Uptime is the opposite of Downtime—structured time during active adventures when the party isn't in combat or immediate danger, but still on the move. This covers travel activities, camp management, and the day-to-day decisions that keep an expedition alive.
Uptime Overview
While Downtime represents weeks of rest between adventures, Uptime represents the hours and days during an adventure when you're traveling, camping, or preparing. It's the time between encounters when characters have meaningful choices to make.
Uptime Structure
Uptime is divided into Phases:
- Travel Phase: Moving through terrain. Each character takes a travel role.
- Camp Phase: Setting up rest. Each character takes a camp duty.
- Watch Phase: During rest periods. Characters take shifts.
- Preparation Phase: Before challenges. Quick actions and readying.
Active Expedition Roles
During travel, each party member takes a role. These roles determine what they contribute to the journey and what they can notice or accomplish.
Travel Roles
Navigator
Roll: Anima + Survival or Lore (Domain)
Determines route, avoids getting lost, identifies landmarks. Success reduces travel time; failure may lead party astray.
Scout
Roll: Forma + Stealth or Perception
Moves ahead to spot danger, finds safe paths, identifies ambush sites. Success provides warning; failure may spring traps.
Guard
Roll: Forma + Perception or Combat skill
Protects the group, watches for threats, ready to fight. Success means quick reaction to danger; failure means surprised.
Forager
Roll: Anima + Survival
Gathers food, water, and useful materials during travel. Success provides supplies; failure wastes time.
Chronicler
Roll: Anima + Lore or Imagination + Art
Records observations, maps the route, notes domain phenomena. Success creates useful records; critical may reveal hidden knowledge.
Quartermaster
Roll: Anima + Craft or Survival
Manages supplies, maintains equipment, handles logistics. Success extends supplies; failure may lose or damage items.
Multiple Roles
In small parties, characters may need to take multiple roles. Each additional role beyond the first applies -2 to all role checks. Solo travelers suffer -4 to any role they can't reasonably perform alone (like Guard while sleeping).
Travel Actions
Beyond their primary role, characters can take one Travel Action per day of journey. These represent focused effort during travel.
Travel Actions
Forced March
Push for extra speed. +50% distance but everyone gains 1 Exhaustion. Forma check TN 12 to avoid additional Exhaustion.
Careful Progress
Move slowly and cautiously. -25% distance but +2 to all detection and navigation rolls. Reduces chance of random encounters.
Hunt/Gather
Supplement supplies. Survival check determines food/water found. Takes time, reducing travel distance by 25%.
Study Domain
Observe domain characteristics. Lore or Perception check may reveal domain rules, hazards, or opportunities.
Maintain Equipment
Repair and care for gear. Craft check removes 1 Wear from an item. Requires basic tools.
Cover Tracks
Hide signs of passage. Stealth check vs. potential pursuers' Tracking. Reduces travel distance by 25%.
Camp Duties
When the party stops to rest, camp duties determine the quality and safety of the campsite. See also the Environmental Zones rules for camping quality levels.
Camp Duties
| Duty | Roll | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Site Selection | Survival | Find defensible, sheltered location. +1 Camp Quality per success margin of 4. |
| Shelter Building | Craft/Survival | Create weather protection. Success = +1 Camp Quality. |
| Fire Making | Survival | Warmth, cooking, light. Success = +1 Camp Quality. Failure may attract attention. |
| Cooking | Craft (Cooking) | Prepare proper meals. Success = party recovers +1 Wound overnight. |
| Perimeter Setup | Traps/Survival | Alarms, traps, barriers. Success = +2 to Watch detection rolls. |
| Foraging | Survival | Find local food/water. Success = 1-2 days supplies. Takes extra time. |
Camp Quality Summary
Total Camp Quality determines rest benefits:
- Quality 0 (Desperate): No healing. +1 Exhaustion. All watchrs suffer -2.
- Quality 1-2 (Rough): Heal 1 Wound. Normal rest.
- Quality 3-4 (Adequate): Heal 2 Wounds. Remove 1 Exhaustion.
- Quality 5-6 (Good): Heal 3 Wounds. Remove 2 Exhaustion. +1 Morale.
- Quality 7+ (Bastion): Full healing. Remove all Exhaustion. +2 Morale.
Watch & Vigilance
During rest, someone needs to keep watch. The watch system ensures the party isn't caught unaware while balancing the need for rest.
Watch System
Standard Night: 8 hours divided into watches
2 Characters: 4-hour watches each. Neither is fully rested (-1 die to first check tomorrow).
3 Characters: ~2.5-hour watches. All can rest adequately.
4+ Characters: 2-hour watches. Full rest for everyone.
Watch Check: Perception check each hour (or when Trickster calls for one). TN depends on threat sneakiness.
Night Encounter Table (d12)
| 1-3 | Nothing: Peaceful night. Full rest benefits. |
| 4-5 | Weather: Rain, wind, or temperature change. May affect Camp Quality. |
| 6-7 | Wildlife: Animals near camp. Watch check to avoid disturbance. |
| 8-9 | Strange Sounds: Domain phenomena. Investigation optional. |
| 10 | Visitor: Traveler or creature approaches. Intentions unclear. |
| 11 | Scouts: Something is watching. May not attack tonight. |
| 12 | Ambush: Attack during watch. Watcher's Perception vs. their Stealth. |
Resource Management
Uptime is when resources matter most. Tracking supplies adds tension and meaningful decisions to exploration.
Supply Tracking
Track these resources during expeditions:
Rations (per person per day)
No rations = 1 Exhaustion per day, -1 die to all checks after 2 days. Half rations = checks every other day.
Water (per person per day, double in hot/dry)
No water is more severe. 1 Wound per day after first, cumulative. Death after 3 days without water.
Light Sources
Torches (1 hour), lanterns (6 hours per oil flask). Without light in darkness: -4 to all visual checks, half movement.
Ammunition
Track arrows/bolts/thrown weapons in combat. Assume recovery of 50% after battle in retrievable conditions.
Party Morale
Extended expeditions test more than endurance—they test spirit. Morale represents the party's collective will to continue.
Morale System
Track Party Morale from -5 to +5 (starting at 0):
Morale Boosts (+1): Victory, good camp, finding treasure, completing goals, celebrations, acts of heroism
Morale Drops (-1): Defeat, poor camp, losses, setbacks, betrayal, fear events, resource shortage
Morale Effects: At +3 or higher, +1 die to all checks. At -3 or lower, -1 die to all checks and characters may refuse dangerous actions without good reason.
Morale Recovery
| Action | Morale Change |
|---|---|
| Speech/Rallying (Umbra + Conviction, TN 14) | +1 (max 1/day) |
| Feast/Celebration (uses extra rations) | +1 |
| Safe Rest in Quality 5+ camp | +1 |
| Achieving a stated goal | +1 to +2 |
| Return to Bastion | Reset to 0 (or +1) |
Crisis Moments
Sometimes uptime is interrupted by sudden crises—rockslides, flash floods, domain instabilities, or other immediate threats that aren't combat.
Crisis Resolution
When a crisis occurs:
- Declaration: Trickster describes the crisis and its initial threat.
- Response: Each character declares their reaction (1 action).
- Resolution: Roll appropriate checks. Successes mitigate harm; failures cause consequences.
- Aftermath: Determine damage, resource loss, or new complications.
Example Crises
Rockslide/Avalanche
Check: Perception to notice, then Forma + Athletics to escape.Failure: 2-4 Wounds, buried (requires rescue), equipment lost.
Flash Flood
Check: Forma + Athletics to swim/climb, or Anima + Survival to find high ground.Failure: Swept away, supplies lost, separated from party.
Domain Shift
Check: Imagination + Lore to understand, Umbra + Composure to stay calm.Failure: Disorientation, temporary corruption, reality confusion.
Bridge Collapse
Check: Forma + Athletics to leap/grab, or Anima + Engineering to brace.Failure: Fall damage, stranded on wrong side, equipment lost.
Sudden Darkness
Check: Anima + Perception to navigate, Umbra + Composure vs. fear.Failure: Lost, separated, vulnerable to ambush.