Discovery

An NPC with the discovery motivation wants to learn new lore, explore forgotten places, break ground with new experiments, or uncover artifacts lost to time. Their curiosity and quest for knowledge might be driven by a specific goal, such as seeking the cure for a rare disease or a portal to a specific far-off world. Or it could be that they are a naturally inquisitive person who just wants to understand all they can about the timescape.

An NPC with the discovery pitfall has no interest in finding new places, peoples, or ideas. It might be that the unknown scares them or makes them so uncomfortable that they'd rather remain ignorant. Alternatively, a previous pursuit of discovery might have turned out poorly for them.

Arguments that appeal to a discovery motivation contend that striking a deal with the heroes will allow the NPC to gain new knowledge or acquire unique property. Example arguments include the following:

• “Allow us to use your cipher to translate the only copy of the Codex Mortis, and then we'll let you read the book when we're done.”
• “We know the journey to Decant Isle is dangerous, but we're going into uncharted territory. We thought that your crew of sailors might want to be among the few mortals to lay eyes on the place.”