Exploring the world

In the following pages are rules about interacting with the setting: how does the Referee make it a living, breathing environment that pushes back when you poke it? With common sense, and a lot or random rolls.

Delving into Dark Places

When you move through a dungeon and spend time searching for treasure, looking for traps, or stop to rest, the Referee rolls an Encounter Risk Die on the table below. The size of this die depends on the dungeon and its inhabitants: recently cleared ruins start with Δ12, overcrowded goblin lairs with Δ6. If your party is especially stealthy or cautious, the Referee can roll the Δ with advantage (ie, give you the most harmless result of two dice). Conversely, if you're stupid enough to use gunpowder or loud magic, they can elect to roll with disadvantage (and favour encounters).

Dungeon Exploration (encounter Δ)
1. Encounter: ready to ambush characters
2. Resource: roll light and morale Δ
3. Encounter: standard (decide or roll reaction)
4. Resource. roll light Δ
5. Encounter: unaware of the party
6. Resource: encumbered characters roll food Δ
7. Encounter: in trouble (decide how)
8. Resource: roll light and morale Δ
9. Encounter: clue to nearby critters
10. Find: unguarded resource
11. Encounter: dead (decide how)
12. Find: unguarded treasure

An Encounter is rolled or chosen by the Referee (depending on how they are handling these things).

• A Resource result means the party has to roll Risk Dice for light sources, morale or food.
• A Find result means a lucky break: torches, food, gold, information... decide, or have a table for your dungeon.

When the Encounter Risk Die fizzles, something happens in the dungeon: the alarm bell goes off, the summoning ritual starts... the Referee may have prepared specific events or improvise. The die then returns to its initial type.

Simple encounter roll. Sometimes you just want to know if an encounter happens, regardless of other circumstances. Just roll the Encounter Risk Die: the party comes into contact with something on a result of 1-3. The lower the roll, the more dangerous the situation. For example 1 can be an ambush, 2 a monster busy with something else, and 3 a clue to the presence of a nearby monster.

Player rumours. You don't have to know everything. Let the players fill in the blanks when they hear about a place, monster or culture you haven’t defined. Have the character who might know about it (via a trait or otherwise) check INT.

• On a success, the player gets to say something that is at least partially true. Ask them more questions if needed.
• On a failure, someone else (you or a player) can say something that is not entirely true.

Take notes about all this, and when prepping for your next session, decide what is true and build on it.

Crossing the Wilderness

Typically, a map is measured in 10 kilometre hexes (or squares). You can travel 4 hexes a day, with the following modifiers.

• +2 mounted or on a boat
• +1 on a road
• -1 adverse weather
• -1 heavily armoured (Δ10) while on foot
• -1 encumbered
• -1 woods, broken ground, desert, hills
• -2 mountain, jungle, swamp
• Forced march gives an extra +2 modifier but requires a CON check to avoid getting disadvantage on most actions until you sleep.

Getting lost is a distinct possibility without a road, landmarks or guide. One character checks INT (with a map) or WIS (without one). The roll is with disadvantage if they don’t know the area, lack a map/compass or are hurried, and with advantage if they have a trait such as explorer, ranger, etc.

Weather

Unsurprisingly, Macchiato Monsters uses a Risk Die for weather conditions. In a temperate climate, spring and autumn are typically Δ10, summer Δ12, and winter Δ8. That said, Weather Risk Dice vary widely with location.

Every day, the Referee rolls the Risk Die and looks up the weather on the table below. On 1-3, the die is stepped down as usual. On the maximum result, however, travellers get a break and the Risk Die goes up by one type. When the die fizzles, the last result rolled lasts for d8 days. The die is then set back to the season’s type.

Weather (Δ)
1. Thunderstorm or blizzard
2. Same as yesterday but colder
3. Rain or snow
4. Windy, colder than normal
5. Showers, windy
6. Showers, no wind
7. Overcast, no wind
8. Dry and sunny, windy
9. Sunny, warmer than normal
10. Windy, warmer than normal
11. Same as yesterday but hotter
12. Freak weather event

Wilderness Exploration

Once a day, the Referee rolls an Encounter Risk Die that depends on the terrain, adjusted to reflect monster population and alertness.1

• Clear, grasslands, ocean: Δ12
• Woods, wastelands, lake: Δ10
• Hills, desert, river: Δ8
• Swamp, mountains, jungle: Δ6

Consult the following table:

Wilderness Exploration (Encounter Δ)
1. Encounter: ready to ambush characters
2. Resource: roll weather and morale Δ
3. Encounter: standard (decide or roll reaction)
4. Resource. roll gear Δ (one item per character)
5. Encounter: unaware of the party
6. Resource: encumbered characters roll food Δ
7. Encounter: in trouble (decide how)
8. Resource: one character rolls gear and morale Δ
9. Encounter: clue to nearby critters
10. Find: unguarded resource
11. Encounter: dead (decide how)
12. Find: unguarded treasure

• An Encounter result is rolled on the area’s table (or decided, depending on how you are handling things).
• A Resource result means the party has to roll Risk Dice for morale or food, and light sources if exploring at night.
• A Find result means a lucky break: torches, food, gold, information...

Decide, or have a table handy for your dungeon.

Hunting & Foraging

Finding food in the wild requires to spend half a day in one spot. On a successful WIS check, roll d12 on the table below. If the Referee thinks the area doesn't have much food to offer, they may ask you to roll a different die. If the check is a failure, roll the encounter Δ both on this table and as per the normal procedure.

Hunting and Foraging (d12 or Encounter Δ)
1. A monster hunts you
2. Predators about to eat game Δ6
3. Nothing but tree bark and grubs Δ4
4. Chestnuts or walnuts Δ8
5. Squirrels or pigeons Δ6
6. Snails and leaves Δ8
7. Apple and pears Δ6
8. Honey and roots Δ8
9. Fish and herbs Δ6
10. Venison Δ10
11. Tasty mushrooms or berries Δ8
12. Boar meat Δ6, or roll again twice

There’s no such thing as a quiet day at the Camp

The Referee can use these to make things interesting at the beginning of an adventure or as inspiration during their prep.

Sometimes, the weather is so bad that no one is heading out. Roll the local Encounter Δ (or just d12) on the table below. The Referee can adapt, twist, and expand according to the setting.

Camp Events (Encounter Δ)
1. Attack. Local monsters are raiding the camp site. What do they want?
2. Scouts. Monsters or troops are spotted in the area. Just passing through?
3. Spy. An outsider is caught spying on the town. Who do they work for?
4. Shortage. Food, water, or another vital resource is scarce.
5. Newcomers. On their way to somewhere else or intending to stay?
6. Sickness. Probably benign but porphyry and lycanthropy are always a risk.
7. Rumours. Whether the threat is new or old, everyone is talking about it.
8. Fire! Something or somewhere is destroyed. Was it really an accident?
9. Dura lex. Someone is arrested, questioned, or hanged.
10. Supplies. A caravan or hunting party brings in valuable goods.
11. Religious event. A weekly prayer, or a once in a century holy day?
12. Infighting. Individuals or factions have a go at each other.

First Shortcut: Fast Forward Travel

If the Referee wants to get to the meat of the adventure without getting bogged down in details, the party can roll on this table to gloss over a few days of dangerous travel.

Unless noted otherwise, everyone steps their ration Δ down. The Referee fleshes out the result and may add some content to their campaign map.

Fast Forward Travel (d12 or Encounter Δ)
1. Got captured. You escaped with your lives and one item of your choice.
2. Pushed back an ambush. Roll your HD for your current HP.
3. Long chase. Check CON or lose d6 items.
4. Got lost. The journey took d4 extra days. Step down your rations Δ again.
5. As above but you made a discovery: a place, resource or danger.
6. Non-violent encounter with monsters or locals.
7. Made a discovery at a cost (gear, treasure, HP...)
8. Killed some monsters and found some treasure.
9. Fought monsters but some fled. Roll ammunition and armour Δ.
10. Found food. No rations expanded.
11. Found a shortcut and gained 1 day.
12. Made a discovery (a danger, resource, opportunity…)

Second Shortcut: Catching up with the Party

When your character joins up with the group in the middle of an adventure, roll to learn what happened to you. The Referee makes up the relevant details, asking for input if they need it.

Catching Up with the Party (Encounter Δ)
1. Lost all your weapons and gear, save one item of your choice.
2. Scarcely escaped monsters. They are right behind you.
3. Killed a monster. Roll your HD again for your current HP.
4. Friendly NPC taken alive by monsters. You saw where they went.
5. Non-violent contact with a monster or faction.
6. Encountered a monster and turned it into an ally.
7. Stalked by someone or something. They are close.
8. Found a clue to a danger nearby.
9. Fell down a hole and lost a random weapon.
10. Walked into a trap. Roll Δ for all your items.
11. Found a dead body. Took something interesting off it.
12. Roll again twice, ignoring this result.

Stories on the road. Once per trip, each player can describe a situation or problem that their character is involved in. It might be as simple as saying “I repair a broken wheel,” or as dangerous as “what if an bearowl visited our camp in the dead of night and I shot it with one well placed arrow?” As Referee, you have the final say—veto anything that doesn't make sense and ask the player to come up with something else. Ask the player for a check and adjudicate the results. A failure with the bearowl above for example should result in a fight with most of the characters starting in their nightgowns.