diff --git a/state/actor_escalation.go b/state/actor_escalation.go
index b5a0e23..d5aa46b 100644
--- a/state/actor_escalation.go
+++ b/state/actor_escalation.go
@@ -203,31 +203,15 @@ func (s *ActorSystem[S, E, C]) parentOf(childID string) string {
 	return ""
 }
 
-// ErrActorPanic is the typed failure raised when a child-machine actor panics
-// while it steps an event. The ActorSystem recovers the panic so it never crashes
-// the host driver, wraps the recovered value here, and settles the actor as a
-// failure — routing its onError, or escalating to the parent when none is wired.
-type ErrActorPanic struct {
-	// ActorID is the registry id of the actor that panicked.
-	ActorID string
-	// Value is the recovered panic value, rendered for the error message.
-	Value any
-}
-
-// Error renders the recovered actor panic.
-func (e *ErrActorPanic) Error() string {
-	return fmt.Sprintf("crucible/state: actor %q panicked: %v", e.ActorID, e.Value)
-}
-
 // deliverFireGuarded fires event through inst, recovering any panic the actor raises
 // while it steps so a panicking child never crashes the host driver. On a clean
 // step it returns the actor's done flag and output with a nil error; on a panic it
-// returns a non-nil *ErrActorPanic carrying the recovered value, which the caller
+// returns a non-nil *ActorPanicError carrying the recovered value, which the caller
 // settles as a failure (routing onError or escalating).
 func deliverFireGuarded(ctx context.Context, inst ActorInstance, event any) (done bool, output any, panicErr error) {
 	defer func() {
 		if r := recover(); r != nil {
-			done, output, panicErr = false, nil, &ErrActorPanic{Value: r}
+			done, output, panicErr = false, nil, &ActorPanicError{Recovered: r}
 		}
 	}()
 	done, output = inst.DeliverFire(ctx, event)
@@ -235,13 +219,13 @@ func deliverFireGuarded(ctx context.Context, inst ActorInstance, event any) (don
 	// recovers a panicking host action/guard/assign into a typed error rather than
 	// letting it unwind, so a child failure surfaces here instead of as a Go panic.
 	// Treat it as a failure so it settles (routing onError or escalating). A panic
-	// recovered into an *ActionPanicError is re-rendered as an *ErrActorPanic
+	// recovered into an *ActionPanicError is re-rendered as an *ActorPanicError
 	// carrying the original recovered value, preserving the panic-failure surface.
 	if fe, ok := inst.(fireErrer); ok {
 		if err := fe.FireErr(); err != nil {
 			var ap *ActionPanicError
 			if errors.As(err, &ap) {
-				return false, nil, &ErrActorPanic{Value: ap.Recovered}
+				return false, nil, &ActorPanicError{Recovered: ap.Recovered}
 			}
 			return false, nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/state/actor_escalation_test.go b/state/actor_escalation_test.go
index e5d06a5..b54a043 100644
--- a/state/actor_escalation_test.go
+++ b/state/actor_escalation_test.go
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ func TestActorEscalation_ChildPanic_NoOnError_Escalates(t *testing.T) {
 	if esc == nil {
 		t.Fatal("child panic was swallowed; LastEscalation = nil")
 	}
-	var pErr *state.ErrActorPanic
+	var pErr *state.ActorPanicError
 	if !errors.As(esc, &pErr) {
-		t.Fatalf("escalation cause is not *ErrActorPanic: %v", esc)
+		t.Fatalf("escalation cause is not *ActorPanicError: %v", esc)
 	}
 	if pErr.ActorID != id {
 		t.Fatalf("panic ActorID = %q, want %q", pErr.ActorID, id)
@@ -414,3 +414,102 @@ func TestActorEscalation_UnboundSrc_NoOnError_Escalates(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Fatalf("escalation cause is not *UnboundActorError: %v", esc)
 	}
 }
+
+// TestActorPanicError_TypeAndUnwrap asserts the conformance of ActorPanicError with
+// its sibling panic error types: the type is discoverable via errors.As, and Unwrap
+// exposes an underlying error cause when the panic value is itself an error.
+func TestActorPanicError_TypeAndUnwrap(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("errors.As finds ActorPanicError in escalation chain", func(t *testing.T) {
+		sys, _, id := startSupervising(t, noErrorParent(), panicChildBehavior())
+		ctx := context.Background()
+
+		ref, ok := sys.Ref(id)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("no ref for actor %q", id)
+		}
+		sys.Deliver(ctx, ref, "boom")
+
+		esc := sys.LastEscalation()
+		if esc == nil {
+			t.Fatal("LastEscalation is nil; child panic was swallowed")
+		}
+
+		var pErr *state.ActorPanicError
+		if !errors.As(esc, &pErr) {
+			t.Fatalf("errors.As(*ActorPanicError) returned false; escalation = %v", esc)
+		}
+		if pErr.ActorID == "" {
+			t.Fatal("ActorPanicError.ActorID is empty; back-fill did not run")
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("Unwrap returns nil when panic value is not an error", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// panic("child blew up") — a string, not an error.
+		sys, _, id := startSupervising(t, noErrorParent(), panicChildBehavior())
+		ctx := context.Background()
+
+		ref, ok := sys.Ref(id)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("no ref for actor %q", id)
+		}
+		sys.Deliver(ctx, ref, "boom")
+
+		esc := sys.LastEscalation()
+		if esc == nil {
+			t.Fatal("LastEscalation is nil")
+		}
+		var pErr *state.ActorPanicError
+		if !errors.As(esc, &pErr) {
+			t.Fatalf("errors.As(*ActorPanicError) = false")
+		}
+		// The panic value is the string "child blew up", not an error — Unwrap must return nil.
+		if pErr.Unwrap() != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("Unwrap() = %v, want nil for non-error panic value", pErr.Unwrap())
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("Unwrap reaches inner error when panic value is an error", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Build a child that panics with an error value so we can verify Unwrap traversal.
+		inner := errors.New("inner cause")
+		cm := state.Forge[string, string, *childEntity]("child").
+			Action("errboom", func(state.ActionCtx[*childEntity]) (state.Effect, error) {
+				panic(inner)
+			}).
+			State("working").
+			State("blow").OnEntry("errboom").
+			State("done").Final().
+			Initial("working").
+			Transition("working").On("boom").GoTo("blow").
+			Quench()
+		behavior := func(map[string]any) (state.ActorInstance, error) {
+			inst := cm.Cast(&childEntity{}, state.WithInitialState("working"))
+			return state.NewActor(inst, nil), nil
+		}
+
+		sys, _, id := startSupervising(t, noErrorParent(), behavior)
+		ctx := context.Background()
+
+		ref, ok := sys.Ref(id)
+		if !ok {
+			t.Fatalf("no ref for actor %q", id)
+		}
+		sys.Deliver(ctx, ref, "boom")
+
+		esc := sys.LastEscalation()
+		if esc == nil {
+			t.Fatal("LastEscalation is nil")
+		}
+
+		var pErr *state.ActorPanicError
+		if !errors.As(esc, &pErr) {
+			t.Fatalf("errors.As(*ActorPanicError) = false")
+		}
+		// Unwrap must surface the inner error so errors.Is can traverse to it.
+		if !errors.Is(pErr, inner) {
+			t.Fatalf("errors.Is(pErr, inner) = false; Unwrap did not expose inner error")
+		}
+		if unwrapped := pErr.Unwrap(); unwrapped != inner {
+			t.Fatalf("Unwrap() = %v, want %v", unwrapped, inner)
+		}
+	})
+}
diff --git a/state/actor_system.go b/state/actor_system.go
index 48d7e66..8d95f28 100644
--- a/state/actor_system.go
+++ b/state/actor_system.go
@@ -510,7 +510,7 @@ func (s *ActorSystem[S, E, C]) Tick(ctx context.Context, id string) []FireResult
 
 		done, output, panicErr := deliverFireGuarded(ctx, inst, env.event)
 		if panicErr != nil {
-			if p, ok := panicErr.(*ErrActorPanic); ok {
+			if p, ok := panicErr.(*ActorPanicError); ok {
 				p.ActorID = id
 			}
 			// A child that panicked while stepping is a failure: settle it as an error
diff --git a/state/errors.go b/state/errors.go
index 4da3537..1ac786c 100644
--- a/state/errors.go
+++ b/state/errors.go
@@ -395,3 +395,30 @@ type UnknownEffectKindError struct {
 func (e *UnknownEffectKindError) Error() string {
 	return fmt.Sprintf("crucible/state: unknown effect kind %q (not registered for dispatch)", e.Kind)
 }
+
+// ActorPanicError is the typed failure raised when a child-machine actor panics
+// while it steps an event. The ActorSystem recovers the panic so it never crashes
+// the host driver, wraps the recovered value here, and settles the actor as a
+// failure — routing its onError, or escalating to the parent when none is wired.
+// When the recovered value is itself an error, Unwrap exposes it so errors.Is /
+// errors.As can reach the inner cause.
+type ActorPanicError struct {
+	// ActorID is the registry id of the actor that panicked.
+	ActorID string
+	// Recovered is the recovered panic value, rendered for the error message.
+	Recovered any
+}
+
+// Error renders the recovered actor panic.
+func (e *ActorPanicError) Error() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf("crucible/state: actor %q panicked: %v", e.ActorID, e.Recovered)
+}
+
+// Unwrap exposes the recovered value when it is an error, so errors.Is / errors.As
+// can traverse to the inner cause; it returns nil for non-error panic values.
+func (e *ActorPanicError) Unwrap() error {
+	if err, ok := e.Recovered.(error); ok {
+		return err
+	}
+	return nil
+}