Game Mastering

Session Zero & Safety Framework

Ashfall is a game about survival in a world that actively tries to kill you. Radiation eats your bones. Augmentations replace your flesh. Starvation is a mechanic, not a metaphor. The game is designed to make these threats feel real — and real threats require real conversations before the dice hit the table.

Session zero is where those conversations happen. It is not optional. It is the most important session of your campaign.

Why This Matters for Ashfall

Most TTRPGs can get away with "let's just play and figure it out." Ashfall cannot. The game's core systems engage with content that other games avoid:

• Permanent injury and dismemberment — the lingering injuries table can cost a character an eye, a hand, or a leg. Augmentations replace what was lost, but the body horror of the process is part of the fiction.
• Addiction — the Addiction condition tracks chemical dependency with mechanical teeth. Characters can become addicted to combat stims, painkillers, or worse.
• Radiation sickness — slow, degenerative death. The Irradiated condition escalates from nausea to organ failure over weeks.
• Starvation and dehydration — resource scarcity is a core loop. Characters can die of thirst.
• Mental trauma — fear conditions, exhaustion from prolonged stress, and the psychological cost of violence are mechanically present.

These systems make Ashfall compelling. They also require every player at the table to know what they're signing up for.

Session Zero Checklist

Run through these topics before your first session. Fifteen minutes of conversation here prevents hours of discomfort later.

1. Campaign Pitch

Describe the setting, the starting situation, and the arc you're planning. Be specific about tone. "Post-apocalyptic survival" is too vague. Try:

• "We're playing scavengers in the Crucible. Radiation is everywhere. Resources are tight. The tone is desperate but not hopeless — think Mad Max, not The Road."
• "This is a faction war campaign set in the Span. Politics, betrayal, and urban intrigue. Combat happens, but social encounters drive the plot."

2. Lethality Dial

Ashfall's Lethality Dial (see Lethality Dial) lets you tune how deadly the game is. Discuss which setting the group wants:

There is no wrong answer. But the group must agree before play begins.

3. Rest Economy Briefing

Ashfall's gritty rest economy is the single biggest adjustment for players coming from other d20 systems. Explain it upfront:

• Short rest = 8 hours (a full night's sleep)
• Long rest = 1 week (extended downtime in a safe location)
• Spell slots, features, and HP recovery are gated behind these rests

This changes how players approach every encounter. They cannot nova and rest. They must manage resources across multiple fights. If the group doesn't understand this before Session 1, frustration is guaranteed.

4. Character Creation Workshop

Build characters together at the table. This serves three purposes:

• Mechanical balance — avoid a party of four snipers with no healer
• Narrative hooks — characters who share history, obligations, or goals have reasons to stay together
• Tone alignment — a comedic character in a grimdark campaign (or vice versa) creates friction. Session zero is where you catch it

5. Party Formation

Answer one question as a group: Why are these people together, and why do they stay together?

Options that work in Ashfall:

• Shared faction membership (employed by the same settlement, guild, or caravan)
• Survival necessity (met on the road, safer in numbers)
• Common enemy (all wronged by the same faction, creature, or event)
• Contractual obligation (hired for the same job)

Options that don't: "my character is a loner who doesn't trust anyone" is a character concept that works in fiction and fails at the table.

6. Tone Calibration

The table should agree on a tonal range. Use these as starting points:

• Grimdark: The world is hostile and indifferent. Hope is rare and hard-won. Violence has weight. Not every problem has a solution.
• Hopepunk: The world is hostile, but people build something anyway. Communities matter. Small victories accumulate.
• Action-adventure: The world is dangerous, but the PCs are capable. Combat is exciting, not traumatic. Consequences exist but don't dominate.

Most Ashfall campaigns land between Hopepunk and Grimdark. Pure action-adventure works but underuses the survival systems.

Safety Tools

Safety tools are not restrictions on play. They are agreements that let everyone engage more deeply with dark material, because they know they can pump the brakes if something crosses a line.

Lines and Veils

The most important safety tool for Ashfall. Set these during session zero.

• Lines are hard limits — content that never appears at the table, not even implied. A line is absolute. No negotiation, no "but it would be good for the story." If a player draws a line, the group respects it without discussion.
• Veils are soft limits — content that can exist in the fiction but happens "off-screen." The camera cuts away. The GM says "the interrogation happens; here are the results" rather than playing it out in detail.

How to set them: Go around the table. Each player names any Lines and Veils they want. The GM writes them down. The list is private to the table and can be updated at any time.

Ashfall-specific defaults (the GM should offer these as starting Veils unless the group explicitly opts in):

• Graphic description of radiation death (body degradation, organ failure)
• Detailed augmentation surgery (body horror during installation)
• Addiction spirals played out in full mechanical detail
• Violence against children or non-combatants
• Torture scenes played in real-time

These defaults are Veils, not Lines — they can still happen in the fiction, but the narration fades to black rather than dwelling on details.

X-Card

An in-session tool. Any player can tap or raise the X-Card (a physical card, a hand signal, or a chat message in online play) to signal that the current scene is making them uncomfortable. When the X-Card is used:

1. The GM immediately pauses the scene
2. The group skips past the uncomfortable content or reframes it
3. No one asks why. No explanation is required.
4. Play continues

The X-Card works because it requires no justification. A player who has to explain why they're uncomfortable is less likely to speak up.

Stars and Wishes

An end-of-session feedback tool. After each session, go around the table:

• Stars: What was the best moment of the session? What worked?
• Wishes: What would you like to see more of next time? What could improve?

This takes 5 minutes and gives the GM actionable feedback. It also surfaces safety issues gently — a player who "wishes for less graphic injury descriptions" is communicating a boundary without confrontation.

Open Door

Any player can leave the table at any time, for any reason, without explanation. They can return when ready. No questions asked, no consequences.

This is especially important for Ashfall, where the themes can unexpectedly resonate with real experiences. A veteran player may be fine with combat violence for months and then hit a scene that echoes something personal. The Open Door ensures they can step away without drama.

Table Agreements

These are group decisions, not GM edicts. Discuss and record them during session zero.

PvP Policy

Ashfall's faction-heavy setting can create situations where PCs have conflicting loyalties. Decide how to handle this before it happens.

Character Death and Replacement

Agree on:

• How quickly can a replacement character join? End of the current session? Start of the next? After a narrative interlude?
• What level does the replacement start at? Same level as the party? One level behind?
• Does the dead character's gear transfer? Can the party loot their fallen friend, or does the player keep certain items for their new character?

In Ashfall's gritty economy, a replacement character who starts with nothing is at a severe disadvantage. Consider allowing replacements to start with gear equivalent to the party's average.

Rules Disputes

When a rule is unclear mid-session:

1. The GM makes a ruling on the spot
2. Play continues with that ruling
3. The group looks up the actual rule after the session and applies it going forward

Do not stop play to debate rules. The wasteland doesn't pause for lawyers.

Metagaming Tolerance

Decide how strict you are about player knowledge vs. character knowledge. Options range from "players can discuss tactics openly" to "in-character knowledge only." Most Ashfall groups land in the middle — tactical discussion is fine, but acting on information your character doesn't have is not.

Running Ashfall's Dark Themes Well

The goal is not to traumatize your players. The goal is to make the wasteland feel real — dangerous, consequential, and worth surviving in.

Earn the darkness. Don't open with the worst the setting has to offer. Let players experience the wasteland's beauty (the communities, the camaraderie, the small victories) before confronting its horrors. A lingering injury hits harder when the character had something to lose.

Consequences, not shock. The difference between horror and shock value is consequence. A radiation death that unfolds over sessions — the character growing weaker, making choices about treatment vs. mission priorities, their allies watching — is horror. A radiation death described in graphic detail for its own sake is shock value. Ashfall's mechanics support the former.

Let players set the pace. Some groups will lean into the darkest elements eagerly. Others will prefer to keep the grit at arm's length. Both are valid. The safety tools exist so the group can find its own comfort level — and adjust it over time as trust develops.

Quick Reference: Session Zero Agenda

1. Campaign pitch (5 min)
2. Lethality dial selection (5 min)
3. Rest economy briefing (5 min)
4. Lines and Veils (10 min)
5. Safety tools overview — X-Card, Open Door (5 min)
6. Table agreements — PvP, death, disputes (10 min)
7. Character creation workshop (60-90 min)
8. Party formation (15 min)
9. Tone calibration (5 min)

Total: ~2 hours. Worth every minute.

Stress Events: When to Call for a Check

Sidebar for GMs — Sparing, Intentional Use

The Stress system is a tool for marking the moments that matter. Used correctly, it creates emotional stakes and memorable narrative beats. Used incorrectly, it becomes housekeeping that slows the table and makes players dread every session.

Call for a Stress Check when:

• An ally the player has established genuine investment in dies — not every combat casualty, only the ones that hurt
• The party witnesses something that represents the worst of what the Ashfall has done — an atrocity, a massacre, the remains of something that used to mean something
• A character's personal backstory trauma is directly activated by events (establish these at Session Zero — see Safety Framework)
• A player leans into the emotional weight of a moment — reward the roleplay with mechanical acknowledgment, not punishment

Do NOT call for a Stress Check:

• After routine combat — wasteland survivors expect to fight
• When a character fails a skill check, even dramatically
• Every session — "stress fatigue" is a real phenomenon at the table
• As a surprise during a player's first session with the game

Suggested frequency: 2–4 Stress Checks in a 10-session campaign arc. Any more, and the system loses meaning. Any fewer, and it may as well not exist.

Before using Stress in your campaign: At Session Zero, discuss the Stress system explicitly. Ask each player what their character's personal trauma triggers are — and which triggers belong in play vs. off the table. The system is designed to create meaningful moments, not to hurt anyone. See Session Zero & Safety Framework for the X-Card, Lines and Veils, and other tools that should accompany any session involving heavy psychological themes.

NPC Stress: The system technically applies to any creature with a Will save. For dramatic purposes, significant NPCs (contacts, allies, rivals) can carry Stress. A burned-out settlement doctor who's seen too much may have SP 3–4; approaching them for Seeking Counsel might require first recognizing and addressing their own burden. This is a GM creative tool, not a required subsystem.

Challenge Rating System

Challenge Rating (CR) represents a creature's combat power relative to player characters.

CR Guidelines:

• CR 1/4 = Threat to level 1 characters
• CR 1 = Challenging for level 1 party
• CR 5 = Challenging for level 5 party
• CR 20 = Threatening to level 20 characters

Encounter Difficulty Calculation

Use this formula for balanced encounters:

Step 1: Calculate Party Level Sum

Add all PC levels together.

• Example: 4 PCs at level 7 = 28 total levels

Step 2: Choose Difficulty Multiplier

Step 3: Calculate Monster CR Budget

Party Level Sum x Multiplier = Total CR budget

Step 4: Distribute CR Across Enemies

• Single Boss: Use full CR budget (may need to inflate HP)
• Boss + Minions: 70% budget on boss, 30% on minions
• Squad: Distribute evenly (4-6 creatures of equal CR)
• Horde: Many low-CR enemies (double number, halve individual CR)

Example Encounters (for 4 level-7 PCs, total 28 levels):

• Easy: 28 x 0.4 = CR 11 total
• Medium: 28 x 0.6 = CR 17 total
• Hard: 28 x 0.8 = CR 22 total
• Deadly: 28 x 1.0 = CR 28 total
• Lethal: 28 x 1.5 = CR 42 total

Threat Level and Challenge Rating: Ashfall uses two related terms for creature power. Threat Level (TL) measures an individual creature's combat capability — its raw stats, abilities, and danger. Challenge Rating (CR) measures an encounter's total difficulty against the party. A creature's TL equals its contribution to the encounter's CR budget: a TL 4 creature contributes 4 CR to the total. To build an encounter, sum the TL of all enemies to get the encounter's total CR, then compare to the difficulty table above.

Example: A TL 6 Commander with two TL 2 Soldiers and four TL 1 Minions = CR 14 total (6 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 + 1). For 4 level-7 PCs (28 total levels), this is an Easy encounter (28 × 0.4 = 11.2 Easy threshold, 28 × 0.6 = 16.8 Medium threshold — CR 14 falls between Easy and Medium).

Action Economy Balance

CRITICAL RULE: The side with more actions per round has significant advantage.

4 PCs vs 1 Monster:

• PCs: 12 actions + 4 reactions per round
• Monster: 3 actions + 1 reaction per round
• PCs have 4:1 action advantage

Solutions for Solo Bosses

Legendary Actions (use 3 per round between turns):

• Move up to speed (costs 1)
• Make one attack (costs 1-2)
• Cast cantrip (costs 1)
• Use special ability (costs 2-3)

Lair Actions (environment acts on initiative 20, DC = 8 + creature's CR/2, rounded down):

• Collapsing ceiling: All in area make Reflex save or take 2d10 damage
• Poison gas: 20-ft radius, Fortitude save or poisoned for 1 round
• Magical darkness: 30-ft area becomes heavily obscured

Minions:

• Add low-CR allies (CR 1/4 to 1/2)
• Tie up PC actions
• Create tactical complexity

Phases:

• At 50% HP, boss transforms or changes tactics
• Gain new abilities mid-fight
• Reset HP pool or gain temp HP

Creature Power Budgets

When designing custom creatures, use the following baselines and scaling rules.

Threat Level Quick Reference

TL 1 (Minion): 15 HP, +3 to hit, 1d8+1 damage, DV 12

• Costs 1 point toward encounter budget
• Examples: Feral scavenger, basic drone, untrained raider

TL 2 (Soldier): 30 HP, +4 to hit, 2d6+2 damage, DV 14

• Costs 2 points
• Examples: Trained guard, aggressive wasteland beast, combat drone

TL 3 (Elite): 50 HP, +5 to hit, 2d8+3 damage, DV 15, special ability

• Costs 3 points
• Examples: Veteran soldier, alpha predator, military robot

TL 4 (Veteran): 70 HP, +6 to hit, 2d10+3 damage, DV 16, special ability

• Costs 4 points
• Examples: Seasoned raider captain, large wasteland predator, reinforced security bot

TL 5 (Champion): 90 HP, +7 to hit, 3d8+4 damage, DV 17, multiple abilities

• Costs 5 points
• Examples: Squad leader, deadly mutant, experimental war machine

TL 6 (Commander): 110 HP, +8 to hit, 3d8+5 damage, DV 17 (same as TL 5 — Commander power comes from command abilities and action economy, not raw defenses), multiple abilities + command ability

• Costs 6 points toward encounter budget
• Examples: Faction lieutenant, mutant alpha, rogue combat AI, elite special forces leader

TL 7 (Warlord): 130 HP, +8 to hit, 3d10+5 damage, DV 18, multiple abilities + legendary action (1/round)

• Costs 7 points
• Examples: Raider warchief, apex predator pack leader, awakened war machine, faction champion

TL 8 (Hero/Boss): 150 HP, +9 to hit, 4d10+5 damage, DV 19, legendary actions

• Costs 8 points
• Examples: Faction champion, epic beast, advanced AI

TL 9 (Paragon): 175 HP, +10 to hit, 4d10+6 damage (~28 avg), DV 19, legendary actions (2/round), 1 legendary resistance

• Costs 9 points toward encounter budget
• Examples: Faction war-commander, awakened Voidscar entity, pre-Fall military command unit, apex mutant alpha. These are the most powerful beings that can be encountered without entering the realm of myth.
• Appropriate as a solo Hard encounter for a level 14-16 party, or the centerpiece of a Deadly encounter with supporting troops.

TL 10+ (Legendary): 200+ HP, +11 to hit, variable massive damage, DV 20+, legendary resistance

• Costs 10+ points
• Examples: Ancient warmachine, demigod, reality-warper

Adjusting for Multiple Enemies

Action economy is the strongest force multiplier in Ashfall. A group of weaker enemies can be far more dangerous than their raw TL sum suggests because they generate more actions, force split attention, and exploit flanking.

Action Economy Multiplier: When building encounters with multiple enemies, apply the following multiplier to the encounter's total CR after summing TL:

Apply the multiplier when comparing to the difficulty thresholds, not when summing TL.

Example: 6 TL 2 Soldiers = 12 raw CR. With the ×1.3 multiplier for 5-6 enemies, effective CR = 15.6. For 4 level-5 PCs (20 total levels), compare 15.6 against thresholds: Easy 8, Medium 12, Hard 16, Deadly 20. This encounter is between Hard and Deadly — appropriately dangerous for a squad of trained soldiers.

Compare: a single TL 12 creature has the same raw CR (12) but only ×1.0 multiplier. Effective CR = 12 — a Medium encounter. The solo creature is easier despite having the same total TL because the party's 12 actions overwhelm its 3.

When to skip the multiplier: If most enemies are TL 1 Minions (HP 15, likely to drop in 1-2 hits), the action economy advantage is reduced — they won't survive long enough to exploit it. For encounters where half or more of the enemies are TL 1, use ×1.0 regardless of total number. The multiplier matters most when enemies can survive multiple rounds.

Custom Creature Design

CR 1 Baseline:

• HP: 30-40
• DV: 12-14
• Attack Bonus: +3 to +5
• Average Damage/Round: 6-8
• Save DC: 11-12

Scaling Per CR:

• HP: +15-20 per CR
• DV: +1 per 2 CR levels (max DV 22 at CR 20)
• Attack Bonus: +1 per 2 CR levels (max +14 at CR 20, respecting bounded accuracy)
• Damage/Round: +3-5 per CR (higher-CR creatures are deadlier through damage, not accuracy)
• Save DC: +1 per 2 CR levels (max DC 22 at CR 20)

Special Abilities (CR Adjustment)

• Minor Utility (darkvision, keen senses): +0 CR
• Useful Combat (poison, knockdown): +1 CR
• Strong Combat (area damage, significant buff/debuff): +2 CR
• Game-Changing (teleport, strong regen, immunity): +3-5 CR

Defensive CR Modifiers

• Damage Resistance (common type): +1 CR
• Damage Immunity (common type): +2 CR
• High DV (3+ above expected): +1 CR
• Regeneration (5+ HP/round): +2 CR

Offensive CR Modifiers

• Multi-Attack (2-3 attacks): +2 CR
• High Damage (double expected): +2 CR
• Save-or-Suck (instant disable): +3 CR
• Area Damage (affects 3+ targets): +1-2 CR

Environmental Hazards

The Wasteland is not a static arena. Structures collapse, fuel ignites, toxins spread, and the battlefield changes round by round. Environmental hazards add interest and tactical depth without inflating CR.

For complete rules on destructible objects, spreading hazards (fire, toxic gas, structural collapse, flooding), chain reactions (fuel containers, electrical systems, support columns), and shooting through cover, see Combat — Environmental Combat.

Using Hazards in Encounter Design

Environmental elements should create decisions, not unavoidable damage taxes. Place them deliberately:

• Fuel containers near chokepoints reward players who think before shooting — and punish enemies who cluster.
• Support columns in multi-level structures create "bring the house down" moments with the 1d4 round collapse delay.
• Toxic gas vents in underground areas force movement and discourage camping.
• Flooding in subterranean encounters creates time pressure — the water rises whether you're ready or not.

Terrain Quick Reference

Dynamic Environments

Not every hazard is static. Some escalate:

• Radiation storms roll in over 1d4 rounds, forcing shelter decisions (see Conditions — Irradiated)
• Spreading fire expands each round to adjacent flammable squares (see Combat — Spreading Hazards)
• Structural collapse has a 1d4 round countdown — creatures hear the warnings (see Combat — Chain Reactions)
• Rising water fills the lowest areas at 5 feet per round (see Combat — Spreading Hazards)

Encounter Templates

These templates give GMs ready-to-run frameworks for common Ashfall scenarios. Each template defines a tactical puzzle — not just "fight things." Use the CR system and Threat Level reference to populate templates with appropriate enemies, then layer in the environmental and tactical elements described here.

General Scaling

All templates scale across level tiers. Use these guidelines to adjust:

Social Encounter Framework

The Wasteland runs on deals, threats, and desperate alliances. Combat encounters have a full mechanical framework — initiative, actions, DV, HP. Social encounters deserve the same structural support. This framework gives GMs tools to run negotiations, interrogations, and faction interactions with mechanical weight without replacing roleplay.

Design Principle: Social encounters structure decisions, not dialogue. Players still speak in character, argue their case, and make choices. The framework determines consequences, tracks progress, and ensures every PC has a meaningful way to contribute. No dead turns.

Not Every Situation Is a Social Encounter: Sometimes the party bypasses negotiation entirely — through stealth, disguise, or infiltration. These approaches use Exploration rules and features (see the Infiltrator's Assess Target and the Operative's stealth abilities). Reserve this framework for situations where the party engages in dialogue with genuine stakes.

NPC Disposition

Every significant NPC has a disposition toward the party (or toward individual PCs). Disposition determines what the NPC is willing to do and how hard they are to influence.

Starting Disposition: The GM sets starting disposition based on context:

• Faction standing shifts starting disposition. If the party is allied with a faction, that faction's members start at Friendly. If the party has attacked a faction, its members start at Hostile.
• Reputation matters. A party known for keeping their word starts most interactions at Neutral or better. A party known for betrayal starts at Unfriendly.
• Individual history overrides faction defaults. An NPC the party saved starts at Friendly regardless of faction. An NPC the party betrayed starts at Hostile.

Shifting Disposition: Disposition shifts one step per significant interaction. Persuasion, Deception, Intimidation, and roleplay can shift disposition up. Threats, betrayal, and insults shift it down. Disposition shifts within a single encounter are temporary unless reinforced by actions (delivering on promises, providing tangible help, or following through on threats).

This disposition system is the same track used by the Statecraft advanced skill's Influence Campaign (see Advanced Skills). Scene-scale interactions shift individual NPC disposition; Statecraft shifts organizational disposition over weeks.

Negotiation Framework

When the party enters a structured social encounter — a trade negotiation, a faction summit, a hostage situation, a trial — use this framework.

Step 1: Establish Stakes

Before rolling anything, the GM defines:

• What each side wants — the party's goal and the NPC's goal. These should conflict or at least require compromise.
• What each side will accept — the minimum terms. If both sides' minimums are compatible, the negotiation is about getting the best deal, not whether a deal happens.
• What happens on failure — if the negotiation breaks down entirely (combat, ejection, lost opportunity, war).

Example: The party wants safe passage through Iron Wolf territory. The Iron Wolves want payment. The party's minimum: passage for the caravan. The Wolves' minimum: 500 credits or a service. Failure: the Wolves attack or the party must detour through the Crucible (2 extra days in radiation zones).

Step 2: Set the Progress Threshold

The GM sets a progress threshold — the number of successful social checks needed to achieve the party's goal:

Each PC can attempt one social check per round of negotiation. A "round" is roughly 1-2 minutes of in-game conversation. The GM determines when a round ends — typically after each PC has had a chance to speak.

Step 3: Choose Approaches

Each PC chooses a social approach for their check. Different approaches have different effects and long-term consequences:

Persuasion (PRE) — Build trust, appeal to shared interest.

• On success: +1 progress. NPC disposition shifts +1 step (if currently below Friendly).
• On critical success (beat DC by 5+): +2 progress.
• On failure: No progress. NPC is unimpressed but not offended.
• Long-term: Agreements built on Persuasion are durable. The NPC feels good about the deal.

Deception (PRE) — Create false leverage, misrepresent your position.

• On success: +1 progress. No disposition change (the NPC doesn't know the real terms).
• On critical success: +2 progress. The NPC believes something that gives you additional leverage in future interactions.
• On failure: No progress. The NPC suspects something — their next check against Deception from your party has advantage.
• On critical failure (miss DC by 5+): Disposition drops 1 step. The NPC catches the lie.
• Long-term: Agreements built on Deception collapse when the truth emerges. Use carefully.

Intimidation (PRE or MIG) — Force compliance through threat.

• On success: +1 progress. Disposition shifts -1 step (even if the negotiation succeeds — nobody likes being threatened).
• On critical success: +2 progress. The NPC is frightened and compliant, but resentful.
• On failure: No progress. Disposition shifts -1 step. The NPC is angry.
• Long-term: Agreements built on Intimidation last only as long as the threat is credible. The NPC will betray you at the first safe opportunity.

Insight (WIS) — Read the NPC, find their pressure point.

• On success: No direct progress, but you learn one of the following: the NPC's real motivation (what they actually want behind their stated position), their deal-breaker (what will cause them to walk away), or their hidden weakness (a secret, a fear, a dependency). The next social check by any party member against this NPC gains advantage.
• On failure: No information gained. No negative consequence.

Other Skills — At the GM's discretion, other skills can contribute:

• Technology/Science: Demonstrate technical value ("We can fix your water purifier")
• Medicine: Offer medical services ("Your people need a doctor — we have one")
• Streetwise: Leverage underworld connections ("I know who's been stealing your shipments")
• Arcana: Offer magical knowledge or services

These contribute +1 progress on success if the information or service is relevant to the NPC's interests. They cannot shift disposition directly but may change the NPC's perception of the party's value.

Step 4: Resolve and Consequences

• Threshold met: The negotiation succeeds on the party's terms (modified by any concessions made during play).
• Threshold not met after all rounds: The negotiation fails or the NPC counter-offers on their terms.
• Disposition drops to Hostile during negotiation: The NPC ends the conversation. Depending on context: they attack, call guards, leave, or declare the party enemies.

Time Pressure (Optional): For urgent negotiations (hostage situations, incoming threats, ticking clock), the GM limits the number of rounds. After X rounds, the situation resolves regardless — the hostage taker acts, the army arrives, the bomb goes off. This creates genuine tension without arbitrary failure.

Faction Interaction Rules

Ashfall's six major factions are not monolithic. Different NPCs within a faction have different dispositions, agendas, and leverage. These rules govern how faction identity shapes social encounters.

Faction Standing and Starting Disposition:

Faction Reputation Consequences: Actions toward one faction affect standing with others. The GM should track these shifts using the following guidelines:

• Helping a faction publicly: +1 step with that faction, -1 step with their primary rival
• Attacking a faction: -2 steps with that faction, potentially +1 with their rivals
• Brokering peace between factions: +1 step with both (if successful)
• Betraying an alliance: -3 steps with the betrayed faction, -1 step with all factions who learn of it (nobody trusts a traitor)

Using Influence Capital: The Influence capital from Downtime (see Downtime) can be spent during social encounters:

• 1 Influence: Gain advantage on one social check against a faction you have standing with
• 2 Influence: Shift starting disposition one step in your favor for a specific encounter
• 3 Influence: Arrange a meeting with a faction leader or high-ranking official who would otherwise refuse
• 5 Influence: Call in a major favor — a faction deploys resources on your behalf (troops, supplies, intelligence)

Influence spent this way is consumed. It represents political capital that, once spent, must be rebuilt through downtime activities.

Betrayal Detection: When an NPC suspects the party of deception or betrayal, the GM makes a contested check: NPC's Insight vs. the relevant PC's Deception. If the NPC succeeds, they know they're being played — but they may not reveal this immediately. Smart NPCs use the knowledge to set traps, feed false information, or alert their faction.

Contact Networks

Faction Reputation tracks how the wasteland's power structures view your party. Contact Networks track your individual relationships — specific people who trust you, owe you, or see you as useful enough to take a call at 3 AM.

A contact is a named NPC with a specialty and a Reliability Rating. When you need something outside your own skills — black market access, a safe house, intelligence on a rival faction, a medic who doesn't ask questions — your contacts are who you call. They're not vending machines. They're people with their own interests, vulnerabilities, and limits. Treat them accordingly.

What Is a Contact?

Each contact has three properties:

Specialty: One area they can assist with. Contacts are experts in a narrow lane, not generalists. Choose or develop a specialty when the contact is first established:

(GMs may define other specialties as appropriate to the setting and current campaign.)

Reliability Rating (1–5): How capable and dependable this contact is — both in terms of their connections and their willingness to help. A Rating 1 contact is a useful acquaintance; a Rating 5 contact is a trusted partner who will put themselves at risk for you. Starting contacts from backgrounds begin at Reliability 2 (established relationships), except the Faction Operative's contact which starts at Reliability 3.

Disposition: Friendly / Neutral / Wary. Starts at Friendly for backgrounds' starting contacts, Neutral for newly cultivated contacts. Contacts that have been exploited, neglected, or placed in danger without recompense shift toward Wary. A contact at Disposition Wary will not take requests above their current Reliability Rating — and if it drops further, they stop taking calls.

Calling In a Favor

When you need your contact's help, you can reach out via radio, courier, or in person. This takes one of the following:

• Downtime action (1 day): Full contact, suitable for complex requests. The contact has time to respond fully.
Quick contact 1 Action (in-session): Brief communication, suitable for simple requests (information, warnings). Complex requests via quick contact have a 50% chance of reaching the contact at all (roll d6: 4+ = they respond).

Making a request: State what you need and compare it to your contact's Reliability Rating tier. If the request falls within their tier:

• The contact responds as quickly as their situation allows (GM determines time: hours to days)
• No check required for delivery unless external factors interfere (GM discretion)

If the request exceeds your contact's Reliability Rating tier by 1 step (e.g., asking a Rating 3 contact for a Rating 4 favor), the contact may attempt it — but make a Persuasion check (DC 15) to convince them, and their Reliability Rating for this request drops by 1 for calculating what they can actually deliver.

If the request exceeds their tier by 2+ steps, they decline outright. Pushing past a refusal shifts Disposition one step toward Wary.

Obligation: Favors are not free. Each significant use of a contact creates an obligation — an unspoken debt that the contact may call in later. The GM should track obligations and introduce them as plot complications: your contact needs something from you, their situation has become dangerous because of work they did for you, or a rival is pressuring them because of your relationship. Contacts that are frequently used but never reciprocated will eventually become problems.

Burning and Building Reliability

Burning Reliability (-1 or -2):

• Contact completes a high-risk favor and is not compensated or protected
• You demand too much in rapid succession (more than 3 significant favors in a downtime week)
• You provide false information that puts the contact in danger
• You fail to honor an obligation they called in
• Contact is directly injured or harmed as a result of helping you

Reliability 0: The contact does not take your calls. You can attempt to rebuild the relationship, but it requires a significant gesture and a Persuasion DC 20 over 1 week of downtime. On failure, the contact is permanently unavailable.

Building Reliability (+1):

• You complete an obligation the contact called in
• You protect the contact from a direct threat
• You provide them with something of significant value without being asked (resources, information, or help)
• You spend Cultivate Contact downtime on an existing contact (see Downtime Activities)
• A contact can only increase by 1 step per downtime week, regardless of how much is invested

Running Contacts as a GM

Contacts are encounter seeds. Every contact should have two things you can introduce within 2–3 sessions of the relationship being established:

1. A personal vulnerability: Something they're afraid of, something they need, something they've done that could catch up with them. This is the hook. When you drop it into play, the relationship deepens from transactional to human.

2. A want: Something they're working toward, not just something they fear. The best contacts aren't passive — they have their own goals, and smart players learn to help their contacts achieve them in exchange for access.

Example: The party's Information Broker contact (Reliability 3) is named Sable. She runs a news network that broadcasts pirate radio across the Span. Her vulnerability: her encryption key was sold to Dynaxis Solutions two months ago — she doesn't know yet, but her network is being monitored. Her want: she's trying to locate a pre-Fall broadcasting tower in Sector 12 that would triple her signal range. When the party asks Sable for faction intelligence, she provides it. Two sessions later, Dynaxis agents raid her hideout. The party can intervene — or not.

Contact availability: Contacts are not always accessible. They have lives, enemies, and limited resources. Consider making contacts unavailable occasionally (GM fiat or triggered by player misuse):

• A contact who was asked to do something dangerous might be "offline" for 1d4 days recovering
• A contact who was given hostile faction intelligence might be laying low
• A contact at low Reliability might simply not pick up "until they see proof things have changed"

Contacts vs. Faction Reputation: These systems are independent. Faction Reputation tracks your standing with organizations as a whole. Contacts are individuals within, adjacent to, or outside those organizations. A party with Hostile standing with the Ashen Veil might still have a personal contact who is an Ashen Veil defector — the faction hates the party, but the individual still trusts them. The contact's personal Disposition is what matters, not the faction's stance.

Contact Network Quick Reference

Sample Social Encounters

Sample 1: The Faction Negotiation

Setting: The party needs to cross Iron Wolf territory to reach a pre-war bunker. They've arranged a meeting with the local Wolf commander through a contact.

Stakes: The party wants safe passage for their caravan. The Iron Wolves want payment — they suggest 800 credits or "a service to be named later."

NPC: Commander Drask (Neutral disposition, pragmatic, respects strength).

Progress Threshold: 5 (Standard — Neutral NPC, significant request).

Round 1: The Diplomat opens with Persuasion (PRE check vs DC 14), offering 400 credits and a mutual defense pact. Rolls 17 — success, +1 progress. The Infiltrator uses Insight to read Drask — rolls 15 — learns that Drask's real concern isn't money, it's that a rival faction (Dynaxis) has been probing his border. Next check against Drask has advantage.

Round 2: The Diplomat pivots (with advantage from the Insight) — offers to share intelligence on Dynaxis troop movements the party observed on the road. Persuasion check, advantage. Rolls 19 — critical success, +2 progress (total 3). Drask is interested. The Warrior mentions they killed a Dynaxis patrol two days ago — the GM rules this as a relevant demonstration of capability (Intimidation, +1 progress on success). Rolls 14 — success, total 4.

Round 3: The Infiltrator offers to use their Handler network to feed Drask intelligence on Dynaxis movements for the next month (Streetwise check, relevant to Drask's interests). Rolls 16 — success, +1 progress, total 5. Threshold met.

Result: Drask agrees to safe passage, accepts the 400 credits, and establishes a tentative intelligence-sharing arrangement. Disposition shifts to Friendly. The party has a new faction contact — but Dynaxis may learn of the arrangement.

Sample 2: The Hostile Interrogation

Setting: The party has captured a Convergence operative who knows the location of a stolen data core. The operative is Hostile (captured enemy).

Stakes: The party wants the data core's location. The operative wants to survive and protect Convergence secrets.

NPC: Agent Sera (Hostile disposition, trained to resist interrogation, afraid of death).

Progress Threshold: 7 (Complex — Hostile NPC, major secret).

Approaches: The Profiler Infiltrator uses Deep Read (feature) to learn Sera's primary fear — being abandoned by the Convergence, left to rot in the Wasteland. The Psion Telepath uses Mind Probe (feature) to read Sera's surface thoughts — learns she's calculating whether the Convergence will send a rescue team (they won't). The Diplomat uses Persuasion to offer a deal: information for freedom and safe passage to neutral territory.

Key Mechanic: The Profiler's Deep Read and the Telepath's Mind Probe are not social checks — they're features that provide information. This information grants advantage on subsequent social checks and allows the party to target Sera's specific fears and motivations. Features don't replace the social framework; they enhance it.

Resolution: After 4 rounds, the party has accumulated 5 progress through a combination of Persuasion (offering a deal), Insight (exploiting fear of abandonment), and Deception (implying the Convergence has already disavowed her — true, but the party embellishes). The remaining 2 progress come from the Diplomat's critical success with the final offer. Sera talks.

Sample 3: The Settlement Dispute

Setting: Two settlement leaders are disputing water rights to a shared well. Both have asked the party to mediate. The party has no stake in the outcome — they're being paid to resolve this.

Stakes: Leader Maren (farmer, Friendly to party) wants full access to the well. Leader Torq (rancher, Neutral to party) wants priority during dry season. The settlement cannot function if this dispute escalates to violence.

NPC: Both leaders (separate disposition tracks). The party must accumulate 5 progress with each leader to reach a compromise both accept.

Unique Mechanic: This is a dual-track negotiation. The party splits their efforts — some PCs work on Maren, others on Torq. Progress with one leader does not count toward the other. If the party convinces one leader but not the other, they get a lopsided deal that breeds resentment.

Approaches: The Diplomat uses Silver Tongue (feature, advantage on first social check with a new individual) to open with both leaders on strong footing. The Scavenger offers to repair the well's pump mechanism, increasing output for both parties (Technology check, +1 progress with both leaders simultaneously — a creative solution that addresses the root cause). The Medic uses Insight to read Torq — learns that his ranches are failing and he's more desperate than he shows.

Resolution: The party brokers a time-sharing agreement with an improved well. Both leaders agree. Disposition with both rises to Friendly. The party earns Influence capital with the settlement.

Running Social Encounters: GM Guidelines

Pacing: Social encounters should take 3-5 rounds for standard negotiations. If it's dragging past 7 rounds, the NPC makes a final offer or walks away. Social encounters should feel tense and consequential, not like a skill check grind.

Roleplay First, Roll Second: Let the player describe what their character says or does before calling for a check. Good roleplay that specifically targets an NPC's known motivations or fears should grant advantage or reduce the DC by 2. Poor roleplay (contradicting established facts, insulting when trying to persuade) should impose disadvantage.

Not Every Conversation Is an Encounter: Reserve this framework for negotiations with genuine stakes and uncertainty. A friendly shopkeeper selling supplies doesn't need a progress threshold. A hostile faction leader deciding whether to execute the party does.

No Dead Turns: Every PC should have a way to contribute. The Warrior can Intimidate. The Technician can offer technical services. The Medic can offer healing. The Operative can gather side-channel intelligence. If a player feels useless, suggest a creative skill application — the framework supports it.

Failure Is Not Nothing: A failed negotiation should produce consequences, not silence. The NPC counter-offers on worse terms, the party learns something useful even in failure, or the failure creates a new opportunity (the NPC's rival approaches the party after hearing about the breakdown).

Skill Challenge Framework

The vault door won't open with one check. The wasteland won't cross itself. Some problems demand sustained effort — a sequence of decisions where every roll matters and every failure makes the next step harder.

Skill challenges model extended non-combat obstacles that require multiple checks across multiple skills. They sit between single skill checks (one roll resolves the situation) and freeform roleplay (no mechanical structure needed). Use them when:

• Multiple PCs need to contribute. If only one character can meaningfully act, use a single check with advantage from helpers.
• Failure has escalating consequences. If failing once ends the scenario, use a single check. If failure creates complications that compound, use a skill challenge.
• The obstacle has distinct phases. Breaking into a facility involves bypassing locks, avoiding patrols, and cracking the vault — each phase demands different skills.
• You want pacing without combat. Skill challenges give structure to exploration, infiltration, and travel sequences that would otherwise devolve into "roll Stealth five times."

When NOT to use skill challenges: Conversations with NPCs (use the Social Encounter Framework above). Situations where a single check suffices. Purely narrative scenes where dice would disrupt the moment.

Core Mechanics

Complexity Tiers

Complexity determines how many successes the party needs and how many failures they can absorb before the challenge ends in failure.

The challenge ends immediately when the party accumulates the required successes (they succeed) or the maximum failures (they fail). A failed challenge does not necessarily mean total failure — see Degrees of Outcome below.

Rounds and Turns

Each round of a skill challenge represents a phase of the operation — a stretch of corridor, a stage of research, a leg of the journey. Within each round:

1. The GM describes the current situation and announces 3-5 applicable skills for this round.
2. Each PC takes one primary check using one of the listed skills.
3. Skill lockout: A specific skill can only be used by one PC per round. If the Operative uses Stealth this round, no other PC can use Stealth until the next round. This forces the party to diversify rather than stacking their best skill.
4. The GM resolves successes, failures, and complications.
5. The situation evolves based on results, and the next round begins.

No Dead Turns: Every character must have a way to contribute. If a PC lacks proficiency in any of the listed skills, the GM should either expand the skill list for that round or allow the PC to use a feature, assist another character (granting advantage on their check), or attempt a creative application of a skill they do have at the GM's discretion. No player should sit idle during a skill challenge.

Setting DCs

Skill challenge DCs follow the same tier guidelines used for encounter design:

Use the Standard DC for skills that are directly applicable and the Hard DC for skills that are a stretch or for the most critical check of the round. The GM may lower a DC by 2 if a player's approach is particularly creative or well-justified by prior narrative setup.

Success and Failure

Partial Success (Graduated Results)

Not all successes are equal. When a PC meets or exceeds the DC:

Critical successes reward investment in the right skills and encourage players to apply their strongest abilities strategically rather than spreading thin.

Failure and Complications

When a PC fails a check, it counts as 1 failure toward the challenge limit — and the GM introduces a complication. Complications are not abstract; they change the fiction and make subsequent rounds harder.

Complication Design Principles:

• Each complication should be specific and fictional — not "+2 to DCs" but "the alarm triggers and guards begin sweeping the east corridor."
• Complications compound. The first failure creates a problem. The second failure makes that problem worse or adds a new one on top of it. By the third failure, the situation should feel genuinely precarious.
• Complications can raise DCs (+2 to specific checks), remove skill options (Stealth is no longer available — the guards are on high alert), impose time pressure (you have 2 more rounds before the patrol returns), or introduce new obstacles (the secondary exit is now blocked).

Degrees of Outcome

When the challenge ends, the outcome depends on how it ended:

Feature Integration

Relevant features can substitute for or augment skill checks during a skill challenge. This ensures that every build brings something unique beyond raw skill bonuses.

Substitution: A feature can replace a skill check entirely if it directly addresses the challenge. The PC uses the feature instead of rolling, and it counts as 1 automatic success (not a critical success — features provide reliability, not dominance).

Augmentation: A feature that provides information or tactical advantage (but doesn't directly solve the problem) grants advantage on the PC's check or on the next check by any party member that round.

Examples by Build:

The GM adjudicates edge cases. A feature should feel impactful but not trivialize the challenge — one automatic success in a Standard challenge (5 needed) is meaningful without being decisive.

Limit: Each PC can use a feature substitution once per skill challenge. Augmentations have no limit but are subject to the feature's normal usage restrictions (spell slots, per-rest limits, etc.).

Challenge Templates

The following templates provide ready-to-run skill challenges. Each lists the applicable skills per round, typical complications, and scaling guidance. GMs should adapt them to the specific fiction — these are frameworks, not scripts.

Template: Infiltration

Break into a secured location — a faction compound, pre-war vault, corporate tower, or military installation.

Default Complexity: Standard (5 successes before 3 failures)

Applicable Skills: Stealth, Technology, Sleight of Hand, Perception, Deception

Round Structure:

Complications by Failure Count:

Class Feature Highlights:

• Infiltrator's Tactical Assessment is purpose-built for this template (automatic success on Round 1 scouting).
• Operative's Expertise allows repeated Stealth use even when another PC has already used it that round.
• Technician's Drone can scout the interior layout, providing an automatic success on a Perception check.

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, the facility has basic locks (DC 12), 2-4 guards on fixed routes, and no electronic security. At Expert+, add layered security (biometric locks DC 18, AI-monitored cameras, magical wards), roving patrols of TL 5+ guards, and a security commander who personally investigates anomalies.

Template: Research Montage

Discover hidden information — decode a pre-war archive, piece together clues from multiple sources, research a magical phenomenon, or track a conspiracy.

Default Complexity: Standard (5 successes before 3 failures)

Applicable Skills: Investigation, Arcana, Science, Technology, Streetwise

Round Structure:

Complications by Failure Count:

Class Feature Highlights:

• Mystic's ritual casting can substitute for an Arcana check when researching magical phenomena.
• Scavenger's Salvage Die adds to Technology checks when salvaging data from ruined terminals.
• Diplomat's network (Streetwise-related features) provides advantage when working contacts for information.

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, the information is in one location and the research is straightforward (2-3 rounds, Simple complexity). At Expert+, the information is fragmented across multiple locations, some sources are compromised, and rival factions are actively searching for the same intelligence.

Template: Survival Trek

Cross hostile territory — traverse irradiated badlands, navigate a collapsed city, cross a mountain pass in a storm, or push through mutant-infested wilderness.

Default Complexity: Standard (5 successes before 3 failures)

Applicable Skills: Survival, Navigation, Athletics, Perception, Medicine, Endurance

Round Structure:

Each round represents a significant leg of the journey (hours or days, depending on the trek's scale).

Complications by Failure Count:

Class Feature Highlights:

• Scavenger's environmental abilities provide automatic success on Survival checks (they know how to live out here).
• Medic's Field Triage addresses injury complications without consuming medical supplies.
• Channeler's Divine Guidance provides advantage on Navigation checks (spiritual wayfinding).

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, the trek is 2-3 rounds (Simple complexity) through known territory with predictable hazards. At Expert+, the trek is 5-7 rounds through uncharted or actively hostile terrain (radiation storms, mutant migration routes, contested faction borders), with multiple simultaneous hazards per round.

Template: Chase

Pursue a fleeing target or escape a pursuing threat — on foot through city ruins, in vehicles across the wasteland, or through collapsing infrastructure.

Default Complexity: Simple (3 successes before 2 failures) — 3 rounds maximum

Chases are short, intense, and decisive. They should never drag beyond 3 rounds. If the chase isn't resolved by then, the situation changes — the quarry escapes, the pursuers catch up, or the environment forces a confrontation.

Applicable Skills: Athletics, Acrobatics, Perception, Piloting, Navigation

Round Structure:

Complications by Failure Count:

Class Feature Highlights:

• Operative's mobility features (bonus dash, parkour-style movement) provide automatic success on an Athletics or Acrobatics check.
• Gunslinger's Overwatch grants advantage on a Perception check to spot the quarry cutting through an alley.
• Warrior's raw physicality provides automatic success on an Athletics check to power through an obstacle.

Tactical Alternative: For chases requiring moment-to-moment tactical resolution with range bands, per-round obstacles, and exhaustion tracking, see Template 5: Chase / Pursuit earlier in this chapter. This skill challenge version provides a faster, narrative-scale resolution. Use Template 5 when positioning and specific obstacles matter; use this template when you want quick dramatic pacing.

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, the chase is linear with simple obstacles. At Expert+, the chase runs through multiple environments (rooftop to street to sewer), involves vehicle transitions, or includes active hazards (the building is collapsing, a radiation plume is moving through the area). At Mythic tier, the chase may involve teleportation, psionic interference, or reality-warping terrain.

Worked Example: Standard Infiltration

The party (level 7, Journeyman tier) breaks into a Dynaxis Corporation data vault to steal research files on a pre-war weapon system. The party consists of an Infiltrator, a Technician, a Medic, and a Warrior.

Setup: Standard complexity (5 successes before 3 failures). DCs: Standard 14, Hard 16.

Round 1 — Approach

Available skills: Perception, Stealth, Survival

• Infiltrator uses Tactical Assessment (feature substitution) to scan the perimeter. Automatic success — identifies two patrols, a blind spot near the loading dock, and an electronic lock on the service entrance. (1 success, 0 failures)
• Technician deploys their drone for a Perception check to map the interior from an air vent. Automatic success. (The Technician has now used their one feature substitution for this challenge.) (2 successes, 0 failures)
• Medic uses Perception (DC 14) to watch for changes in patrol timing. Rolls 11. Failure. The GM introduces Complication 1: the patrol schedule is tighter than expected. Stealth DCs increase by +2. (2 successes, 1 failure)
• Warrior uses Survival (DC 14) to identify environmental features — finds a storm drain that bypasses the outer fence. Rolls 17. Standard success. (3 successes, 1 failure)

Round 2 — Breach

Available skills: Technology, Sleight of Hand, Stealth (now DC 16 due to complication)

• Technician uses Technology (DC 14) to hack the electronic lock on the service entrance. Rolls 21. Critical success — exceeds DC by 7. Counts as 2 successes. The lock opens silently and the Technician loops the security camera feed. (5 successes, 1 failure)

Challenge succeeds! The party reaches 5 successes in Round 2. The remaining PCs do not need to roll — the breach is clean.

Outcome: Success with 1 failure. The party gets into the vault and retrieves the data, but the Medic's missed patrol observation means a guard noticed the storm drain was accessed after the party left. Dynaxis knows someone broke in within 24 hours. The party has the data, but the clock is ticking — Dynaxis will be hunting whoever stole it.

GM Guidance: Running Skill Challenges

Pacing: A Standard skill challenge should take 15-25 minutes of table time. If it drags past 30 minutes, consider collapsing remaining rounds into a single decisive check. The framework exists to create tension and structure, not to slow the game down.

Narrate Between Rolls: Each round should include a brief GM description of the evolving situation. Don't let the challenge become a sterile sequence of "roll Stealth... roll Technology... roll Athletics." Describe the flickering lights in the corridor, the sound of boots on metal grating, the Technician's fingers flying across a cracked terminal screen. The framework provides structure; the GM provides atmosphere.

Skill Creativity: The listed skills per round are suggestions, not hard limits. If a player proposes a creative use of an unlisted skill and justifies it narratively, allow it. A Mystic using Arcana to detect magical wards during an Infiltration is perfectly valid even if Arcana isn't listed for that round. Rewarding creativity keeps the challenge dynamic.

Adjusting Mid-Challenge: If the challenge is too easy (the party is steamrolling with critical successes), introduce an unexpected complication that doesn't count as a failure but raises the stakes: a secondary objective appears, the environment changes, or new information forces a decision. If it's too hard (three failures are imminent in Round 2), let a clever plan or feature use defuse one complication.

Combining Templates: Complex scenarios can chain templates together. An infiltration that goes wrong transitions into a chase. A survival trek that fails dumps the party into a combat encounter. A research montage reveals the infiltration target. Let the templates feed into each other for multi-scene setpieces.

Failure Is Not a Dead End: A failed skill challenge should change the situation, not end the adventure. The party fails the infiltration — now they have to find another way in, or negotiate with an insider, or assault the facility directly. Failure creates new problems to solve, not a game over screen.

Cross-Reference: The basic skill challenge structure (successes before failures) is also summarized in Skills — Skill Challenges. This framework expands on that foundation with complexity tiers, templates, and feature integration. For the summary version, see the Skills chapter.

Template 1: Ambush

The party walks into a trap — or sets one.

Setup: One side has concealment, prepared positions, and the element of surprise. The ambushers occupy elevated or flanking positions with cover. The targets are in the open or in a kill zone.

Victory Conditions: Eliminate or rout the ambushers. If the party IS the ambushers: neutralize all targets before they escape or raise an alarm.

Failure Stakes: The ambushed side takes heavy casualties in the opening round. Failed ambush (targets escape) means the target is now alert and fortified for a harder future encounter.

Environmental Features:

• Prepared positions: Partial or heavy cover for ambushers (+2 or +5 DV)
• Kill zone: Open ground with no cover, possibly difficult terrain (rubble, loose sand)
• Escape routes: At least 2 exits — cutting off escape is part of the tactical puzzle
• Chain reaction potential: Fuel containers or unstable structures near the kill zone (see Combat — Chain Reactions) reward creative play

Suggested Creatures:

• Ambushers: TL 2-3 soldiers in cover (3-5 per party member), led by 1 TL 4-5 leader
• Counter-ambush variant: Party ambushes a convoy (TL 3 guards + 1 TL 6 Commander escort)

Key Builds:

• Operative: Recon (Scout Ahead prevents surprise), Sneak Attack from hidden position
• Infiltrator: Counter-ambush (Tactical Assessment reveals enemy positions), Assess Target on leader
• Diplomat: Rally (Inspire the March / Maintain Morale to recover from surprise), Command allies
• Gunslinger: Ranged superiority from elevated ambush position
• Psion: Telepathy detects ambushers' surface thoughts before the trap springs

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, ambushes use simple terrain (rocks, ruined walls). At Expert+, add spreading hazards (tripwire-triggered fuel explosions, gas canisters) and multi-level verticality.

Template 2: Siege Defense

Hold the line against waves.

Setup: The party defends a fixed position (settlement gate, bunker entrance, bridge) against incoming waves of enemies. The position has existing defenses (walls, barricades) that can be reinforced. Enemies arrive in stages — the party knows they're coming but not exactly when or how many.

Victory Conditions: Survive all waves (typically 3-5). The position remains intact. OR: hold long enough for reinforcements / evacuation to complete (round timer).

Failure Stakes: Position overrun — defenders must retreat or be captured. Settlement damage, civilian casualties, lost territory.

Environmental Features:

• Barricades and cover: Destructible (see Combat — Destructible Objects). Wooden barricades have 15 HP; reinforced positions have 30+ HP. Enemies target cover with heavy weapons.
• Fuel containers: Placed in approach lanes as improvised mines. Shooting them when enemies cluster creates chain reactions.
• Chokepoints: Narrow gates, doorways, or corridors where area-of-effect abilities shine
• Support columns: If defending inside a structure, the nuclear option — collapse the entrance (burying enemies but also sealing the exit)

Wave Structure:

• Wave 1: Probing force. TL 1-2 minions testing defenses. 3-4 rounds.
• Wave 2: Main assault. TL 2-3 soldiers with 1 TL 4-5 specialist (demolitions, heavy weapons). 5-6 rounds.
• Wave 3: Escalation. TL 3-4 elites with TL 6 Commander. May include flanking force from unexpected direction.
• Optional Wave 4 (Deadly+): Boss assault. TL 7-8 Warlord or Boss with personal guard.

Key Builds:

• Warrior: Hold the chokepoint with Fortress Stance, draw enemy fire
• Scavenger: Jury-rig barricades between waves, Scrap Trap the approach lanes, Improvised Cover
• Technician: Deploy turrets and drones to cover flanks, repair damaged defenses
• Mystic: Area-of-effect spells through chokepoints (Fireball, Lightning Bolt)
• Channeler: Protective auras on the front line, healing between waves

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, 2-3 waves of TL 1-2 enemies. At Mythic tier, add environmental escalation (the building is on fire, radiation storm approaching) that creates a time limit on the defense.

Template 3: Escort / Protect

Keep the VIP alive.

Setup: The party must move a fragile VIP (civilian, prisoner, injured ally, unstable cargo) through dangerous territory. Threats come from multiple directions. The VIP cannot fight effectively and may panic, slow down, or make poor decisions.

Victory Conditions: VIP reaches the destination alive and intact. OR: VIP survives until extraction arrives (round timer).

Failure Stakes: VIP killed, captured, or cargo destroyed. Mission failure with narrative consequences (faction reputation, lost intelligence, dead ally).

VIP Stat Block (Baseline):

• HP: 15-30 (fragile — scales with tier but always significantly less than PCs)
• DV: 10-12 (unarmored or lightly armored)
• Speed: 25 ft (slower than PCs — the escort must match their pace)
Actions: The VIP can Move 1 Action, Take Cover 1 Action (: gain +2 DV until start of next turn), or Help 1 Action. They cannot attack effectively.
• Morale: If the VIP takes damage, they must make a WIS save (DC 12) or become frightened of the nearest threat for 1 round. A Diplomat can use Maintain Morale to grant advantage on this save.

Environmental Features:

• Multiple approach vectors: Threats from front, sides, and rear. The party must decide how to distribute defenders.
• Terrain obstacles: Difficult terrain that slows the VIP further (rubble, water, collapsed structures). Clearing obstacles costs actions.
• Ambush points: Narrow passages, blind corners, elevated positions where enemies can attack the convoy
• Safe zones: Defensible positions along the route where the party can short-rest (if the scenario allows it)

Suggested Creatures:

• Interceptors: Fast TL 2-3 enemies that try to reach the VIP (skirmishers, war-bikes)
• Blockers: TL 3-4 enemies that set up ahead of the convoy to slow progress
• Pursuit: TL 4-5 enemies following from behind, creating time pressure

Key Builds:

• Medic: Healing the VIP is critical — they can't afford to go down. Field Surgery during safe zone stops.
• Diplomat: Maintain VIP morale, negotiate through checkpoints, Command allies to intercept threats
• Channeler: Protective auras centered on the VIP, healing word at range
• Warrior: Rearguard — holds off pursuit while the convoy moves
• Scavenger: Improvised obstacles (Scrap Trap) to slow pursuit, Jury-Rig cover at rest stops

Scaling Notes: At Apprentice tier, a single threat vector (bandits from behind). At Expert+, simultaneous threats from multiple directions with environmental hazards (radiation zone on the shortcut, flooding on the main road).

Template 4: Infiltration

Get in. Get the objective. Get out. Combat is failure.

Setup: The party must penetrate a guarded location (faction compound, corporate facility, raider stronghold, pre-Fall bunker) to achieve a specific objective (steal data, rescue prisoner, plant device, sabotage equipment). Detection triggers escalating response. Ideally, the party completes the mission without combat.

Victory Conditions: Objective achieved and party exfiltrated without raising full alarm. Partial success: objective achieved but alarm raised (escape under fire).

Failure Stakes: Captured, pinned down in hostile territory, or objective destroyed/moved before retrieval. Full alarm means reinforcements arrive in 1d4+1 rounds — the party must fight their way out against overwhelming numbers.

Alarm States:

Infiltration Mechanics:

The Warchief's Test (Level 5-10)

• Objective: Warchief Steelteeth challenges the party to eliminate a rival warband that's been raiding Wolf supply lines. Bring back the rival leader's insignia as proof.
• Complication: The rival warband is led by a former Wolf lieutenant who defected because Steelteeth ordered the burning of a settlement that surrendered. The defector has evidence of the atrocity. Completing the mission silences the witness. Failing means losing Wolf standing --- and Steelteeth doesn't forget failures.
• Standing: Wolves +2. If evidence is brought to the Compact instead: Wolves -2, Compact +2 (major intelligence coup).
• Reward: 500 cr, Wolf officer status (access to Wolf armories and training grounds), +1 to Intimidation checks in Wolf territory.

Convergence of the Lit Path

Deep Archive (Level 4-8)

• Objective: Recover a data core from a ruin deep in the Rustfields. The core contains pre-Fall agricultural engineering records that could increase crop yields across the continent.
• Complication: The ruin is inside a rogue AI defense perimeter. The AI is not hostile --- it's been maintaining the facility for a century, waiting for authorized personnel. The AI will surrender the data core peacefully if someone can pass its authentication protocols. The Convergence wants the data destroyed if it can't be retrieved exclusively --- they'd rather no one has it than let competitors benefit.
• Standing: Convergence +1 (data retrieved). +2 if data is delivered exclusively to Convergence and not shared. If shared with other factions: Convergence -1.
• Reward: 350 cr, one piece of Convergence tech (energy weapon or power armor component), access to Convergence research archives for 1 week.

Silence the Anomaly (Level 7-12)

• Objective: A magic-user near Thornwall Basin is causing localized reality distortions --- crops wilt, water turns metallic, and animals flee the area. The Convergence wants them neutralized.
• Complication: The magic-user is a teenage girl whose powers manifested uncontrollably after a Voidscar exposure. She's not malicious --- she's terrified and can't stop. "Neutralize" could mean kill, capture, or find a way to help her control her abilities. The Convergence prefers capture (study subject), but the Ashen Veil has also sent agents to recruit her.
• Standing: Convergence +2 (capture). +1 (kill). Ashen Veil -1 (either outcome). If handed to Ashen Veil: Convergence -2, Ashen Veil +2.
• Reward: 500 cr, Convergence tech upgrade (one augmentation installation at half cost), intelligence on the Voidscar's expansion patterns.

Ashen Veil

The Resonance Map (Level 5-10)

• Objective: Map three active Voidscar rift sites and collect ambient magical readings at each. The Veil needs the data to predict where the next rift will open.
• Complication: One of the rift sites has a Convergence research camp already established. The Convergence team won't share data and will actively interfere with Veil operations. The party can negotiate access, steal the data, or drive off the Convergence team --- each with different faction consequences.
• Standing: Veil +2 (all three sites mapped across one or more adventures). Convergence -1 if data stolen or team driven off.
• Reward: 200 cr per site, a Void-Touched artifact (minor magical item), Archseer Lian Vasquez's personal consultation on any magical question.

The Burning Book (Level 8-13)

• Objective: Extract a persecuted magic-user and their research journals from a Convergence-controlled settlement before the Convergence destroys the journals and imprisons the researcher.
• Complication: The researcher's journals contain genuine breakthroughs in understanding Burnout --- but also contain a ritual that, if misused, could cause a regional-scale magical disaster. The Convergence wants to destroy the journals specifically because of this ritual. The researcher insists the knowledge is too important to lose. The party must decide: extract everything (risk), extract the researcher but destroy the dangerous pages (compromise), or side with the Convergence (safety).
• Standing: Veil +2 (full extraction). +1 (compromise). Convergence -1 (any extraction). If party sides with Convergence: Veil -2, Convergence +1.
• Reward: 600 cr, one spell formula or ritual scroll, advantage on Arcana checks related to Burnout research for 1 month.

Dynaxis Solutions

Supply Chain Disruption (Level 3-7)

• Objective: A competitor (small independent manufacturer in Bridgegate) is undercutting Dynaxis prices on medical supplies. Sabotage their supply line to restore Dynaxis's market position.
• Complication: The competitor is a retired Medic running a community clinic. Their supplies come from a hidden Greenspire contact who provides Biofiber at cost. Sabotaging the supply line means a community clinic loses access to affordable medicine. Dynaxis doesn't care --- they want market share.
• Standing: Dynaxis +1. Compact -1 (the clinic serves Compact-aligned communities). If the party warns the clinic instead: Dynaxis -1, Compact +1.
• Reward: 250 cr, Dynaxis corporate access card (10% discount on all Dynaxis goods), one box of Dynaxis-branded medical supplies (functions as a Tier 2 medical kit with 10 uses).

Patent Vault (Level 6-10)

• Objective: Secure a pre-war Dynaxis patent vault in a collapsed corporate campus. The vault contains manufacturing blueprints that would let Dynaxis mass-produce energy cells.
• Complication: A Convergence team reached the vault first and is already extracting data. The vault also contains a second dataset --- pre-war corporate records proving Dynaxis's pre-Fall predecessor conducted illegal human experimentation. The Convergence found both. Dynaxis wants the blueprints and the records destroyed. The Convergence wants everything.
• Standing: Dynaxis +2 (blueprints retrieved, records destroyed). Convergence -1 (if records destroyed --- they wanted those too). If records are leaked: Dynaxis -2 (public scandal), Compact +1 (transparency vindicated).
Reward: 600 cr, one prototype energy weapon (rare quality), Dynaxis corporate shares Passive (generate 50 cr/month income).

Hearts and Minds (Level 2-5)

• Objective: Deliver humanitarian aid (food, medicine, clean water) to a struggling outpost in Iron Wolf territory. Dynaxis is funding the mission as a PR campaign --- banners, branding, the full corporate package.
• Complication: The aid is genuine and the outpost genuinely needs it. But accepting Dynaxis aid creates dependency --- future supplies come at Dynaxis prices, and the outpost slowly becomes a Dynaxis company town. The Iron Wolves see the aid delivery as Dynaxis encroachment into their territory and may intercept.
• Standing: Dynaxis +1. Wolves -1 (territorial intrusion). The outpost gains Dynaxis +1 standing (whether they want it or not).
• Reward: 150 cr, Dynaxis corporate ID (access to Dynaxis facilities), local reputation bonus (+2 to social checks in the outpost for 1 month).

Kethara Collective

Ashwater Defense (Level 5-10)

• Objective: Iron Wolf raiders are launching boats across the Ashwater Strait to raid Chiraxa's outer farms. Defend the coastal positions and drive off the raiders before they establish a beachhead.
• Complication: Among the raiders are several human refugees who joined the Wolves because no one else would take them. If captured, they beg for asylum in Chiraxa --- but accepting Wolf defectors while fighting the Wolves sets a dangerous precedent. The Collective must decide whether compassion or strategic discipline takes priority.
• Standing: Kethara +2 (defense successful). Wolves -1. If defectors accepted: Kethara +1 (internal debate costs standing), but the party gains allies.
• Reward: 500 cr, one piece of Xylar biotech equipment (uncommon quality), access to Chiraxa's biotech markets (items normally unavailable to non-Collective members).

The Stolen Heirloom (Level 4-9)

• Objective: Recover a Xylar cultural artifact --- a crystallized segment of the original hive-mind resonance --- from a Convergence "museum" in a Rustfields outpost. The Convergence considers it a tech artifact to study. The Xylar consider it a sacred relic of their dead homeworld.
• Complication: The Convergence researchers have made genuine scientific breakthroughs by studying the artifact --- breakthroughs that could help understand the Voidscars. Returning the artifact ends that research. Stealing it is technically theft from a Convergence facility, which has diplomatic consequences. Negotiating a loan/sharing arrangement is possible but requires exceptional Persuasion.
• Standing: Kethara +2 (artifact returned). Convergence -2 (theft). If negotiated: Kethara +1, Convergence +0 (grudging acceptance), Veil +1 (they appreciate the research continuing).
• Reward: 400 cr, Xylar cultural mentor access (learn one Xylar language or custom, providing +2 to social checks with Xylar for 1 month), Ambassador Thrix-Kaloss's personal gratitude (future high-level mission access).

NPC Quick-Build

Not every NPC needs a full character sheet. Guards, merchants, faction operatives, and named rivals can be built in under a minute using the templates below. Each template provides a combat-ready stat block at three tiers, plus customization rules for faction, species, and narrative importance.

NPC Templates

Choose a template that matches the NPC's role, then select a tier based on the encounter's challenge level.

TL 3 NPCs: Use the Mook template with +10 HP and +1 to attack and damage rolls.

Guard

Melee-focused defenders. Settlement militia, faction enforcers, caravan escorts.

Signature Abilities:

Leader

Commanders and social figures. Faction officers, gang bosses, settlement mayors.

Signature Abilities:

Brute

High-damage melee combatants. Mutant enforcers, arena fighters, wasteland predators.

Signature Abilities:

Infiltrator

Stealth and ambush specialists. Assassins, spies, thieves, saboteurs.

Signature Abilities:

• Ambush Strike: On the first round of combat (or when attacking from hidden), deal an additional 1d6 (Mook), 2d6 (Veteran), or 3d6 (Elite) damage.
Vanish 1 Action (Veteran+, , 1/encounter): Become hidden Passive (Stealth check vs observers' Perception). Must have cover or concealment.
Lethal Precision Passive (Elite): Critical hits on a roll of 19-20.

Caster

Magic or psionic users. Cultists, Resonance adepts, Veil operatives, rogue psions.

Signature Abilities — choose 1-2 spells or powers:

Civilian

Non-combatants. Merchants, bartenders, mechanics, settlers, children.

Civilians have no signature abilities. They flee, hide, or surrender. A civilian forced to fight is desperate and ineffective. Named civilian NPCs should use the Named NPC Upgrade rules below instead of combat stats.

Quick Customization

Use these overlays to personalize a template in under a minute.

Faction Overlay

Add the NPC's faction affiliation. Each faction grants one piece of signature gear and one ability:

Species Modifier

For non-human NPCs, apply the species' primary attribute adjustment:

Named NPC Upgrade

Promote any template NPC to a named character — a recurring ally, rival, or villain:

1. +2 to two ability scores (reflected in relevant saves and checks)
2. +10 HP beyond the template's listed value
3. One unique ability tied to the NPC's personality or history (e.g., "Once per encounter, Saul can automatically succeed on a Deception check — he's been lying since before the Fall")
4. A personality trait and a motivation (use the NPC Motivation Table below)
5. A name. Named NPCs fight harder, negotiate shrewder, and are remembered longer.

NPC Motivation Table

Roll or choose a motivation to drive the NPC's behavior. Motivations integrate with the Social Encounter Framework — a GM can set the NPC's starting disposition based on how the PCs' goals align with the NPC's motivation.

Worked Example: Building a Named Faction NPC

Scenario: The GM needs a Hearthstone Compact officer who commands a community outpost. The party is level 6, so a Veteran-tier NPC is appropriate.

1. Template: Leader (Veteran tier) — HP 65, DV 16, Attack +6, Damage 2d8+3, Will +7
2. Faction Overlay: Hearthstone Compact — Community-forged equipment (+1 HP per hit die) + Collective Defense (adjacent allies gain +1 DV)
3. Species: Human (no modifier)
4. Named NPC Upgrade:
   • +2 INT, +2 WIS (reflected in Will save: now +9)
   • +10 HP (now 75)
   • Unique Ability — "We Built This Together": Once per encounter, Commander Dreya can rally all allies within 30 ft, granting them +5 temporary HP and advantage on their next saving throw
   • Motivation: Duty (follows Compact protocols, respects community decisions)
   • Disposition toward PCs: Neutral (will deal fairly, won't take risks for strangers)

Result — Commander Dreya Voss:

Hearthstone Compact Outpost Commander. HP 75, DV 16, Attack +6, Damage 2d8+3. Will +9. Rally, Direct. Community-forged equipment. Collective Defense. "We Built This Together." Duty-driven, Neutral disposition.

That's a fully playable NPC built in under a minute — with combat stats, social hooks, and faction flavor.

Lethality Dial

Adjust campaign difficulty to match your table's preferences.

Low Lethality (Cinematic/Heroic)

• Use Easy/Medium encounters 80% of the time
• Allow short rests more freely (override the 1/24-hour limit, or use the Dungeon Breather variant)
• Death saves with advantage
• Generous healing (magical healing readily available, stims common)
• Resurrection relatively accessible
• Enemies focus spread damage
• "Downed" means captured, not dead

Medium Lethality (Standard)

• Mix of Medium (50%), Hard (30%), Easy (20%)
• 1 short rest per adventuring day (3-4 encounters between long rests)
• Standard death saves
• Limited healing (stims cost tokens, magic healing is rare)
• Resurrection difficult and costly
• Smart tactics rewarded

High Lethality (Gritty/Realistic)

• Mostly Hard (50%) and Deadly (30%) encounters
• Short rests rare (standard 8 hours, 0-1 per session)
• Long rests very rare (standard 7 days, hard to find safe settlements)
• Death saves with disadvantage
• Healing very limited (scarce resources, slow natural healing)
• Resurrection extremely rare or impossible
• Standard gritty rest rules apply (Short Rest = 8 hours, Long Rest = 7 days)
• Exhaustion gained more easily
• Critical hits cause lingering injuries
• Healing resources halved
• Poor planning = death

Adjusting on the Fly

If an encounter is too easy or too hard mid-combat, use these techniques.

If Too Easy

• Add reinforcements
• Boss gains second phase at low HP
• Environmental hazard activates
• Enemies fight smarter (use cover, focus fire)

If Too Hard

• Enemies flee at low HP
• Reinforcements arrive to help PCs
• Environmental advantage appears (cover collapses, revealing health items)
• NPC ally intervenes
• Reduce enemy HP on the fly (don't tell players)

General GM Tools for Lethality Control

• Enemy damage rolls: Use average vs. rolling for consistency
• Targeting: Spread damage around vs. focus-fire downed PCs
• Reinforcements: Add more enemies if party steamrolling, or pull enemies if TPK imminent
• Escape routes: Always give players option to flee

Campaign Pacing & Session Structure

Ashfall's gritty rest economy changes everything about pacing. A long rest takes a full week. A short rest takes a full night. Resources don't reset between fights — they reset between adventures. This section gives GMs the tools to pace sessions, structure adventures, and integrate downtime into a campaign that feels dangerous, rewarding, and sustainable.

The Adventure Week

The fundamental unit of Ashfall campaign time is the Adventure Week — the stretch of active play between long rests. Because long rests require 7 days in a safe settlement, each adventure week is a self-contained arc of escalating tension followed by a period of recovery and preparation.

Typical Adventure Week:

Not every adventure fills a full week. A single-session raid on a nearby ruin might span 2 days. A cross-wasteland expedition might take 10+ days with a mid-trip short rest. The table above is a baseline, not a requirement.

Key Principle: Players should feel resource pressure building across the adventure week, not just within a single encounter. If the party starts every fight at full resources, the gritty rest economy isn't doing its job.

Session Structure

A typical 3-4 hour Ashfall session contains 2-3 encounters (combat, social, or exploration) connected by narrative transitions. Not every encounter is a fight — a tense negotiation with a faction leader or a dangerous overland crossing through Crucible Glass Fields both count.

Standard Session Flow:

1. Opening (15-20 min) — Recap, establish situation, set the scene. If resuming mid-adventure, remind players of their current resource state.
2. Scene 1 (45-60 min) — First encounter of the session. Combat, social encounter (see Social Encounter Framework), or exploration challenge.
3. Transition (10-15 min) — Travel, roleplay, information gathering. Use this time for character moments and planning.
4. Scene 2 (45-60 min) — Second encounter, typically escalating from Scene 1 in stakes or difficulty.
5. Scene 3 / Resolution (30-45 min) — Optional third encounter or resolution of the session's arc. If running a climactic fight, allocate the full time.
6. Wrap-up (10-15 min) — Consequences, loot distribution (see Encounter Rewards & Loot), and next-session setup.

Encounter Mix by Session Type:

No Dead Sessions: Every session should contain at least one moment where the players make a meaningful choice with consequences — who to trust, what to sacrifice, where to go, when to fight and when to run. If a session is purely travel with no decisions, compress it to a montage and move to the next decision point.

Encounters Per Level

Ashfall's 20-level span breaks into four tiers. The number of encounters (combat and non-combat combined) between level-ups should increase as play deepens and stakes rise.

These are guidelines, not requirements. A fast-paced campaign might halve these numbers. A sandbox campaign might double them. What matters is that each level-up feels earned — the party accomplished something significant to justify new power.

Milestone Leveling

Ashfall uses milestone leveling as its default advancement method. The GM awards levels when the party achieves significant objectives, not when they accumulate a target number of kills.

Why milestone? Ashfall's gritty rest economy means encounters are spaced further apart than in other d20 games. XP-per-encounter systems reward grinding — clearing every room, fighting every patrol. Milestone leveling rewards completing objectives, which encourages the tactical retreat, the negotiated surrender, and the clever bypass that Ashfall's design supports.

Milestone Examples by Tier:

When to level the party up:

• Level the entire party together — split-level parties create balance problems.
• Level up during a long rest when possible, so players can explore new abilities during downtime.
• If the narrative demands an immediate level-up (the party just saved a city), grant it between sessions and let players update their sheets before next session.

Downtime Integration

Downtime isn't dead time — it's the other half of the game. Ashfall's long rest (7 days, 5 downtime days) creates a natural rhythm: adventure, then prepare. Fight, then craft. Explore, then build.

The Score-Downtime Loop:

1. The Score — An adventure spanning 2-7 days of in-game time (1-3 sessions of play). The party pursues an objective, spends resources, takes risks.
2. The Return — Travel back to a settlement. This is often compressed to a single scene unless the return itself is dangerous.
3. Downtime — A full long rest week. 5 downtime days for activities (see Downtime). Characters craft, build, gather intel, heal injuries, and advance personal goals.
4. Consequences — During downtime, the world moves. Factions react to the party's actions (see Faction Reputation). NPCs pursue their own agendas. New opportunities and threats emerge.
5. The Next Score — A new objective, informed by downtime discoveries and faction developments.

Integrating Downtime Activities with Campaign Pacing:

Vehicle Maintenance: Vehicles require monthly maintenance (see Vehicles — Maintenance). A campaign with vehicles should schedule at least one long rest per month of in-game time. If the party is on a long expedition without access to a settlement, vehicle reliability degrades — this is intentional tension, not a bug.

Resource Tension Across an Adventure Week

The GM's most important pacing tool is resource attrition. Ashfall's gritty rest economy means resources deplete over days, not individual encounters. Here's how pressure should build across a typical adventure week.

Resource Tension Curve:

What This Means for GMs:

• Day 1 encounters can be harder — the party is at full strength. Use Hard or Deadly difficulty.
• Day 3-4 encounters should be Medium or Hard — the party is strained, so even moderate threats feel dangerous.
• The final encounter of an adventure week is the most dramatic because resources are lowest. Save your climactic fight for this moment.
• Don't front-load all combat. If every encounter happens on Day 1 while the party is fresh, the gritty rest economy is wasted. Spread encounters across the adventure week.

If the party short-rests too often: The 1-per-24-hours limit on short rests prevents this. If the party tries to camp after every fight, remind them that 8 hours of rest in hostile territory means 8 hours for enemies to regroup, reinforce, or flee with whatever the party came to retrieve. Time pressure is the GM's best tool for preventing rest-spamming.

Adventure Arc Template

A standard Ashfall adventure arc spans 3-5 sessions and follows this structure. Use it as a skeleton, not a script.

Session 1 — The Hook

• Establish the objective: a faction contract, a distress signal, a discovered map, a threat to the settlement.
• First encounter: a taste of the opposition (Easy-Medium difficulty). This encounter introduces the antagonist's forces, the terrain, or the environmental hazard without committing the party to a full engagement.
• End the session with a decision: which route to take, which faction to approach for help, whether to pursue or prepare.

Session 2 — The Journey

• Travel and exploration toward the objective. Use the Overland Travel rules (pace, terrain, weather) and exploration activities.
• 1-2 encounters: a wilderness hazard, a rival party, or an unexpected complication. These drain resources and introduce secondary objectives.
• Short rest opportunity (overnight camp). This is the party's one refresh before the climax.
• End with arrival at the objective or a complication that forces a change of plan.

Session 3 — The Climax

• The main encounter: the raid on the raider stronghold, the confrontation with the faction leader, the descent into the Voidscar ruin.
• This should be the hardest encounter of the arc (Hard-Deadly). The party is partially depleted from Sessions 1-2, making even a "Hard" fight feel desperate.
• Resolution: the objective is achieved (or failed), loot is distributed, and consequences are established.

Session 4 (Optional) — The Fallout

• Consequences of the climax: faction reputation shifts, new alliances or enemies, discovered information that seeds the next arc.
• Return travel (compressed unless dangerous).
• Long rest and downtime week — see Downtime Integration above.

Session 5 (Optional) — Downtime Session

• Dedicated downtime play. Each player describes their character's activities for the week.
• Downtime events and random encounters at the settlement.
• Setup for the next arc: new rumors, faction developments, NPC requests.

Worked Example: "The Ashmark Relay"

A 3-session arc for a level 5 party of 4 PCs, set in Open Wasteland terrain.

Session 1 — The Contract The Hearthstone Compact hires the party to reactivate a pre-Fall communication relay 3 days' travel into the wasteland. A rival faction (Dynaxis Solutions) also wants the relay. The party negotiates terms (social encounter: 5-success threshold, Neutral NPC disposition), then departs. On Day 1, they encounter a Dynaxis scout patrol (Medium: CR 12 budget — 2 Soldiers + 2 Minions). They choose whether to fight, negotiate, or avoid. End of session: the party camps for the night, 1 day out.

Session 2 — The Wasteland Day 2 travel through Open Wasteland. Weather roll: Ash Storm (disadvantage on Perception, -5 miles travel). The navigator makes a Navigation DC 12 check. The party encounters a mutant beast hunting ground (Hard: CR 16 budget — 1 Elite alpha + 2 Soldiers). After the fight, they scavenge (2d4 Salvage from creature parts). Short rest overnight at Day 2 camp. Day 3: arrival at the relay tower. Dynaxis forces have set up a perimeter. End of session: the party plans their approach — assault, infiltrate, or negotiate.

Session 3 — The Relay The climax. If assaulting: Deadly encounter (CR 20 budget — 1 Leader + 1 Elite + 3 Soldiers). If infiltrating: Infiltration template (see Encounter Templates) with 3-tier alarm system. If negotiating: Complex social encounter (7 successes, Unfriendly disposition). Resolution: relay activated (or destroyed, or handed to Dynaxis for a price). Loot: CR 13-16 table (objective reward, not purely combat loot — relay components worth 3 Tech, Dynaxis data core worth 2 Tech or 1 Influence). Return travel compressed to a montage. Faction reputation: Hearthstone Compact +1 (or Dynaxis Solutions +1 if they cut a deal). Long rest week begins — 5 downtime days. The Medic crafts stims, the Technician upgrades the drone, the Diplomat does Faction Service for the Compact, the Operative gathers intelligence on Dynaxis retaliation.

Pacing Pitfalls

The Nova Problem: If the party faces only one encounter per adventure week, they'll spend every resource on that fight and trivialize it. Solution: ensure at least 2-3 encounters per adventure week to force resource management decisions.

The Grind Problem: If every session is combat-combat-combat, players burn out and the gritty economy becomes punishing rather than tense. Solution: mix encounter types. A social encounter or exploration challenge costs time and creates consequences without draining HP and spell slots at the same rate.

The Downtime Skip: If downtime weeks are glossed over ("you rest, you're full, what next?"), the crafting, faction, and base-building systems have no space to breathe. Solution: dedicate at least 15-20 minutes per downtime week to player choices, even if you don't run a full downtime session.

The Safe Settlement Trap: If safe settlements are always available, long rests are trivial. If they're never available, the party can never recover and the game becomes a death march. Solution: settlements should be 1-3 days of travel from most adventure sites — close enough to reach, far enough to cost time.

The Scaling Wall: At Mythic tier (L16-20), encounters that challenge the party require significant preparation. Don't try to run Mythic-tier content at the same pace as Apprentice-tier. Fewer, more elaborate encounters with higher narrative stakes are more satisfying than a high volume of scaled-up fights.