot be played until you have played Customize Gadgetry within this scenario. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d6 (Piercing 1) | |
| (Reaction) Protective Gadget | ||
| This Reaction cannot be played until you have played Customize Gadgetry within this scenario. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| Defense | 1d2 | |
| (Strategy) Customize Gadgetry | ||
| Choose one of Creatures, Environs, Obstacles, Seekers, or Traps. Actions and Reactions on this card can now only affect the chosen Challenge type. | ||
| Tracking | Survival Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| “The tracks of a beast tell of its life - a brief autobiography that soon fades into the nether.” - Parcivel, Hunter of Dragons |
||
| (Action) Find Tracks | ||
| This Action can only be played against Creatures and Persisting Obstacles. | ||
| Inflict | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d8 | |
| Special | You may perform a Search. | |
| (Reaction) Sense Threat | ||
| You suffer no penalties from being unable to see the target. Increase the Endure dice level by 1 in wilderness settings. | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | Gain +1 Power or +1 Skill. | |
| Trapsmithing | Mechanical Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Common trapsmiths make simple devices for hunting purposes, but the elite craft elaborate dangers to defend vaults and tombs of the wealthy. | ||
| (Action) Disarm Trap | ||
| This Action can only be played against Traps. The target suffers -3 Skill. | ||
| (Reaction) Trap Knowledge | ||
| This Reaction can only be played against Traps. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| (Reaction) Snares | ||
| This Reaction can only be played against Creatures and Seekers. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| Damage | 1d2 | |
| Special | The target suffers -1 Resilience. | |
| Umbramancy | Mysticism Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Shadow magic is uniquely taxing on the body. This only gets more intense as one's skill in the craft improves, sparking much debate and research. | ||
| (Action) Shadow Leap | ||
| You must spend your Move to play this Action. Phase 1. Suffer -1 Resilience, -1 Skill, and damage equal to twice your level. | ||
| (Reaction) Shadow Meld | ||
| This Reaction can only be played against Creatures and Seekers. You suffer no penalties from insufficient lighting. | ||
| Endure | 1d8 | |
| (Strategy) Light to Darkness | ||
| Extinguish any one light source in the occupied region, even if it is magical. This Strategy cannot extinguish light from sources larger than a typical fireplace or that are external to the region. | ||
| Wanderlust | General Exploration Expertise | Wealth: 2 |
|---|---|---|
| “No guide is needed for the common roads. But the side paths that call to your inquisitive nature? We are here for that, friend.”
-The Wayfarer's Almanac |
||
| (Action) Wander | ||
| Increase the Damage dice level by 1 against Obstacles, or by 2 if the Obstacle Persists. | ||
| Inflict | 1d6 | |
| Damage | 1d6 | |
| (Reaction) Awareness | ||
| Endure | 1d6 | |
| Special | If your Resilience is below its base, gain +1 Resilience. | |
| (Strategy) Sworn to the Path | ||
| Restore your Skill and end any Grabbed condition you are subject to. | ||