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Navigate (Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition)

Skills

Definition

Navigate represents your ability to find your way—reading maps, using compass and stars, following landmarks, and maintaining your bearings in unfamiliar territory. In Call of Cthulhu, investigations frequently take you to remote locations, uncharted areas, and disorienting environments where getting lost can be fatal. This skill covers land navigation, sea navigation, and the ability to read and create maps. In the 1920s, GPS doesn't exist, and many areas remain poorly mapped. Navigating through dense forests, across open ocean, through underground tunnel systems, or even finding addresses in unfamiliar cities all fall under this skill. Getting lost in the wrong place can mean stumbling into Mythos territory unprepared.

How it works

**Base Value**: 10% **Key Uses**: - Reading and interpreting maps - Navigating by compass, stars, and landmarks - Maintaining orientation in disorienting environments - Planning and following routes through unfamiliar terrain **Special Rules**: Navigation conditions affect difficulty—clear skies and good maps are easier, while fog, underground tunnels, and uncharted wilderness are harder. Certain Mythos locations may be impossible to navigate normally.

Tips

**Build Advice**: Essential for campaigns involving travel, wilderness, or maritime elements. At least one group member should have decent Navigate. **Occupation Synergies**: Pairs with Drive Auto or Pilot for vehicular travel, Survival for wilderness endurance, and Natural World for understanding terrain. **Character Concepts**: Sailor, explorer, military officer, pilot, cartographer, guide, park ranger.

Frequently asked questions

Can Navigate work in supernatural locations?

The Keeper decides. Some Mythos locations defy normal navigation—non-Euclidean geometry, shifting corridors, or areas where compasses spin uselessly. Navigate might help you recognize that something is wrong with the space itself.

Does Navigate cover urban navigation?

Yes. Finding specific addresses, navigating unfamiliar cities, and understanding transit systems all use Navigate. It's not just wilderness skills—it's any wayfinding.