Spelunker

From Edge of Darkness Wiki

Your character has spent a lot of time caving, pot-holing, and otherwise twisting his body through tight places, a skill-set that comes in damn handy in the twisting tunnels and tight caverns of the Underworld. Note that though this Merit is of a lot of use in the Underworld, it’s just as applicable to cavers who haven’t encountered the supernatural world in any way.

Contents 1 Sure Footed (●) 2 Cave Sense (●●) 3 Squeeze Through (●●●) 4 Free Climb (●●●●) 5 Born to the Cave (●●●●●)

Sure Footed (●)

Your character has spent enough time underground to get a feel for caves, allowing him to act on instinct in enclosed spaces. When moving through tight spaces, your character can ignore penalties to his Speed due to hazardous terrain up to his rating in the Spelunking Merit. In addition, rolls to retain balance in an enclosed area gain the 9-again quality.

Cave Sense (●●)

Your character’s been underground long enough that she can supplement her sight with the feel of air currents and pressure. This doesn’t replace normal sight, but can come in handy as a backup to a flashlight. If the character operates with some source of light underground, she can ignore all penalties due to darkness if she has a moment to gather her senses. In combat, she doesn’t have that time but she’s still at an advantage. Halve any penalties for acting in darkness.

Squeeze Through (●●●)

Your character can fit through very small openings without losing speed. He can squeeze through openings as though his Size were two lower than it actually is.

• Drawback: When scurrying through narrow tunnels, your character cannot move faster than half his Speed unless he takes a point of lethal damage.

Free Climb (●●●●)

Assuming your character has even basic equipment, she can climb up almost any surface. She can’t go faster than most people, but she can pick out natural handholds if she takes a moment, and thus is a lot less likely to fall.

Born to the Cave (●●●●●)

Your character is so adapted to moving around in cramped spaces that people wonder if he wasn’t born underground. He can see perfectly normally if there’s even the slightest glimmer of light, and can climb rough cavern walls and narrow chimneys at his normal Speed without having to make a roll. If the surface is taxing enough that an Athletics Skill roll to climb it would normally suffer a penalty, he has to roll as normal. If he’s attacked when climbing underground, his unpredictable movement doubles his Defense.

• Drawback: Your character isn’t best suited to life above ground, without walls on either side and a roof far above. She gains no benefit from any level of this Merit when she’s not underground, and suffers a -1 penalty to Athletics rolls to climb in the open air.

See Also Direction Sense • Homeward Bound • Iron Stomach • Spelunker • Territorial Familiarity

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