Overview

Delves are willing to risk everything just to find something new, something that no one else has seen before. They are driven to expand the boundaries of the known, often rediscovering what was long forgotten. Delves delight in finding never-explored ruins of the prior worlds and cataloguing them from top to bottom. Mysteries presented by weird machines and broken scrap are nearly identical for Delves. They know that what others dismiss as debris might contain hidden treasure called iotum—like apt clay, protomatter, philosophine, data orbs, and more! That’s what most Delves seek. They won’t ignore cyphers and artifacts prized by others, of course, but Delves see deeper and are skilled at extracting the building blocks of the prior worlds.
As with other kinds of explorers, Delves are rare. Most people in the Ninth World would rather gnaw off a hand than risk the horrors that often lie within ruins or even just over the next hill. But without Delves, who would bring back the special components that some crafters have come to depend on? Delves aren’t fools; they take precautions, and they’re not immune to fear. But the lure of the unknown and the thrill of discovery outweigh the risks. Longevity isn’t as important to a Delve as discovery. That said, a Delve won’t discover much if they don’t have the stamina to push through when things get tough. Delves need to be at least a little skilled at a lot of things. They need Might and Speed to deal with the challenges they face, but they need Intellect to help them salvage for iotum and other numenera items. To explore inscrutable ruins, Delves have to be able to react quickly, squeeze through small spaces, and often run away without being weighed down by heavy armor. A few might choose light armor, though most prefer clothes that don’t restrict them at all.

Delves in Society

Delves don’t spend much time in society because they’re off exploring. When they do come back to a base, settlement, or larger community, they are given a wide berth by those afraid of the numenera, which is often a surprising number of people. To commoners, the numenera is as likely to help you as it is to kill you, disfigure you, or send you hurtling into the void. So Delves usually seek the company of other explorers, such as Nanos, Jacks, Glaives, and others. Delves also seek the acquaintance of Wrights, and vice versa, because the iotum that Delves prize is equally sought by Wrights to craft installations and other wonders.
Sometimes Delves deliver objects or messages between distant locations, or they provide their expertise on travel routes to merchants and other explorers. But these are usually secondary goals, convenient in that a long-distance trip allows them to find more previously unexplored locations. Sometimes a Delve’s deliveries are delayed while the Delve spends an extra week or more investigating an abandoned structure or ruin. This can put a strain on otherwise cordial relationships with Glaives and Nanos, who each see in the Delve a bit of themselves. Arkai are least likely to want to upend their stay inside newly developed communities, but they understand the value a Delve associated with a community can bring, if the Delve decides to use the community as their base.

Delves in the Group

A Delve isn’t so much a leader as a scout, though some Delves do naturally step into the role of directing a group, since they’re often the ones who can find the best route forward. Though they are resilient in a fight, they are not front-line defenders; that’s obviously a job for a Glaive. They pay attention to knowledge provided by Nanos, but they know enough about the numenera themselves that they don’t need to rely on them. Delves may spend long periods of time exploring, but many enjoy talking about what they found with a small group of friends or allies.

Delves and the Numenera

In many ways, the numenera is what draws Delves to explore—the numenera and the special components that bring the numenera to life. But Delves are excited by any discoveries related to the numenera, whetting their appetite to explore further. Their skills and knowledge give them excellent means to find and salvage iotum and other valuables from otherwise dead ruins. Delves look for items that help them improve their ability to search and find out information. If a Delve doesn’t know where to look, then they’re virtually useless

Advanced Delves

As Delves gain experience and become more skilled and powerful, they gain abilities to better understand the numenera, to tinker with it, and to salvage and find new uses for iotum.

Delve Tiers

FIRST-TIER DELVES

First-tier Delves have the following abilities. Add them to the appropriate place on your character sheet, under Effort, Edge (in the appropriate stat Pool), equipment, and potentially skills and special abilities:
Effort: Your Effort is 1.
Talented: You have an Intellect Edge of 1, a Speed Edge of 1, and a Might Edge of 0.
Cypher Use: You can bear two cyphers at a time.
Weapons: You can use light and medium weapons without penalty. You have an inability with heavy weapons; your attacks with heavy weapons are hindered.
Skills: You are trained in salvaging numenera. In addition, you are trained in an exploration skill in which you are not already trained. Choose from the following: navigation, perception, sensing danger, creature knowledge, initiative, peacefully opening communications with strangers, or tracking. You have an inability in crafting numenera and understanding numenera. Enabler.
Community Explorer: While you are present within a community, and actively and personally working on behalf of that community, the community’s effective rank for purposes of finding resources, locating new trade routes, knowing about conditions just beyond the community, and detecting sneak attacks by enemies is +1. Enabler.
Starting Equipment: You start with clothing, one weapon, light armor or 1 extra unit of responsive synth (your choice), a pack of light tools, an explorer’s pack, two cyphers (chosen by the GM), one oddity (chosen by the GM), and 3 shins (coins). If you start with a ranged weapon that requires ammunition (arrows, for example), you start with 12 of that type of ammunition. Before selecting your weapons, armor, and other gear, you might want to wait until after you’ve chosen your Delve lore, descriptor, and focus.
Default Starting Cyphers and Oddity: Your GM may provide you with starting cyphers and an oddity. Otherwise, you begin with the following.

• Cyphers: phasing gloves, travel bubble
• Oddity: Shirt that displays your muscles, bones, and internal organs when you wear it

Delve Lore: You have special abilities called Delve lore that are related to exploring strange places and using numenera. Some of these abilities are constant, ongoing effects, and others are specific actions that usually cost points from one of your stat Pools. Choose two of the lores described below. You can’t choose the same lore more than once unless its description says otherwise. You can keep track of these in the Special Abilities section of your character sheet.

• Additional Training: You are trained in two additional skills in which you are not already trained. Choose from the following: navigation, perception, sensing danger, initiative, peacefully opening communications with strangers, and tracking. Enabler.
• Familiarize: You can familiarize yourself with a new area if you spend at least one hour studying a region up to a long distance across that you are able to directly access and move about in. Once you’ve familiarized yourself with an area, all your tasks related to perception, navigation, salvaging, defense, and moving about the area gain an asset. Each time you familiarize yourself with a new area, you lose focus on a previous area unless you spend 1 XP to retain the familiarity permanently. Action to initiate, one hour to complete.
• Find the Way: When you apply Effort to a navigation task because you don’t know the way, are lost, are attempting to blaze a new route, need to choose between two or more otherwise similar paths to take, or something very similar, you can apply a free level of effort. Enabler.
• Right Tool for the Job (1 Intellect point + iotum): If you have at least 1 unit of iotum, you can fashion a temporary device that provides an asset to a physical, noncombat task (identified ahead of time). For example, if you need to climb a wall, you could create some sort of climbing assistance device; if you need to break out of a cell, you can tune iotum in your possession to serve as a lockpick; if you need to create a small distraction, you could trigger an iotum to make a loud bang and flash; and so on. Once fashioned, the adapted iotum lasts for about a minute or until used for the intended purpose. This use destroys the iotum. Action to prepare the iotum; action to initiate.
• Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task in which you are not already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type. You can select this lore up to three times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of defense task. Enabler.
• Trained in Armor: You can wear armor for long periods of time without tiring and can compensate for slowed reactions from wearing armor. You can wear any kind of armor. You reduce the Speed Effort cost for wearing armor by 1. Enabler.
• Trained Without Armor: You are trained in Speed defense tasks when not wearing armor. Enabler.

SECOND-TIER DELVE

Second-tier Delves have the following abilities:
Delve Lore: Choose one of the following lores (or a lore from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your first-tier lores with a different firsttier lore.

• Curious: You’re always curious about your surroundings, even on a subconscious level. Whenever you spend Effort to attempt navigation, perception, or initiative tasks in an area that you’ve only rarely or never visited before, you can apply an additional, free level of Effort. Enabler.
• Danger Instinct (3 Speed points): If you are attacked by surprise, whether by a creature, a device, or simply an environmental hazard (a tree falling on you), you can move an immediate distance before the attack occurs. If moving prevents the attack, you are safe. If the attack can still potentially affect you—if the attacking creature can move to keep pace, if the attack fills an area too big to escape, etc.—the ability offers no benefit. Enabler.
• Environmental Adaptation (2+ Intellect points): You use your wits and some learned tricks to survive a hostile environment. You can breathe safely in smoke or poison gas or survive temperature extremes for up to ten hours. In certain instances, the GM might require simple materials (like a bit of cloth to cover your mouth or a cloak soaked in water to survive heat). In extreme cases, such as rushing gravity or burning lava, this ability requires io, which are consumed after the use. In these extreme environments, the GM might increase the cost of activating this ability to equal the amount of damage you would sustain in a given round, split evenly between io and Intellect. For example, if you enter a hostile environment that would normally deal 6 points of damage per round, avoiding that damage would cost 3 io and 3 Intellect points. You can protect other creatures in addition to yourself, but each additional creature costs you the same number of io and Intellect points as it costs to protect you. Thus, if it costs 3 io and 3 points to protect yourself, it costs 6 additional io and Intellect to protect two other people. In extreme environments, this ability lasts for about a minute. This ability never protects against quick, instantaneous threats, like an attack with a weapon or a sudden explosion of fire. Action to initiate, unless io or elaborate materials are required, in which case action to initiate, one minute to complete.
• Eye for Detail (2 Intellect points): When you spend five minutes or so thoroughly exploring an area no larger than a short distance in diameter, you can ask the GM one question about the area. The GM must answer you truthfully. You cannot use this more than one time per area per 28 hours. Action to initiate, five minutes to complete.
• Foil Danger (2 Intellect points): You negate one source of potential danger related to one creature or object that you are aware of within immediate distance for one round. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a trap triggered by a pressure plate, or a creature’s natural ability (something special, innate, and dangerous, like an ithsyn’s gas spray or a cragworm’s venom). You can also try to foil a foe's mundane action (such as an attack with a weapon or claw), so that the action isn't made this round. Make your roll against the level of the attack, danger, or creature. Action.
• Scorn Harm: You ignore the impaired condition and treat the debilitated condition as impaired. Enabler.
• Trapster: You are trained in creating simple traps for human-sized or smaller targets, especially many varieties of deadfalls and snares using natural objects from the surrounding environment. When you lay a trap, decide whether you want to hold the victim in place (a snare) or inflict damage (a deadfall). Creating a snare is a difficulty 3 task, while the difficulty of creating a deadfall is equal to the number of points of damage you want it to inflict. For example, if you want to inflict 4 points of damage, that’s a difficulty 4 task (the training that comes with this ability eases the task). On a success, you create your oneuse trap in about one minute, and it is considered level 3 for the purposes of avoiding detection before it is sprung and for a victim trying to struggle free (if a snare). If you take one additional hour and use additional resources equal to 10 io, the trap can instead be up to level 4, or level 5 if you use additional resources equal to 20 io. Action to initiate, one minute or one hour to complete.

THIRD-TIER DELVE

Third-tier Delves have the following abilities:
Improved Community Explorer: A community continues to modify its rank by +1 on any task that involves finding resources, locating new trade routes, knowing about conditions just beyond the community, and detecting sneak attacks by enemies. However, you do not need to be constantly present in and actively working on behalf of the community for it to gain this benefit; it gains it merely because of your past efforts in the community. Enabler.
Expert Cypher Use: You can bear three cyphers at a time.
Delve Lore: Choose one of the following lores (or a lore from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier lores with a different lower-tier lore.

• Creature Insight (3 Intellect points): When examining any nonhuman creature, you can ask the GM one question to gain an idea of its level, its capabilities, what it eats, what motivates it, what its weaknesses are (if any), how it can be repaired, or any other similar query. This is for difficult or strange creatures beyond those readily identified by using skills. Action.
• Device Insight (3 Intellect points): When examining any numenera device, you can ask the GM one question to gain an idea of its capabilities, how it functions, how it can be activated or deactivated, what its weaknesses are (if any), how it can be repaired, or any other similar query. This is for difficult or strange things beyond those readily identified by using the numenera skill. Action.
• Follower: You gain a level 2 follower. One of their modifications must be for salvaging numenera, navigation, perception, sensing danger, initiative, or tracking. You can take this ability multiple times, each time gaining another level 2 follower. Enabler.
• Quick Wits: When performing a task that would normally require spending points from your Intellect Pool, you can spend points from your Speed Pool instead. Enabler.
• Resilience: You have 1 point of Armor against any kind of physical damage, even physical damage that normally ignores Armor. Enabler.
• Seize Opportunity (4 Speed points): If you succeed on a Speed defense roll to resist an attack, you gain an action, but the action is hindered. You can use your hindered action immediately even if you have already taken a turn in the round. Using this ability doesn’t prevent you from taking your normal action this round. Enabler.
• Thinking Ahead (variable Intellect points): You produce a remedy that removes a negative condition because you’ve previously spent considerable time thinking ahead and preparing for your current situation. For instance, if another character is poisoned, you produce an antidote, or if they’re blinded, you produce a salve that returns sight (assuming they weren’t blinded because their eyes were destroyed). The Intellect cost for using this ability is equal to the level of effect or creature that caused the negative condition. Action.
• Trapfinder (3+ Intellect points): You find any traps (like a floor that would give way beneath you) or mechanical triggers to a trap or defense system that might pose a threat. You can do this without setting them off and in lieu of making a roll to find them. This ability can find traps of level 4 or below. For each level of Effort you use, the level of traps that can be found increases by 2, so a Delve using two levels of Effort can find all traps of level 8 or below. Action.
• Wrest From Chance: If you roll a natural 1 on a d20, you can reroll the die. If you reroll, you avoid a GM intrusion—unless you roll a second 1—and might succeed on your task. Once you use this ability, it is not available again until after you make a ten-hour recovery roll. Enabler.

FOURTH-TIER DELVE

Fourth-tier Delves have the following abilities:
Iotum Cache: Whenever you find or salvage iotum, you gain an additional result on the Iotum Result Table. Enabler.
Delve Lore: Choose one of the following lores (or a lore from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can also replace one of your lower-tier lores with a different lore from the same lower tier.

• Counter Danger (4 Intellect points): You negate a source of potential danger related to one creature or object within immediate distance for one minute (instead of one round, as with Foil Danger). This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a creature’s natural ability, or a trap triggered by a pressure plate. You can also try to counter an action (like moving or making a conventional, mundane attack with a weapon, a claw, etc.). Action.
• Delve’s Fortitude (4 Might points): If you are affected by an unwanted condition or affliction (such as disease, paralysis, mind control, a broken limb, and so on—but not damage), you can ignore it and act as if it does not affect you for one hour. You can use this ability to act as if you were one step higher on the damage track for an hour—impaired becomes hale, debilitated becomes impaired. If the condition would normally last less than an hour, it is entirely negated. If you have a focus ability that grants this same benefit, you can ignore a condition for five hours instead of one hour. Action.
• Experienced Finder (6+ Intellect points): When you are looking for something specific, such as a particular kind of iotum, a chemical needed to complete a vaccine for a disease, a spare part required to repair a damaged device, the tracks of a specific beast, or the sword that a thief stole from you, this ability is of great use. For the next 28 hours, if you come within short range of the thing and circumstances are such that it is possible for you to perceive the thing (for example, it’s not in a locked chamber for which you do not have the key), you find it. This ability assumes that you are constantly on the lookout, always looking everywhere possible, peering behind obstacles, and so on—if you’re running for your life, sleeping, or otherwise occupied, this ability does not help you. You use this ability in lieu of making a roll to find the thing, but only if the difficulty for finding the object is level 6 or below. You can apply Effort to increase the maximum level of the thing you’re trying to find (each level of Effort used this way increases the maximum level by 1). Enabler.
• Greater Skill With Defense: Choose one type of defense task, even one in which you are already trained: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You are trained in defense tasks of that type, or specialized if you are already trained. You can select this lore up to three times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of defense task. Enabler.
• Skill With Attacks: Choose one type of attack in which you are not already trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are trained in attacks using that type of weapon. You can select this ability multiple times. Each time you select it, you must choose a different type of attack. Enabler.
• Subtle Steps: When you move no more than a short distance, you can move without making a sound, regardless of the surface you move across. Enabler.

FIFTH-TIER DELVE

Fifth-tier Delves have the following abilities:
Adept Cypher Use: You can bear four cyphers at a time.
Refine Iotum: When you discover iotum on an initial salvage task, your follow-up attempts to locate a specific variety of iotum gain one free level of Effort if you use at least one level of Effort (maximum six levels). Enabler.
Delve Lore: Choose one of the following Delve lores (or a lore from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier lores with a different lore from the same lower tier.

• Concussion (5 Intellect points + iotum): If you have at least 1 unit of iotum, you can fashion a concussive device. The adapted iotum can explode with concussive force, either after being tossed up to a long distance or on a short timer, whichever you prefer. The explosion deals 5 points of damage to everything within short range. Even if you fail the attack roll, targets in the area take 1 point of damage. Once fashioned, the adapted iotum lasts for about a minute or until detonated. This use destroys the iotum. Action to tinker with the iotum; action to initiate.
• Free to Move: You ignore all movement penalties and adjustments due to terrain or other obstacles. You can fit through any space large enough to fit your head. Tasks involving breaking free of bonds, a creature’s grip, or any similar impediment gain three free levels of Effort. Enabler.
• Group Friendship (4 Intellect points): You convince a sentient creature to regard you (and up to ten creatures that you designate within immediate distance of you) positively, as they would a potential friend. Action.
• Hard to Kill: You can choose to reroll any defense task you make but never more than once per round. Enabler.
• Improved Follower: You gain a level 3 follower. They are not restricted on their modifications. You can take this ability multiple times, each time gaining another level 3 follower. Alternatively, you can choose to advance a level 2 follower you already have to level 3 and then gain a new level 2 follower. Enabler.
• Numenera Adaptation: You have 2 points of Armor against any attack that comes from a numenera device, automaton, or other mechanism. This is true even if the attack would normally ignore Armor. Enabler.
• Vigilant (5 Might points): When affected by an attack or effect that would daze or stun you, you are not dazed or stunned. Enabler.

SIXTH-TIER DELVE

Sixth-tier Delves have the following abilities:
Recruit Deputy: You gain a level 4 follower. They are not restricted on their modifications. Enabler.
Delve Lore: Choose one of the following lores (or a lore from a lower tier) to add to your repertoire. In addition, you can replace one of your lower-tier lores with a different lore from the same lower tier.

• Inspire Coordinated Actions (9 Intellect points): If your allies can see and easily understand you, you can instruct each of them to take one specific action (the same action for all of them). If any of them choose to take that exact action, they can do so as an additional action immediately. This doesn’t interfere with them taking their normal actions on their turns. Action.
• Mastery With Attacks: Choose one type of attack in which you are trained: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. You are specialized in attacks using that type of weapon. Enabler. (If you aren’t trained in an attack, select Skill With Attacks to become trained in that attack.)
• Negate Danger (7 Intellect points): You permanently negate a source of potential danger related to one creature or object within immediate distance. This could be a weapon or device held by someone, a creature’s natural ability, or a trap triggered by a pressure plate. Action.
• Not Dead Yet: When you would normally be dead, you instead fall unconscious for one round and then awaken. You immediately gain 1d6 + 6 points to restore your stat Pools, and you are treated as if debilitated (if you also have Delve's Fortitude, you are only impaired) until you rest for ten hours. If you die again before you take your ten-hour recovery roll, you are truly dead. Enabler.
• Share Defense: If your skill in a defense type is greater than that of an ally within short range, your advice and insight can allow them to use your skill on that defense task. Enabler.

DELVE BACKGROUND

Lots of people explore, but not all of them are Delves. Delves have a special relationship with the iotum. Something in your background has put you in this position and is at least partially responsible for your talents. Choose one of the three options described below as the source of your skills (or create your own). This will provide the foundation of your background and give you an idea of how you can improve. The GM can use this information to develop adventures and quests that are specific to your character and play a role in your advancement.

DELVE CONNECTION

Roll a d20 or choose from the list below to determine a specific fact about your background that provides a connection to the rest of the world. You can also create your own fact.

DELVE PLAYER INTRUSIONS

When playing a Delve, you can spend 1 XP to use one of the following player intrusions, provided the situation is appropriate and the GM agrees.
Fortuitous Malfunction: A trap or a dangerous device malfunctions before it can affect you.
Serendipitous Landmark: Just when it seems like the path is lost, or you are, a trail marker, landmark, or simply the way the terrain or corridor bends, rises, or falls away suggests to you the best path forward, at least from this point.
Weak Strain: The poison or disease turns out not to be as debilitating or deadly as it first seemed, and inflicts only half the damage that it would have otherwise.

DELVE EXAMPLE

Monte wants to create a Delve character who is both tough and smart. He puts 3 of his additional points into his Might Pool and 3 into his Intellect Pool; his stat Pools are now Might 12, Speed 9, Intellect 13. As a first-tier character, his Effort is 1, his Intellect Edge and Speed Edge are 1, and his Might Edge is 0—a fairly well-rounded character. He chooses to use a broadsword (a medium weapon that inflicts 4 points of damage) and a crossbow (a medium weapon that inflicts 4 points of damage but requires the use of both hands). Monte decides to forgo armor of any sort, so for his first Delve lore, he chooses Trained Without Armor, which makes him trained in Speed defense tasks when he’s not wearing armor. For his second lore, he chooses Right Tool for the Job, which helps him with many tasks. As a Delve, Monte gains the Community Explorer ability. If he is personally present and actively using his abilities on a community’s behalf, the community gains several benefits of knowledge about things beyond its walls, the ability to sense sneak attacks, and more.
The GM decides that Monte’s two cyphers are a head-mounted device that allows the wearer to speak in all languages for 28 hours and a small, metallic cube that opens into a pocket extradimensional space for 28 hours. Monte still needs to pick a descriptor and a focus. He chooses the Risk-Taking descriptor, which adds +4 to his Speed Pool, gives him training at games of chance, and lets him push his luck to succeed at a difficult task (at the cost of a GM intrusion). Risk-Taking also hinders his sneaking tasks. For his focus, Monte decides to expand his spelunking abilities and picks Explores Dark Places. This gives him some additional equipment and makes him trained in searching, listening, climbing, balancing, and jumping tasks.