Travel Primer

Overland Travel

Overland Travel will be a fairly large pillar of this campaign and I will be taking inspiration from Adventures in Middle Earth for these rules.

Our standard Adventuring Day will last about 8 hours of travel, with usually an additional hour or two for some short rests or simply setting up camp for the night. During Overland Travel, all encounters will either be pre-determined or semi-random (i.e. whatever I feel is appropriate for the area) and will not necessarily involve combat. Additionally, all weather will be seasonally appropriate and I will be using rules for extreme terrains (e.g. deserts, lava fields, tundra).

The Journey System

In Adventures in Middle Earth, Overland Travel is broken up into Journeys, which are various paths you may take in between various Sanctuaries and the Destination. There are three lengths of journeys, which determine the total number of possible encounters:

• Short. A short journey typically lasts no more than a few days and only has one possible encounter.

• Medium. A medium journey typically lasts up to one in-game week and has roughly three possible encounters.

• Long. A long journey exceeds one in-game week and has at least five possible encounters.

Long Rests. During each Journey, players may only take Long Rests inside of a Sanctuary. A Sanctuary can be a recently cleared out Dungeon with neutralized threats, a vacant premise that can be secured and maintained, or simply a town that the party will be passing through. Outside of a Sanctuary, players may only gain the benefits of a Short Rest, but do not have to make a Constitution Saving Throw to not gain a level of Exhaustion unless they fail to sleep. On average, a player will need to sleep for 6 hours and perform a Downtime Activity for at least 2 hours to maintain a sleep schedule.

Player Roles

Each player can assign themselves one of the following roles before we start a Journey:

• Guide. The Guide assists the party by navigating through the Overland and dictating the speed of travel.

• Scout. The Scout assists the party by keeping a lookout for hostile threats or looking around the area for possible shortcuts or alternate routes.

• Forager. The Forager assists the party by hunting game, foraging for vegetation, and finding fresh water for the party; ensuring needs are met.

• First Watch. First Watch assists the party by preparing for nightfall, allowing the other watches to be prepared for the next day.

The Guide

The Guide will need to help navigate the Overland and prevent the party from becoming lost. In order to do this, the Guide must make a Survival (Wisdom) Check at the start of the Journey and consult the following ranges of success:

• Roll is lower than 10. The Guide becomes lost during their navigation and as a result, the party moves at a Slow pace.

• Roll is between 10 and 15. The Guide manages to navigate the Overland and as a result, the party moves at a Normal pace.

• Roll is greater than 15. The Guide exceeds expectations and as a result, the party moves at a Fast pace.

Navigational Aides. The Guide is not completely helpless while on the road. If a Guide owns a set of Cartographer's Tools (for land travel) or Navigator's Tools (for sea or air travel) and is proficient, they may instead roll with a Cartographer's Tools (Intelligence) Check or a Navigator's Tools (Intelligence) Check rather than a Survival (Wisdom) Check. Additionally, having a map of the area on hand will add a +2 bonus to the roll and having an item such as a Compass (can be found in either Cartographer's Tools or Navigator's Tools) or a similarly functioning magic item will give the Guide Advantage on the Navigation Roll. Do note that the items must be in the Guide's possession in order to gain any of these bonuses.

Speed of Travel. There are three speeds of travel to consider:

• Slow Pace. The group will move at roughly half a day's pace in an Adventuring Day.

• Normal Pace. The group will move at roughly a day's pace in an Adventuring Day.

• Fast Pace. The group will move at roughly double a day's pace in an Adventuring Day.

The exact pace of travel will vary based on terrain, but the typical pace is roughly 3 miles an hour (or 24 miles) during 8 hours of travel.

Forced March. The Guide may also make the decision to perform a Forced March in order to make better time. This allows the party to continue traveling beyond the typical 8 hours; however, after each subsequent hour, each party member must make a Constitution Saving Throw (DC 15) or gain a level of Exhaustion.

The Scout

The Scout will mainly focus on easing Overland Travel and can do so by performing one of the following actions:

• High Alert. The Scout will add half of their Proficiency Bonus (round down) to their Passive Perception in order to be on the lookout for potential threats.

• Pathfinding. The Scout will make either an Investigation (Intelligence) or Perception (Wisdom) Check (DC 15) in order to raise the speed of travel by finding shortcuts in the area (this action may be unavailable in certain terrains, such as flat plains, deserts, or tundras).

• Scouting. The Scout will make a Survival (Wisdom) Check (DC 15) to gain knowledge of the area and if tools are available, they may create a map of the Overland or update an existing map.

The Scout will choose a single action to perform each Adventuring Day. Once chosen, the Scout cannot perform another action until they have rested.

The Forager

The Forager will focus on ensuring the party's daily needs are met and can find food and/or water near the end of the Adventuring Day. The Forager can only do this if there are signs of food and/or fresh water in the area (keep in mind, not all collectable water is potable). The Forager will need to make a Survival Check and consult the following ranges of success:

• Roll is lower than 10. The area is low in game, natural bounties and fresh water; the Forager finds enough food and water equal to half their Proficiency Bonus (round down).

• Roll is between 10 and 15. The area has moderate amounts of game, natural bounties, and fresh water; the Forager finds enough food and water equal to their Proficiency Bonus.

• Roll is greater than 15. The area is lush with fruits, vegetables, water and game; the Forager finds enough food and water equal to double their Proficiency Bonus.

Careful Foraging. The Forager may choose to take Disadvantage on their Survival (Wisdom) Check in order to add their Wisdom Modifier to the final result. This decision must be made prior to making the Foraging Check.

Scouting. Sometimes the Scout may find areas filled with food and water, then relay the information to the Forager. As a result, the Forager has Advantage on their Survival (Wisdom) Check to collect food and water.

First Watch

The First Watch will focus on preparing the party for nightly duties and can provide bonuses when faced with hostile activity and can do so by performing one of the following actions:

• Construct a Barrier. First Watch can make a Survival (Wisdom) Check to contruct a make-shift barrier around the encampment. This makes the area around the encampment Difficult Terrain; however, supplies must be available in order to construct a barrier. The roll of the barrier sets the DC for anyone trying to clamber over it safely.

• Set Up Traps. By setting up a hunting trap or making a proper lure, either a Nature (Intelligence) or Survival (Wisdom) Check, the watch can give Advantage to Perception Checks to the party should the enemies trigger the trap. The roll sets the DC for anyone trying to bypass the trap.

• Warn the Party. The First Watch can warn the party of potential dangers by making a Nature (Intelligence) Check or a Survival (Wisdom) Check (DC 15) to find potential tracks of any local wildlife that may be hostile to the party. By successfully doing so, the party will not suffer from a -5 penalty to their Passive Perception while semi-conscious and can easily be woken up without a Constitution Saving Throw in the event of danger.

Embarking on a Journey

After you have selected a destination, you may roll on the Embarkation Table. This table will determine the overall mood of the journey and may influence the encounters that may occur. The Guide makes the d12 roll and consults the following table:

Embarkation Table

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d12 Roll	Event
1	+2 to Journey Table Rolls, but all Journey Rolls are made with Disadvantage
2	Until you succeed on a roll, all rolls are made with Disadvantage
3	+1 to Journey Table Rolls, but the first roll of each day is made with Disadvantage
4	Movement Speed is halved for the Journey
5	All players endure 1 Level of Exhaustion for the entire Journey
6	-1 to all Skill Checks for the Entire Journey
7	+1 to all Skill Checks for the Entire Journey
8	All players ignore 1 Level of Exhaustion for the entire Journey
9	Movement Speed is doubled for the Journey
10	+1 to Event Table Rolls, and the first roll of each day is made with Advantage
11	Until you fail a roll, all rolls are made with Advantage
12	+2 to Event Table Rolls, and all Journey Rolls are made with Advantage

Arriving at a Destination

Once the party arrives at a destination, the Guide will roll a d8 and consult the following table:

Arrival Table

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d8 Roll	Event
1	A Wisdom Saving Throw (DC 15) is made to resist 2 Levels of Exhaustion
2	Everyone gains 1 Level of Exhaustion
3	Disadvantage on all Charisma Checks until you succeed at one
4	Advantage on Initiative Rolls
5	Remove 1 Level of Exhaustion
6	+1 to next Embarkation Roll
7	Advantage on all Charisma Checks until you fail at one
8	Until you fail a roll, all rolls are made with Advantage