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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Schmoe" data-source="post: 408401" data-attributes="member: 913">Sorry I haven't responded earlier to this.  There are some excellent suggestions and ideas here!  I really like the Gravelands suggestiosn, as well.  I think I have more than enough ideas now for interesting encounters and locales.  I've decided that fiendish creatures will figure prominently in the mix - I have a half-fiend gnoll priest that I'm dying to use <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":)" title="Smile    :)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":)" />.  As well, I will put some of the dangerous terrain in the party's path, such as the stinking field of rotting flesh (excellent!).  I think the placement and size of obstacles like this is important, as otherwise the group will simply go around the obstacle.  As far as pacing goes, I'm still interested in hearing other's opinions.  My group is trying to find their way to a ruined city that was the focal point of four shrines of power before it was taken over during the War of Ending.  The city was in the hands of demons and evil humanoids for nearly a hundred years before the forces of good shattered the unholy alliance, and it has lain in ruins ever since, haunted and forlorn.  There are several other groups who are seeking out the city, as well.  One of the groups  has at least a week's head start on the party.  Another group is trailing the party, not quite strong enough to challenge them head-on.  The third group will be the strongest.  They haven't left yet, but will travel quickly using powerful magic (Wind Walk).  The first group is led by a powerful priest (9-10th level), we'll call him Sumar, who double-crossed the priest in the second group.  He is rich, good at diplomacy, and thoroughly evil to the core.  He stopped at the same gnome outpost that the party is just about to arrive at, and he recruited a powerful gnome illusionist to his cause.  I think it would be a good idea to have the party discover traces of his passage here and there in their travels.  There is another ruined city fairly close to Nornshold that is now home to the Ra'een, a barbaric civilization of true werewolves and powerful human necromancers that lives off the fat of "chattel" humans.  I plan for Sumar to make an alliance of sorts with the Ra'een, one which could certainly cause problems for the party when they arrive.  I keep envisioning the party requesting an audience with the necromancer king of the Ra'een, only to discover that Sumar is there in the king's court and has arranged for them to be captured and thrown into the Pit of Ghouls.  <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f600.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":D" title="Big grin    :D"  data-smilie="8"data-shortname=":D" />Anyway, what do others find works well for the pacing of overland treks?  I'm talking about exchanges like this:"The next day passes uneventfully.  The sun shines in a cloudless sky and the chill wind blows.  You stop for the (evening/mid-morning break/lunch), everyone roll a Spot check."Repeat a few times, and you can see how it starts to become somewhat repetitious.</blockquote>

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