Travel & Survival Rules

As an exploration faced game, a West Marches game involves a more complex exploration phase. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the amended rules as presented below: Journey Activities Adventurers have the option to participate in activ - ities while traveling in order to pick up some extra resources, improve the conditions of their journey, or learn more about the world around them. The DC of each activity is dependent on a number of factors, including the region's environment, inclement weather, or the presence of natural or supernatural threats. Notable DC Modifiers Inclement Weather (+2) may impede an adventurer's ability to complete certain tasks such as tracking. Multitasking (+3) comes into play when a character is attempting to undertake multiple activities at once. For each task beyond the first, a +3 modifier is applied to all DCs. Hostile Territory (+4) comes into play for certain travel activities, but not all. A character decides which activity they are engaging in at the start of each day that they are travelling.  A party member may engage in one of the following activities during a watch: Busk : When traveling along a road or through a populous area, adventurers can entertain passersby with a successful Acrobatics, Athletics, or Performance check. Earning gold as they travel. Chronicle : An adventurer that writes down observations of landmarks, customs, and points of interest can make an Intelligence (History) check or the use of appropriate tools each day. Success may grant Expertise dice (1d4 to be added to future skill checks) or unlock potential Boons to be used on later travel days. This replaces the cartographer role. Cook : By acting as the party’s cook and quartermaster, with a cook’s utensils can help ensure that everybody remains fed. A success generates additional Supply (albeit not at the same rate as foraging), while a critical success restores a hit die to each creature traveling with the group. Cover Tracks : While moving at a slow pace, an adventurer can cover the party’s tracks with a Survival check so that it is harder for pursuers to follow. The adventurer’s Survival check result is the DC for any pursuer’s Survival check to track them. Enterain : With a successful Performance check an adventurer can help keep the party’s spirits high. Each party member can only benefit from this journey activity once per week. Successful entertain checks can be used to avoid or remove afflictions such as Strife and Fatigue. Forage . A character can search for food, water, and other resources, potentially gathering useful supplies as they travel. Rules for foraging are found on page 22 of the  West Marches Enchiridion. Harvest : An adventurer that succeeds on a Medicine or Nature check finds plants to refill a healer’s kit. A critical success might generate healing herbs to the effect of a potion of healing ! Navigate . A character can try to prevent the group from becoming lost as they traverse the wilds. A party member that is navigating can make Wisdom (Survival) checks to navigate. A party member can assist the navigator, provided that they are proficient in Survival. When an adventurer can tell cardinal directions, such as a character with the Keen Mind or Explorer feats, they always have advantage made on Wisdom (Survival) checks made to navigate. Notice Threats.  A character can keep an eye out for danger and threats as the party travels, making it more difficult for enemies to ambush them, or traps to take effect. A party member that is noticing threats can use their passive Wisdom (Perception) score to notice threats. Pray : While traveling many choose to connect with deities and spirits. An adventurer makes a Religion check. Success may invoke blessings from the gods, while abject failure may displease them. Rob : Adventurers can force others into handing over their coins with a successful Intimidation check, or pickpocket travelers with a successful Sleight of Hand check. To perform this journey activity, the party must be in a populated area such as a Country Shire, Open Roads, or Urban Township. This journey activity usually takes a week to complete. Scout : An adventurer roams at a distance from the party, making a Perception check seeking vantage points to look ahead. This journey activity can only be attempted once per journey, with success granting advantage on future rolls or even finding shortcuts. Track . A character can follow a trail or set of tracks while pursuing a creature or group of creatures. Rules for tracking are found on page 18 of the West Marches Enchiridion .  Helping While Traveling Generally speaking, any activity undertaken by a character while travelling can be assisted by another character, granting advantage on the check. In certain cases, such as when navigating or tracking, there are certain requisite skill proficiencies or other features a character must have before they can help. Features, spells, and other effects that grant a specific bonus to a check, such as a cleric’s  guidance  spell, can be used during travel activities. If the effect requires an action, such as with guidance, the character granting the effect must use their entire travel activity to do so. If the effect is passive, such as from a magic item, the effect is simply enacted as on a normal check. Travel Pace While adventuring, characters may sometimes wish to travel at a faster pace, and other times at a slower one, depending on a variety of factors. While travelling, a group of adventurers can move at a normal, fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table. The table states how far the party can move in a period of time and whether the pace has any effect. Travelling at a fast pace makes characters less perceptive and unable to focus on anything but the road, while a slow travel pace makes it possible to sneak around and to traverse the area more carefully. Characters can travel for 8 hours—two watches—per day normally, incurring no penalties. However, a party can push beyond this limit, at the risk of fatigue. For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a characters suffers one level of fatigue. Travel Pace Distance Per Hour Distance Per Watch Effect Gallop 8 miles* N/A Disadvantage on Survival. Can only be maintained for 1 hour. Fast 4 miles 18 miles -5 on passive Perception and disadvantage on Perception checks Normal  miles 12 miles Unable to use Stealth Slow 2 miles 8 miles Advantage on Survival checks Fast Pace.  At a fast pace, characters suffer a -5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores, a -5 penalty to Wisdom (Survival) checks made to navigate or track, and cannot engage in travel activities other than noticing threats, navigating, or tracking. Normal Pace . A normal pace has no additional effects beyond Stealth not being possible. Slow Pace.  At a slow pace, characters are able to travel stealthily, all Wisdom (Survival) and Wisdom (Perception) rolls are made at advantage. Creatures or characters suffering from two levels of fatigue are incapable of traveling faster than normal pace unless mounted. Creatures or characters suffering from three levels of fatigue may only travel at slow speed unless mounted. Forced March Adventurers on a journey can travel for up to 8 hours in a day before requiring a short rest to reinvigorate themselves and continue —any further and they may exhaust themselves. For every additional hour of travel past 8 hours, an adventurer makes a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour (DC 10 + the number of additional hours of travel), suffering a level of fatigue on a failure. The party can set the pace, increasing the DC of the saving throw for a normal pace (+1) or fast/ mounted pace (+2). For example, after traveling for 8 hours a party decides to push themselves and continue the day’s journey for 1 additional hour at a normal pace. At the end of the hour they’ve traveled another 3 miles, but each adventurer makes a DC 12 Constitution saving throw (10 + 1 additional hour + 1 for normal pace), suffering a level of fatigue on a failure. Mounts & Pack Animals Mounts such as riding horses can only travel for about an hour a day at the gallop pace listed in the Travel Pace table above. While mounts and pack animals may be useful on a journey, they are also a responsibility—each mount requires its own Supply, may have difficulty traveling in different kinds of environments, and can become a liability during certain exploration challenges. For example, it may be difficult to lead a mount through a swampy area or have it traverse a landslide. Land Vehicles Wagons and carts are unable to go faster than a slow pace, but some land vehicles can choose at which pace to move. Stealth cannot be used while journeying in a land vehicle, and they require a DC 13 land vehicle check every day spent traveling at a fast pace. This DC may vary dependent on the type of terrain being moved through. On a failure, the vehicle suffers a malfunction (see Malfunctions, Chapter 4: Equipment in the Adventurer’s Guide). Water Vehicles  Water vehicles are restricted by the speed of the vehicle and gain no benefits from a slow pace, but have no penalties for moving at a fast pace. Depending on the vehicle and crew size, a ship can travel up to 24 hours a day. Shelter and Sleeping Resting & Havens While on a journey, adventurers are only able to recover from fatigue or strife on a long rest when they have access to a haven. A haven is a place to get a meal and a full night’s sleep without the reasonable risk of attack or harm from the elements. For example, an inn is considered a haven, but a campsite where adventurers must take turns keeping watch through the night is not. Some spells and class features may create havens. Camping in the Wilds When making camp for the night in the wilds, there are three critical factors: how cold it is, how wet you are, and how exposed your campsite is. If any of these factors are not accounted for, you open yourself to the risk of all sorts of hazards, ranging from mere unpleasantness to potentially life-threatening diseases. Warmth With the exception of temperatures above 70 degrees Fahrenheit (commonly experienced only in arid climates or the hottest summer months), some additional source of warmth is required at night beyond basic adventuring clothing If a character sleeps with a blanket or bedroll, they suffer no ill effects; if a character sleeps next to an open campfire or other large source of heat, they will similarly suffer no ill effects. These two are the most common means of maintaining warmth at night, but there might be other ways to do so. Wetness While it is quite common for adventurers to swim in lakes, wade through rivers, and dive into dungeon pools—and thus become thoroughly soaked— it can be quite dangerous to go to sleep while still wet. Characters might also become wet from travelling in the rain, interacting with exceptionally watery creatures, bathing, or other activities. A wet creature will dry off over the course of one hour, so long as they stay dry the entire time. If that creature is near a significant source of heat, such as a campfire or stove, that time is cut in half. Likewise, there may be additional means to quickly dry off. In inclement weather, such as rain or snow, the only way to get dry is to have access to sufficient shelter and interior heat. Sitting by the fire in the rain will not help dry a character off sufficiently. Exposure Beyond simple rain and snow, other forms of exposure, typically wind, can sap away at a character’s strength. The simplest way to avoid exposure is through shelter, which shields a party from the outdoors. Shelter is any structure or formation that has at least three walls and a roof. The most common sources of shelter in the wilderness are tents, caves, and ruins, but there may be others. Sleeping In order to avoid ill effects while resting, characters must satisfy all three conditions: they must stay warm, they must stay dry, and they must stay sheltered.  Over the course of a short or long rest, if a character does not satisfy any of the above conditions, they must make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw at the end of their rest or suffer a level of fatigue. For each additional condition a character does not satisfy, the DC increases by 5, and the character suffers an additional level of fatigue. For example, if a character is both cold and exposed to the wind during their rest, they must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer two levels of fatigue. Creatures with resistance to cold damage have advantage on these saving throws; creatures within immunity to cold damage automatically succeed. Food & Supply Mundane consumable items like food and water are simplified into a single item called Supply. When an adventurer gains access to food and water, they can add Supply to their inventory. Basic rations (dry food and water) usually costs 5 silver for 1 Supply, but finer foods may cost more. ( The stores in Hope have been updated to reflect this, but your character sheets will need to manually be updated to replace rations & waterskins. For every ration + waterskin in your possession, you gain 1 supply) 1 Supply consists of enough combined food and water to sustain a Small- or Medium sized creature for a day.  Large-sized creatures require 2 Supply each day. Creatures of Huge size or larger require an amount of Supply determined by the DM. Whenever a creature takes a short rest, it must consume a Supply. If it does not, it gains a level of fatigue. Long rests taken in town or other havens are covered elsewhere. When undertaking the Forage  travel activity, a character that successfully forages finds Supply equal to their Wisdom modifier, or twice their Wisdom modifier on a critical success. Supply consumed while in another form (like while under the effects of a polymorphing spell or a druid’s wild shape) is wasted and provides no nourishment when a creature returns to its normal form. When adventurers run out of Supply while journeying, they can access more in a few ways. Boons and discoveries, which are common rewards for exploration challenges, may lead to more Supply. As a last resort, the party may need to take a detour to the nearest town, find a wandering merchant, or even abandon the journey and head home. Tracking If a character wishes to track another creature or group of creatures over long distances, they must make a Wisdom (Survival) check for each watch they wish to spend tracking. The DC varies, depending on the terrain, weather, and creature. If a character is tracking an army’s passage over muddy terrain on a clear day, no check is required. However, a single individual moving across bare stone floor in a dungeon may prove much harder. Another player that is proficient in Survival can assist a character tracking, granting them advantage on the roll. If a character has some other means of tracking a creature, such as by magic, they may also assist a tracking character. The Tracking table provides some example DCs and modifiers, those these may be altered at the GM’s discretion, depending on the circumstances. Condition DC Soft, muddy ground 10 Dirt or grass 15 Bare stone 20 Each day since the creature passed +5 Creature left a trail, such as blood -5 Tracker is moving at a slow pace -5 Tracker is traveling at a fast pace +5 Navigation There are two basic modes of navigation when travelling the wilderness: directional and landmark. Landmark navigation depends on nearby landmarks, locations, and structures to provide the path, while directional navigation occurs when the party is travelling based on their own sense of direction. A party decides which mode they will be navigating by on a per day basis, at the same time that they decide travel activities. Landmark Navigation Landmark navigation occurs when the party has a clear, visible destination in view: the snowy cleft mountain, the massive black tree on the hill, or the ruined fortress looming ahead. So long as the landmark is clearly in view, the party does not need to make checks to navigate to it. If the party’s view is not always clear, such as when obscured by intermittent fog or dense jungle canopy, the party must have the landmark in clear view at least once every day. If necessary, the party may stop to get a better view, such as by climbing a tree or using magic to levitate themselves. At the GM’s discretion, a Wisdom (Perception) check may be necessary. Landmark navigation can also be used for continuous landmarks or terrain features, such as following a river, cliffside, or coastline.  If the party wishes to travel to a landmark that is large or nonspecific, such as a range of mountains, it is the GM’s discretion where exactly the party ends up; the broader the landmark, the more variance in the party’s eventual location. Visibility By default, the horizon is approximately 3 miles away, meaning anything without significant size or elevation cannot be seen past the 3 mile limit. However, larger objects typically can be seen from a greater distance, meaning that navigating by landmarks further than 3 miles away is possible, provided there are no obstructions in the way, like trees, hills, or buildings. As a broad rule of thumb, a given landmark is visible from 3 miles away, plus one extra mile for every 100 feet the landmark rises above the surrounding terrain. Thus, a mountain range rising 8,000 feet above the surrounding land would be visible from 80-85 miles away. However, an individual mountain peak of 8,000 feet surrounded by mountains terrain 7,500 feet high would only be visible from 8 miles away while viewed from within those mountains.  The GM may call for a Wisdom (Perception) check to attempt to spot particular landmarks in areas where visibility may be uncertain. If a player wishes to gauge distance between two locations, the GM should call for an Intelligence (Perception) check. In an area that is lightly obscured, visibility is reduced to 1 mile. In an area that is heavily obscured, visibility is so low that landmark navigation becomes impossible. Directional Navigation Directional navigation occurs when the party has no clear visible destination, but is instead travelling based on their own sense of direction, instructions off a map, or directions from some other source. Under directional navigation, the party chooses a navigator, and the navigator chooses a direction for the group to travel. When choosing a direction, the navigator may do so with absolute directions, e.g. “I would like to travel north.” They may also do so with relative directions, e.g. “I would like to travel rightward of our current facing.” If the navigator has means to know cardinal directions with certainty, such as the Keen Mind feat or through a compass, they make all directional navigation rolls with advantage.  What a navigator may not do is travel to locations known only by memory, e.g. “I would like to travel to that ruined temple we found two weeks ago,” nor may the navigator simply point to the party’s map and declare that they are travelling there. Once per watch, the navigator must make a Wisdom (Survival) check to ensure the party is still travelling in the correct direction. The DC is determined by the terrain type that the party is currently travelling through; to figure out the typical DC for a given area, see page 50. If another party member wishes to assist the navigator, they may do so, provided that they are proficient in Survival or have access to cartographer’s tools. This grants the navigator advantage on navigation rolls, though the assisting party member counts as spending their travel time navigating as well, meaning they cannot be on guard for danger or conducting other travel-time activities. If the party is travelling at a slow pace, the navigator gains a +5 bonus to the navigation roll, and travelling at a fast pace imposes a -5 penalty. If the region the party is travelling through is lightly obscured, such as by fog, the navigation DC increases by 5. If the region is heavily obscured, such as by a storm or the cover of darkness, the navigation DC increases by 10. If the party is travelling at a slow pace, the navigator gains a +5 bonus to the navigation roll, and travelling at a fast pace imposes a -5 penalty. If the region the party is travelling through is lightly obscured, such as by fog, the navigation DC increases by 5. If the region is heavily obscured, such as by a storm or the cover of darkness, the navigation DC increases by 10. If the party is travelling at a slow pace, the navigator gains a +5 bonus to the navigation roll, and travelling at a fast pace imposes a -5 penalty. If the region the party is travelling through is lightly obscured, such as by fog, the navigation DC increases by 5. If the region is heavily obscured, such as by a storm or the cover of darkness, the navigation DC increases by 10. Getting Lost If the party navigator succeeds on their roll against the navigation DC, all is well, and they continue in their intended direction. If the navigator fails the roll, however, the party begins to go astray. If the navigator fails the roll by 5 or less, the party goes slightly astray. If the navigator fails the roll by more than 5, their travel route has gone significantly awry. In either case, the party will likely travel in a direction that is not their intended direction. The GM secretly rolls 1d12 and consults the Slightly or Significantly Lost tables, respectively. All new directions are relative to their intended direction.

Food & Water Folk accustomed to the markets and taverns of cities will find the Marches deeply inhospitable. Inns are far and few between, if at all, and markets are found only in wayward peddlers and strange dealers of curios. And yet, to those with the correct knowledge and skill, the Marches provide a bounty of resources: you just need to know where to look. Foraging When spending lengths of time in the wilderness, explorers often prefer to forage and hunt for their food, rather than lug around rations. Over the course of a watch, a character can forage for food or water; if the party is travelling, this can only be done while travelling at a slow or normal pace. At the conclusion of watch, the character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check, with the DC determined by the region the party is travelling through. If the party travelled through more than one region over the course of a watch, use the DC for whichever the party spent the most time in. On a failure, the character finds nothing. On a success, the character finds an amount equal to their Wisdom modifier. The sources of food and water are determined at the GM’s discretion, based on the region the party is travelling through.  Most food found is either raw meat from hunted animals that must be cooked, or readily-eaten plant matter, such as nuts and berries. If a character would like to find certain kinds of food only, typically to avoid the need to light a fire, they suffer disadvantage. Water collected while foraging generally has a higher risk of being unclean, and as such has a cleanliness DC of 10. Fishing If a character would like to fish for their food, typically when travelling over water instead of land or when near a body of water, they must have a set of fishing tackle. Fishing otherwise follows the same rules as normal foraging. Cleanliness Adventurers to the Marches are hardy folk certainly, but even still, consuming food or water found in the Marches can be dangerous. Hunted game can carry plague or maggots, fruits and vegetables may be rotted through, and water can carry foul disease. If counteractive measures are not taken, these can lay even the mightiest of adventurers low. Unclean Water Water encountered in the wilderness sometimes has diseases or impurities running through it, or is otherwise unsuitable for drinking. Well-water, rainwater, water from streams or rivers, and lake water are all safe to drink. All other sources, such as stagnant swamp water, water found in puddles or in plants, pooled water underground, or other, less savory sources, is unclean. Water can be purified through the purify food and drink spell or similar, through the use of clearwater solution, or by being boiled for 1 minute. If a character drinks water that has not been purified, they must make a Constitution saving throw one hour after ingestion. The DC of the saving throw is determined by the source of the water: the purer the source, the higher the likelihood that the water is clean. Water Source DC Puddle or plant 10 Swamp or brackish water 20 Salt water 30 On a failure, the character immediately suffers one level of fatigue. If a character fails the saving throw by 5 or more, they suffer two levels of fatigue instead. They also run the risk of becoming infected with parasites or disease, at the DM's discretion. Unclean Food While rations are the classic sustenance of adventurers, many prefer a break for something less bland, or else don’t wish to be bother carrying the rations. Ordinary food, however, will eventually rot, increasing the risk of disease. Similarly, consuming certain uncooked foods also carries a chance of disease. Generally speaking, most food rots after one week; foods like grains, tropical fruit, most vegetables, and most cooked dishes. Raw meat of all varieties rots after 24 hours, as do most dairy products. Spells such as purify food and drink will remove any spoiling and potential diseases from rotten food, but it will not restore food matter that has rotted away. Some foods can go longer without rotting, and a few rare types of foodstuffs, like certain cheeses, do not rot at all. Furthermore, many foodstuffs can be preserved, typically either through airtight storage or heavy salting, which extends the amount of time before the food spoils. These items and effects are determined at the GM’s discretion. If a character consumes food that is unclean, they must make a Constitution saving throw one hour after ingestion. The DC of the save is determined by the source of food: the more rotten the food is, the higher the likelihood of disease. Creatures that have natural adaptations against food sources that would normally carry the risk of illness, such as Lizardfolk eating raw meat, automatically succeed on appropriate Constitution saving throws from eating unclean food. Source of Food DC Raw Meat 10 Rotten meat or curdled dairy 25 Rotten food (grains, vegetables etc) 30 On a failure, the character immediately suffers one level of fatigue. If a character fails the saving throw by 5 or more, they suffer two levels of fatigue instead.

Surveying & Hunting When deep into the Marches, player characters may find themselves wondering exactly what a new region holds: the dread beasts, fell monsters, and ancient evils. Once those are known, it is naturally the first instinct of adventurers to follow those creatures to their lair, and put an end to them. Surveying When in a region of the Marches, an adventurer can spend time in the wilds, searching for signs of local creatures, so as to ascertain what dwells in the region. Over the course of a watch, a character may survey an entire region to determine what sorts of creatures dwell there. At the end of the watch, the character makes an Intelligence (Nature) check: they discover evidence of each creatures based on its Survey DC.  Another character can assist in surveying, provided they are proficient in Nature. Characters may not survey while travelling, but a watch spent surveying still counts toward overall travel time for the day. Survey DC The Survey DC reflects the overall difficulty of finding evidence of a creature in a given region. When a character succeeds to survey, it doesn’t mean that they have specifically found that creature, merely that they have found evidence that the creature lives in that region.  While there may be specific subsets of creatures within a given group, such as a Hobgoblin Captain leading a group of Hobgoblins, the Survey DC reflects the group as a whole, and as such should use the stat block of the most common monster in the group. The Survey DC for a creature begins at 10, and the Survey Difficulty table provides modifiers and adjustments to each creature’s Survey DC. The GM may adjust these further at their discretion, in the case of rare or unusual protections against being noticed. Modifier DC Default 10 Creatures with a climbing speed +2 Creatures with a flying speed +5 Creatures with a swimming speed +5 Creatures with a Stealth bonus + modifier Small creatures +2 per size smaller than medium Large creatures -2 per size larger than medium Creatures rare or in small number +5 Creatures common or in large number -5 For example, consider the Howling Hills. The Hills’ inhabitants include wild elk, a band of goblins, a colony of giant spiders, and a pair of wyverns.  The elk Survey DC starts at 10. They have no climb, fly, or swim speed, and thus their DC is unaffected. They have no stealth bonus, nor are they larger or smaller than medium, and thus their DC still unaffected. They are quite common in the Hills, and thus their DC is lowered by 5. In total, the elk Survey DC is 5. The goblin Survey DC starts at 10. They have no climb, fly, or swim, and thus their DC is unaffected. They have a stealth bonus of +6, and thus their DC increases by 6. They are also small, one size smaller than medium, and thus their DC increases by 2. There is a band of them, which, while more than a handful, is relatively small compared to the overall hills, thus not affecting their DC. In total, the goblin Survey DC is 18. The giant spider Survey DC starts at 10. They have a climb speed, and thus their DC increases by 2. They have a stealth bonus of +7, and thus their DC increases by 7. They are large, one size larger than medium, and thus their DC decreases by 2. There is a colony of them, making them quite common, thus decreasing their DC by 5. In total, the giant spider Survey DC is 14. The wyvern Survey DC starts at 10. They have a fly speed, and thus their DC increases by 5. They have no stealth bonus, and thus their DC is unaffected. Wyverns are large, one size larger than medium, and thus their DC decreases by 2. There are a pair of wyverns in the Hills, which is quite low for a whole region, thus their DC increases by 5. In total, the wyvern Survey DC is 18. If a character were to survey the Howling Hills, they would need at least a 5 to find evidence of elk, a 14 to find evidence of giant spiders, and an 18 to find evidence of both the wyverns and the goblins. The Purpose of Surveying Surveying is meant to allow players to examine an area’s inhabitants in some detail, provided they are willing to sink not-insignificant time into doing so. Without surveying, the only methods by which players can discover a region’s inhabitants are by random encounters or by stumbling onto their lairs. This is, of course, fun and valid, but if players are searching for a specific monster—say, a chimera, or a higher vampire—being able to search regions for indications of those monsters is very valuable It’s important to note that surveying that doesn’t reveal where within a region a creature dwells or how many of those creatures there are, nor does it imply that an adventurer has physically found such a creature. It simply gives the players the list of creatures that dwell within a region whatsoever, provided they rolled above its DC. Surveying is searching for evidence and indicators, not the creatures themselves.  Hunting After a region has been surveyed, there may come a time when adventurers would like to hunt down a creature they know dwells in the area, whether to exterminate it, to collect the natural resources its body holds, or perhaps just to talk, for instance. A character can only successfully hunt a creature that is known to make its home in the region, whether that knowledge was gained from surveying the region or not. Over the course of a watch, a character may attempt to hunt a creature to its lair or other resting spot. At the end of the watch, the character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check against the creatures’ Survey DC. On a success, the character finds the lair, resting place, or home of the hunted creature. A character may assist another in hunting, provided they are proficient in Survival. Characters may not hunt while travelling, but the watch spent hunting still counts towards overall travel time for the day While hunting normally leads to the central lair of a given group of creatures, such as the goblin’s camp or spider-queen’s nest, in the case of highly widespread creatures, such as elk, it leads to only one such lair. Hunting elk, for example, might lead to one clearing with many sleeping elk, but there will still be other elk in the region. By contrast, hunting down the single pair of wyverns leads to those particular wyverns’ lair, as they are the only in the region. Harvesting Quarry We will be using the Monster Loot  rules common across all of my games to handle harvesting of parts, meat etc. from slain monsters or discovered carcasses.

For those heading out next week, it’s a good idea to familiarise yourself with these.  Going into the wilderness unprepared is likely to be fatal. 

New Conditions: Fatigue & Strife Various challenges, obstacles, and magics can lead to either fatigue or strife. An effect can give a creature one or more levels of fatigue or strife (detailed in the effect’s description below). If a creature suffering from fatigue or strife fails to resist another effect that causes a level of the tracked condition, its current level increases by the amount specified in the effect’s description A creature suffers the effect of its current level in a tracked condition as well as all lower levels. For example, a creature suffering level 3 fatigue has its speed halved, and makes Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution checks with disadvantage An effect that removes a tracked condition reduces its level as specified in the effect’s description, with all tracked condition effects ending when a creature’s condition level is reduced below 1. Finishing a long rest at a safe haven reduces a creature’s fatigue and strife levels by 1, provided that the creature has also had Supply to get the most from its rest. A creature does not require a haven to recover from the first level of fatigue or strife, but does still require a long rest. Also, being raised from the dead reduces all of a creature’s tracked conditions by 1 Fatigue Keeping a breakneck pace while journeying, feats of great athleticism, and fell magics that sap away life force can wear down upon the body and cause fatigue. Fatigue represents exhaustion, exposure, hunger, injuries, and other physical factors which gradually wear a creature down. A creature which reaches the 7th level of the fatigue track dies. Fatigue Level Effect 1 Cannot sprint 2 Disadvantage on Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution checks 3 Speed halved and unable to maintain fast travel pace even while mounted 4 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws using Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution, and unable to maintain a normal travel pace 5 Hit Dice halved 6 Speed reduced to 5ft. and unable to maintain slow travel pace 7 Doomed Strife Intense study of potent arcana, truly rigorous intellectual challenges, and psychically demanding magics can increase one’s strife. Strife represents corruption, despair, fear, resolve, and other mental factors which gradually undo a creature’s very soul. A creature which reaches the 7th level of the strife track suffers a special, permanent effect, which is either randomly selected or decided by the Narrator. This might involve the creature shutting down completely, or be impacted in such a way that it is forever changed. Strife Level Effect 1 Disadvantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma checks 2 Disadvantage on Concentration checks 3 Can only take an action or bonus action each turn 4 Disadvantage on attack rolls and saving throws using Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma 5 Suffer the effects of a randomly determined short-term mental stress effect.  6 Cannot cast spells (but can cast cantrips)  7 Suffer the effects of a randomly determined long-term mental stress effect.