Travelers Don’t Like Violence, So What’s the Alternative?

Investigate Actions

Five Parsecs From Home (FPFH) normally offers a character two options for their turn: movement + combat OR movement + dash.

There are certain special situations where characters can trade their combat actions for scenario specific actions. This opens the door for Travelers.

Travelers are a special kind of alien in FPFH. They are written as an homage to Doctor Who’s Time Lord characters. They actually gain a +2” movement bonus when moving directly away from potential foes. They can vanish from the campaign suddenly, or grant extra Quest Rumors.

So in a skirmish adventure game where combat is often the key to scenario victory, how can I make using my Traveler / Time Lord fun and interesting?

During any turn, a Traveler can choose to make an exploration / investigation roll in lieu of their combat action. I order to do so they must be in contact with a piece of terrain or objective marker. Each piece of terrain or objective marker can only be successfully interacted with in this way once per game. Treat very large pieces of terrain as two objects for purposes of this check, so they may be interacted with twice per game.



Use the following D100 chart:


01 - 10 = Unveil dark mystery. Make a 7+ Savvy check. If you succeed you gain a Quest Rumor for your crew.


11 - 30 = Learn key knowledge. Make a 7+ Savvy check. If you succeed you can grant any ally within 2D6” of you an immediate free move action.


31 - 50 = The land speaks. Make a 7+ Savvy check. If you succeed you or one ally you select can act in the Quick phase of the next turn.


51 - 80 = Intuit the curve of the universe. Make a 7+ Savvy check. If you succeed you or one ally you select can act in both the Quick and Slow phases of the next turn.


81 - 90 = Time is a flat circle. Make a 7+ Savvy check. If you succeed, your crew immediately gains 1D3 story points.


91 - 100 = Spoilers! Make a 7+ Savvy check. If you succeed, an ally of your choice gains 1 temporary Luck point. Whether used or not, this Luck point vanishes at the end of the game.



If your Traveler fails a check on this chart, they suffer a stun result and are moved D6” in a random direction.