Page 182 - Player's Handbook

CHAPTER 8: ADVENTURING

ELVING INTO THE ANCIENT TOMB or HORRORS. MOVEMENT
slipping through the back alleys of
Waterdeep, hacking a fresh trail through Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a
the thick jungles on the Isle of Dread-these dungeon corridor, scaling a treacherous mountain slope-
are the things that DUNGEONS& DRAGONS ali sorts of movement play a key role in D&D adventures.
adventures are made of. Your character in The DM can summarize the adventurers' movement
the game might explore forgotten ruins and without calculating exact distances or traveI times: "You
uncharted lands, uncover dark secrets and sinister travei through the forest and find the dungeon entrance
plots, and slay foul monsters. And if ali goes well, your late in the evening of the third day." Even in a dungeon,
character will survive to claim rich rewards before particularlya large dungeon or a cave network, the
embarking on a new adventure. DM can summarize movement between encounters:
This chapter covers the basics of the adventuring life, "After killing the guardian at the entrance to the ancient
from the mechanics of movement to the complexities of dwarven stronghold, you consult your map, which leads
social interaction. The rules for resting are also in this you through miJes of echoing corridors to a chasm
chapter, along with a discussion of the activities your bridged bya narrow stone arch."
character might pursue between adventures. Sometimes it's important, though, to know how long
Whether adventurers are exploring a dusty dungeon it takes to get from one spot to another, whether the
or the complex relationships of a royal court, the game answer is in days, hours, or minutes. The rules for
follows a natural rhythm, as outlined in the book's determining traveI time depend on two factors: the
introduction: speed and traveI pace of the creatures moving and the
terrain they're moving over.
I. The DM describes the environmenl.
2. The players describe what they want to do. SPEED
3. The DM narrates the results of their actions.
Every character and monster has a speed, which is
Typically, the DM uses a map as an outline of the the distance in feet that the character or monster
adventure, tracking the characters' progress as they can walk in 1 round. This number assumes short
explore dungeon corridors or wilderness regions. bursts of energetic movement in the midst of a life-
The DM's notes, including a key to thc map, describe threatening situation.
what the adventurers lind as they enter each new area. The following rules determine how far a character
Sometimes, the passage of time and the adventurers' or monster can move in a minute, an hour, or a day.
actions determine what happens, so the DM might
use a timeline or a flowchart to track their progress TRAVEL PACE
instead of a map. While traveling, a group of adventurers can move at a
normal, fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travei Pace
TIME table. The table states how far the party can move in a
In situations where keeping track of the passage of period of time and whether the pace has any effecl. A
time is important, the DM determines the time a task fast pace makes characters less perceptive, while a slow
requires. The DM might use a different time scale pace makes it possible to sneak around and to search an
depending on the context of the situation at hand. In area more carefully (see the "Activity While Traveling"
a dungeon environment, the adventurers' movement section later in this chapter for more information).
happens on a scale of minutes. lt takes them about a Forced March. The Travei Pace table assumes that
minute to creep down a long hallway, another minute characters traveI for 8 hours in day. They can push on
to check for traps on the door at the end of the hall, and beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion.
a good ten minutes to search the chamber beyond for For each additional hour of traveI beyond 8 hours,
anything interesting or valuable. the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour
In a city or wilderness, a scale of hours is often more column for their pace, and each character must make
appropriate. Adventurers eager to rcach the lonely tower a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The
at the heart of the forest hurry across those fifteen miles DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed
in just under four hours' time. saving throw, a character suffers one leveI of exhaustion
For long journeys, a scale of days works besl. (see appendix A).
Following the road from Baldur's Gate to Waterdeep, the Mounts and Vehicles. For short spans of time (up
adventurers spend four uneventful days before a goblin to an hour), many animaIs move much faster than
ambush interrupts their journey. humanoids. A mounted character can ride at a gallop
In combat and other fast-paced situations, the game for about an hour, covering twice the usual distance for
relies on rounds, a 6-second span of time described a fast pace. If fresh mounts are available every 8 to 10
in chapter 9. miles, characters can cover larger distances at this pace,
but this is very rare except inuensely populated areas.

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