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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hriston" data-source="post: 9809745" data-attributes="member: 6787503">During travel (either through a dungeon or in the wilderness) in my 5.0E games, I describe the environment the party is moving through, and it's entirely up to the players whether they choose to draw maps or take notes in some other way, which are ways players can engage with the fiction. Some players (like me) engage better by listening rather than taking notes, so I don't have an opinion one way or the other about what player activities are taking place at the table, as long as there's a general focus on playing the game. Unrelated to whether a player draws a map, if a player's character has drawing materials, they can say their character is drawing a map during travel. This means they won't notice hidden threats and will be surprised if combat starts. In return, they'll have a map from point A to point B that gives advantage on any Wisdom (Survival) checks made to navigate between the two locations when retracing the previously mapped path.In wilderness travel, I'll ask for a navigation check to move between hexes. Failure means getting lost and moving into an unintended hex, and having previously mapped the route gives the PCs advantage on the check. A player-created map has no bearing on such a check, but it might inform the players' decision making about which hex they intend to have their characters move into.In dungeon travel, if the party is trying to get somewhere they've previously travelled, but the players aren't sure about which way to go at a specific intersection or choice of room exits because they don't recall the fiction in enough detail to know which will lead to the desired destination, I call for a navigation check. Obviously, a player-created map could prevent the need for such a check, if it's sufficiently accurate. A PC-created map made while previously travelling through the area will give advantage on the check. Success reveals the correct choice among the available options with no lost time, while failure results in lost time and a wandering monster check, although you still learn which is the correct way to go to prevent a "nothing changes" result.</blockquote>

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