travel for more than 10 hours?

[CapnZapp]

Capn Zapp, yep that section is missing even after being specifically called out in the PHB. I like your skill challenge approach! For those instances where you just want a quick resolution, here's my house rule based on drowning/starving.

FORCED MARCH
Normally a character can’t travel more than 10 hours in one day. An additional hour of travel requires a character to make a DC 20 Endurance check. Success buys the character another hour, while failure costs the character a healing surge. Then the check is repeated at DC 25, then DC 30, and so on. A character without healing surges who fails a check takes damage equal to his level; at 0 HP the character collapses. A character cannot regain healing surges or hit points lost to a forced march until she or he takes an extended rest.

Well, it is simple, but it is also a practical ban to forced marching for characters without a Con bonus or Endurance training. As most parties will have at least one such character, it effectively makes the option untenable in general, I'm afraid.

A DC 20 check is close to impossible for a starting character without a Con bonus or Endurance training, and it doesn't take many hours until the check becomes truly impossible for everyone.

I note how DC 20 isn't supposed to be a Moderate skill check until level 18(!) according to the (errataed) DMG.

Frankly, you could simplify this to say "for each hour past the ten you press on, each PC lose a healing surge". At least this is fair to characters whose class discourages a high Con or skill training in Endurance.

Or perhaps simply state you can't walk for more than ten hours period.

I don't say this to be snarky, but because I feel losing one healing surge each hour is (in my mind) an awfully high price to pay for the relatively small benefit of extending your rate of travel by 10%.

Thanks for sharing though!

 

[CapnZapp]

Mt take on force marching from Endurance (4E - Hastur). This is more like jogging for hours on end than actually walking more hours in a day, however.


Force Marching

Characters skilled in endurance can move faster for longer periods of time, increasing the pace of travel. It can also cover other long-term strenuous tasks. In order to even try this, at least one character in the party must be trained in Endurance, instructing and motivating the others to keep the pace.

Force March: Part of a move action. At east one character must be skilled.

* DC: 10. For every 2 points of margin, you can keep going for one hour, with a minimum of one hour for a successful roll.
* Speed: Force marching is made at double normal speed when traveling overland.
* Coordinated Travel: A group can assist each other at this task. Each member makes an Endurance check; the high roller's check result is used, others can assist. The DC increases by 2 for each additional member of the team.
* Try Again: It is possible to keep going even after the time is up, but everyone who does so must spend a healing surge. This allows another check for force marching.

Interesting mechanic.

So if the character that makes the check gets a 19 result, that means the whole group can continue for four hours before everyone loses a healing surge?

And that the DC is ten, except it increases by two for each member that fails his DC 10 check (now I assume "assist each other" refer to the "aid another"-rule?)

I like how this suggestion gives a duration (in hours) from a single skill check (or set of checks; one per party member)



The harshness of these suggestions sure vary! This one is more up my alley in that a party could easily be allowed ten hours of additional travel (only needing four successful DC 10 checks and one successful DC 20 check).

But it really highlights the need for WotC to provide their view, so we can know what the official "level of harshness" is to be...!

 

[Quickleaf]

I note how DC 20 isn't supposed to be a Moderate skill check until level 18(!) according to the (errataed) DMG.

Frankly, you could simplify this to say "for each hour past the ten you press on, each PC lose a healing surge". At least this is fair to characters whose class discourages a high Con or skill training in Endurance.

Ah, thanks for catching the DC problem - I haven't familiarized myself with the errata yet. I actually like the idea of all characters losing a healing surge per additional hour of travel, except those who make an Endurance check (level appropriate moderate DC).

I don't say this to be snarky, but because I feel losing one healing surge each hour is (in my mind) an awfully high price to pay for the relatively small benefit of extending your rate of travel by 10%.

I guess it depends on what kind of game you are running. I've done some long treks and had buddies who did the PCT and John Muir trails. 20 mile days with a 30 pound pack are brutal, and according to the PHB on foot a hero covers 25 miles in open terrain in 10 hours. A hero would be pretty beat after that much travel. A healing surge for an extra hour of travel on top of that seems reasonable. I mean, a hero who walks for a day straight is possible with this house rule!