Wilderness

Table of contents

Wilderness

Embarking on a journey beyond settlements activates the primary mechanics of Block, Dodge, Parry: reaching a destination before succumbing to Fatigue, hunger, sleep deprivation, and combat. These factors intensify over time, and the more time passes, the more the likelihood of encounters increases. There are ways to restore these resources through preparing meals, resting, and discovering supplies, but travel is inherently risky, especially when heading to a dungeon (which will even further drain resources), making even simple trips potentially adventurous.

Adverse weather can increase Fatigue, leading to complications during encounters. For example, bad weather might leave the party fatigued, which hinders defensive options, causing them to suffer injuries, which could require detours to find cures.

Watches & Actions

A day is divided into 3 watches: morning (~6:00 to 14:00), afternoon (~14:00 to 22:00) and night (~22:00 to 06:00).
For each Watch, the Warden narrates the current status and environment and rolls for weather.
Every character chooses their desired Wilderness Action.
The Wilderness Actions are resolved, and a roll on the Wilderness Events table is made. The party responds to the results.
Any loss of resources (supplies, deprivation) and progress on the journey is recorded, and the cycle repeats.

Wilderness Actions

Travel

Endeavor to get 1 Watch closer to the destination. If not following a road, a map, or a guide, roll 1d6 to see if the party gets lost: 2-in-6 chance on trails, 3-in-6 chance in the wilderness. Getting lost adds 1 Watch to the journey, as circling back and finding the correct path again takes time.

As the Warden, keep track of the number of Watches traveled. If after the Travel action the number of Watches traveled equals the journey length (which can increase during the journey due to weather and complications!), the destination has been reached.

While traveling, the dynamics of Time, Gear and Skill are still applicable. Bad weather or perilous terrain can be overcome or negated by taking more time (adding an extra Watch) or hurrying (adding Fatigue), or by using dedicated gear (climbing equipment, rain hoods, warm-weather clothes) and skill (training in survival, scouting, navigation, mountaineering, and such). Reward preparation and improvisation!

Explore

A thorough search of the current area, searching for hidden features and the like. Players can indicate whether they are surveying the landscape (which might mean stumbling onto unexpected discoveries) or searching for something specific. When searching for something specific (“The lost tomb of Dworrol the Grim, which should be hidden somewhere in the forest”), an Explore action can be part of a Complex Task (“Roll 2d6+modifiers to see how you progress”).

Gathering

There are several types of gathering:

Hunting requires a bow or spear and yields raw meat.
Foraging requires no tools and yields fruits & vegetables, and can also yield (on a 1-in-6 chance) ingredients for Wildcrafting.
Fishing requires a fishing rod or spear and yields raw fish.

Yields depend on the type of terrain. The table below shows the “number of portions” (e.g.. 1d4 pieces of raw meat) returned from the Gathering action. Characters who are explicitly skilled in an activity can upgrade the dice rolled by one tier (1 > 1d4 > 1d6 > 1d8). More information as to the properties of various yields when cooked can be found in the Healing & Recovery section.

Terrain type	Hunting	Foraging	Fishing
Plains	1d4	1d4	1
Hills	1	1	-
Forest	1d6	1d6	1
Swamp	1	1d6	1d4
Mountain	1	1	-
Desert	1	-	-

Make Camp

The party stops to set up camp. This is the time to stave off Deprivation (see Healing & Recovery) by cooking, eating, and sleeping.

Typically, a party will use the third watch of the day to make camp and rest. Travel at night is possible but more dangerous. Some terrain, such as deserts, might be easier to traverse at night. It is advised to select rotating lookouts to prevent surprise attacks.

A campfire will allow for cooking and will increase detection range — for those near the fire looking into the dark, but also for those in the dark looking in. A fire might deter natural wildlife but might attract sentient beings (humans or otherwise).

Making camp is also a good opportunity for miscellaneous actions. Each player character can perform one of these actions alongside their regular camp activities. Some examples:

Taking Stock. Go over the current supplies. Roll 1d6; on a 6, it turns out there is 1 more resource than previously thought (rations, supplies etc.).
Treat Injuries. Take care of an injured or sick party member. They can make disease-related Saving Throws with advantage, or the impact of current injuries is lessened for a day.
Check Maps. If in possession of a map of the region (either physical or mental), studying it might reveal a more optimal route. Roll 1d6; on a 1, decrease the journey length by 1 Watch.
Forecast. Use magic or experience to forecast the weather. The Warden rolls 1d6; on a 5-6, they roll tomorrow’s weather and relay this information. On a 1-4, they roll a random (false) forecast on the weather table and roll the true weather tomorrow.
Boost Morale. Share a riveting tale, sing a song, or otherwise inspire. Everyone recovers 1 WIL, or 2 WIL if the performer has any relevant skills or background.

When making a Wilderness Event roll for a party that has made camp, ignore rolls larger than 3 (Loss, Exhaustion & Discovery).

Wilderness Events

1d6	Type	Description
1	Encounter	Roll for an encounter for the terrain or location. Don’t forget to roll for terrain (see below), surprise, and NPC reactions. (See Before The Fight Starts.)
2	Sign	A clue, indication or lead on an upcoming encounter or feature. Roll again on this table and foreshadow the result.
3	Environment	A shift in weather (1d6, 1: Way worse to 6: Way better) or terrain.
4	Loss	The party is faced with a choice that costs them a resource (rations, tools), time, or effort.
5	Exhaustion	The party encounters a barrier which forces effort, care, or delay. Either add a Watch to the journey, or add +1 Fatigue to all inventories.
6	Discovery	The party discovers something useful: supplies, a Foraging yield, rations, or something specific they have been searching for in the area.

Journey Length: Distance & Terrain

When the party picks a destination, the Warden determines the length of the journey, which is measured in Watches. This process is somewhat abstract; if using hexes instead of a pointcrawl-type map, calculate a base “hexes per watch” value, and apply modifiers from there.

Particularly epic journeys consist of multiple sub-journeys, with major landmarks being the waypoints: Traveling to Mordor would not be classified as one journey (in game terms, at least); the first journey leads from the Shire to Bree, then the next from Bree to Weathertop, then from Weathertop to Rivendell, etc.

The final length of the journey is a sum of:

Journey property	Example	Watches
Short	The next settlement down the road, a hill in the distance	+1
Medium	A day’s travel under ideal conditions	+2
Long	A distant mountain, traveling along a mighty river to the sea	+3
Roads	Paved, well-trodden roads	0
Trails*	A faint track or occasionally-marked path	+1
Wilderness	Unkempt wilds; no trail to speak off	+2
Easy terrain	Plains, plateaus, valleys	0
Tough terrain	Forests, deserts, hills	+1
Perilous terrain	Mountains, jungles, swamps	+2
Ascending	Traveling to higher altitudes	+1

*A “trail” can be many things: a half-forgotten path, a river, or a natural boundary such as a ridge or a forest’s edge.

Traveling from the village of Harbrook to the nearby town of Cadence takes 1 watch (short). Traveling through the Jutting Hills to the plains beyond takes 4 watches (medium, trail, tough terrain). Traveling to the suspected location of the Temple of Tears takes 7 watches (long, wilderness, perilous).

Players do not know the exact number of watches their journey will take beforehand. Characters that know the area might be able to make an estimated guess. Assuming 2 watches of traveling per day, for instance, would mean a journey of 7 watches might take roughly 4-5 days.

Journey Complications: Weather

Each day, the Warden rolls on the weather table for the appropriate season. If “Terrible” is rolled twice in a row, the weather turns Catastrophic.

d6	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
1	Nice	Nice	Nice	Nice
2	Nice	Nice	Nice	Unpleasant
3	Nice	Nice	Unpleasant	Unpleasant
4	Unpleasant	Unpleasant	Unpleasant	Unpleasant
5	Unpleasant	Unpleasant	Unpleasant	Terrible
6	Terrible	Terrible	Terrible	Terrible

Nice: Favorable conditions for travel. Clear skies, slight breeze.
Unpleasant: Every party member adds 1 Fatigue or 1 Watch gets added to the journey. Gusting winds, rain, sweltering heat, or sudden chills.
Terrible: Every party member adds 1 Fatigue and 1 Watch gets added to the journey. Blizzards, freezing winds, thunderstorms, flooding, or mudslides.
Catastrophic: Travel becomes practically impossible. Tornadoes, hurricanes, blood rains, or ash clouds.

Weather should provide ample roleplaying and improvisational prompts. For instance, when traveling through Unpleasant summer weather, the party could suffer from a heat wave. Rolling “Loss” on the Wilderness Event table could mean drinking more water to prevent dehydration; every Watch during the day requires the party to take a drink from their waterskin, and due to the heat, it now decreases on a 1-3 instead of a 1-2.

Terrain in Wilderness Encounters

While exploring the wilderness, encounters can take in various types of terrains, which can affect the tactics of the encounter severely.

Roll 1d6 to pick the terrain type. Not every effect type has an extensive mechanical explanation, to allow for creative interpretation within the moment.

For slopes (hills, mountains, desert), roll an extra d6. On a 1-2, the encountered creatures have the high ground. On a 3-4, the encounter takes place perpendicular to the slope. On a 5-6, the party has the high ground.

Grassland

1d6	Type	Effect
1-3	Meadow	Surprise unlikely; Distant viewing range.
4-5	Shrubbery	Bushes allow for easy hiding and surprise.
6	Tall Grass	Movement slowed; visibility limited to Near.

Woods

1d6	Type	Effect
1-3	Scattered trees	Trees hinder ranged attacks (-1 damage).
4-5	Dense woodland	Ranged attacks are Impaired.
6	Thick undergrowth	Movement slowed; disadvantage to DEX Saves; visibility limited to Near.

Hills

1d6	Type	Effect
1-3	Broken terrain	Movement requires a successful DEX Save to prevent stumbling.
4-5	Gentle slope	Ascending movement slowed; descending movement quickened. Ranged damage from high ground is Enhanced.
6	Steep slope	As per Gentle slope, with melee damage from high ground Enhanced as well, and ranged damage from low ground Impaired.

Mountains

1d6	Type	Effect
1-3	Gentle slope	Ascending movement slowed; descending movement quickened. Ranged damage from high ground is Enhanced.
4-5	Steep slope	As per Gentle slope, with melee damage from high ground Enhanced as well, and ranged damage from low ground Impaired.
6	Cliff	A dangerous drop is nearby, providing an extra hazard on the battlefield.

Swamp

1d6	Type	Effect
1-3	Shrubbery	Bushes allow for easy hiding and surprise.
4-5	Knee-deep water	Disadvantage to DEX Saves.
6	Waist-high water	Disadvantage to DEX Saves; all weapons that aren’t Ranged or have Reach are Impaired.

Desert

1d6	Type	Effect
1-3	Flat	Surprise unlikely; Distant viewing range.
4-5	Gentle slope	Ascending movement slowed; descending movement quickened. Ranged damage from high ground is Enhanced.
6	Shifting sands	Movement slowed; visibility likely to be hindered by the wind whipping up sand. Roll 1d6 every round for maximum visibility: 1-3 Far, 4-5 Near, 6 Close.