Travel

Journeys

Whenever the characters are undertaking a dangerous journey, use the procedures described in this chapter to determine their path and handle the Hazards they face. These rules are meant to create epic, perilous journeys. Do not use them each time the characters travel, but only when you want the journey to be the focus of the adventure. For other situations, the GM should simply summarize the characters' trek in a few sentences, without lingering on the details.

Preparing for Travel

Before the actual journey can start, the players set a destination for their characters and choose the path they will follow to reach it. If a general map of the area is present, the GM can show it to the players, pointing out its main features and routes. If no map is available, the GM can simply describe the lay of the land, presenting the players with at least two different paths to their destination.

During this phase, the players can ask a few questions of the GM to better prepare for the journey ahead. The GM must answer fairly, but could demand a Skill Roll if the answer is not common knowledge. Don't get bogged down in this planning phase — the characters should be heroes, not tour operators!

Overland Movement

Once the path is set, the GM establishes the time required to travel to the chosen location using the Overland Movement Table below. The distance covered each day depends on the character's Encumbrance Level and the type of terrain crossed.

Roads, open plains, and light forests, where characters can advance easily, are Normal Terrain. Woods, forested areas, deserts, and hills, where advancement is slowed by rugged ground or small obstacles, are Rough Terrain. Mountains, bogs, swamps, jungles, thick forests, underground passages, and other hard-to-cross areas are Arduous Terrain.

Groups usually travel at the speed of their slowest member, unless they are actively trying to leave someone behind.

For each day of travel, each character must consume a ration or suffer the effects of Weariness, as detailed in Weariness and Starvation.

Overland Movement Table — Kilometers per Day of Travel

Traveling by Water

Characters traveling by water need a vessel and enough crew to man it. Movement speed depends on the type of vessel and on water and wind conditions.

On rivers, boats move at one quarter of their normal speed when traveling upstream and at their standard speed when following the river's current.

Waterborne Movement Table — Kilometers per Day

A ship's sailing speed is further modified by the wind conditions for the day, as shown in the Winds Table below.

Winds Table

Particular weather conditions such as storms, squalls, or dead calm are treated as Weather Hazards. Undermanned ships suffer a -20 penalty to all rolls made to steer, maneuver, or pilot the vessel. Ships with half their required crew or fewer move at half their normal speed. Ships manned by fewer than one quarter of their required crew cannot be governed at all and simply drift, following wind and current.

Pathfinding

If the location of their destination is uncertain, or if the characters are lost and unsure of their own position, they must proceed at a slower pace, exploring their surroundings in search of clues and landmarks. This is called Pathfinding.

While Pathfinding, characters move at half their normal speed for the day. Additionally, they must make a Wandering Skill Roll each time they attempt to cross a new type of terrain (for example, when they first enter a forest after traveling through a grassland), to avoid losing their way.

Finding a hidden or unknown destination is a Traveling Hazard, which is added to those the heroes are already facing during their journey.