Pace

The party may choose to perform activities at a careful, normal or reckless pace. The pace affects the number of hexploration activities received, the ability to hide tracks and the ability to use stealth. See the table below for details.

Exhaustion, -1 HA per 2 levels

The most exhausted character in the party determines the penalty: every 2 levels of exhaustion they have reduces the group’s HA by 1. A character with exhaustion level 5 or higher cannot Travel at all. Some penalties can reduce the party’s available HAs below 1, but the party always has at least 1 HA unless special rules (such as being unable to travel due to exhaustion) say otherwise.

If the party is traveling with mounts or vehicles, this penalty might be reduced or eliminated, depending on whether the mounts or vehicles are able to carry the exhausted party members and provide rest for them.

Forced March, +1 HA

While traveling, the party may choose to take a forced march. This grants one extra hexploration activity for the day, but is the only activity possible that day (no more Travel, Reconnoiter or individual activities). Each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the day. The DC is 10 + 5 for each day past the first in a row (i.e. DC 15 the second day, DC 20 the third day, etc.). On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion and cannot benefit from a forced march the following day.

A character with the Endurance skill, does not need to make a saving throw for the first day of a forced march, but must make a saving throw on subsequent days (then the DC would be 10 for the second day, 15 for the third day, etc.).

If the party is traveling with mounts or vehicles, the check may be made with advantage, depending on whether the mounts or vehicles are able to carry the party’s gear and provide rest for the party members.

Severe Weather, -1 HA

Heavy rain, snow, a blizzard or strong winds count as difficult conditions. Post-blizzard terrain also counts as difficult terrain until the snow clears, which may additionally increase the Travel activities required per hex.

Special Skills, +1 HA

Only one of the following skills can grant an extra hexploration activity per day, and only if the party has a character with that skill.

A character with Pathfinding can deduce the most efficient route through untracked wilderness, effectively treating the terrain as if it had a road. This grants one extra hexploration activity for the day when traveling through wilderness terrain.

If the party has a character with the Mountain Routefinding skill, they gain one extra hexploration activity for the day when traveling through mountainous terrain.

There might be other skills that grant an extra hexploration activity, depending on the campaign and the GM’s discretion.

Travel

The party travels toward an adjacent hex. Assign Guide, Forager, and Lookout roles as described in the Travel rules.

In open terrain, such as plains or grasslands, 1 Travel activity is enough to move from one hex to an adjacent hex. Traversing difficult terrain, such as a typical forest or desert, requires 2 Travel activities. Traversing greater difficult terrain, such as a steep mountain or typical swamp, requires 3 Travel activities.

A road improves the terrain by one step. For example, a road over a mountain pass counts as difficult terrain instead of greater difficult terrain.

Travel assumes that the party is moving overland on foot. If the party is flying or traveling on water, most hexes count as open terrain, although the GM may assign a higher terrain category when appropriate.

Flying through a storm or strong winds counts as difficult or greater difficult terrain. Traveling downstream on a river counts as open terrain, while traveling upstream counts as difficult or greater difficult terrain.

If there are HA’s remaining after moving to the next hex, the party can continue traveling into another adjacent hex or perform other activities. If more HA’s are required to move into the next hex than the party has available, the party can spend the remaining HA’s to “travel closer” to the next hex, so that if they continue traveling the next day to the same hex, they will have already covered part of the distance.

Reconnoiter

You spend time surveying and exploring a specific area, getting the lay of the land and looking for unusual features and specific sites. Reconnoitering a single hex takes a number of hexploration activities equal to the Travel cost for that hex: 1 HA for open terrain, 2 HAs for difficult terrain and 3 HAs for greater difficult terrain. Traveling on roads doesn’t lessen the time required to Reconnoiter. Once the hex has been Reconnoitered, you can Map the Area to reduce your chance of getting lost in that hex. You automatically find any special feature that doesn’t require a check to find, and you attempt the appropriate checks to find hidden special features.

For instance, if you were looking for an obvious rock formation among some hills, you would spend 2 hexploration activities to Reconnoiter the hex, and you’d find the rock formation. But if you were looking for a hidden tengu monastery somewhere in some deep forests, after spending 2 activities to Reconnoiter the forest hex, you would have to succeed at a Perception check as part of your Reconnoiter activity to find the monastery.

Skills that can be helpful when Reconnoitering a hex include Investigation, Nature, Perception, Terrain Knowledge, Tracking, Scouting, Survival and more. Depending on what there is to be found, the DM may call for other skills as well.

Fortify Camp

Sharpened stakes along the perimeter, trip-lines between the trees, gear stowed where it can be grabbed in the dark - a well-fortified camp turns a patch of wilderness into something that at least resembles a defensible position. Make an appropriate Intelligence (Craft) check; the DC reflects the terrain and available materials. On a success, anyone keeping watch or defending the camp gains a +2 bonus to initiative rolls and Perception checks to detect approaching threats.

Map the Area

You sit down with parchment and charcoal and commit what the party has learned to a proper map - trails, landmarks, hazards, the way the ridgeline bends. A good map means you’ll never waste time second-guessing the route again. Requires a successful Reconnoiter first. Make an Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check; on a success, the DC of any navigation check in that hex is permanently reduced by 2.

Prepare a Campsite

Attempt a Wisdom (Survival) check against the Zone DC (the DC set by the current hex/zone) or Logistics with Expertise if the character has it, reflecting their skill at organizing camp defenses and site selection. Once a campsite is prepared, you can use the Prepare Campsite activity in this same hex again in the future (but no more than once per 24 hours) to automatically achieve the same degree of success with only an hour of work.

Success by more than 5 The site is exceptionally well chosen. The first hour of camping activities has a reduced risk of random encounters.

Success A serviceable campsite, suitable for camping activities.

Failure A subpar site. Camping activities that require checks take a -2 penalty.

Failure by more than 5 The site is unusable for activities - only rest and daily preparations are possible.

Multiple attempts: Multiple characters can each try to Prepare a Campsite; the group uses the best result. A character who critically fails may face any triggered encounter alone unless nearby allies choose to stay.

Other Exploration Activities

While one character performs Prepare Campsite, other characters can perform the following Exploration activities during the same time:

Decipher Writing - Attempt to read a magical or coded text.

Identify Alchemy - Identify an alchemical item.

Identify Magic - Identify a magical item or effect.

Repair - Fix a damaged item or structure.

Treat Wounds - Provide medical care to an injured character.

Influence - Attempt to improve an NPC companion’s attitude.

Aid - Assist the character preparing the campsite, the first helper grants advantage, and subsequent helpers grant a +1 bonus.

These activities follow their normal rules, but are treated as taking place during the campsite preparation period instead of as separate downtime.

Aid

You pitch in to help another character with their camp activity - holding the torch while they work, steadying the cooking pot, hauling brush for camouflage or keeping watch while someone else concentrates. The first helper grants advantage to the lead character’s check; each additional helper grants a further +1 bonus.

Camp Camouflage

You work to keep the camp hidden while it’s occupied; banking the fire to a low glow, screening light with cloaks or brush, positioning bedrolls in natural hollows and hushing the party. Make a Wisdom (Survival) check - having Scouting gives Expertise - or Dexterity (Stealth) at a higher DC. The better the concealment, the less likely something hunting in the dark will notice the warmth, the smell of food or the murmur of voices.

Cooking

Attempt a Wisdom (Cooking) check to prepare a nourishing meal for the party. No roll is normally required for a basic meal - if you have the Cooking skill and suitable ingredients, the meal is reliably good. A check is only needed for a special recipe (might be available later).

To prepare new types of special meals, you must first find or transcribe their recipes.

Hunting

Attempt a Wisdom (Survival) check - with Expertise if you have the Foraging or another relevant skill - against a DC based on the terrain. On a success, you gather enough food for one character. For each 5 points success beyond the DC, you gather enough food for one additional character. Failure by 10 or more can trigger something unexpected, such as a random encounter or an accident.

Hunting can be done as a group, then the roll is a group check, or separately, with each character rolling individually.

Stand Guard

While the others are busy cooking, camouflaging or tending wounds, someone needs to keep their eyes up and their hand near their weapon. You forgo a camp activity to stay alert, watching the treeline and listening for anything that shouldn’t be there. Your Perception check is used if a threat approaches during the evening’s activities - success means the party has time to react; failure means they’re caught mid-task.

Subsist

You try to live off the land or scrounge in a settlement to get food and shelter for a day. This normally uses Wisdom (Survival) in the wild, or Intelligence (Underworld) / Charisma (Speechcraft) in towns. You can attempt Subsist after a day of exploration, but at a -5 penalty. On a success, you get enough food and basic shelter for one day; on a failure, you go hungry and suffer one level of exhaustion. A critical failure may trigger a random encounter or other mishap.

This is a way to obtain food when the party has no rations and a fallback if Hunting fails or is not possible.

Other Rest Activities

As described in the Adventuring rules: Cook Food, Craft Item, Maintain Gear or Repair an Item.

Other Activities

Other exploration activities can normally be performed individually: Identify Magic, Treat Wounds, Influence or other activities approved by the DM.

Once the party has eaten, it is time for a Long Rest with rotating watch assignments. A long rest is at least 8 hours in a safe place.

At the end of the long rest, each character gains the standard Long Rest benefits: restored spell slots, Hit Dice recovery, and one chosen benefit (recover hit points, remove exhaustion, etc.). Sleeping in armor may reduce these benefits.

Precipitation

Light rain or snow may occur during any season. Heavier precipitation and severe weather - downpours, blizzards, hailstorms, sandstorms, etc. - are determined by the DM and may also reduce the number of hexploration activities available for the day (see Activities per Day).

When the party travels overland in precipitation or severe weather, for each hexploration activity (HA) they spend on Travel, each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of that activity or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC and associated Perception penalty depend on the severity of the weather:

Temperature

Temperatures are typically mild in spring and autumn. During winter, cold snaps can occur.

When they do: For each hexploration activity (HA) the party spends on overland travel, each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of that activity or gain one level of exhaustion. The DC is set by the DM based on severity. Characters with the Arctic Survival skill make this saving throw with advantage.

Light precipitation falls as snow rather than rain. Characters without cold-weather gear may be subject to additional exposure rules at the DM’s discretion (for example, additional saves per hour of exposure when not actively traveling).

Predict Weather

Any character with Wisdom (Survival) can spend 10 minutes observing the sky, wind and wildlife at Breaking Camp to attempt to predict the day’s weather. The DM sets the DC based on conditions - typically 15 in clear conditions, higher in poor visibility or unfamiliar terrain. Characters with a relevant terrain-specific Survival skill (such as Forest Survival or Arctic Survival) have Expertise.

Critical Success You accurately predict precipitation, temperature, wind, and whether a significant weather event will occur - what it is and roughly when. Advantage on Survival checks to prepare for it.

Success You accurately predict precipitation, temperature, and wind, and know whether a weather event will occur, but not what or when. +1 to Survival checks to prepare for it.

Failure No useful prediction.

Critical Failure You reach a wrong conclusion. The DM gives you false information as though you had a critical success.