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Survival

Wisdom

Survival represents one’s ability to forge and persist in inhospitable conditions beyond areas of dense habitation. This skill is most useful in skill challenges and helps with knowing direction, finding food, building shelter, tracking, or avoiding being tracked.

Build Shelter                                                         

  • 1 hour
  • Proficient Only: Yes, but can attempt Untrained

Survival can be used to build shelter in the wilderness, even during inclement weather. This also includes the ability, if the proper materials are present, to build a fire. Average conditions in hospitable terrain are a DC 15. Inhospitable areas have DCs between 20 and 25. Rain, snow, high winds, or other severe weather, increases this DC by 5 to 10 points.

Forage

  • 1 hour
  • Proficient Only: Yes, but can attempt Untrained

You can use Survival to gather food and clean water in the wilderness. The amount this produces depends on the environment, weather, time of year, time spent, and the check itself. Summer and autumn, or other times with high food produce, have starting DCs of 10 while less than productive times, such as spring or winter have starting DCs of 15. Most hospitable regions have the starting DCs or reduce them by up to 5 points. Less hospitable increase the DC between 5 to 10 points. Severe weather or less time spent foraging, can increase the DC.

Hide Tracks

  • Double Action
  • Proficient Only: Yes, but can attempt Untrained

Survival can be used to hide your tracks for a single Stride action. This means that you move at a single Stride action per round but leave not traces behind. This check result becomes the DC for anyone trying to track you.

Know Direction

  • Single Action
  • Proficient Only: No

You can use Survival to orient yourself by a compass (in an area that functions with magnetic north), the sun, the moon, or the stars. One of those options must be available at the time you make the check in order to be successful, otherwise it automatically fails. If you are in an environment that does not provide any of those, use Dungeoneering instead. The DC is usually automatic with a compass, 10 with the sun, or 15 with the moon and stars.

Track

  • Dependent
  • Proficient Only: Yes

You can use Survival to follow a trail, either deliberately left or hidden, through the wilderness. Unless otherwise given through an ability, moving at more than half your speed causes you to take Disadvantage on your Survival check to track. Moving at double speed, means you take double Disadvantage. The DC is always 10 or the Survival check of the quarry, if they attempted to hide their tracks, whichever is higher.