Traveling Rules

One of the most common activities for adventurers is to travel the world, visit new cities, encounter dungeons, and discover new areas. But the world is a dangerous place, filled with monsters and traps left by older civilizations.

How to Travel

Before the travel starts, the DM will state how far the journey is: close, far, or distant, and the initial threat of the adventuring party. After this, the adventurers need to assign a member to be the trailblazer, another to be the scout, and a quartermaster. If any of the roles aren’t filled, consider all the checks failed for that role.

Once the party is ready, they collect all the resources for the travel, like water, rations, ropes, lanterns, torches, and supplies for the equipment. You can use the following table as a guideline for the required material for the travel. This will compose the supplies for the adventure. Check the following table for the initial supplies.

Once the supplies are acquired, the party can start the travel. A travel is composed of checks to complete it. A check represents a point in the travel where the active roles need to perform to surpass some conditions. A check also represents the time taken to make the whole travel. Safer routes can reduce the number of checks, while very dangerous routes can increase them. On each check, each role needs to perform a successful check or will suffer side effects. You can use the following table as a guide for the amount of checks, supplies, and initial cost.

Distance	Checks	Supplies	Cost
Close	3	3	2gp
Far	5	5	10gp
Distant	8	8	100gp

While the travel is happening, the DM will describe the events of the traveling, such as the scenarios, environments, and points of interest that the travel is visiting. The party can interact briefly with these points, but the focus is the travel unless the party decides to make a stop for other reasons. Also, the DM will keep track of the threat of the party.

Supplies

This is a general measure of the amount of water, food, rations, and traveling equipment that the party has available for the travel.

Whenever the adventuring party makes a check, the quartermaster reduces the supplies by one. The quartermaster can also choose to use two supplies instead of one for this check, making all the checks with advantage. Alternatively, the quartermaster can choose not to use any supplies; in this case, the checks are made with disadvantage.

Threat

This represents the amount of danger, noise, or attention that the adventuring party is creating while traveling. The higher the number, the more creatures and dangers are looking for the party. Whenever a check fails, the scout should make a threat check. The DC is 10 + threat. On a failure, a bad thing happens.

Bad Things are generally random events that happen to the party while traveling. You can use this table as an example, or create a custom table for this purpose.

2d6	Encounter
2	Deadly Threat: Powerful enemy or group of enemies that pose a significant threat to survival.
3	Extreme Weather: Blizzard, sandstorm, torrential rain, etc. Impedes progress and causes penalties.
4	Ambush: Hostile creatures or bandits catch the party off guard. Disadvantage on initiative rolls.
5	Natural Hazard: Quicksand, landslide, collapsing bridge, etc. Requires checks to avoid damage or delays.
6	Equipment Failure: Essential gear breaks or is lost. Repairs require time and resources.
7	Delay: Blocked path, difficult terrain, navigational errors cause delays. Adds an extra check to the journey and increases threat by 1.
8	Resource Loss: Supplies are depleted or spoiled. Leads to rationing or penalties like exhaustion.
9	Exhaustion: Harsh conditions cause fatigue, hunger, and exposure. Each adventurer receives one level of exhaustion.
10	Minor Threat: Wild animals, small group of lesser monsters, natural obstacle that requires time and resources to overcome.
11	Illness or Poison: Party members become ill or poisoned due to tainted food, water, or environmental toxins. Disadvantage on ability checks.
12	Tempting Detour: Intriguing opportunity (e.g., hidden treasure, ancient ruins) that may lead to rewards but significantly delays journey and increases threat.

The Roles and Checks

All the checks have a Difficulty Class (DC) of 10; however, the DM may adjust this according to the travel description or how dangerous the place is. The DM should consider factors such as the terrain, weather conditions, and any hazards present when deciding on the difficulty level.

Trailblazer

The Trailblazer is the guiding force of the party’s journey, responsible for leading the group through unfamiliar or treacherous terrains. The Trailblazer navigates using landmarks, stars, maps, and environmental clues. Their expertise helps the party avoid getting lost, identify and exploit shortcuts, and discover safe resting spots along the way. By anticipating natural hazards and adjusting the route accordingly, the Trailblazer ensures that the journey is as efficient and safe as possible, saving valuable time.

Skill	Success	Failure
History	Recall historical routes or landmarks. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1).	Misinterpret history, increasing threat by 1.
Investigation	Find hidden paths or clues. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1).	Mistake path and enter a higher danger area, increasing threat and checks by 1.
Nature	Identify safe terrain and hazards. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1).	Misjudge hazards, increasing threat by 1.
Perception	Spot distant landmarks or threats. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0).	Fail to notice obstacles, increasing threat by 1.
Survival	Navigate using natural signs. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check.	Lose direction and need to backtrack, consume 1 supply immediately.

Scout

The Scout serves as the party’s eyes and ears, venturing ahead or around the group to detect potential threats before they become immediate dangers. Employing keen senses and stealthy movements, the Scout watches for ambushes, traps, and hidden enemies. They interpret signs of nearby creatures, understand enemy tactics, and can navigate hazardous areas without drawing attention. By providing early warnings and valuable intelligence, the Scout enables the party to avoid confrontations, prepare defenses, or gain the upper hand in unavoidable encounters, thereby safeguarding the group’s well-being.

Skill	Success	Failure
Athletics	Overcome obstacles swiftly. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0).	Create noise while moving, increasing threat by 1.
Insight	Anticipate enemy tactics. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0).	Misread signs, increasing threat by 1.
Investigation	Discover traps or hidden clues. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check.	Miss traps or clues, consume 1 supply immediately.
Perception	Detect hidden enemies or hazards. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0).	Fail to spot dangers, increasing threat by 1.
Stealth	Move undetected. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0).	Be spotted by enemies, increasing threat by 1 and checks by 1.

Quartermaster

The Quartermaster is the caretaker of the party’s sustenance and equipment, tasked with managing supplies and ensuring that resources are used wisely. Their responsibilities include rationing food and water, maintaining and repairing gear, and acquiring additional provisions when necessary. The Quartermaster’s knowledge of foraging, preservation techniques, and resource management helps the party stretch their supplies and avoid shortages. By keeping the group well-fed, properly equipped, and healthy, the Quartermaster plays a critical role in maintaining the party’s morale and readiness throughout the journey.

Skill	Success	Failure
Arcana	Preserve supplies using magic. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check.	Misuse magic, consume 1 supply immediately.
History	Recall locations of waystations. Reduces checks by 1 (minimum of 1).	Misremember locations, increasing threat by 1 and checks by 1.
Investigation	Organize and manage supplies efficiently. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check.	Mismanage supplies, consume 1 extra supply immediately.
Nature	Identify edible plants and safe water. Reduces threat by 1 (minimum of 0).	Mistake poisonous plants, increasing threat by 1.
Survival	Forage for food and water. Reduces supplies used by 1 (minimum of 0) next check.	Fail to find food, consume 1 extra supply immediately.