Travel is broken down into three main phases:
- Embarkation
- Events
- Arrival
Embarkation - "Did you pack some spare socks?"
Okay, the first part of this doesn't work so great. The book says that the GM should have the players choose a route on the Player's Map (which is hand-drawn), then the GM looks at the same route on the Loremaster's Map (which has hexes and the danger of each area) to pull up the numbers for later. Here's what the two maps look like side-by-side...
I have a couple of problems with this. One, if an area is so dangerous, wouldn't the player characters have heard about it? If Mirkwood is full of man-eating spiders I kind of think the locals might have mentioned it at some point in the character's life. Now, it's fine not to now about the local hazards if you're from a different region - but gain wouldn't a smart adventurer ask? Do we need to force the players to "role-play" a scene of asking the barkeep about the region? Does that really add anything over assuming they are smart enough to know "don't play with the man-eating spiders over there"?
The next section is something I like the best out of this whole system, the players then divide themselves among different roles. Here's the rules from page 165 of the Player's Guide...
While the Loremaster consults the Loremaster’s Map, players assign their Player-heroes a task for the journey, roughly summarising what they will be doing for the length of the trip.
An experienced company differs from a novice group of adventurers in the capability of its members to collaborate effectively. When they are travelling, the companions usually divide up some of the duties according to ability.
The tasks divided between the company are as follows:
Guide - In charge of all decisions concerning route, rest, and supplies. Guides rely on Wisdom and Survival proficiency.
Scout - In charge of setting up camp, opening new trails. Scouts rely on Stealth and Investigation.
Hunter - In charge of finding food in the wild. Hunters rely on success with Survival checks.
Look-out - In charge of keeping watch. Look-outs rely on their abilities in Perception.
With the exception of the company’s Guide, more than one Player-hero may be assigned the same task (in other words, there may be more than one character acting as Look-outs, or more heroes going hunting regularly), but normally no character may assume more than one role at the same time (posing as the group’s Hunter AND Scout, for example). If there’s more than one person assigned to a task then nominate a lead Scout, Hunter or Look-out. That character is the one who makes the test and gains advantage from the assistance of the other Player-heroes performing the Help action on that task.
If a task goes unfilled, any relevant tests for that task which come up are taken at a disadvantage.
I really like it when the rules reinforce the idea that the players are a team, and I like how they kind of manage to use some skills beyond just "Survival everything" for a travel scene. It does get a little weird though because even though each player chooses a role, they might not actually make any rolls, which I'll get to in a minute. I think this is a good concept even though I don't totally agree with the implementation. This is also when I have the players work out who takes which watches, in case I decide to ambush them in the middle of the night.
So, while the players sort themselves (hat optional) the GM (which they call a Loremaster, but I will call a GM) is looking at the super-duper-secret-map to figure out how dangerous the trip is going to be, called the "Peril Rating." This is a 1 to 5 scale, from Easy to Daunting, and increasing by 1 if it's winter (still max 5 though). Then comes the part where you can tell they imported this from another game...
Once the route is decided upon, and the Loremaster has determined the Peril rating of the journey, the Guide must make an Embarkation roll using a single d12. This roll is modified as follows: the Guide’s Survival proficiency bonus plus half their Wisdom bonus, minus the Peril Rating of the journey, as determined by the Loremaster. The result of the roll is used on the Embarkation Table opposite. The Guide should make a note of both the numbered result and its effects. The result may be referred to during the following parts of the journey.
This is a switch from the usual DC system is because there are 12 possible starts...
1. (or less) Dark Signs and Evil Portents
2. A Fell and Foreboding Start
3. The Keen Eyes of the Enemy
4. The Wearisome Toil of Many Leagues
5. Foul Weather
6. Meagre Supplies and Poor Meals
7. Feasts Fit for the Kings of Ancient Times
8. Fine Weather
9. Paths Both Swift and True
10. Hidden from the Shadow
11. With Hopeful Hearts and Clear Purpose
12. (or more) From Auspicious Beginnings
Some of these get kind of weird, since the descriptions talk about the journey ahead, which you haven't technically started yet. Like this one...
5. Foul Weather
The rain falls constantly, the wind chills to the bone, the sun beats down unrelentingly, frost numbs toes and fingers. Rest is hard to find, sleep is elusive and every mile walked feels like three. As a result, each member of the company suffers one additional level of exhaustion.
I would expect an "embarkation" roll to say something more like (my words here):
While you had fair weather when you started the trip, unexpected [wind/ rain/ snow] has set in for the first leg of the journey. Each party member suffers one level of exhaustion (and/ or each makes their first skill check at disadvantage).
This also makes me think of a special ability some characters can have (forget if it's a class ability or a feat), they can detect bad weather. Which strikes me as a interesting thing if some characters could have an ability that would negate a bad embarkation roll? Like, the weather character would say, oh no, let's wait before we take off (maybe with some small penalty if time is an issue, I'll talk about my "Pace" system in a later post). That might be kind of cool, so even if the main Guide has a bad roll, perhaps another character could mitigate or negate the penalty - again to reinforce that whole "party working together" vibe?
Aside from some wording issues like that, this seems an okay table, even though the journey may start off on a bad foot it doesn't mean the whole trip will be bad (thought the really low rolls impose some serious penalties).
Events - "What do you mean you didn't see that chasm?"
With the embarkation over, now we get to the random events table. The number of events depends on the length of the journey...
Short Journey (1-15 hexes on the Loremaster’s Map): 1d2 for number of challenges.
Medium Journey (16-40 hexes on the Loremaster’s Map): 1d2+1 for number of challenges.
Long Journey (41+ hexes on the Loremaster’s Map): 1d3+2 for number of challenges.
Journeys through predominantly Easy terrain result in a -1 modifier to this roll, to a minimum of 1.
Journeys through predominantly Hard or Severe terrain result in a +1 modifier to this roll.
Journeys through predominantly Daunting Terrain result in a +2 modifier to this roll.
Counting hexes is about as much fun as watching paint dry, so I've always picked the length that worked for me. I also say that Easy terrain has a minimum of 0 events, because while some of them can be positive, generally I don't worry about going in-depth describing the journey if the players are in a fairly safe area.
One thing I don't remember the book going over is when an event should happen. With more detailed travel rules and a setting that is more travel-oriented I find myself actually narrating day-by-day, which makes it a small annoyance to roll a die for which day an event will trigger on. I think I just need a better narrative framework, and I am totally obsessing over a minor detail, I know.
The Peril Rating of the journey also factors into the DCs required, like so...
In all cases, the DC of checks made during a journey is determined by adding the Peril Rating of the journey to a base of 12.
Therefore, on a journey with a Peril Rating of 3 (unfamiliar areas, deep forest and so on) the DC of all checks would be (12+3) 15, whilst on a journey through Angmar in the depths of winter, all DCs would be (12+5+1) for a total of 18.
Here's something you can get away with fairly well in a bounded accuracy system like DnD 5e. A 1st level character with +2 Proficiency Bonus and a 16 (+3) Attribute would have a 55% chance of success for a DC 15 roll. The same character at 9th level, +4 Proficiency and with an enhanced 18 (+4) Attribute for same DC 15 would have a 70% chance of success. So the 1st level character is pretty iffy, while the 9th level character is reliable but not guaranteed. It would be a lot more complicated to keep meaningful DCs in a system like Pathfinder (as I found when I used the Pursuit rules, DC 20 is hard for a beginning Pathfinder character, but less-than-trivial for a mid-level character).
So there is a table of events, the GM rolls a d12 to choose. They can be very strange, they can be good or bad and sometimes only one character will make a roll. Here's a couple of examples...
5. Agents of the Enemy
Hostile scouts or hunters cross the company’s path, this may even be a sharp eyed Crebain, gathering news for the Enemy.
The Look-out must make a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot the enemy before they become aware of the company. If successful, the company has seized the initiative and may decide how to proceed. They may either sneak past the hostile force or ambush them, in which case they benefit from a round of surprise.
If the Look-out’s Perception roll fails, the hostile scouts set an ambush and they benefit from a round of surprise.
If combat ensues, the Loremaster may resolve it as normal, setting out the combat abilities of the small enemy party to give a small to moderate challenge to the company.
All rolls made outside of combat during this task are subject to disadvantage/advantage if the Guide’s Embarkation roll was either 3 or 10.
9. A Lingering Memory of Times Long Past
The company discovers a relic of past ages. A statue, a building, the remains of an ancient settlement, perhaps even some finely wrought trinket half-buried in the earth. It is even possible that they witness a travelling company of Elves, making their way towards the Grey Havens.
With good fortune and a light heart, the company will be uplifted by this sight, sensing something hopeful for the future in this glimpse into the past. With poor fortune, the company will be filled with a sense of doom, seeing the decay of lost glory and the end of hope.
Each member of the company should make a Wisdom check. If successful, they are filled with Hope regarding their journey and their struggles against the Shadow and gains Inspiration. If they make the roll by 5 or more they are so positively affected by the sight that they may also remove a level of exhaustion. Additionally, if at least half of the company is successful, a +1 modifier may be applied to the Guide’s Arrival roll.
With a failed roll, they see only the fleeting nature of life and the fall of all that is good, and must make a Corruption check to avoid gaining 2 points of Shadow.
If they fail the roll by 5 or more, they feel morose and wearied by the scene and suffer a level of exhaustion in addition to the Shadow points. Additionally, if more than half of the company fail (since we’re talking about individual rolls) their roll, a -1 modifier must be applied to the Guide’s Arrival roll.
They also included more events in each book, so you can customize them to the region the players are in to some degree. Overall I have to say that I like these events more than most "random wilderness tables" I've seen. At the same time, it feels a little weird to have some events that are extremely detailed if, like me, you usually gloss over travel. Also it's a little weird that sometimes the whole party will be part of an event and other times only one character is rolling. Given how much the travel system seems to be built on the characters working together, I almost would like separate event tables for each role (guide, lookout, etc...) - though that would add a fair bit of complexity to the system.
Aside from a few minor gripes, I do like this system, and it has worked pretty well in the games I've run.
Arrival - "Are we there yet? Are we..."
As much fun as trampling through the woods and fighting monsters and depression are, eventually you make it to your destination (hopefully). Which means one last roll...
As the company completes its journey they make a roll to determine their overall mood and demeanour. Dependent upon the exhortations of the Guide, the difficulty of the terrain they have travelled and the company’s successes or failures upon the road, they may be in high spirits or despondent; full of vigour or footsore and weary. They may have fine tales to tell, or they may be gritting their teeth and silently scowling at any folk with whom they must interact.
This roll is additionally modified depending on the difficulty of the majority of the terrain that the company crossed, as follows:
• Easy Terrain: +1 to the Arrival roll
• Moderate Terrain: No modifier to the Arrival roll
• Hard or Severe Terrain: -1 to the Arrival roll
• Daunting Terrain: -2 to the Arrival roll
The Guide rolls a d8, applies any modifiers from the Embarkation roll and the terrain of the journey, and then compares the result with the table on the opposite page...
And again the party might have to roll for Shadow (I'll talk about that next post) or exhaustion or they might get some benefits. This is actually the weirdest part of all - it's almost like one final, oddly tacked-on event. I'd really like to see this part of the system get an overhaul, it feels very weird and unnecessary. It's quick, I just haven't felt the love for it.
Which brings us to the end of our journey through the journey rules.
I have to admit that I like the system overall. I have never liked taking a lot of time describing journeys and rolling on random tables, but these have been pretty easy to use, and added some flavor to travel - which totally fits the setting. I think the system can be improved (hell, I always think I can make a system better if I thinker with it, don't mind me), but even playing it as-written for a few adventures I have liked it overall. About two times I've dropped it because there was more important story stuff going on, so I wanted to keep the narrative focused, but the first adventure I ran was pretty much all the journey rules with a few extra scripted encounters, and the players seemed to like it. I tip my hat to the designers for making something that fits well into the 5e rules and reinforces the setting.
Next post I'll go into another mechanic that I like, but I don't think the execution was as well done - we'll go over the Shadow and Corruption system.
You can find the rest of this series here
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