Dungeon and Wilderness Adventures

Time and Scale     Time in the dungeon is measured in game turns (or just turns), which are approximately 10 minutes long. When combat begins, the time scale changes to combat rounds, which are approximately 10 seconds long. Thus, there are 60 combat rounds per game turn. Approximately, because time is not meant to be kept exactly as it is subjective to the characters.   Distances in the dungeon are measured in feet. Outdoors, change all distance measurements (movement, range, etc.) to yards (so 100 feet becomes 100 yards) but area of effect measurements (for spells, for instance) normally remain in feet. Note that the single quote character is used as an abbreviation for feet in some places.  

Dungeon Adventures

  Carrying Capacity     Normal Human, Elven, and Dwarvish player characters are able to carry up to 60 pounds and still be considered lightly loaded, or up to 150 pounds and be considered heavily loaded. Halflings may carry up to 50 pounds and be considered lightly loaded, or up to 100 pounds and be heavily loaded. Note that armor for Halfling characters is about one-quarter as heavy as armor for the other races.   These figures are affected by Strength; each +1 of Strength bonus adds 10% to the capacity of the character, while each -1 deducts 20%. Thus, carrying capacities for normal characters are as shown below (rounded to the nearest 5 pounds for convenience):   The carrying capacities of various domesticated animals are given in the Monsters section, in the entry for each type of animal.   Movement and Encumbrance   The movement rate of a character or creature is expressed as the number of feet it can move per combat round. The normal player character races can all move 40' per round. When exploring a dungeon, time is expressed in turns, as explained above; normal movement per turn is 3 times the movement rate per round. This may seem slow, but this rate of movement includes such things as drawing maps, watching out for traps and monsters (though they may still surprise the party), etc. In a combat situation, on the other hand, everyone is moving around swiftly, and such things as drawing maps are not important.   A character's movement rate is adjusted by their Encumbrance (the load they are carrying) as follows:   Count the weight of armor worn when calculating encumbrance, because armor counts both for bulk and restrictiveness as well as for weight. Magic armor counts for its full weight but is not as bulky and restrictive as normal armor, thus granting an improved movement rate.   For animals such as horses, being heavily loaded reduces movement rate as shown below:   Mapping   In any dungeon expedition, making maps is important. Generally, one player will do this, drawing a map on graph paper as the Game Master describes each room or corridor. Absolute accuracy is usually not possible; the main thing is to ensure that the party can find its way back out of the dungeon.   Light     A torch or lantern will provide light covering a 30' radius; dim light will extend about 20' further. Normal torches burn for 1d4+4 turns, while a flask of oil in a lantern will burn for 1d6+18 turns. A candle will shed light over a 5' radius, with dim light extending 5' further. In general, taper candles such as are used for illumination will burn about 3 turns per inch of height.   Darkvision   Almost all monsters have Darkvision, an ability which allows them to see even in total darkness. Such vision is in black and white, but otherwise like normal sight. Magical darkness obstructs Darkvision just as it does normal vision.   Darkvision is totally ineffective in any light greater than moonlight.   Doors     A stuck door can be opened on a roll of 1 on 1d6; add the character's Strength bonus to the range, so that a character with a bonus of +2 can open a stuck door on a roll of 1-3 on 1d6.   Locked doors can be forced by rolling the same range, but on 1d10. Metal bars can sometimes be bent on a roll of this range on 1d20.   A careful character might choose to listen at a door before opening it. Thieves have a special ability, Listen, which should be applied if the listener is a Thief. For other characters, the GM rolls 1d6, with 1 indicating success. Sounds heard might include voices, footsteps, or any other sound the GM considers appropriate. Of course, the room beyond the door might really be silent; thus, the Game Master must make the roll, so that a roll of 1 in such a case will not give anything away to the players.   Traps   Dungeons and ruins frequently contain traps, including spear-throwers, covered pits, etc. The GM will decide what is required to trigger a trap, and what happens when the trap is triggered. In general, there will be some way to avoid or reduce the effect of the trap being sprung. For instance, a save vs. Death Ray is often used to avoid falling into a covered pit (with Dexterity bonus added), while spear-throwers, automated crossbows, and the like are sometimes treated as if they were monsters (attacking vs. the victim's Armor Class at some given attack bonus).   Normal characters have a chance equal to a roll of 1 on 1d6 to detect a trap if a search for one is made. Note that this is about a 16.7% chance; Thieves have a special ability to find and remove traps, which supersedes this roll, as does the stonework trap-finding ability of Dwarves. A Dwarven Thief is a special case; apply whichever trap-detection ability is higher. In all cases, a search for traps takes at least a turn per 10' square area. A single character may only effectively search a given area for traps once, even if the character has more than one trap-detection roll "type" allowed (such as the Dwarven Thief above).   Trap detection may not be allowed if the trap is purely magical in nature; on the other hand, in such cases Magic-Users and/or Clerics may be able to detect magical traps at the given 1 in 1d6 chance, at the Game Master's option.   Secret Doors     Under normal conditions, searching for secret doors takes one turn per character per 10' of wall searched. A secret door is found on a roll of 1 on 1d6; characters with 15 or higher Intelligence succeed on a roll of 1-2. Also, as noted previously, Elves add 1 to the range automatically, such that an Elf discovers secret doors on a 1-2 on 1d6, or 1-3 if the Elf has an Intelligence of 15 or higher. The GM may create secret doors that are more difficult (or easier) to detect at their option.   Multiple characters searching for secret doors ensures that any such will eventually be found; however, if the first and second searchers fail, the next searcher must take two turns to search, and all subsequent searches of the area require an hour.   Note that finding a secret door does not grant understanding of how it works. The GM may require additional rolls or other actions to be taken before the door can be opened.   Dungeon Survival   As described previously in the Equipment section, normal characters must consume one day's worth of rations (or equivalent food) and at least one quart of water per day.   Failure to consume enough food does not significantly affect a character for the first two days, after which they loses 1 hit point per day. Furthermore, at that point the character lose the ability to heal wounds normally, though magic will still work. Eating enough food for a day (over the course of about a day, not all at once) restores the ability to heal, and the character will resume recovering lost hit points at the normal rate.   Inadequate water affects characters more swiftly; after a single day without adequate water, the character loses 1d4 hit points, and will lose an additional 1d4 hit points per day thereafter. Healing ability is lost when the first die of damage is rolled.  

Wilderness Adventures

  Wilderness Movement Rates   The table below shows wilderness travel rates for characters or creatures based on encounter movement. Naturally, any group traveling together moves at the rate of the slowest member.   Overland Travel   The movement rates shown on the table above are figured based on an 8 hour day of travel through open, clear terrain. The terrain type will alter the rate somewhat, as shown on this table:   Characters may choose to perform a forced march, traveling 12 hours per day and adding 50% to the distance traveled. Each day of forced march after the first inflicts 1d6 points of damage on the characters (and their animals, if any). A daily save vs. Death Ray with Constitution bonus applied is allowed to avoid this damage, but after this save is failed once, it is not rolled again for that character or creature. A day spent resting "restarts" this progression.   Becoming Lost     Though adventurers following roads, rivers, or other obvious landmarks are unlikely to become lost, striking out into trackless forest, windblown desert, and so on is another matter. Secretly roll a save vs. Death Ray, adjusted by the Wisdom of the party leader (i.e., whichever character seems to be leading). An Ability Roll against Wisdom may be rolled, if that optional rule is in use. The GM must determine the effects of failure.   Waterborne Travel   Travel by water may be done in a variety of boats or ships; see Vehicles on page 13 for details. Travel distances are for a 12 hour day of travel, rather than the usual 8 hours per day. Sailing ships may travel 24 hours per day if a qualified navigator is aboard, and so may be able to cover twice the normal distance per day of travel. This is in addition to the multiplier given below. If the ship stops each night, as is done by some vessels traveling along a coastline as well as those having less than the minimum number of regular crew on board, the two-times multiplier does not apply.   Movement of sailing ships is affected by the weather, as shown below. Sailing movement modifiers apply when sailing with the wind; sailing against the wind involves tacking (called "zigzagging" by landlubbers) which reduces movement rates as indicated.   Becalmed: Sailing ships cannot move. Oared ships may move at the given rowing movement rate.   Very Strong Winds: Sailing against the wind (tacking) is not possible.   Gale: Sailing against the wind is not possible, and ships exposed to a gale may be damaged or sunk; apply 2d8 points of damage to any such ship, per hour sailed.   Traveling by Air   When traveling by air, overland movement rates are doubled, and all terrain effects are ignored. Most winged creatures must maintain at least one-third normal forward movement in order to remain airborne; however, devices such as flying carpets generally do not have this limitation.