Discoveries

Discoveries are the interesting things that PCs encounter, stuff that isn't immediately dangerous but that prompts investigation, interaction, and decisions. They include:

• Clues, like a monster's footprints in the muddy soil
• Sites, like the monster's den
• Encounters, like the curious spirit met while following the monster's tracks
• Opportunities, like the eggs found in the monster's den
• Artifacts, like the strange medallion tucked in the nest with the eggs
• Arcana, like the lime-caked runes carved in the walls of the den, detailing a spell that can hide you from death

These aren't formal categories, and they often overlap. Those footprints might be a clue that the monster is nearby, but they might also be an opportunity to track it down or find its den.

Discoveries can also be threats or dangers. An aurochs quietly munching away is a discovery—a chance to acquire meat and valuable horns! But it's also a monster, one that could really mess the PCs up if they aren't careful.

Add discoveries to the game when…

• … a player move prompts you to. When a PC Seeks Insight and asks, "What happened here recently?" your answer might take the form of a clue. When they Forage and pick, "You discover something interesting or useful," you're almost certainly going to present them with a discovery of some sort.

• … your prep demands it. If you've already decided that there's a particular artifact buried in the pile of rubble, and the PCs dig through that pile, then of course they find the artifact.

• … the established fiction implies it. Say you make up some bandits, and the PCs drive them off. If they follow the bandits' tracks back from where they came, it only makes sense that they'd find the bandits' camp.

• … the setting guide suggests it. When the PCs are on the Makers' Roads, you might roll for a fellow traveler and create an encounter based on the results. When they're off exploring the Foothills, you might roll for a random discovery on that region's tables (Book II).

• … you think it'd be interesting, fun, or just a good idea. If the PCs get lost in the Steplands and you want to shake things up, you might put a discovery in their path, like a Hillfolk goatherd, or a creepy looking cave, or whatever else makes sense.

• … some combination of the above prompts you to. Maybe the Ranger Seeks Insight before approaching the Green Lord ruin, asking, "What here is useful or valuable to me?" Book II suggests that Forest Folk glyphs mark the area, which could provide useful information, so you present them as the answer to the question.

Book II: The Wider World and Other Wonders contains all manner of discoveries for you to use in your game. The entries for each region and location include tables that you can pick from or roll on. The entries for the various peoples (like Green Lords) and powers (like the Things Below) include tables for sites and lists of potential artifacts and arcana. Use these tools as much or as little as makes sense for you and your game. Exploit the setting guide!

Use discoveries to tell stories, to portray a rich and mysterious world. When you prep a discovery or create one on the fly, think offscreen. Think about how it came to be here. Tie it to past events or ongoing situations. Don't just have the PCs meet a merchant on the road, have them cross paths with Ulna, the wheezy old merchant who sold them that lantern. Don't just have them find some boars to hunt, have them encounter (normally fearless) boars who are fleeing in terror from the demon who's awoken deeper in the Wood.

Use discoveries to punctuate their lives with adventure. Give them word of a powerful artifact or an unexplored ruin, as a way to prompt an expedition. While on an expedition, present discoveries that the PCs can wonder at, interact with, explore. Reward their bravery and curiosity with yet more discoveries.

Once you've put a discovery in the game, follow the core loop. Ask the PCs what they do, resolve their actions, and repeat. Maybe they ignore a discovery and move on. Maybe they take it with them, or make plans to come back later. Maybe the discovery snowballs into a completely new situation. Play to find out what happens.