Feb 24, 2017 9:09 pm
As a wilderness adventure, we will be using the rules in Chapter 8 of the Player's Handbook (p. 181) quite a lot to conduct island exploration. How these rules are used varies widely from table to table, so I want to be clear about how we will use them. This post will summarize how I want to use the rules, which are pretty close to RAW. I will try to point out anything that differs from RAW. Feel free to suggest changes or additions.
1. Starting your Day's Travel:
Before travelling, characters assume roles and the party sets the pace.
A. Assume Roles (p. 182-183): While travelling, characters can assume certain roles that enhance their party's chance of a successful journey. You can only assume one of the role at a time during the journey, for they take your full attention. More than one character can perform the role to give advantage to ability checks. If you have no role, you are assumed to be a Sentry.
i. Sentry: You spend your time and attention noticing threats in the terrain around you. It is the sentry's passive perceptions that will be the one used to determine if the party notices hidden threats. Certain terrain types, weather conditions, or travelling at night will impose penalties to a Sentry's ability to notice hidden danger.
ii. Navigator: Navigators make Wisdom (Survival) checks to prevent the group from becoming lost. The DCs used will be from DMG p. 112, usually 15. If you have a map of the area or are making a map of the area as you travel, you have advantage on these checks. Travelling at night or during harsh weather like a storm will impose disadvantage.
iii. Cartographer: This character makes a map as they travel, which helps the party get back on course if they get lost. No roll is required for this, RAW. If the character is proficient in cartographer's tools and is using them, the map also makes it easier to get back on track if you get lost (not RAW).
iv. Tracker: These characters follow the tracks of another creature making Wisdom (Survival) checks when called for. DC depends on the opposed roll of a target covering their tracks.
v. Forager: Foragers keep an eye out for ready sources of food and water, making Wisdom (Survival) checks when called for. DCs will be from DMG p. 111. (mostly DC 10, sometimes 15)
B. Set the Pace (p. 181)
The party chooses the direction to move in and the pace, either Fast, Normal, or Slow. The speed and effects of each movement type are summarized in this table:
Fast = 4 miles per hour = 30 miles per day*
Normal = 3 miles per hour = 24 miles per day
Slow = 2 miles per hour = 18 miles per day*
Slow pace allows your party to move with stealth and might be able to bypass threats or get the jump on them. Also, Navigators gain advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to stay the course.
Fast pace means Sentries have a -5 penalty to passive perception, and Navigators have disadvantage to stay the course.
Note that travelling through difficult terrain like mountains and dense jungle means you will move at half the speed of your pace.
2. Travelling (8 hours)
The party will move through the map at the chosen pace for the day, conducting ability checks as you go. We will probably simplify this to one check per day. We will not be travelling hex-by-hex as in a traditional hexcrawl. It will be too clunky to get group consensus on moving one hex at a time across an island that is something like 2/3 to 3/4 the size of Ireland. Instead, we'll travel the general direction set out for the day for 8 hours and then have 8 hours to explore what you discover in the region you travelled through.
Forced March: If you travel longer than 8 hours in a day, you can go further but you start having to roll constitution saving throws for each hour after 8 (DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8). If you fail, you gain 1 level of exhaustion.
Getting Lost: Getting lost means losing time and covering less distance in a day. If the party's navigator fails a Wisdom (Survival) check, they will lose 1d6 hours of travel time, after which the Navigator can repeat the navigation check as per DMG p. 111-112. If your maps were made with cartographer's tools then you suffer 1/2 the lost time (minimum 1 hour) - this last bit is homebrew, not RAW.
Travelling by Rivers and Waterways: Players can take advantage of rivers if they have some kind of watercraft such as a raft or canoe. They need not navigate when travelling on a river and cannot get lost. Nor can they forage, track, or employ stealth. However, you can move at a much faster pace: 6 miles per hour. Unique hazards such as rapids may require ability checks.
3. Tending Camp and Exploring (8 hours)
The party will then have 8 hours to set up camp, prepare meals, maintain equipment, etc. The party can also use this time explore leads and locations that they encounter during their 8 hours of travel. These might lead to all sorts of other modes of the game that operate at a different scale, such as dungeon crawling, combat, or social encounters. Setting aside this 8 hours for 'exploring locations' is not RAW, but it will be a convenient way to interact with the world in a PbP game.
Random Encounters: The adventure calls for a 33% chance of random encounters per hex travelled, but I think that will be too clunky in PbP. I will use a lower % chance but increase the challenge and interest level to keep the same overall level of deadliness on the island. I might also just choose to insert a random encounter or to ignore random encounters for a time depending on the pace of the story. I think this part will be a bit tricky for PbP, so let me know how it's going.
Conducting Additional Activities If a character wanted to spend additional time to conduct activities like crafting, foraging, using kits, researching, etc. then you can spend this time to do it.
Food and Water: All medium-size characters require 1 pound of food and 1 gallon of water per day. A character can go without food for 3+con modifier days. After that, characters suffer 1 level of exhaustion per day not eating. Eating resents the count of days without food to zero, and if accompanied by a long rest removes 1 level of exhaustion.
For water, a character who drinks less than 1/2 a gallon of water per day must roll a DC 15 Con saving throw or suffer 1 level of exhaustion per day. A character who drinks no water in a day automatically suffers an additional level of exhaustion (so you can potentially suffer 2 levels of exhaustion in one day from not drinking).
4. Resting (8 hours)
It is assumed that each day of travel is concluded by a long rest (8 hours). Note that according to RAW,a Long rest (p. 186) is not interrupted by combat or other strenuous activity unless it takes an hour. So, you can fight 599 rounds of combat in a night and still get your long rest. I'll be generally sticking to this, but try not to abuse it. For example, don't try to squeeze in 59 minutes of walking during your long rest in order to cover a few extra miles a day.
* if you noticed that 4x8 is not 30, and 2*8 is not 18 then you are an astute observer. I assume the rounding to multiples of 6 is to accomodate 6-mile hex grids. Since the Isle of Dread map is similarly mapped, we will use these numbers for convenience.
1. Starting your Day's Travel:
Before travelling, characters assume roles and the party sets the pace.
A. Assume Roles (p. 182-183): While travelling, characters can assume certain roles that enhance their party's chance of a successful journey. You can only assume one of the role at a time during the journey, for they take your full attention. More than one character can perform the role to give advantage to ability checks. If you have no role, you are assumed to be a Sentry.
i. Sentry: You spend your time and attention noticing threats in the terrain around you. It is the sentry's passive perceptions that will be the one used to determine if the party notices hidden threats. Certain terrain types, weather conditions, or travelling at night will impose penalties to a Sentry's ability to notice hidden danger.
ii. Navigator: Navigators make Wisdom (Survival) checks to prevent the group from becoming lost. The DCs used will be from DMG p. 112, usually 15. If you have a map of the area or are making a map of the area as you travel, you have advantage on these checks. Travelling at night or during harsh weather like a storm will impose disadvantage.
iii. Cartographer: This character makes a map as they travel, which helps the party get back on course if they get lost. No roll is required for this, RAW. If the character is proficient in cartographer's tools and is using them, the map also makes it easier to get back on track if you get lost (not RAW).
iv. Tracker: These characters follow the tracks of another creature making Wisdom (Survival) checks when called for. DC depends on the opposed roll of a target covering their tracks.
v. Forager: Foragers keep an eye out for ready sources of food and water, making Wisdom (Survival) checks when called for. DCs will be from DMG p. 111. (mostly DC 10, sometimes 15)
B. Set the Pace (p. 181)
The party chooses the direction to move in and the pace, either Fast, Normal, or Slow. The speed and effects of each movement type are summarized in this table:
Fast = 4 miles per hour = 30 miles per day*
Normal = 3 miles per hour = 24 miles per day
Slow = 2 miles per hour = 18 miles per day*
Slow pace allows your party to move with stealth and might be able to bypass threats or get the jump on them. Also, Navigators gain advantage on Wisdom (Survival) checks to stay the course.
Fast pace means Sentries have a -5 penalty to passive perception, and Navigators have disadvantage to stay the course.
Note that travelling through difficult terrain like mountains and dense jungle means you will move at half the speed of your pace.
2. Travelling (8 hours)
The party will move through the map at the chosen pace for the day, conducting ability checks as you go. We will probably simplify this to one check per day. We will not be travelling hex-by-hex as in a traditional hexcrawl. It will be too clunky to get group consensus on moving one hex at a time across an island that is something like 2/3 to 3/4 the size of Ireland. Instead, we'll travel the general direction set out for the day for 8 hours and then have 8 hours to explore what you discover in the region you travelled through.
Forced March: If you travel longer than 8 hours in a day, you can go further but you start having to roll constitution saving throws for each hour after 8 (DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8). If you fail, you gain 1 level of exhaustion.
Getting Lost: Getting lost means losing time and covering less distance in a day. If the party's navigator fails a Wisdom (Survival) check, they will lose 1d6 hours of travel time, after which the Navigator can repeat the navigation check as per DMG p. 111-112. If your maps were made with cartographer's tools then you suffer 1/2 the lost time (minimum 1 hour) - this last bit is homebrew, not RAW.
Travelling by Rivers and Waterways: Players can take advantage of rivers if they have some kind of watercraft such as a raft or canoe. They need not navigate when travelling on a river and cannot get lost. Nor can they forage, track, or employ stealth. However, you can move at a much faster pace: 6 miles per hour. Unique hazards such as rapids may require ability checks.
3. Tending Camp and Exploring (8 hours)
The party will then have 8 hours to set up camp, prepare meals, maintain equipment, etc. The party can also use this time explore leads and locations that they encounter during their 8 hours of travel. These might lead to all sorts of other modes of the game that operate at a different scale, such as dungeon crawling, combat, or social encounters. Setting aside this 8 hours for 'exploring locations' is not RAW, but it will be a convenient way to interact with the world in a PbP game.
Random Encounters: The adventure calls for a 33% chance of random encounters per hex travelled, but I think that will be too clunky in PbP. I will use a lower % chance but increase the challenge and interest level to keep the same overall level of deadliness on the island. I might also just choose to insert a random encounter or to ignore random encounters for a time depending on the pace of the story. I think this part will be a bit tricky for PbP, so let me know how it's going.
Conducting Additional Activities If a character wanted to spend additional time to conduct activities like crafting, foraging, using kits, researching, etc. then you can spend this time to do it.
Food and Water: All medium-size characters require 1 pound of food and 1 gallon of water per day. A character can go without food for 3+con modifier days. After that, characters suffer 1 level of exhaustion per day not eating. Eating resents the count of days without food to zero, and if accompanied by a long rest removes 1 level of exhaustion.
For water, a character who drinks less than 1/2 a gallon of water per day must roll a DC 15 Con saving throw or suffer 1 level of exhaustion per day. A character who drinks no water in a day automatically suffers an additional level of exhaustion (so you can potentially suffer 2 levels of exhaustion in one day from not drinking).
4. Resting (8 hours)
It is assumed that each day of travel is concluded by a long rest (8 hours). Note that according to RAW,a Long rest (p. 186) is not interrupted by combat or other strenuous activity unless it takes an hour. So, you can fight 599 rounds of combat in a night and still get your long rest. I'll be generally sticking to this, but try not to abuse it. For example, don't try to squeeze in 59 minutes of walking during your long rest in order to cover a few extra miles a day.
* if you noticed that 4x8 is not 30, and 2*8 is not 18 then you are an astute observer. I assume the rounding to multiples of 6 is to accomodate 6-mile hex grids. Since the Isle of Dread map is similarly mapped, we will use these numbers for convenience.