Previous

Itineraries

Every creature has a movement rate. This is the distance in feet able to be traveled in a single round of combat. The value works on the assumption that energetic bursts of speed will occur in the midst of serious circumstances and offers an average and consistent number for game usage. This rate may sometimes be referred to as the maneuverability rate. A sustained running speed due to physiology or magic where little deviation to the path occurs is called the straightaway pace.

To translate this to the broader scene where combat is not occurring, other variables must be considered to determine how far a creature can travel in a few minutes, or an hour or for an entire day. Unless the straightaway speed can be maintained for a reasonably long duration, then all of the following calculations are based upon the normal maneuverability pace.

First, the clip of the person or group is a factor. A character or group can travel at either a normal, slow or fast clip. When traveling at a fast clip, greater distance can be covered; however, things get missed. Conversely, a slow clip yields a short distance, but more things are noticed and can be performed simultaneously.

Let’s summarize each method. At a slow clip, the party is moving carefully and quietly. Everyone gains +3 to all Perception checks. Further, an optional rule recommended is a pseudo-group check. If half or more of the party makes the check against a monster encounter as a slow clip and the opposing side fails by half its numbers, then the PCs perceive the threat before the monsters can, allowing avoidance or perhaps setting an ambush. However, if the PCs directly initiate combat, then all those on the monster-side that failed will have no turn for the first round.

Additionally, the party can forage at a normal rate. Use daily or weekly foraging rules from the wilderness lore skill. Those with a hunting skill could roll the odds here as well. Finally, any navigation checks for avoiding getting lost gain a +4 bonus to the role.

Normal clip is exactly that: normal. Most everything is a straight roll, except for foraging food or hunting. This is performed at disadvantage.

Finally, a fast clip obviously means they party will travel more distance in a shorter period of time, but while traveling so quickly, the PCs cannot forage at all. Further, all Perception checks suffer a -3 penalty. Those involving a monster encounters mean that the PCs who fail the check will have no turn for the first round. Finally, navigation checks to avoid becoming lost suffer a -4 penalty with traveling at a fast clip.

Base Movement		Elf-Day	Day	Half-Day	Hour	Minute
25 feet	Fast	14 miles	12 miles	7 miles	2 miles	168 feet
	Normal	11 miles	10 miles	6 miles	1 mile	140 feet
	Slow	9 miles	8 miles	4 miles	1 mile	112 feet
30 feet	Fast	17 miles	15 miles	9 miles	2 miles	210 feet
	Normal	13 miles	12 miles	7 miles	2 miles	168 feet
	Slow	11 miles	10 miles	6 miles	1 mile	140 feet
40 feet	Fast	22 miles	20 miles	12 miles	3 miles	280 feet
	Normal	17 miles	16 miles	9 miles	2 miles	224 feet
	Slow	14 miles	13 miles	7 miles	2 miles	182 feet
50 feet	Fast	28 miles	25 miles	15 miles	4 miles	350 feet
	Normal	22 miles	20 miles	12 miles	3 miles	280 feet
	Slow	18 miles	16 miles	9 miles	2 miles	224 feet
60 feet	Fast	34 miles	30 miles	18 miles	5 miles	420 feet
	Normal	26 miles	24 miles	14 miles	4 miles	336 feet
	Slow	21 miles	20 miles	12 miles	3 miles	280 feet
70 feet	Fast	39 miles	35 miles	21 miles	6 miles	490 feet
	Normal	31 miles	28 miles	16 miles	4 miles	392 feet
	Slow	25 miles	23 miles	13 miles	3 miles	322 feet
80 feet	Fast	45 miles	40 miles	24 miles	7 miles	560 feet
	Normal	35 miles	32 miles	19 miles	5 miles	448 feet
	Slow	29 miles	26 miles	15 miles	4 miles	364 feet

The chart above is a good summary. Any If the sum of the parts do not add up to the whole, this is due to extra time for using the bathroom, picking up a fallen item from someone’s back, stamina, etc – or moments of unexpected ease. If more precision is needed here are the formulas. Remember to always round down, and recognize it is a little “mathy.” Estimating from the chart may be easier, or perhaps using the Travel Tool on the website.

Daily travel is base ÷ 2.5 for normal, ÷ 3 for slow, and ÷ 2 for fast. Half-day is 0.6 × Daily. Hourly travel is 0.3 × Half-day. Finally, one minute of travel is 14 × Daily.

All the speeds given above assume relatively simple terrain: optimal, roads, or clear corridors. But adventurers often face dense forests, deep swamps, rubble-filled ruins, steep mountains, and ice-covered ground—all considered difficult terrain. While in combat scenarios, movement is at half speed in difficult terrain—moving 1 foot in difficult terrain costs 2 feet of speed, this does not translate well for traveling through rougher terrains. Below is a chart for longer times traveling through such areas. For example, when covering 10 miles on a road over a particular amount of time, only 8 miles would be achieved in grasslands for the same duration -- or only 2 miles when traversing the mountains.

Optimal, Roads	100%
Grasslands, Plains	80%
Desert, Hills, Tundra	60%
Forest, Jungle, Swamp	40%
Mountains	20%

The distances above also assume only eight hours of travel, except for the “Elf-Day” column, which can only occur if all members are elves or enhanced to have that level of activity. As stated above, moving beyond this time falls into the forced-march guideline. For each additional hour of travel over eight hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their clip, terrain and exhaustion; however, at the end of each hour, each traveler must also perform a Resilience feat. The DC for the feat is based at 16 but gains +2 for each hour of the force march condition. On a failed save, a traveler suffers one degree of exhaustion. See the subsection below for more concerns about traveling beyond the normal limits.

Daily Time Usage

While there are twenty-four hours in the day, a good portion is used sleeping and resting. Another part is used for packing, preparing, eating and other routine chores. From the point of the game, this averages out that a character has effectively eight hours of usable time. This is for travel, research, training, projects or whatever. However, because elves do not sleep, they can function more hours of the day than other races. To achieve a long rest, they only need four hours of meditation; however, two further hours of light activity must also occur. In the end, an elf can perform a ten-hour day rather than eight.

To calculate the efficiency of an elf, calculate the total number of hours of the activity, then divide by ten rather than 8. If the activity is listed in days, it is assumed to be eight-hour days; therefore, multiply 8 times days to determine the total number of hours. For example, if an architecture project cost 100 labor-days, then this would be an 800-hour project. If this were performed by a single elf, it would take 80 days rather than 100. In general, 0.8 times normal give the time needed for an elf; however, in projects when working with other races, a more complicated formula may be needed. Project calculations are detailed in the GM Aide.

However, one should realize that an elf, while being more active, cannot speed up time itself. For projects like brewing where the batch requires n-number of days to fertilize, then an elf performing such tasks cannot create them any faster than any other race.

Finally, more time can be used than eight (or ten) hours; however, when forcing to gain additional time beyond a normal day is requested by a player, for many possible reasons, then the forced-march guideline is used (although the extended activity may not actually be a march). For each additional hour of activity, the character must perform a Resilience feat based on DC:16. However, for each consecutive hour of extra activity increases the DC by 2 points. If failing that feat, one degree of exhaustion sets in. Also, a free-willed character will stop for the day when failing - although if being forced to march by slave-drivers, then another hour could occur. These odds of health concerns apply to mounts as well. A mount that is not charmed or possessed is considered a free-will creature who will stop upon failure.

Therefore, if a person works for nine hours (eleven for an elf), he or should must save using Resilience against DC:16. If saving and working another hour, the next save is against DC:18. And so on.

Finally, an additional risk when pushing past the limits is exposing everyone in the immediate area to disease, including the mounts and other pets. As explained elsewhere, diseases are created, not from germs as here on Earth, but rather through a more miasmatic process. For each additional hour, there is a 5% chance (“natural 1” on a d20) for one creature of every one hundred in the area to have to roll against a random disease chosen by the GM. If there are fewer than one hundred beings, then the odds are the same, but only checked every 2 hours of forced march. Should someone or something actually contract a disease, then its method of spreading to others is as its description will explain.

Previous

Next