Travel as Environment: Wilderness Hex Crawling in Daggerheart [DRAFT]

Adapted from Patchwork Paladin

Overview

This homebrew document describes use of wilderness travel as a special environment in Daggerheart -- one in which ordinary long and short rests are not possible. It operates in two phases:

• Phase 1: Traveling
  • Hex crawling uses a map marked with hexagons, each representing between 5-6 miles per hex.
  • A party of PCs can traverse up to four hexes (20-24 miles) per day over any terrain.
  • The players plot a route to their next destination on the map. The number of hexes in the route sets the trigger value of the Travel Progress Countdown.
  • The terrain and weather help the GM set the DC for the Travel Action using Table 1: Terrain and Difficulty Class.
  • The players take the Travel Action (a INSTINCT group action roll) and use its result in Table 2: Travel Progress Countdown to traverse the hexes on the map.
• Phase 2: Camping
  • After resolving each Travel action, the PC's must take the Make Camp action or the March On action.
  • If the PCs take a March On action, they all mark stress and become vulnerable until the next time they Make Camp.
  • if the PCs take a Make Camp Action, they make a KNOWLEDGE group action roll and use its result in Table 3: The Make Camp Results Table to determine if rest is optional or required and, if resting, the number of PC downtime actions allowed.
  • Every time the players Make Camp or traverse four hexes, a night passes in the game.

Actions: Rolls and Modifiers

The players navigate the wilderness hex crawl using three types of actions. Two of them have rolls and modifiers.

• Travel Action - A group action INSTINCT roll - decreased by the Encumbrance die - ticks the travel countdown up or down per results in Table 2: The Travel Progress Countdown. When the countdown triggers, the PC's can choose to reach their destination. Mark the party’s position on the map as the countdown ticks down and describe each hex (terrain, weather, landmarks) as they move through them. While traversing each hex, the PCs may stop to examine a hex environment feature. If they do so, they stop the countdown as they cease traveling. They must take a new Travel Action to restart the countdown.

  Example: the players want to go to the High Tower which is six hexes away. They roll a critical success and may move through four of the hexes, which is the maximum travel distance per day. But they see a ruined temple in the first hex they pass through and decide to abandon the journey temporarily to investigate the temple. The countdown only ticks down one, and they must take a new travel action).

• Make Camp Action - A group action KNOWLEDGE roll - increased by the Provision die - determines if rest is optional or required, and the down time actions available during rest, based on Table 3, The Make Camp Results table.

• March On Action - Allows the party to subsequently take a Travel Action without first taking a Make Camp Action. No roll is required but each PC marks stress and is vulnerable until the next time they take the Make Camp Action.

  • The PCs can traverse a maximum of four hexes per day. If they do not take the Make Camp Action after traveling four hexes they are just Marching on through the night.
  • The second consecutive March On Action will require the PCS to mark two stress marked and renew their vulnerable condition. The third consecutive will require marking three stress, etc.

Encumbrance and Provisions

Traveling requires food, water, and other provisions. Traveling is impacted by encumbrance.

The Travel Action and Make Camp Action rolls are affected by two modifying dice, which can be increased or decreased in size by environmental, mechanical effects, such as traveling with or without a vehicle or pack animal, or magic assistance or hindrance.

• Encumbrance Die - rolled by the GM. If the party is encumbered they will have a d4 Encumbrance Die, which is subtracted from the Travel roll's result. The GM can spend fear to increase the size of the Encumbrance Die.
• Provisions Die - rolled by the PCs. If the party has provisions they will have a d4 Provisions Die, which is added to the Travel Roll's result. A roll of 1 on the Provisions die means the die steps down by one size. A d4 provisions die disappears.

PC Moves Increasing Encumbrance and Provision Dice Size

• Repack (passive) - PCs can use two down time actions (two from one PC or one from two PCs) to reduce the encumbrance die by one size.

  What weighs you down? How do you make your burden lighter?

• Forage (passive) - PCs can use two down time actions (two from one PC or one from two PCs) to increase the provision die by one size.

GM Moves Decreasing Encumbrance and Provisions Dice Size

• Hungry (action): Spend two Fear to reduce the party’s provisions die by one step, or to remove the die if it is a d4.
• Weary (action): Send two Fear to increase the party's encumbrance die by one step, or to add and encumbrance die at d4 if the party doesn't have one.

Purchasing Provisions (The Provision Die)

At any suitable place, the party may purchase provisions. Provisions are represented by a provisions die, which is added to the Make Camp group action roll.

Cost of the Provision Die (prices subject to change):

• D4: 1 bag of gold
• D6: 1 chest of gold
• D8: 5 chests of gold
• D10: 10 chests of gold
• D12: 25 chests of gold

What are your favorite rations on the road? What place or event do they bring to mind?

Table 1: Terrain and Difficulty Class

The GM sets the DC for the Travel Action, using this table as a guide.

Table 2: The Travel Progress Countdown

The Travel Countdown is equal to the number of hexes in the player's plotted course between their current location and desired destination, allowing for up to the maximum daily travel distance. This countdown increments or decrements based on the result of the Travel action roll's results:

* On a failure, increase the encumbrance die in size (i.e., d4 becomes d6, and so on), or gain an encumbrance die (d4) if without encumbrance.

Table 3: The Make Camp Results Table

What makes this campsite particularly suitable or unsuitable? What do you think about as you try to drift off? What stories will you share around the campfire?