The road levies a toll
Overland travel shouldn't be a loading screen. Calculate the supply drain, exhaustion risks, and pacing consequences of moving your party across the map.
Journey Parameters
Journey Log & Attrition
Set travel parameters and generate the log.
Adding mechanical depth to wilderness crawls
Many dungeon masters struggle with making travel interesting. Pushing across a swamp in pouring rain should feel different than riding down a king's highway on a cool autumn morning. This simulator builds mechanical attrition to add stakes to your game.
Pacing Assumptions
A normal travel day assumes 8 hours of movement. Fast pace covers more ground but imposes penalties on the party's passive perception (often a -5 penalty). Slow pace covers less ground but allows the party to use stealth.
Forced March Risks
Pushing past 8 hours demands a Constitution saving throw for every extra hour. The DC usually starts at 10 and increases by 1 for each additional hour. Failing means gaining a level of exhaustion.
Supply Drain
We calculate standard medium-sized creature consumption: 1 pound of food and 1 gallon of water per day. Extreme weather doubles water requirements. Mounts require roughly 4 times this amount depending on the beast.
Common Terrain Modifiers
| Terrain | Speed Modifier | Foraging Difficulty |
|---|---|---|
| Highway / Plains | 1x (Normal) | DC 10-15 |
| Forest / Hills | 1.5x (Slowed) | DC 15 |
| Swamp / Mountains | 2x (Difficult) | DC 20 |
Note: These are baseline d20 fantasy assumptions. Adjust according to your specific campaign manual.