Overland Journey Rules

No one in Dungeons and Dragons travels into the wilderness lightly. There are griffons and owlbears and goblins and ghosts and territorial elves and all other manner of creatures in the wilds who will be happy to relieve you of your life and treasure, not to mention the everpresent threat of death from exposure and starvation. These are the rules for when the party travels into the wilds for whatever reason they choose. These rules are shamelessly ripped off from Dungeon World, one of the best non-D&D books ever written for running D&D, but adapted for 5e.

Limiting Rest

These rules assume that the wilderness is dangerous and that the PCs are taking their lives into their own hands when they venture out into it. As such while the PCs are out on an expedition between civilised locations, or to or from a dangerous destination, they cannot take a long rest. The characters must still sleep or meditate each night in the wilderness or risk exhaustion, but they do not get the benefits of a long rest from this. Short rests are not impacted. Upon reaching their destination, characters can may attempt to take a long rest. Civilization can provide the access to medicine, soft beds, apothecaries to provide spell components, and taverns to restore morale necessary for true recuperation. Expedition destinations tend to provide places to rest, and rest you must if you are to face the perils within.

Planning the Journey

The most important part of wilderness expeditions that most neophytes ignore to their peril is planning the journey. Check the campaign map to plan your route, then the Travel Table to determine the pace and difficulty of the leg.

A leg is any amount of travel either over the same terrain, or between settlements. If the terrain changes, this indicates a change in leg. If the characters stop in a civilised settlement, this indicates a change in leg as well. Each leg should be resolved as its own journey.

This gives the players the estimate of the number of days the journey will take, assuming no complications. If all characters in the party have mounts, multiply the distance traveled by 1.25. Mounts may not be used in mountains or swamps without a road.

The Journey

Once the party is in the wild, there are three jobs that must be filled by different characters. If a job isn't filled, the roll for it is an automatic failure. The difficulty for each roll is based on the terrain the players traverse. Each character only rolls once for each leg of the journey, the DC is based on the most difficult terrain traveled during that leg.

Rangers

The Players Handbook Ranger's Natural Explorer feature of the ranger is modified under these rules. Remove the prevents party becoming lost, and remove doubling food foraged.

The Wilderness Ranger's Hunting Grounds is also modified, remove the doubling food foraged feature.

The ranger automatically succeeds with whatever role he or she takes during the journey. Alternately, the ranger may choose to roll with advantage to try for a 5+ result, but must accept the results if they fail.

This only applies if traveling through terrain applicable to either of these features.

The Trailblazer

The trailblazer makes a Nature check to successfully navigate the terrain and make sure the party gets to where it's going. If the trailblazer succeeds, the party gets to their destination in the expected amount of time. If the trailblazer succeeds by 5+ on the nature roll, the party finds a shortcut or other method of moving faster than normal. The trip only takes 3/4 the normal time. If the trailblazer fails, the party gets lost for a time and a complication occurs. The trailblazer chooses one:

• The trip takes much longer than expected. Multiply the travel time by 1.25. If the party is in a race against time, they will lose if this option is taken.
• The party arrives on time, but suffers a level of exhaustion from marching to make up for lost time.
• The party arrives on time, but has a random encounter.

The Provisioner

The provisioner makes a Survival check to plan and purchase provisions (food, clothing, equipment, etc.) for the journey, to carefully ration out those provisions, and to forage and hunt for additional food along the way. The base cost for the expedition is 1 gp per day per person. If the provisioner succeeds their survival roll, the party pays the base cost. If the provisioner succeeds by 5+, the cost is halved. If the provisioner fails their roll, a complication occurs. The provisioner chooses one:

• The expedition costs more than expected. Roll 1d4+1 and multiply the base cost by the result. If the party cannot pay the cost, this option cannot be chosen.
• The party is inadequately prepared for the journey. Only half the base cost is paid, but the party reaches their destination with a level of exhaustion.
• While attempting to forage or hunt for extra supplies, the party has a random encounter.

The Scout

The scout makes a Perception check to watch for danger during the journey. If the scout succeeds, they successfully steer the party clear of any danger (except danger that the trailblazer or provisioner put the party in).

If the scout succeeds by 5+, the party is presented with an opportunity - they find a hidden treasure cache, catch an enemy hunting party unaware, come across a roadside shrine that grants the party a boon, or something else of the DM's choosing. If the scout fails, the party is has a random encounter.