Archives of Nethys

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Locate Galactic Destination

Source Galaxy Exploration Manual pg. 34
Finding hints of the existence of an unexplored system or some other unknown destination in the galaxy, you spend the day researching clues to determine its location.

Activity: You spend the day cross-checking clues, consulting star charts, or scouring databases to find more information about the destination for which you’re searching. Attempt a Piloting, Physical Science, Computers, or some other skill check appropriate to the activity (as determined by the GM). The GM also determines the DC of the check. Generally, it starts at 20 and can increase or decrease by up to 5 depending on circumstance, such as access to a reliable data set. You can’t take 20 on this check.

Results: On a success, you gain a new clue as to the location of the system. On a failure, you waste the day searching. If you fail by 5 or more, you gain some faulty piece of information that seems plausible at first. This increases the number of clues you need to ascertain the position of the system by 1. The GM might instead rule that failure has other effects: Maybe some powers don’t want the system found, and the characters’ bungled research has alerted them; or perhaps a jealous or annoyed civil servant bars a particular means of investigation out of spite.
When you have gathered the requisite number of clues (set by the GM; generally 3 to 5), you can treat the destination as unfamiliar and travel to it using the navigation task for the Piloting skill (Core Rulebook 145–146).