FallenRX
Adventurer
So just like with Dungeon Turns, the rules for Wilderness Travel for the playtest are still in the game just scattered, I'm going to piece them back together, help me fill out the holes. And tell me what you think. This will be far longer and more comprehensive as Wilderness Travel rules are far more scattered and requires a lot more than just Dungeon Crawling. Go to the bottom of the post for the full procedure.
[Outdoor Map]
Mapping a Wilderness DMG p108
"In contrast to a dungeon, an outdoor setting presents seemingly limitless options. The adventurers can move in any direction over a trackless desert or an open grassland, so how do you as the DM deal with all the possible locations and events that might make up a wilderness campaign? What if you design an encounter in a desert oasis, but the characters miss the oasis because they wander off course? How do you avoid creating a boring play session of uninterrupted slogging across a rocky wasteland?
One solution is to think of an outdoor setting in the same way you think about a dungeon. Even the most wide-open terrain presents clear pathways. Roads seldom run straight because they follow the contours of the land, finding the most level or otherwise easiest routes across uneven ground. Valleys and ridges channel travel in certain directions. Mountain ranges present forbidding barriers traversed only by remote passes. Even the most trackless desert reveals favored routes, where explorers and caravan drivers have discovered areas of wind-blasted rock that are easier to traverse than shifting sand.
If the party veers off track, you might be able to relocate one or more of your planned encounters elsewhere on the map to ensure that the time spent preparing those encounters doesn't go to waste."
Movement on the Map DMG p108
"Narrate wilderness travel at a level of detail appropriate to the map you're using. If you're tracking hour-by-hour movement on a province-scale map (1 hex = 1 mile), you can describe each hamlet the adventurers pass. At this scale, you can assume that the characters find a noteworthy location when they enter its hex unless the site is specifically hidden. The characters might not walk directly up to the front door of a ruined castle when they enter a hex, but they can find old paths, outlying ruins, and other signs of its presence in the area.
If you're tracking a journey of several days on a kingdom-scale map (1 hex = 6 miles), don't bother with details too small to appear on your map. It's enough for the players to know that on the third day of their journey, they cross a river and the land starts rising before them, and that they reach the mountain pass two days later."
Using A Map DMG p242 (Province or Kingdom Map Scale)
Whatever environment the adventurers are exploring, you can use a map to follow their progress as you relate the details of their travels. In a dungeon, tracking movement on a map lets you describe the branching passages, doors, chambers, and other features the adventurers encounter as they go, and gives the players the opportunity to choose their own path
Map Travel Pace. Province Scale (1 hex = 1 mi.) DMG p242.
Slow Pace. 2 hexes/hr., 18 hexes/day
Normal Pace. 3 hexes/hr., 24 hexes/day
Fast Pace. 4 hexes/hr., 30 hexes/day
Map Travel Pace. Kingdom Scale (1 hex = 6 mi.) DMG p242.
Slow Pace. 1 hex/3 hr., 3 hexes/day
Normal Pace. 1 hex/2 hr., 4 hexes/day
Fast Pace. 1 hex/1½ hr., 5 hexes/day
[Travel Time]
Time PHB p181
"In a city or wilderness, a scale of hours is often more appropriate. Adventurers eager to reach the lonely tower at the heart of the forest hurry across those fifteen miles in just under four hours' time.
For long journeys, a scale of days works best. Following the road from Baldur's Gate to Waterdeep, the adventurers spend four uneventful days before a goblin ambush interrupts their journey. " The game assumes movement on the map is done on a per-hour basis on smaller scale journeys, but a per-day basis on longer scale ones.
Travel Pace PHB p181
Travel Speed in Wilderness. (Per Hours.) PHB p181
Fast. 4 Miles (-5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores)
Normal. 3 miles
Slow. 2 miles (Able to use stealth)"
Travel Speed in Wilderness. (Per Days.) PHB 181
Fast. 30 Miles (-5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores)
Normal. 24 miles
Slow. 19 miles (Able to use stealth)"
Forced March. PHB 181
"The Travel Pace table assumes that characters travel for 8 hours in day. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion.
For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion (see the appendix)."
Mounts and Vehicles. PHB 181
"For short spans of time (up to an hour), many animals move much faster than humanoids. A mounted character can ride at a gallop for about an hour, covering twice the usual distance for a fast pace. If fresh mounts are available every 8 to 10 miles, characters can cover larger distances at this pace, but this is very rare except in densely populated areas."
Visibility Outdoors DMG p243
"When traveling outdoors, characters can see about 2 miles in any direction on a clear day, or until the point where trees, hills, or other obstructions block their view. Rain normally cuts maximum visibility down to 1 mile, and fog can cut it down to between 100 and 300 feet. On a clear day, the characters can see 40 miles if they are atop a mountain or a tall hill, or are otherwise able to look down on the area around them from a height."
Difficult Terrain PHB p182
"The travel speeds given in the Travel Pace table assume relatively simple terrain: roads, open plains, or clear dungeon corridors. But adventurers often face dense forests, deep swamps, rubble-filled ruins, steep mountains, and ice-covered ground—all considered difficult terrain.
You move at half speed in difficult terrain—moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed—so you can cover only half the normal distance in a minute, an hour, or a day."
[Random Encounters] DMG p85
"You decide when a random encounter happens, or you roll. Consider checking for a random encounter once every hour, once every 4 to 8 hours, or once during the day and once during a long rest-whatever makes the most sense based on how active the area is.
If you roll, do so with a d20. If the result is 18 or higher, a random encounter occurs. You then roll on an appropriate random encounter table to determine what the adventurers meet, re-rolling if the die result doesn't make sense given the circumstances." DMG p86. Assuming the lowest scale for a dungeon, so a check every hour."
With this it's assumed how often you roll for random encounters will be based on how populated you think the area of wilderness is. So you can make a basic chart here using these guidelines.
Encounter Frequency per Region Population.
Sparsely Inhabited. Encounter check once per day, and once per Long Rest.
Typical Population. Encounter check once every 4-8 hours.
Densely Inhabited. Encounter check once every hour
Encounter Distance(DM Screen. Yes this was in the DM Screen.)
Arctic, desert, farmland, or grassland. 6d6 × 10 feet
Forest, swamp, or woodland. 2d8 × 10 feet
Hills or wastelands. 2d10 × 10 feet
Jungle. 2d6 × 10 feet
Mountains. 4d10 × 10 feet
This about sums up expectations of Encounters in the Wilderness.
[Environmental Effects]
Wilderness Survival DMG p109
"Adventuring in the wilderness presents a host of perils beyond the threats of monstrous predators and savage raiders. "(Specific rules for each conditions will not be posted here, just go to the DMG page cited to find it.)
Weather DMG p109
"You can pick weather to fit your campaign or roll on the Weather table to determine the weather for a given day, adjusting for the terrain and season as appropriate." (Tables contained in the DMG, will not post it here for simplicities sake)
Extreme Cold DMG p110
Extreme Heat DMG p110
Strong Wind DMG p110
Heavy Precipitation DMG p110
High Altitude DMG p110
Wilderness Hazards DMg p110
"This section describes a few examples of hazards that adventurers might encounter in the wilderness.
Some hazards, such as slippery ice and razorvine, require no ability check to spot. Others, such as defiled ground, are undetectable by normal senses.
The other hazards presented here can be identified with a successful Intelligence (Nature) check. Use the guidelines in chapter 8 to set an appropriate DC for any check made to spot or recognize a hazard."(Specific rules for hazards will not be posted here, check the DMG page cited for the full rules on them)
Desecrated Ground DMG p110
Frigid Water DMG p110
Quicksand DMG p110
Razorvine DMG p110
Slippery Ice DMG p110
Thin Ice DMG p111
[Wilderness Survival]
Food and Water PHB p185
"Characters who don't eat or drink suffer the effects of exhaustion (see the appendix). Exhaustion caused by lack of food or water can't be removed until the character eats and drinks the full required amount."
Food PHBp185
"A character needs one pound of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.
A character can go without food for a number of days equal to 3 + his or her Constitution modifier (minimum 1). At the end of each day beyond that limit, a character automatically suffers one level of exhaustion.
A normal day of eating resets the count of days without food to zero."
Water PHB p185
"A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot. A character who drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. A character with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the end of the day.
If the character already has one or more levels of exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case."
Foraging DMG p111
"Characters can gather food and water as the party travels at a normal or slow pace. A foraging character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check whenever you call for it, with the DC determined by the abundance of food and water in the region. On a successful check, roll 1d6 + the character's Wisdom modifier to determine how much food (in pounds) the character finds, then repeat the roll for water (in gallons)."
Becoming Lost DMG p111
"Unless they are following a path, or something like it, adventurers traveling in the wilderness run the risk of becoming lost. The party's navigator makes a Wisdom (Survival) check when you decide it's appropriate, against a DC determined by the prevailing terrain, as shown on the Wilderness Navigation table. If the party is moving at a slow pace, the navigator gains a +5 bonus to the check, and a fast pace imposes a -5 penalty. If the party has an accurate map of the region or can see the sun or stars, the navigator has advantage on the check.
If the Wisdom (Survival) check succeeds, the party travels in the desired direction without becoming lost. If the check fails, the party inadvertently travels in the wrong direction and becomes lost. The party's navigator can repeat the check after the party spends 1d6 hours trying to get back on course."
[Exploration Activities] PHB p182
" As adventurers travel through a dungeon or the wilderness, they need to remain alert for danger, and some characters might perform other tasks to help the group's journey. " PHB 182.
Marching Order PHB p182
The adventurers should establish a marching order.
A marching order makes it easier to determine which characters are affected by traps, which ones can spot hidden enemies, and which ones are the closest to those enemies when a fight breaks out.
Stealth PHB p182. While traveling at a slow pace, the characters can move stealthily using Stealth Checks.
Listed activities. (Full details of how to do the actions are in the rulebook, just noting them all down.)
Noticing Threats PHB p182 (If no activity is taken, this is the default task done)
"Characters who turn their attention to other tasks as the group travels are not focused on watching for danger.
These characters don't contribute their passive Wisdom (Perception) scores to the group's chance of noticing hidden threats. However, a character not watching for danger can do one of the following activities instead, or some other activity with the DM's permission." PHB p182
Navigate. PHB p183
Draw a Map. PHB p183
Track. PHB p183
Forage. PHB p183
Each activity is done during each hour or of traveling in the wilderness, depending on the scale of the journey.
Just like with the Dungeon Rules, when you finally piece together all of the Exploration rules, you see that the rules of the "Wilderness Turn" from the playtest are all still in the game but scattered, yet they still expect you to use them. It generally plays like a streamlined version of B/X.
This is the sequence of play for an hour or day of travel and exploration in a wilderness environment.
The Wilderness Turn, as explained by 5e.
IMO, its basically just the Dungeon Rules, scaled up for wilderness, they expect it generally to be kinda a hexcrawl mainly, and im not sure if that works for every table. But it definitely is a bit more robust than first thought.
[Outdoor Map]
Mapping a Wilderness DMG p108
"In contrast to a dungeon, an outdoor setting presents seemingly limitless options. The adventurers can move in any direction over a trackless desert or an open grassland, so how do you as the DM deal with all the possible locations and events that might make up a wilderness campaign? What if you design an encounter in a desert oasis, but the characters miss the oasis because they wander off course? How do you avoid creating a boring play session of uninterrupted slogging across a rocky wasteland?
One solution is to think of an outdoor setting in the same way you think about a dungeon. Even the most wide-open terrain presents clear pathways. Roads seldom run straight because they follow the contours of the land, finding the most level or otherwise easiest routes across uneven ground. Valleys and ridges channel travel in certain directions. Mountain ranges present forbidding barriers traversed only by remote passes. Even the most trackless desert reveals favored routes, where explorers and caravan drivers have discovered areas of wind-blasted rock that are easier to traverse than shifting sand.
If the party veers off track, you might be able to relocate one or more of your planned encounters elsewhere on the map to ensure that the time spent preparing those encounters doesn't go to waste."
Movement on the Map DMG p108
"Narrate wilderness travel at a level of detail appropriate to the map you're using. If you're tracking hour-by-hour movement on a province-scale map (1 hex = 1 mile), you can describe each hamlet the adventurers pass. At this scale, you can assume that the characters find a noteworthy location when they enter its hex unless the site is specifically hidden. The characters might not walk directly up to the front door of a ruined castle when they enter a hex, but they can find old paths, outlying ruins, and other signs of its presence in the area.
If you're tracking a journey of several days on a kingdom-scale map (1 hex = 6 miles), don't bother with details too small to appear on your map. It's enough for the players to know that on the third day of their journey, they cross a river and the land starts rising before them, and that they reach the mountain pass two days later."
Using A Map DMG p242 (Province or Kingdom Map Scale)
Whatever environment the adventurers are exploring, you can use a map to follow their progress as you relate the details of their travels. In a dungeon, tracking movement on a map lets you describe the branching passages, doors, chambers, and other features the adventurers encounter as they go, and gives the players the opportunity to choose their own path
Map Travel Pace. Province Scale (1 hex = 1 mi.) DMG p242.
Slow Pace. 2 hexes/hr., 18 hexes/day
Normal Pace. 3 hexes/hr., 24 hexes/day
Fast Pace. 4 hexes/hr., 30 hexes/day
Map Travel Pace. Kingdom Scale (1 hex = 6 mi.) DMG p242.
Slow Pace. 1 hex/3 hr., 3 hexes/day
Normal Pace. 1 hex/2 hr., 4 hexes/day
Fast Pace. 1 hex/1½ hr., 5 hexes/day
[Travel Time]
Time PHB p181
"In a city or wilderness, a scale of hours is often more appropriate. Adventurers eager to reach the lonely tower at the heart of the forest hurry across those fifteen miles in just under four hours' time.
For long journeys, a scale of days works best. Following the road from Baldur's Gate to Waterdeep, the adventurers spend four uneventful days before a goblin ambush interrupts their journey. " The game assumes movement on the map is done on a per-hour basis on smaller scale journeys, but a per-day basis on longer scale ones.
Travel Pace PHB p181
Travel Speed in Wilderness. (Per Hours.) PHB p181
Fast. 4 Miles (-5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores)
Normal. 3 miles
Slow. 2 miles (Able to use stealth)"
Travel Speed in Wilderness. (Per Days.) PHB 181
Fast. 30 Miles (-5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores)
Normal. 24 miles
Slow. 19 miles (Able to use stealth)"
Forced March. PHB 181
"The Travel Pace table assumes that characters travel for 8 hours in day. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion.
For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion (see the appendix)."
Mounts and Vehicles. PHB 181
"For short spans of time (up to an hour), many animals move much faster than humanoids. A mounted character can ride at a gallop for about an hour, covering twice the usual distance for a fast pace. If fresh mounts are available every 8 to 10 miles, characters can cover larger distances at this pace, but this is very rare except in densely populated areas."
Visibility Outdoors DMG p243
"When traveling outdoors, characters can see about 2 miles in any direction on a clear day, or until the point where trees, hills, or other obstructions block their view. Rain normally cuts maximum visibility down to 1 mile, and fog can cut it down to between 100 and 300 feet. On a clear day, the characters can see 40 miles if they are atop a mountain or a tall hill, or are otherwise able to look down on the area around them from a height."
Difficult Terrain PHB p182
"The travel speeds given in the Travel Pace table assume relatively simple terrain: roads, open plains, or clear dungeon corridors. But adventurers often face dense forests, deep swamps, rubble-filled ruins, steep mountains, and ice-covered ground—all considered difficult terrain.
You move at half speed in difficult terrain—moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed—so you can cover only half the normal distance in a minute, an hour, or a day."
[Random Encounters] DMG p85
"You decide when a random encounter happens, or you roll. Consider checking for a random encounter once every hour, once every 4 to 8 hours, or once during the day and once during a long rest-whatever makes the most sense based on how active the area is.
If you roll, do so with a d20. If the result is 18 or higher, a random encounter occurs. You then roll on an appropriate random encounter table to determine what the adventurers meet, re-rolling if the die result doesn't make sense given the circumstances." DMG p86. Assuming the lowest scale for a dungeon, so a check every hour."
With this it's assumed how often you roll for random encounters will be based on how populated you think the area of wilderness is. So you can make a basic chart here using these guidelines.
Encounter Frequency per Region Population.
Sparsely Inhabited. Encounter check once per day, and once per Long Rest.
Typical Population. Encounter check once every 4-8 hours.
Densely Inhabited. Encounter check once every hour
Encounter Distance(DM Screen. Yes this was in the DM Screen.)
Arctic, desert, farmland, or grassland. 6d6 × 10 feet
Forest, swamp, or woodland. 2d8 × 10 feet
Hills or wastelands. 2d10 × 10 feet
Jungle. 2d6 × 10 feet
Mountains. 4d10 × 10 feet
This about sums up expectations of Encounters in the Wilderness.
[Environmental Effects]
Wilderness Survival DMG p109
"Adventuring in the wilderness presents a host of perils beyond the threats of monstrous predators and savage raiders. "(Specific rules for each conditions will not be posted here, just go to the DMG page cited to find it.)
Weather DMG p109
"You can pick weather to fit your campaign or roll on the Weather table to determine the weather for a given day, adjusting for the terrain and season as appropriate." (Tables contained in the DMG, will not post it here for simplicities sake)
Extreme Cold DMG p110
Extreme Heat DMG p110
Strong Wind DMG p110
Heavy Precipitation DMG p110
High Altitude DMG p110
Wilderness Hazards DMg p110
"This section describes a few examples of hazards that adventurers might encounter in the wilderness.
Some hazards, such as slippery ice and razorvine, require no ability check to spot. Others, such as defiled ground, are undetectable by normal senses.
The other hazards presented here can be identified with a successful Intelligence (Nature) check. Use the guidelines in chapter 8 to set an appropriate DC for any check made to spot or recognize a hazard."(Specific rules for hazards will not be posted here, check the DMG page cited for the full rules on them)
Desecrated Ground DMG p110
Frigid Water DMG p110
Quicksand DMG p110
Razorvine DMG p110
Slippery Ice DMG p110
Thin Ice DMG p111
[Wilderness Survival]
Food and Water PHB p185
"Characters who don't eat or drink suffer the effects of exhaustion (see the appendix). Exhaustion caused by lack of food or water can't be removed until the character eats and drinks the full required amount."
Food PHBp185
"A character needs one pound of food per day and can make food last longer by subsisting on half rations. Eating half a pound of food in a day counts as half a day without food.
A character can go without food for a number of days equal to 3 + his or her Constitution modifier (minimum 1). At the end of each day beyond that limit, a character automatically suffers one level of exhaustion.
A normal day of eating resets the count of days without food to zero."
Water PHB p185
"A character needs one gallon of water per day, or two gallons per day if the weather is hot. A character who drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of exhaustion at the end of the day. A character with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of exhaustion at the end of the day.
If the character already has one or more levels of exhaustion, the character takes two levels in either case."
Foraging DMG p111
"Characters can gather food and water as the party travels at a normal or slow pace. A foraging character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check whenever you call for it, with the DC determined by the abundance of food and water in the region. On a successful check, roll 1d6 + the character's Wisdom modifier to determine how much food (in pounds) the character finds, then repeat the roll for water (in gallons)."
Becoming Lost DMG p111
"Unless they are following a path, or something like it, adventurers traveling in the wilderness run the risk of becoming lost. The party's navigator makes a Wisdom (Survival) check when you decide it's appropriate, against a DC determined by the prevailing terrain, as shown on the Wilderness Navigation table. If the party is moving at a slow pace, the navigator gains a +5 bonus to the check, and a fast pace imposes a -5 penalty. If the party has an accurate map of the region or can see the sun or stars, the navigator has advantage on the check.
If the Wisdom (Survival) check succeeds, the party travels in the desired direction without becoming lost. If the check fails, the party inadvertently travels in the wrong direction and becomes lost. The party's navigator can repeat the check after the party spends 1d6 hours trying to get back on course."
[Exploration Activities] PHB p182
" As adventurers travel through a dungeon or the wilderness, they need to remain alert for danger, and some characters might perform other tasks to help the group's journey. " PHB 182.
Marching Order PHB p182
The adventurers should establish a marching order.
A marching order makes it easier to determine which characters are affected by traps, which ones can spot hidden enemies, and which ones are the closest to those enemies when a fight breaks out.
Stealth PHB p182. While traveling at a slow pace, the characters can move stealthily using Stealth Checks.
Listed activities. (Full details of how to do the actions are in the rulebook, just noting them all down.)
Noticing Threats PHB p182 (If no activity is taken, this is the default task done)
"Characters who turn their attention to other tasks as the group travels are not focused on watching for danger.
These characters don't contribute their passive Wisdom (Perception) scores to the group's chance of noticing hidden threats. However, a character not watching for danger can do one of the following activities instead, or some other activity with the DM's permission." PHB p182
Navigate. PHB p183
Draw a Map. PHB p183
Track. PHB p183
Forage. PHB p183
Each activity is done during each hour or of traveling in the wilderness, depending on the scale of the journey.
Just like with the Dungeon Rules, when you finally piece together all of the Exploration rules, you see that the rules of the "Wilderness Turn" from the playtest are all still in the game but scattered, yet they still expect you to use them. It generally plays like a streamlined version of B/X.
This is the sequence of play for an hour or day of travel and exploration in a wilderness environment.
The Wilderness Turn, as explained by 5e.
- Travel Pace, course, and Activities. The party decides what direction they will move in, set a travel pace, marching order, and decides which activities to do while traveling
- Progress and description. The players make progress on the map, time moves forward, and the DM descriptions what actions are taken and what happens next.
- Encounter Check. DM checks for encounters, DM determines the distance, and If monsters are encountered, resolve any interaction or combat that occurs between the creatures and the characters. How often a check is made depends on the population of the region, usually every 4-8 hours.
- Environmental Effects. Apply effects of the environment, weather, or terrain, such as extreme cold. Some of these effects might require saving throws from the characters. In addition, if the characters attempt a forced march, resolve saving throws for that activity at this point. Also, note the consumption of resources such as spells and items, as well as spell durations.
- End of turn. After performing all these steps, go back to the first step and repeat the sequence.
IMO, its basically just the Dungeon Rules, scaled up for wilderness, they expect it generally to be kinda a hexcrawl mainly, and im not sure if that works for every table. But it definitely is a bit more robust than first thought.
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