Numenera Character Delve Abilities

Type Tier 1 Tier 2 Tier 3 Tier 4 Tier 5 Tier 6
auto Pools Starting Values: Might - 9, Speed - 9, Intellect - 10

Bonus Pools Values: You get 6 additional points to divide among your stat Pools however you wish.

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.

Special:
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, stealth, 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.

Starting Equipment: You start with clothing, two weapons (or one weapon and a shield), 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.

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.

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.

Delve Player Intrusions: 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.
 Iotum Cache: Whenever you find or salvage iotum, you gain additional salvage attempt to get iotum of specific kind. 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 first-tier lores with a different first-tier lore.
 Expert Cypher Use: You can bear three cyphers at a time.

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.

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.

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.
 Skills: Choose of the following: navigation, perception, sensing danger, creature knowledge, initiative, peacefully opening communications with strangers, or tracking. You are trained in this skill. If you choose a skill you’re already trained in, you become specialized in that skill.

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.
 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 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.
 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 lower-tier lore.
option Fleet of Foot (1+ Speed points): You can move a short distance as part of another action. You can move a long distance as your entire action for a turn. If you apply a level of Effort to this ability, you can move a long distance and make an attack as your entire action for a turn, but the attack is hindered. Enabler.
 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.
 Experienced With Armor: The cost reduction from your Trained in Armor ability improves. You now reduce the Speed Effort cost for wearing armor by an additional 1. Enabler. 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.
 Concussion (3 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 damage equal to iotum level to everything within short range. Even if you fail the attack roll, targets in the area take 1 point of ambient 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.
 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.
option Trained Without Armor: You are trained in Speed defense tasks when not wearing armor. 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.
 Device Insight (3 Intellect points): When examining any numenera device, you gain an idea of its capabilities or of how it functions, how it can be activated or deactivated, what its weakness is, how it can be repaired, or any other similar query— the type of information is specified by you. Essentially, each time you use this ability, you can ask the GM one question about a device. When you use Device Insight, “The answer is beyond your comprehension" is a fair response from the GM. Sometimes information gained is of no use because of its alien or incomprehensible nature, or its utter lack of context. This is for difficult or strange things beyond those readily identified by using the numenera skill. Action.
 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.
 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.
 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.)
option No Need for Weapons: Your unarmed attacks deals 2 additional damage. It requires both hands (or feets). 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. In extreme cases, such as crushing gravity or burning lava, this ability lasts for about a minute, requires io and intellect points equal to the damage level of danger, split evenly between them. 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. It never protects against quick, instantaneous threats, like an attack with a weapon or a sudden explosion of fire. Action to initiate, one minute to prepare.
 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. The GM may require that you actually look for a suitable follower— as opposed to merely gaining one—as a long-term task. Enabler.
 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. 		Vigilant (5 Might points): When you would normally be dazed or stunned, you are not dazed or stunned. Enabler.
 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.
option Danger Sense (1 Speed point): The difficulty of your initiative roll is reduced by one step. Enabler.
 Scavenger: You always find an additional cypher when scavenging from a large device (a control panel or a destroyed automaton, for example). Thus, if the GM determines that you find two cyphers, you actually find three.
 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.
 Immunity: You are utterly immune to disease and poison. 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.
 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 until you rest for ten hours. If you die again before you take your ten-hour recovery roll, you are truly dead. Enabler.
option 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.
 Foil Danger (2 Intellect points): You can attempt a task to 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), so that the action isn't made this round. Action.
Additional Info: Delves who want to make the most of their Foil Danger special ability will want to be trained in some kind of creature knowledge to ease tasks related to those creatures. Using Foil Danger to suppress a natural ability can be described as being clever with a mundane action. An ithsyn’s gas might be suppressed by the Delve’s use of a leather bag to block it. A Delve might suppress a cragworm’s venom by spraying its victim with a bit of wine.
Resilience: You have 1 point of Armor against any kind of physical damage, even physical damage that normally ignores Armor. 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.
 Arc Spray (3 Speed points): If a weapon has the ability to fire rapid shots without reloading (usually called a rapid-fire weapon, such as a crank crossbow), you can fire your weapon at up to three targets (all next to one another) at once. Make a separate attack roll against each target. Each attack is hindered. Action. Mastery With Armor: The cost reduction from your Practiced in Armor ability improves. When you wear any armor, you reduce the armor's Speed cost to 0. If you select this ability and you already have the Experienced With Armor ability, replace Experienced With Armor with a different third-tier ability because Mastery With Armor is better. Enabler.
option Scan for Iotum (2 Intellect points): Using a device or some kind of unique sense, you scan an area equal in size to a 10-foot (3 m) cube, including all objects or structures. The area must be within immediate range. The difficulty of the task is equal to the level of the object or structure being scanned. Scanning in this fashion eases initial salvage task in the area to determine if anything is worth salvaging. This ability doesn’t improve your ability to find a specific kind of iotum, only to discover whether there is iotum within the salvage source in the first place. That said, many materials and energy fields prevent or resist scanning. Action.
 Deconstruct (3 Intellect points): You take the time to closely study a bit of scrap, machine, cypher, artifact, or other numenera object or structure before attempting to salvage iotum from it. If the salvage source possesses iotum that can be salvaged (as determined by the GM) you gain additional salvage attempt to get iotum of specific kind. Action to initiate, ten minutes to complete.
 Controlled Fall: When you fall while you are able to use actions and within reach of a vertical surface, you can attempt to slow your fall. Make a Speed roll. The difficulty is 1 for every 20 feet (6 m) you fall. On a success, you take half damage from the fall. If you reduce the difficulty to 0, you take no damage. 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.
 Take Command (3 Intellect points): You issue a specific command to another character. If that character chooses to listen, the difficulty of any attack he attempts is reduced by one step, and a hit deals 3 additional points of damage. If your command is to perform a task other than an attack, the difficulty of the task is reduced by two steps. Action.
 Wild Vitality (4 Intellect points): You attune with the life force of a natural creature (your size or bigger) within long range that you can see. This is a level 2 Intellect task. If you succeed, the creature is not harmed, but through resonance with its wild vitality, you gain several benefits for up to one minute: an asset to all your Might-based tasks (including attacks and defenses), +2 to your Might Edge and Speed Edge, and 2 additional points of damage on all successful melee attacks. Action to initiate.
option 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.
 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. 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.
 Parry (5 Speed points): You can deflect incoming attacks quickly. For the next ten rounds, the difficulty of all Speed defense rolls is reduced by one step. Enabler.
 Incredible Recovery (9 Might points): You move up one step on the damage track or shake off any unwanted ongoing condition. You can use this action even if you cant use actions. Action.
option Decipher (1 Intellect point): If you spend one minute examining a piece of writing or code in a language you do not understand, you get an asset to get the gist of what the writing says. Action to initiate.
 Stand Watch (2 Intellect points): While standing watch (mostly remaining in place for an extended period of time), you unfailingly remain awake and alert for up to eight hours. During this time, you are trained in perception tasks as well as stealth tasks to conceal yourself from those who might approach. Action to initiate.
 Scorn Harm: You ignore the impaired condition and treat the debilitated condition as impaired. Enabler.
 Mastery 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.
 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.
option 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.
 Curious: You’re always curious about your surroundings, even on a subconscious level. Whenever you use 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. 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.
option Battle Numenera: When battling an automaton or any other sort of entirely mechanical foe, the difficulty of all Speed defense rolls and attack rolls is decreased by one step. Enabler.
 Breaker: You are trained in tasks related to damaging objects with the goal of breaking, piercing, or demolishing them. Enabler. Trick Shot (2 Speed points): As part of the same action, you make a ranged attack against two targets that are within immediate range of each other. Make a separate attack roll against each target. The attack rolls are hindered. Action.
option Muscles of Iron (2 Might points): For the next ten minutes, all Might-based actions other than attack rolls that you attempt have their difficulty reduced by one step. Enabler.
 Contortionist (2 Speed points): You can wriggle free from bindings or squeeze through a tight spot. You are trained in escaping. When you use an action to escape or move through a tight area, you can immediately use another action. You may use this action only to move. Enabler.
option Endurance: Any duration dealing with physical actions is either doubled or halved, whichever is better for you. For example, if the typical person can hold his breath for thirty seconds, you can hold it for one minute. If the typical person can march for four hours without stopping, you can do so for eight hours. In terms of harmful effects, if a poison paralyzes its victims for one minute, you are paralyzed for thirty seconds. The minimum duration is always one round. Enabler.
 Beast Companion: A level 2 creature of your size or smaller accompanies you and follows your instructions. You and the GM must work out the details of your creature. You'll probably make rolls for it in combat or when it takes actions, although most of the time the companion will use its actions to provide an asset in whatever it is you are doing, if in a position and capable to do so. The beast companion acts on your turn. As a level 2 creature, it has a target number of 6 and a health of 6, and it inflicts 2 points of damage. Its movement is based on its creature type (avian, swimmer, and so on). If your beast companion dies, you can hunt in the wild for 1d6 days to find a new companion. You can take this ability more than once, each time gaining an additional companion or increasing the level of your existing companion by 2 (maximum level 6). Enabler.
option 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. Trapster: You are trained in creating simple traps for human-sized or smaller targets. 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. On a success, you create one-use 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). For each additional hour and level of Effort you can increase trap level up to 5. Action to initiate, one minute or one hour to complete.