In the DBU System, there’s two modes of play: Adventure and Combat Encounters (see — Combat Encounters). While most of the excitement of the game inspired by the legendary battles of the Dragon Universe can be found in Combat Encounters, the time spent outside of them can be just as – if not more – fulfilling. This is what the Adventure rules are for.
The Adventure rules serve to give Characters freedom over their time outside of Combat Encounters, allowing them to gain benefits and to help reinforce the roleplay experience.
Adventure
While adventuring, the most important resource becomes time itself. What do you do with your time while you are not faced with mortal combat? As an ARC, it’s important to have a good grasp on the flow of time in your campaign so you can understand how these various narrative actions flow.
Outside of a Combat Encounter, players freely explore the world and scenarios created by the ARC. While there are endless opportunities as a result, there are two things of particular importance: Challenges and Adventuring Maneuvers.
Adventuring Session. An Adventuring Session refers to a single instance of Adventuring between Combat Encounters.
Adventure Resources. An Adventure Resource represents a vague currency that is used for certain aspects of Adventuring. They are a numeric value that is usually spent for a certain purpose (for example, Scrap is used for Crafting and Ingredients are used for Cooking).
Though, perhaps the most famous Adventure Resource of all are the Dragon Balls. Collecting them allows for granting a Wish (see — Dragon Balls).
Your ARC may also add their own Adventure Resources that serve a narrative purpose in their story, or grant some benefit from holding onto them.
Adventure Resources count as Basic Items.
Adventure: Challenges
You want to talk your way out of a situation against a faceless horde of NPCs? It’s time for a Bluff Skill Check!
While outside of a Combat Encounter, any narrative problem you face is known as a Challenge. Challenges can come in the form of Ability Checks/Clashes, Skill Checks/Clashes, Might Checks/Clashes, Saving Throw Clashes, or even unique Clashes like using your Boosted Speed to represent a footrace. It’s ultimately down to the ARC, but this is where your Skills come to shine!
Challenges may be a singular check or a sequence of checks, but ultimately they serve as a tool for the ARC to add dramatic tension and difficulty outside of a Combat Encounter. Failing a Challenge may result in some form of narrative setback (i.e. failing to get a Dragon Ball, losing the Dragon Radar, or accidentally dropping the God of Destruction’s snack), something that could make future challenges more difficult (i.e. stopping a villain from getting the last Dragon Ball they needed to reclaim their youth or falling victim to the charms of one of your opponents), or maybe even significant difficulties (i.e. starting the next Combat Encounter with a Combat Condition, losing a large chunk of Life or Ki Points, or potentially gaining an Illness).
Whenever a Challenge occurs, declare how long it will take. The reason for this is predominantly because of the existence of Adventuring Maneuvers. Adventuring Maneuvers take up a certain amount of time, but they can be interrupted at any point by a Challenge.
Challenges come in two type:
- Free Challenge. A Free Challenge occurs exclusively in response to or during an Adventuring Maneuver or Travel (see — Travel). This form of Challenge does not completely stop the Adventuring Maneuver or Travel just by being initiated, but instead will increase the time it takes by how long the declared Challenge will take. A success may reduce or altogether ignore the additional time, while a failure may increase the amount of time or otherwise render the Adventuring Maneuver a failure – alongside whatever other penalties it brings.
- Focused Challenge. A Focused Challenge is a challenge that can occur at any point, whether engaging in an Adventuring Maneuver/Travel or not. A Focused Challenge is a bigger deal that, simply by being initiated, will result in stopping any currently active Adventuring Maneuvers/Travel. A Focused Challenge may be an act by an Adversary that bothers the party, or a problem that cannot be ignored or done concurrently to any Adventuring Maneuver/Travel.
Challenges and the Challenged. When a Challenge is issued, it may be directed at the party as a whole or a specific Character. If a specific Character is issued a challenge, they may allow another Character (or multiple) to take that challenge in their stead. If that occurs, and the Character(s) who took the Challenge lose, the consequence of the Challenge may fall on the participating Characters and/or the initially challenged Character – depending on the particular consequence (see — Challenges and Combat Encounters). In most (but not all) cases, this will cause the originally challenged Character, if they were already in the act of an Adventuring Maneuver/Travel, to interrupt that act.
Multiple Challenged. If multiple Characters engage a Challenge, they may either each attempt the Check/Clash for the Challenge individually, or combine their efforts. In the case of the latter, select the Character with the highest bonus for whatever value is used for the Check/Clash and increase the bonus by an amount decided by the amount of participating partners and the Check/Clash in question:
- Skill. Increase the Dice Score by 1 for each participating Character after the first.
- Any other Check/Clash. Increase the Dice Score by 1(bT) for each participating Character after the first.
Though, not all challenges can be completed by multiple Characters – or may be limited by a number of Characters.
Examples of Challenges
An important thing to consider regarding these Challenges is that while these present set Checks/Clashes, do consider changing the Check/Clash for that Challenge based on how your players say they want to attempt to solve the Challenge.
Morning Training: Engage in various physical tasks to push your physical body to its limits!
–Type: Focused (nothing else can be done during this Challenge)
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Check/Clash: Make Ability Checks in each Attribute (AG/FO/TE) against a Target Number of 12 in sequence. You fail the Challenge if you fail any of these Ability Checks. Failing these Challenges will result in gaining a stack of the Fatigued Combat Condition that cannot be removed until you use the Rest Maneuver.
Haggling: Showcase your personality to not fall victim to the whims of a greedy merchant.
–Type: Free (done in response to the Purchase Maneuver)
–Time Cost: 5 Minutes
–Check/Clash: Make a Qualified Bluff or Persuasion Skill Check. If you succeed, reduce the TN of the Wealth Check by 1. If you fail, increase the TN of the Wealth Check by 1.
Fish Attack!: You were looking for food, but so was a giant, man-eating fish!
–Type: Free (done in response to the Scavenge Maneuver)
–Time Cost: 20 Minutes
–Check/Clash: Make a Might Check against a Target Number of 12. If you succeed, gain an additional Ingredient (see — Cooking). If you fail, reduce your Life Points by 12 (Average Wound Roll of Giant Fish).
Falling Mountain: A mountain is collapsing on your path, destroy it, fly over it, or suffer a long detour.
–Type: Free (done while Travelling)
–Time Cost: 30 Minutes
–Check/Clash: Make a Flight Skill Check of Apprentice, or make a Might Check with a Target Number of 14. If you succeed, ignore the Time Cost. If you fail, suffer the Time Cost.
Swinging Scythe Trap: A deadly blade swings into the narrow passage you’re in, threatening your life.
–Type: Free (done while Travelling)
–Time Cost: 5 Minutes
–Check/Clash: Make an Impulsive Saving Throw against a Target Number of 12. If you fail, reduce your Life Points by 20 (Average Wound Roll of Swinging Scythe).
Dying Stranger: You encounter a random stranger in your travels who is mortally wounded.
–Type: Free (done while Travelling)
–Time Cost: 1 Hour
–Check/Clash: Make an Expert Medicine Skill Check. If you succeed, increase your Riches by 1.
Lost in the Dark: Finding yourself wandering aimlessly in the dark, you must orient yourself before continuing further.
–Type: Focused (nothing else can be done during this Challenge)
–Time Cost: 30 Minutes
–Check/Clash: Make an Expert Perception Check. Reduce the TN for this check by 1 Difficulty Category if you have a light source. If you fail, suffer the Time Cost and repeat this Challenge.
Derelict Salvage: In need of spare parts, you have come across an abandoned vehicle and are taking apart its usable components to repurpose for your own ends.
–Type: Focused (nothing else can be done during this Challenge)
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Check/Clash: Make an Apprentice Craft (Vehicles) or Knowledge (Science) check. If you succeed, gain 1 Scrap. For each Difficulty Category above Apprentice that you succeed by, gain 1 additional Scrap.
Challenges and Combat Encounters. Failing a Challenge may initiate a Combat Encounter. If a Challenge will result in a Combat Encounter, it is always a Focused Challenge. In this case, the losers of the Challenge will be involved in the Combat Encounter. The initially challenged Character, who is engaged in an Adventuring Maneuver or Travel may choose to either continue engaging in that Adventuring Maneuver or Travel or participate in the Combat Encounter (thus interrupting the Adventuring Maneuver or Travel).
These kinds of Challenges can be exciting, because even if a Character may not be participating in a Combat Encounter themselves, they may be able to achieve some narrative goal that will further the story.
ARC Note
Do keep in mind, however, that some players may find it boring to not be involved in a Combat Encounter, so consider that. For example, if that player can be trusted to play an Adversary, potentially allow them to play a Minion on the side of the Adversaries, or potentially an allied Character that you would usually play. Of course, this is a mere example, but giving them a way to participate without their Character, either to the benefit or detriment of the party, may help the flow of your session and keep that player engaged. For this kind of engagement, always keep in mind the personalities of your players and what is the most enjoyable outcome for everyone in your game.
Adventure: Travel
Travelling through the Dragon World can take some time, and be a tiring thing. Travel is used whenever a Character who is Adventuring wishes to move to another location within the world. Even at higher levels, when Characters can circle planets in seconds, the other difficulties of travel (such as finding where you want to go, dealing with environments, exhausting Ki before battle, and any complications added by your ARC) are still potentially a problem and may inflate the amount of time an instance of Travel takes.
Each instance of Travel has a declared amount of time it will take to complete, decided by the ARC and taking into consideration the various factors that influence Travel time costs. Unlike Adventuring Maneuvers, if you are interrupted on Travel, unless specifically stated by the ARC, you do not lose any progress you made.
Travel Types. There are three types of Travel, decided by the time an instance of Travel would take:
- Short. A Short Travel is a Travel that will take less than an hour. There is little difficulty in Short Travel.
- Medium. A Medium Travel is a Travel that will take between an hour and a day. Upon completing Medium Travel, reduce your Ki Points by 1/10th of your Maximum Ki Points.
- Long. A Long Travel is a Travel that will take longer than a day. Upon completing Long Travel, reduce your Ki Points by 1/4 of your Maximum Ki Points.
Travel and Flight. If a Character has less than 2 Skill Ranks in Flight, double the amount of Ki Points they lose through Medium or Long Travel. Additionally, consider that this will result in them being slower than other Characters and may require Travel to take more time.
Travel and Vehicles. If you engage in any form of Travel through using a Vehicle, it may be slower and take more time, but regardless of the Travel Type, you do not lose any Ki Points.
Travel and Rest. If you use the Rest Maneuver while engaging in a Medium or Long Travel (if the instance of Travel takes less than 2 days), you do not have to reduce your Ki Points, but it will increase the Time of the Travel by the Time Cost of the Rest Maneuver.
Adventure: Adventuring Maneuvers
Adventuring Maneuvers are Maneuvers that can be exclusively used outside of Combat Encounters to gain various benefits.
Time Cost. Each Adventuring Maneuver has a Time Cost. A Time Cost is the amount of time it takes to complete your Adventuring Maneuver and gain its effects. If you are interrupted or unable to spend the full Time Cost for any reason, you do not gain the benefits of that Adventuring Maneuver.
Session Limit. While most Adventuring Maneuvers can only be attempted once during each Adventuring Session, some may be able to be used multiple times up to a listed Session Limit, as long as you have the Time Cost necessary for the Maneuver.
Prerequisite. To use an Adventuring Maneuver, you may have to meet a certain requirement. This will be listed on any Adventuring Maneuvers.
Universal Adventuring Maneuvers
These Adventuring Maneuvers are possessed by all Characters.
Take a Breather: You take the time to regain some stamina.
–Prerequisite: N/A
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 1 Hour
–Effect: Regain Life and Ki Points equal to 1/10th of their respective maximums.
Rest: With a full night’s rest, you feel refreshed and ready to go.
–Prerequisite: N/A
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 8 Hours
–Effect: Regain Life and Ki Points equal to half of their respective maximums.
Skilled Adventuring Maneuvers
These Adventuring Maneuvers are possessed by Characters with 2+ Skill Ranks in a relevant Skill.
Stretch: You limber up for battle, stretching your muscles to prepare for the rigors of strenuous combat.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Acrobatics
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2 Minutes
–Effect: If you enter a Combat Encounter within the next hour, increase your Combat Rolls by 1(T) for the first 3 Combat Rounds of that Combat Encounter.
Pickpocket: You snatch something that does not belong to you from another person’s pocket, pouch, or pack.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Thievery
–Session Limit: Infinite
–Time Cost: 1 Minute
–Effect: Target a Character. Make a Clash (Thievery vs Perception/Thievery) against that Character. If you win, you may steal a Basic Item that belongs to that Character. Each time you target a Character with this Adventuring Maneuver during an Adventuring Session, reduce the Dice Score of your Thievery Skill against that Character by 3 for any subsequent checks made through the Pickpocket Maneuver.
Obscure: You hide from view, making yourself much harder for enemies to detect.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Stealth
–Session Limit: Infinite
–Time Cost: N/A
–Effect: You begin Obscuring your presence, disappearing from sight, often moving to hide behind something or otherwise making some distance between you and those present. Make a Clash (Stealth vs Perception) against all Characters within your vicinity. Those who lose become unaware of your presence, enabling you to initiate a Surprise Round in a Combat Encounter, or learn information you would potentially not know if you were around.
Make the Clash against any individuals encountered while you are Obscuring yourself, to see if they are aware or unaware of your presence.
While you are successfully Obscured from any Characters that would become Opponents in an initiated Combat Encounter, you can choose not to enter that Combat Encounter, or enter it later on at your whim.
Tune Up: You repair and upgrade a vehicle, routinely maintaining its form and function.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Craft (Vehicles)
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 4 Hours
–Effect: Recreate a Vehicle or Battle Jacket exactly as it was, but with your current Power Level and (for Battle Jackets) your Scholarship Score (if its higher than the current Jacket Attribute).
Full Repair: You painstakingly repair damage to your vehicle, replacing damaged parts and ensuring full funtionality.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Craft
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2~10 Hours
–Effect: Select a Vehicle or Battle Jacket. It regains Life and (for the Battle Jacket) Ki Points equal to 1/5 of their respective maximums for every 2 hours spent on the Full Repair Maneuver.
Recall: You wrack your memory for relevant information to present to your comrades.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Knowledge
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 1 Minute
–Effect: You recall a piece of information related to your chosen Specialty that may help with your current situation.
Research: You hit the books, determined to learn something that may help with your current predicament.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Knowledge
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Effect: Select a topic. Make a Knowledge Skill Check with a Difficulty Category decided by your ARC. If you succeed, you gain information on that subject that can prove helpful to your current circumstance. If you fail, you gain relatively useless information that may hint towards a clue, or may not.
Care: You provide extensive medical intervention for someone who has been injured.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Medicine
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Effect: Target a Character. They regain Life Points equal to 1/4 of their maximum. That Character may also be treated as if they used the Rest Maneuver (this does not count towards the Rest Maneuver’s Session Limit).
Gauge: Using your ability to sense energy, you size up a potential threat, learning their relative strength compared to your own.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Clairvoyance
–Session Limit: Infinite
–Time Cost: 1 Minute
–Effect: Target a Character you can sense. Make a Clash (Clairvoyance vs Concealment) against them. If you win, you learn their Power Level and Alignment. You cannot target the same Character twice with the Gauge Maneuver in an Adventuring Session.
Tame: You subdue a wild animal, teaching it to follow your lead.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Animal Handling
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 1 Day
–Effect: Create a Minion. This Minion must be of the Animal Minion Race.
Profiling: You build a detailed personality profile about an individual, determining whether or not they are a potential threat.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Intuition
–Session Limit: Infinite
–Time Cost: 1 Minute
–Effect: Target a Character you can see. Make a Clash (Intuition vs Bluff/Intuition) against that Character. If you win or lose, the ARC will supply you with information about that Character’s personality and their intentions. If you win, this information will be true. If you lose, this information will be false. You cannot target the same Character with the Profiling Maneuver more than once during an Adventuring Session.
Scavenge: You search for food in the wilds, coming back with wild vegetables and/or meat.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Survival
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Effect: You go out into the wilderness searching for food. Make a Survival Skill Check, with the Difficulty Category decided by your ARC (taking into consideration where you begin to Scavenge and what is available there). If you succeed, you will gain Ingredients. The amount- and if there’s any Special Ingredients- will vary based on how much you exceed the Difficulty Category. The amount of Ingredients shouldn’t exceed the number of players in the campaign.
Scam: You trick someone into giving you their money.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Bluff
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Effect: Increase your Riches by 1 for 1 day.
Fraud: You pull the wool over the eyes of the unsuspecting sheep of your local area, leading them to believe that whatever you say is obviously true.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Bluff
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 4 Hours
–Effect: Spread rumours and/or misinformation within an area of your choosing. Make a Skill Check (Bluff) against a Difficulty Category set by your ARC. If you win, the common people (and any NPCs decided by the ARC) within that area believe the rumours and/or misinformation you’ve supplied until proven to be false.
The area affected by your Fraud varies based on your number of Skill Ranks in Bluff:
At 2~3 Skill Ranks, at most you can affect a single city. At 4 Skill Ranks, you may be able to mislead a full country. At 5 Skill Ranks, even an entire planet may believe your lies.
Frighten: You scare someone into believing you’re a threat to them.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Intimidation
–Session Limit: Infinite
–Time Cost: Instant
–Effect: Target a Character you can see or speak to. Make a Clash (Intimidation vs Intuition/Intimidation) against them. If you win, increase your Alarm Rating for that Character by 1 for 1 Day. You cannot target the same Character twice with the Frighten Maneuver in an Adventuring Session (or while they are still influenced by its effects).
Befriend: You convince someone that you are on the same side as them.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Persuasion
–Session Limit: Infinite
–Time Cost: Instant
–Effect: Target a Character you can see or speak to. Make a Clash (Persuasion vs Intuition/Persuasion) against them. If you win, increase your Affection Rating for that Character by 1 for 1 Day. You cannot target the same Character twice with the Befriend Maneuver in an Adventuring Session (or while they are still influenced by its effects).
Mingle: You socialize with the locals, learning from them and improving their opinions of you.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Persuasion
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 2 Hours
–Effect: You enter a settlement and spend your time getting to know the people there. You gain any information Characters there may have relevant to your situation and may increase your Affection Rating with the Individuals or Factions at that settlement if you use the Mingle Maneuver enough times.
Recruit: You convince someone to join your ranks, following you on your adventures.
–Prerequisite: 2+ Skill Ranks in Persuasion
–Session Limit: 1
–Time Cost: 1 Day
–Effect: Create a Minion. That Minion’s Race is decided by the ARC.
Dragon Ball Universe 