D&D 5E (2014) Why are vehicle speeds so slow in the DMG?

robus · Sep 3, 2017

Pg 119 of the DMG for reference.

A rowboat goes at 1 mph?

A sailing ship at 2 mph?

These seem utterly unrealistic? Is there a good reason for them to be so?

Ed Laprade · Sep 3, 2017

A lot depends on wind and current. A rowboat going upstream would be a lot slower than one going down the same stream. Same with sailing ships bucking the wind, and/or a strong current. I suspect that WoTC opted for the lowest likely speed. But they really should have put more in as to the whys and wherefores of the speed chart.

Bardic Dave · Sep 3, 2017

It's true. The research I've done suggests that oldschool rowboats could be rowed at a speed of 2mph over long distances. Oldschool sailing ships could easily average 7 mph on a long journey.

Not sure what the DMG numbers are based on.

discosoc · Sep 3, 2017

Vehicle speeds are an abstraction that's carried over from edition to edition meant to give a value that takes various factors into consideration over a long-enough period of time. It's so that you can check a map and see that it's a 100 mile journey from Port A to Port D, and not have to worry about figuring out how much time was spend in dead winds, docking at other ports for cargo (most captains aren't making special trips just for you), sheltering from storms, evading dangers, etc..

For large ships, if you want to reflect a perfect voyage with good winds and no other stops, you could probably multiply the speeds by 4 or 5 to get actual 'best case' scenarios.

Rowboats seem ok, to me. Those things are slow as hell for one person to propel for very long.

Gardens & Goblins · Sep 3, 2017

Adventurers simply refuse to ask anybody for directions.

Morrus · Sep 3, 2017

Is that averaged over a day? Rowboats can do faster that, but you can’t keep it up all day.

Sent from my iPhone using EN World

discosoc · Sep 3, 2017

Morrus said:
Is that averaged over a day? Rowboats can do faster that, but you can’t keep it up all day.

Sent from my iPhone using EN World

No, it's not averaged over a day. It's a vehicles speed, and the PHB clearly explains how to handle these.

Rowed Vessels: Keelboats and rowboats are used on lakes and rivers. If going downstream, add the speed of the current (typically 3 miles per hour) to the speed of the vehicle. These vehicles can’t be rowed against any significant current, but they can be pulled upstream by draft animals on the shores. A rowboat weighs 100 pounds, in case adventurers carry it over land.

robus · Sep 3, 2017

Morrus said:
Is that averaged over a day? Rowboats can do faster that, but you can’t keep it up all day.

Sent from my iPhone using EN World

DMG says characters can row for 8 hours a day (pg 117) so I'd be pretty mad if I'd rowed all day and only gone a third of the distance I can walk!

CapnZapp · Sep 3, 2017

robus said:
DMG says characters can row for 8 hours a day (pg 117) so I'd be pretty mad if I'd rowed all day and only gone a third of the distance I can walk!

Rowing is tiring as hell. I'd be happy to row that fast

robus · Sep 3, 2017

CapnZapp said:
Rowing is tiring as hell. I'd be happy to row that fast

I've not found that to be the case (though admittedly I've not rowed for 8 hours a day) - but in my youth I'd row around the place and if you're not racing it's not difficult to setup and maintain a comfortable rhythm and glide along. If the boat is designed for it and there's no countervailing wind/current then 3 mph should be perfectly doable.

Apparently I'm not far off: http://forum.woodenboat.com/showthread.php?145940-Average-Rowing-Speeds