We will be starting with the Movement
Rules in the DMG, pg.58, for our overland adventure. With a mule to
help carry things, we can assume an Average burden for the party as a
whole, which gives us a 20 mile per day movement (1 hex) in normal
terrain, and since Minston and his band are heading north along the
road, that seems reasonable. SmallVillage is smack-dab in the middle
of our starting hex, so it's 10 miles to the "border" of
the next zone. They can cover that by mid-day, and get half-way into
the next hex by nightfall on the same day, assuming no encounters or
other unforeseen events.
Speaking of encounters - DMG pg.47
outlines the chances of encounters and how often to roll for them.
Forest terrain requires more checks than any other type, six times
a day. The chance for an encounter is based on the population density
of the immediate surroundings, from relatively dense to
uninhabited/wilderness. We will assume that the population level is
Moderate to Sparse from SmallVillage to the edge of the next hex,
giving us a 1 in 12 chance per check.
So it begins!
Minston and his merry band rise
early, just before dawn. Double-checking the supplies secured to
Mule's back, they bid a hearty farewell to the rooster eyeing them
suspiciously from a nearby railing and strike northwards towards
their destiny. The morning passes uneventfully (Encounter Roll 5),
with the twisting path of the road eventually taking them out of
sight of their home. Birds twitter, deer stare, moss grows, as wind
gently rustles the tops of the trees. An auspicious start, Minston
thinks.
By mid-day (ER 4), the party stops
to rest their feet and enjoy a bite to eat while they chat about
their homes and lives before today. Nothing special, as the Footman
points out, or none of them would be here. Nods and grunts of
agreement muffled by bread and cheese. After a quick bit of
stretching, they regroup and stare at the mile-post just ahead. This
is it. This is the farthest from home any of them has ever been.
Packs adjusted, they march forward - heads held high.
The Next Hex
We will assume that each hex has a
"dominant" terrain, with a chance for differences here and
there as the DM sees fit. The DMG pg.173 gives us the tools we need
to determine what the next 20 miles of terrain holds for our group.
Simple enough - find the terrain type they're currently in on the
table, roll a d20, and skim down to find the new terrain type.
(Roll - 15) Rough terrain. According to
the book, it is a badlands hex. Not exactly a desert (though it could
be), but arid and nearly barren of life, and rugged. This will also
affect movement rates if the road gives out or changes direction and
the party decides to keep heading north.
Although the DMG does not specify how
to randomly determine road or river directions, I will apply the
following rule. The course or path will continue in the direction it
was following when the hex was entered, then roll a d6 at the
midpoint to show the change in direction, if any. If the roll shows
the road or river doubling back on itself, then that will be where it
ends/begins. Exceptions will be made for things like mountains etc.
on a case-by-case basis.
What about inhabitants? A d100 roll (3)
tells us that there is a single dwelling somewhere in this wasteland.
We'll decide later if our group stumbles upon it.
Here's a hiccup - the Encounter table
on pg. 47 does not include Rough Terrain. The DM will make a judgment
call that Rough will use the Desert encounter line with rolls made
Morning, Night, and Pre-Dawn.
The small band clears a bend in the road
and finds that the trees thin out quickly, revealing a ruddy
red-and-brown landscape that stretches as far as they can see. The
road continues north, its dusty brown surface barely discernible
against the rest of the terrain. The adventurers pause, looking
behind them at the wall of green, then at each other. Mule brays
mournfully. The march resumes.
Despite the dreary surroundings the
weather is thankfully mild, the winds light, and the road flat. The
line of green recedes behind them and eventually disappears as the
sun dips low in the western sky, and attention is diverted to finding
a place to spend the night. Strangely, the road almost loops back on
itself (mid-Hex Roll: 5), hair-pinning back to the southwest. There
is no obvious reason for the dramatic turn, and they decide to find
shelter nearby for the night and decide on their course the next
morning.
They soon find a suitable spot
nestled in the crook of what looks like a fossilized dune and settle
in for the night. Soon they are singing and sharing stories, drinking
wine beneath the glowing stars, and generally feeling pretty pleased
with themselves. It is decided that no watch is needed - after all,
they haven't seen a thing beyond a few buzzing flies in the last few
hours, and they're all beat from a good day's march.
(ER 1)
Of course, this may have been a Bad
Idea...
(Still entertaining ideas for names for the NPCs, although I think Mule is suitable for... well, the mule. Comment below!)
