Alternate Travel Rules Test

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When a new adventure begins, a new season starts, or a region is entered, the party designates one character to lead them in the upcoming portion of the journey-the Pathfinder.

First, the Pathfinder makes a Survival roll to determine how difficult travel will be while in that region (see Survival table below). Rangers with the appropriate Favored Terrain feature may make this roll with advantage.

Once the Pathfinder has resolved the Survival result, the DM will roll on the Weather table and resolve any effects.

NOTE: If the group decides, they may wait ONE WEEK of time and reroll both the survival check and the weather effect. If the 4- effect is rolled, this is not an option, and happens in addition to the lost week for weather.

Pathfinder's Roll:
Roll Effect
4- You've wasted everyone's time. Everyone loses 3d4 rations and 3d8 days & the Pathfinder rolls again.
5-9 Everyone must make a DC 10 CON Save every night for Exhaustion, due to the difficulty of the journey.
10-14 Normal Travel
15-19 Pick one boon from below.
20-24 Pick two boons from below.
25-29 Pick three boons from below.
30+ Within reason (and at the DM's discretion), you can Fast Travel at will in this region, avoiding all intervening encounters, but not time travelled.
Boons:
Boon: Description:
Bountiful In addtion to any party actions, the Pathfinder forages 1d6 rations while travelling in this region (1 time)
Paranoia It's not paranoia if they're really out to get you! Perception checks by all party members are made with advantage for overland travel.
Lurker You're taking extra care in this region. Stealth checks by all party members are made with advantage during overland travel.
Swift Travel in this region is faster than normal (+1 hex for all travel watches)
Weird You don't know what this does or will do. Has a small chance to make your lives very surreal.


Weather:

While weather tables are separately recorded, weather tags are detailed here:

Temperature Tags:
Tag Description Effect
Sweltering Intolerable hot days and warm nights DC 20 Survival Check per travel watch, or suffer one level of exhaustion.

Additionally: Raation requirements double for the duration of the journey.

Hot Very warm days, pleasant nights DC 15 Survival Check ONCE on each travel day, or Ration requirements double for the day.
Warm Uncomfortably warm days, pleasant nights. None/Story only
Mild Agreeable temperatures all day, chilly nights None/Story only
Chilly Cool days and freezing nights. None/Story only
Cold Freezing days and murderously cold nights. DC 15 Survival Check ONCE on each travel day, or Ration requirements double for the day.
Frigid Deathly cold and icy at all hours, arctic. DC 20 Survival Check per travel watch, or suffer one level of exhaustion.

Additionally: Raation requirements double for the duration of the journey.

Wind Speed Tags
Tag Description Effect
Still Imperceptable or nonexistent winds None/story
Breezy Light winds Potential by-scent tracking advantages, None/story
Windy Strong, steady winds ideal for sailing Sailing advantages, None/story
Stormy Driving, unpredictable winds DC 15 Survival check on each travel watch, or Travel is slowed (-1). Additionally, missile fire beyond normal range is impossible.
Precipitation Tags
Tag Description Effect
None None None
Drizzle Fine, misting rain with poor visibility Overland visibility reduced by 1 hex; ranged weapons ineffective at long range.
Showers Occasional sprinkles, ligth showers, and brief downpours. Overland visibility reduced by 1 hex randomly; potential survival issues - taxing in Chilly or colder temperatures.
Downpour Heavy, steady rain, minimal visibility Overland visibility limited to current hex; DC20 Survival Check for each Travel Watch or travel is slowed. (-1 hex) Travel has a 50% chance of a Mishap.
Hail Snow and small chunks of ice or freezing rain. [DC 15 Survival Check or travel is slowed for each travel watch.]
Snowflakes Light snow, reduced visibility [Overland visibility reduced by 1 hex; ranged weapons ineffective at long range.]
Snowy Heavy, steady snowfall, minimal visibility Overland visibility limited to current hex; DC20 Survival Check for each Travel Watch or travel is slowed. Travel has a 50% chance of a Mishap.
Other/Additional Tags
Tag Description Effect
Sunny Cloudless Skies, excellent visibility None
Clear Very few clouds in the sky, excellent visibility None
Overcast Morning and evening clouds, clear afternoons None
Cloudy Heavy cloud cover, darkened skies None
Thunderheads Dense, dark clouds - often lightning Potential environmental dangers (lightning)
Humid Air laden with moisture, stifling Nullifies the Swift boon
Foggy Low level clouds create blinding conditions. Nullifies the Paranoia boon; grants the Lurker boon.

Trying Conditions:

When conditions are difficult and make survivial difficult due to circumstances - e.g. being wet in the cold, or trying to survive a night without shelter or warmth - the GM may indicate that conditions are 'trying'. This results in appropriate skill checks and/or saving throws (e.g. Con Save to avoid ill effects from the wet and cold) if actions aren't taken to address the condition directly. Failure results in, at minimum, one level of Exhaustion, and may have additional effects based on the circumstances, including:

  • Illness
  • Damage
  • (others as decided).

Survival and Certain Spells:

Many spells offer survival benefits and can be used to address survival issues. Of particular interest is Prestidigitation, which has a surprising number of useful survival effects. It is important to note that Pretidigitation effects, of and in themselves, cannot wholly rectify a Trying situation - it can dry your clothing, for example, but can't change the cold that sunk into your bones. At most, Prestidigitation used well offers Advantage on the appropriate checks, and cannot, in itself, ever prevent the checks from occurring.