Post by cassusaevum on Mar 22, 2020 14:46:18 GMT -5
We're coming up on a portion of the game that will include a small hex crawl. I read over the new "hexploration" rules in the Game Mastery guide and, frankly, I find them meh. They're okay for very large scale stuff, but I think the regular exploration rules will actually work a fair amount better for the hex crawl that awaits you. So, here's how I plan on implementing that:
Travel Speed
In clear terrain, the party can travel at 2 miles per hour (based on the slowest member of the party). In rough terrain, that drops to a single mile per hour. This is without taking any actions. Taking exploration actions slows that further, generally to 0.5 miles per hour (or 1 mile every 2 hours). Should you guys split up during a hex crawl (for some ungodly and unknowable reason, but you do you), these values might change a bit since you move at different rates.
The hexes in this case are each 1 mile and consist of difficult terrain. That means in a given day of travel, provided you want to take exploration activities, you'll be able to cover four hexes a day.
Daily Travel Duration
A standard exploration day accounts for 8 hours of actual travel and 8 hours of sleep. The remaining 8 hours is presumed to be doing things like taking rest breaks and setting up and breaking down camp. You can travel more than 8 hours in a given day, but doing so risks fatigue. For each additional hour you travel, you will need a Fortitude saving throw to continue traveling without gaining levels of Fatigue (remember, when you are fatigued, you cannot take any Exploration actions, though you can continue to travel).
Exploration Actions
Our unit for determining what Exploration Action each character is taking will be the hex. When you enter a hex, you pick your exploration activity for that hex and make a roll (if called for). You stay in that action until you enter a new hex (and can choose a new action) or you are interrupted by something (like a fight or discovery).
The Actions
Avoid Notice: You're focused on staying hidden. You move at half speed as you stay in the shadows and out of sight. Should combat break out, you can use your Stealth for initiative and will most likely start unobserved (though this may vary somewhat).
Defend: You're keeping a defensive posture. For our purposes, this means that if you have a shield, you begin any conflicts with your shield already Raised. You move at half speed.
Detect Magic: You continually cast Detect Magic, scanning for anything magic. If it's there, it will register. You move at half speed.
Follow the Expert: Do as one of your fellows is doing. Gain your level as a proficiency modifier on the associated skill check and a circumstance bonus based on their proficiency. You move at whatever speed is called for by the action the expert is taking.
Hustle: Move at double your normal travel speed. Slight modification, instead of doing this for a number of minutes x your constitution modifier (limited by the lowest Con modifier in the group) you can do it for a number of hours equal to the 1+ the lowest Con Modifier in the group.
Investigate: You can attempt to Recall Knowledge as you travel. This is not the same as Searching a Hex. This might do things like identify dangers (those flowers are poisonous!) or note anomalies (that strain of rock isn't native to this area) but it will not uncover hidden things. You move at half speed.
Repeat a Spell: Basically casting a spell over and over (presumably for detection purposes or to have it ready if combat breaks out). Move at half speed.
Scout: You scout ahead and behind the group to watch danger, moving at half speed. At the start of the next encounter, every creature in your party gains a +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative rolls.
Explore (replaces Search): You focus your efforts on exploring the hex. If there are things (locations, places of interest, etc...) that can be discovered, you find them, no check required. You move at half speed. Note that if you do not search, you are traversing a hex rather than exploring it.
Navigate (new Action): In some terrain, getting lost may be a real issue. Staying on track without taking this action means that the person with the highest Survival skill makes a DC15 check (penalties may apply). If you take this action you must still make the check, but you get a +5 Circumstance bonus (penalties may still apply). If you get lost while hex-crawling, you emerge into a random adjacent hex.
Travel Speed
In clear terrain, the party can travel at 2 miles per hour (based on the slowest member of the party). In rough terrain, that drops to a single mile per hour. This is without taking any actions. Taking exploration actions slows that further, generally to 0.5 miles per hour (or 1 mile every 2 hours). Should you guys split up during a hex crawl (for some ungodly and unknowable reason, but you do you), these values might change a bit since you move at different rates.
The hexes in this case are each 1 mile and consist of difficult terrain. That means in a given day of travel, provided you want to take exploration activities, you'll be able to cover four hexes a day.
Daily Travel Duration
A standard exploration day accounts for 8 hours of actual travel and 8 hours of sleep. The remaining 8 hours is presumed to be doing things like taking rest breaks and setting up and breaking down camp. You can travel more than 8 hours in a given day, but doing so risks fatigue. For each additional hour you travel, you will need a Fortitude saving throw to continue traveling without gaining levels of Fatigue (remember, when you are fatigued, you cannot take any Exploration actions, though you can continue to travel).
Exploration Actions
Our unit for determining what Exploration Action each character is taking will be the hex. When you enter a hex, you pick your exploration activity for that hex and make a roll (if called for). You stay in that action until you enter a new hex (and can choose a new action) or you are interrupted by something (like a fight or discovery).
The Actions
Avoid Notice: You're focused on staying hidden. You move at half speed as you stay in the shadows and out of sight. Should combat break out, you can use your Stealth for initiative and will most likely start unobserved (though this may vary somewhat).
Defend: You're keeping a defensive posture. For our purposes, this means that if you have a shield, you begin any conflicts with your shield already Raised. You move at half speed.
Detect Magic: You continually cast Detect Magic, scanning for anything magic. If it's there, it will register. You move at half speed.
Follow the Expert: Do as one of your fellows is doing. Gain your level as a proficiency modifier on the associated skill check and a circumstance bonus based on their proficiency. You move at whatever speed is called for by the action the expert is taking.
Hustle: Move at double your normal travel speed. Slight modification, instead of doing this for a number of minutes x your constitution modifier (limited by the lowest Con modifier in the group) you can do it for a number of hours equal to the 1+ the lowest Con Modifier in the group.
Investigate: You can attempt to Recall Knowledge as you travel. This is not the same as Searching a Hex. This might do things like identify dangers (those flowers are poisonous!) or note anomalies (that strain of rock isn't native to this area) but it will not uncover hidden things. You move at half speed.
Repeat a Spell: Basically casting a spell over and over (presumably for detection purposes or to have it ready if combat breaks out). Move at half speed.
Scout: You scout ahead and behind the group to watch danger, moving at half speed. At the start of the next encounter, every creature in your party gains a +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative rolls.
Explore (replaces Search): You focus your efforts on exploring the hex. If there are things (locations, places of interest, etc...) that can be discovered, you find them, no check required. You move at half speed. Note that if you do not search, you are traversing a hex rather than exploring it.
Navigate (new Action): In some terrain, getting lost may be a real issue. Staying on track without taking this action means that the person with the highest Survival skill makes a DC15 check (penalties may apply). If you take this action you must still make the check, but you get a +5 Circumstance bonus (penalties may still apply). If you get lost while hex-crawling, you emerge into a random adjacent hex.