Wilderness Travel Rules Redux

Taking another shot at the wilderness travel rules. I want alarming, pulp adventure-style travel events like exotic diseases and quicksand to be an option, but at the same time I don't want travel to be a chore.

In my Ultan’s Door campaign I used a variation of Luca Rejec’s Overdefined Tables for wilderness travel. While venturing through the fetid White Jungle beneath Zyan, Caenn the wizard contracted a fungal disease which spurred his search for the True Human Form and defined much of the rest of his arc.

Usually when writing rules I try to keep them simple enough to hold in your head – “deal bonus damage equal to your level” doesn't require looking up any charts – but here I think the priority is to reduce the number of operations. If we pack all the complexity of wilderness travel into a table, and have it open on the table while exploring, I can focus on minimising the number of rolls and look-ups required to get through a day of travel.

Below I outline a system which can resolve a day in as few as two rolls: First a d20 determines the weather, base speed, encounters, and whether anything goes wrong. Then, a d6 determines if the party succeeds in moving to the next hex.

Travel Hexes and Exploration Hexes

There are two modes for overland travel in Red Hack – Travel Hexes, which correspond to the size of a domain territory and are used for establishing borders and long journeys A to B, and Exploration Hexes, which are 5 miles across and used for exploration and visiting landmarks within a travel hex.

Time on the Travel map is measured in Days; Exploration time is measured in 4-hr Watches.

Hex map showing overlay of Travel Hexes, from Hexroll app.

Two-Roll Travel

The expedition designates a leader. The leader rolls 1d20.

Determine Weather

The DM compares the units result of the d20 roll (1-10) to the following table:

  1. Weather becomes or remains inclement; storm if weather was inclement.
  2. Weather becomes or remains inclement; storm, if weather was inclement and season not Summer.
  3. Weather becomes or remains inclement; storm, if weather was inclement and season is winter.
  4. Weather becomes inclement in winter, otherwise stays the same.
  5. Weather stays the same.
  6. Weather becomes clement in summer, otherwise stays the same.
  7. -10. Weather becomes or remains clement.

Storms end on any result that is not a storm.

Types of Weather

Clement weather is any weather which provides no difficulty to travel. Sunny, cool, overcast, breezy, muggy, light frost, light showers – it can simply be described by the DM according to the season.

Inclement weather is any weather which causes penalties to travel. Fog and rain, hail and sleet, blistering sun, deep snow, icy winds.

You can roll on a table for inclement weather, or simply select it based on narrative cues – if you previously described the weather as cool or overcast, rain; if it was previously sunny, a heatwave may occur; if there was frost on the ground, it could give way to snow.

Storms are intense weather creating significant problems with travel. These include thunderstorms, rainstorms, sandstorms and hurricanes.

Then apply the full value of the d20 roll to each column of the travel table, in turn:

Wilderness Travel Table

The Wilderness Travel Table

Hazard Check (DEX Test)

This roll is to avoid physical dangers in the wilderness. If failed, apply one of the following or make up your own:

Hills: Sinkhole

The party encounters an unexpected cave, sinkhole or abandoned mine of 1d3 x 10' in depth. Roll d20 against the entire party's WIS. The character with the lowest failed roll falls in; on a 1 the sinkhole opens under the party and everyone falls.

Mountain: Precipice

The party must ascend, descent or navigate a path along the edge of a sheer cliff, of perhaps 2d6 x 10' in height. See the rules for climbing. The hazard may be avoided at the cost of -1d4 travel speed.

Jungle/Desert: Poison

Roll d20 against the entire party's DEX; the lowest failure is stung by a scorpion, bitten by a snake, touches toxic plants and so on and must save vs poison or roll on the Downed Character Table.

Swamp: Mire

Everyone in the party makes a test against STR; any failures become bogged down, along with any pack animals. They risk sinking into the mire unless rescued.

Travail Check (CON Test)

This roll is to avoid malaise arising from the environment while travelling. If failed, apply one of the following or make up your own:

Mountain/Snow: Frostbite: Everyone must make a CON test, any who fail gain a Privation reducing their DEX & STR.

Heat/Desert: Heatstroke: Everyone must make a CON test, any who fail gain a Privation reducing their INT & CON.

Swamp/Jungle: Fever: Roll d20 against the entire party's CON. The lowest failure gains a disease, which may be contagious.

Swamp Fever

Suffer fever and chills, disadvantage to attack, defense and skill rolls.

CON save vs Death each day or lose 1d4 CON.

On a 1, anyone in contact with the patient in the last 24hrs must save or contract the illness.

After a total of two successful saves, recovery begins – disadvantage on STR, DEX & CON rolls until CON is healed.

Supplies Check (CHA Test)

This roll is to manage provisions and discipline in the expedition. If failed, (mechanic for determining amount lost:)

Traversal Check (STR Test)

This roll is to determine how rapidly the party forges ahead through the terrain. If successful use the larger number, if unsuccessful use the lower.

This roll is to determine if the party are on course. It is automatically passed if there is a clear road to follow. Otherwise, a failure causes the party to enter the hex to the left or right of the one they were aiming for (determine randomly or DM’s choice.)

Encounter Check (WIS Test)

This an encounter check. On a failure, an encounter occurs.

Resolve Encounters

Determine any counters per your Monster Manual.

Optionally, you can have the precise makeup of terrain within the Travel Hex influence the encounter. Roll 1d20; with the central hex counting as 1. Count upward until you reach the number rolled, going clockwise where possible and northeast otherwise. Use the encounter table for the hex you land on. On a 20, come up with a special counter or use the predominant terrain.

The default sight distance for encounters is Far(120’).

Reduce by 1 step for each of: Night, Fog, Storm, Forest, Jungle.

Increase by 1 step for each of: Clement, Plains, Desert.

Roll as usual for surprise and encounter distance.

Movement Roll

The base chance of moving from one hext to the next is determined by the travel roll, and expressed as the odds out of six of moving successfully to the next hex. This is the speed for an unencumbered party on foot.

This chance is modified by various factors:

After applying all modifiers, if the roll can't be failed, subtract the maximum possible roll from remaining speed and move to the next hex.

The party may then attempt to move again. Make another travel events roll and repeat.

If the roll could be failed, roll. If you roll equal to or under the party's speed, move to the next hex. Travel for the day ends unless on a forced march.

Resting & Watches in the Wilderness

Resting takes 2 of the 6 watches per day; each PC can watch for half a watch, so two must be assigned per watch. A PC can get a full night’s sleep as long as they only have one 2hr watch.

Travel Actions

Foraging – Prevents loss of rations, costs 2 speed. Make a roll, difficulty based on terrain. If successful don't consume rations today. If 10+ and successful, don't lose rations to spoilage either.

Extra Breaks – Prevents illness etc, costs 2 speed. Take another roll on the CON test.

Pathfinding – Prevents getting lost, slow terrain; requires significantly faster non-leader unit. Take another roll on the INT & STR tests.

Scouting – Prevents encounters, hazards; costs 1 speed and requires non-leader unit? Take another roll on the WIS & DEX tests.

Wilderness Exploration Procedure

There are 6 watches of 4 hours each:

Determine the weather as for Travel. An unencumbered party on foot moves 2 hexes per watch.

Mounts double this.

Ox carts or encumbrance halve it.

Mountain, Swamp or Jungle terrain also halve it, and stack with carts or encumbrance.

Each hex moved, roll 1d6:

  1. Encounter (WIS)
  2. Hazard (DEX)
  3. Travail (CON)
  4. Supplies (CHA)
  5. Navigation (INT)
  6. No Roll

The leader must then roll on the Travel Table, but only on the column indicated.

Travel Via Exploration

You can move from one travel hex to the next by simply crossing it in exploration mode. You don’t ever have to switch to Travel mode; it’s just an abstraction for convenience when crossing long distances and trying to get somewhere.