Travel By Foot
Summary:
Base Movement by Race
Race Movement
Dwarf 20'
Gnome 20'
Half-elf 30'
Elf 30'
Halfling 20'
Human 30'
UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT RATE
Surface Movement rate
Sandy -5 ft.
Slime* -10 ft.
Wet* -5 ft.
Ice* -10 ft.
Jagged -10 ft.
Warped/Uneven -10 ft.
LAND MOVEMENT
Landforms vary greatly in small areas. Some areas are easy to move through, while others are exceedingly difficult or time consuming to navigate. One can encounter all manner of obstacles, from briar-infested lowland swamps to vast expanses of open, hard-packed savannah and icy cobblestone roads. In one, movement can be as slow as ¼ mile per hour or less, while in the other, one can move as much as 3 or 4 miles per hour. Considering that within a one-mile stretch a person might encounter a lowland swamp; a raging, flooded river; a thickly wooded stretch of forest; and an open savannah, determining movement rates becomes an arduous task.
Castles & Crusades addresses movement in fairly general terms, and the Castle Keeper must bear in mind that any movement rate is subject to change in short areas. The movement rules below are based upon certain accepted averages and generalities in landform. The weather’s effects on movement are addressed below; weather can greatly affect the time it takes to travel between two points. Furthermore, movement in this section concerns itself with macro-movement and not micromovement. Movement on the battlefield or in small spaces is addressed separately.
Very rarely is movement through an area impossible. Consider the vast expanses of the earth men traveled prior to the coming of roads or horses. Mankind had traveled over the Alps and Himalayas, crossed the Sahara desert and the Bearing Straights, entered the deepest African jungles, and moved to Patagonia and into the interior of the Amazon Jungle. The only limits to their travels, it seems, were the world’s highest peaks and the depths of the blue oceans. And in both cases, oxygen seems to have been the major impediment. With that said, there is, within any given area, terrain which is impassable. Sheer cliffs; deep, fast-flowing rivers; and other specific conditions can prevent movement. However, within any given region, it is nearly inconceivable that a geologic feature cannot be passed or bypassed, especially with magic - unless, of course, there is no oxygen.
Humans, demi-humans, and humanoids can move fast. The average person, someone in reasonably good health, can move over fairly level road at a rate of 2 or more miles per hour for up to 8 or more hours a day without exhausting himself. This person can do this while carrying a moderate load of up to 30 pounds. A reasonably healthy person can jog, unencumbered, 1 mile in 10 minutes. While great lengths, adding weight slows one down, and the terrain over which someone travels can impede this movement. Bad weather can also slow a person’s progress. Furthermore, the more people travelling together, the slower their movement rate seems to become. Organization and training, such as the training given to military units, can mitigate this. At the high end, in forced or speed marches, a healthy person can move as many as 20 miles in 3-4 hours.
Example: Davis used to hike extensively in the Rocky Mountains. On one day, while carrying a 65-pound pack, he hiked 26 miles of trails in the Rockies. With about 60% of his travel being downhill, he made the hike in just over 10 hours. He was not terribly exhausted by the hike, and he had ample time to set up camp, cook a big meal, eat, relax under the stars, and gaze upon a herd of elk in a pasture below. On another hike, it took him 8 hours to move a little more than a mile, with no trail, through swampy lowland replete with vines and briars. He carried only a devil’s walking-stick, a few power bars, and several gallons of water. Afterwards, he was exhausted, bleeding from various scratches, irritable, angry, and dehydrated. It took him two days to recover from that foray.
When dealing with movement rates over land, the Castle Keeper should take into consideration the following three factors: terrain, the presence or absence of roads or trails, and the weather. Additionally, CKs might want to factor in the nature of the travelers (civilians or trained military, for instance) and whether or not they have any transport animals and/or vehicles with them.
Terrain, obviously, plays the greatest role in travel. As noted above, the nature of the surface being crossed governs the movement rate. The land is rarely smooth for long: it may rise or fall, or it may have rocks, root stubs, briars, or bodies of water to contend with. Forests offer undergrowth, tree limbs, roots, mosses, and other flora to slow or impede travel. Desert sands slide under one’s feet and are surprisingly unyielding to the boot. Mountains offer steep uphill treks, climbs, rocks, small winding paths (if any), loose gravel, undergrowth, snow pack and ice, not to mention elevation issues and oxygen deprivation. The treacherous ground of swamps gives way to deep pools, mired water, thick grasses, mud, and muck. The list goes on. Any type of terrain crossed, except for perhaps open grasslands and savanna, offers its own challenges to movement.
Roads also play a large part in movement. Crossing paved, cobbled, or even simply cleared ground increases movement tremendously, and roads can even mitigate the effect of bad weather. Crossing through a forest where tree limbs constantly jam into one’s packs or pull at one’s helm and shield is time consuming and arduous. Moving over flat, level ground free of roots and stones makes travel much faster and easier. The Romans learned this early on, so they focused their efforts on building roads, and with them, became the most powerful state of the ancient world. Moving over a well-managed road in a desert is just as easy and efficient as moving over a well maintained road in a boreal forest or in the tundra.
Weather comes into play when anyone attempts to move over paved ground or open country. Heavy rain can impede vision, make cobblestones slick, turn dirt into mud, soak people and their gear, and so on. Snow can be much worse, making surfaces simply impassable. The open sky and beating sun bring heat that drains the traveler of precious water reserves, forcing them to carry more than they normally would, or they burn or blister travelers, bringing them to a painful rest. Weather stops armies in their tracks, and it does the same to wandering adventurers.
The movement rate of animals adds an additional level of complexity to the issue, as animals can vary greatly in their travelling distances, as well. Many animals do not walk much faster than humans do. Horses, for example, only move at an average walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour. This is not much faster than a human’s walking speed. This is why horses make such great traveling companions: Humans can keep up with them if walking. A horse’s advantage is that it saunters and runs so much faster than a human runs, and its burst speed is exceedingly greater than a man’s; furthermore, it can carry large loads without adversely affecting its walking speed. Over the course of 10 hours, of course, the small differences can become apparent. On an average 10-hour walk, the horse can move 25 miles and the human 20. That’s five miles difference or a quarter day’s travel for a human. Short canters interspersed throughout the day can increase the horse’s travel distance greatly.
As you can see, movement is difficult to manage because it varies so greatly and so many factors impact it. Considering this, the movement rates discussed below are averages derived from the average human stride. Castle Keepers are certainly within their limits to expand or contract these distances as necessary or augment the movement rates as they deem fit. Local circumstances and variables have much to do with movement rates. The movement rates only reflect movement outdoors; they do not concern themselves with movement inside, where a host of other variables come into play.
Determining Movement Rates
The Castles & Crusades Players Handbook and the Monsters & Treasure books give movement rates for most creatures. Table 5.8 Movement Rates shows the common movement rates governing movement in C&C, translating them into an average outdoor walking speed. The assumption is that the movement is occurring over level ground and along a well-worn trail, a path free of obstruction, or on an easily traveled road.
MOVEMENT RATES
Mv rate Mph/kM-h Mv/Minute# 1 Day's Travel* (Mi/kM) Search speed in feet/minute
10 feet .5/.8 60'/3m 4/6.4 6'-40'
20 feet 1/1.6 120/6m 8/12.8 12'-80'
30 feet 2/3.2 180/9m 16/25.7 18'-120'
40 feet 4/6.4 240/12m 32/51.5 24'-160'
50 feet 6/9.6 300/15m 48/77.2 30'-200'
60 feet 8/12.8 360/18m 64/103 36'-240'
70 feet 10/16 420/21m 80/128.7 42'-280'
80 feet 12/19.3 480/24m 96/154.5 48'-320'
#Walking pace over clear ground at normal pace(note - not searching nor exerting).
Cursory search (checking the obvious such as behind wall hangings, if doors are locked, etc.) or if there is only a limited amount to search (e.g. overland travel and checking behind bushes, etc.). Moving fairly quietly so +1 to surprise/wisdom check - 2/3 Movement
Intense search (actively searching for hidden doors, traps, mapping, etc) 1/10 movement. Note: a room that is cluttered that is being actively searched will take longer. Castle Keeper bases movement (and what the characters find) based on the description of what the characters are doing (varies between 1/10 to 2/3 movement rate plus will affect possible surprise/wisdom check bonus/penalty - quiet intense search +3 versus smashing furniture apart for hidden compartments -3).
*This assumes an 8-hour walking day over gentle ground.
Increasing Speed
Increased movement speed over long distances by sprinting or jogging can only be sustained for a short time without frequent rest, which tends to offset the effects of the increased movement rate. With some stress, characters can increase their movement rate in 10% increments to a maximum of 50%, but with a corresponding increase in the amount of time needed to rest as well as a temporary reduction of the character’s physical attributes (strength, constitution, and dexterity) by 1 point per 10% due to exhaustion. Increasing movement by 10% requires 1 additional hour of rest, which restores one point in the physical attributes. 20% requires 2 hours and restores 2 points. 30% requires 4 hours and restores 3 points. 40% requires 8 hours and restores 4 points, while 50% requires 10 hours and restores 5 points.
To supply the CK with a very simple and straightforward approach to governing movement rates through terrain and its many obstacles, including the weather, the CK should cross-reference the three tables below (after finding the base movement rate in Table: Movement Rates). Begin with Table: Movement Rates Per Terrain to determine terrain factors affecting the movement, and then move to Table: Movement Rates Per Obstacle Type for obstacle factors; finally, consult Table: Movement Rate in Weather. Together, these tables will yield the final movement rate. This movement rate is based on an individual moving overland with weight, 30-40 lbs.
Elevation and terrain do not affect flying movement at all. Weather can, however.
Elevation
The first terrain feature the CK must determine is the elevation. Traveling high in the mountains means less oxygen, as well as more strain due to the up-and-down nature of the movement. For game purposes, the time gained in downhill travel is average with the time lost going uphill. Elevation changes are generally broken down into the following categories; none, rolling, hilly, and mountainous.
Note: Here the ground is relatively flat. There are no appreciable elevation changes which affect movement. Rolling: Elevation changes are noticeable and travel rates uphill and downhill are affected. A slight weight gain is given to uphill travel or mitigating factors, such as switchback roads, affecting overall movement rates.
Hilly: Elevation changes are noticeable. Movement uphill slows appreciably, and movement downhill does not replace the lost time or distance of moving uphill. Downhill movements are greatly affected by terrain, as roads or trails switchback and follow irregular courses over any given stretch of land. Mountainous: Elevation changes in mountainous regions are extreme, and movement uphill can be arduous and demanding, slowing movement rates appreciably. Roads and trails follow very irregular courses over any given mile, switchback a lot, dipping and rising with local terrain features. Movement rates downhill do not replace the time lost in moving uphill.
The effects listed in Table: Movement Rates Per Terrain are the maximum movement rates as a percentage of normal speed. For example, a human moving in mountainous terrain can only move 25% of his normal walking pace, so .5 miles (.8 kilometers) per hour. The following chart assumes movement through a mountain range rather than climbing a summit. Climbing a summit changes the ascent rate to 5% and the descent rate to 75%.
MVT. RATES PER TERRAIN TYPE
Terrain type Effect Ascent Descent
None None None None
Rolling 75% — —
Hilly 50% 40% 80%
Mountainous 25% 10% 50%
Obstacles :
Once one moves off the road or away from well-tended trails, obstacles greatly affect overland movement. Obstacles can include anything from swampy morasses, sandy dunes, piles of deadfall, rocky outcroppings, thick brush, rubble in a city, and even deep grasses. The range of material and debris that can impede movement overland is vast and dealt with in the most cursory of manners. The CK must decide how difficult it is to move through certain terrain types based on the guidelines.
Overland movement can be slow. It can be very slow. Even short stretches of land can present nearly impenetrable conditions, and to get through them, hacking and clearing is sometimes necessary. In an old-growth forest with long-living trees, deadfall and debris can staggeringly impede movement. On the other hand, if the rate of decomposition is speedy, the same forest’s ground cover clears fairly quickly, making movement much easier. Deserts with deep sandy dunes present very difficult traveling conditions, while regions with rocky escarpments and a few dunes are almost like traveling on along a road.
The Castle Keeper must examine and determine the nature of the environment the characters are traveling through to gauge the difficulty of travel. Determine the type of obstacle below, the effect they have on movement rates is detailed in Movement Rate Per Obstacle Type.
It is important to note that the obstacles have to be significant and consistent to grossly affect movement. All forests, deserts, and even grasslands have their densely-packed areas, but often these can be bypassed or, even though costly in time, moved through. Traveling overland through the Ozarks would be considered travelling through a hilly region (regardless of ascent or descent, so slight are the elevation changes) and have low density obstacles, despite all the creeks, rivers, deadfall and underbrush present.
On Movement Rate Per Obstacle Type, the effects of movement are assessed for each terrain obstacle type’s density. Assess the effects of obstacles after the effects for Terrain.
None: This region contains no appreciable obstacles. The ground cover is slight, and the earth is hard packed, lacks rocky outcrops or other impediments to movement.
Slight Density: This region has moderate movement impediments. The undergrowth is sparse, with small creeks, rocky outcrops, deadfall, and other debris occasionally impeding movement and causing travelers to frequently move around it. These areas might include small bodies of water, boggy areas, deadfall, exposed sandy soils, boulder-strewn ground, vines, and similar natural growth or debris. Overgrown Density: These areas challenge any creature travelling through them. Dense underbrush, vines, thorn thickets, creeks, large bodies of water, deep boggy soils, deadfall, and other similarly difficult terrain make movement extremely difficult. Often backtracking is necessary to move through an area. Some regions require a wide berth, and sometimes deep, exposed sandy soils slow movement. Snowdrifts, ice, and exposed rock formations also can combine to make travel difficult though these regions.
Thick Density: Movement through areas with a high obstacle rating can be exceedingly difficult. These obstacles include swampy terrain with at least 6 inches of muck and dense undergrowth, sand-dune deserts, areas of deep snow drifts, or areas of densely packed, large deadfall, such as in many oldgrowth or boreal forests or dense jungle growth like that in the Amazon’s interior.
Ice, etc. cause difficulty of movement by either poor footing or impeding leg movement (such as waist-deep snow).
MVT. RATE PER OBSTACLE TYPE
Obstacle type Effect
None none
Slight Density 75%
Overgrown Density 50%
Thick Density 25%
Ice or slippery footing 65%
Knee-deep snow, water, or soft sand 65%
Waist-deep snow or water 50%
Shoulder-deep snow or water 30%
Weather
Weather can greatly affect movement. Because it varies greatly in effect, timing, and nature, weather is discussed separately. Weather can be so severe as to bring virtually all movement to a halt. Some weather conditions are deadly (white-outs, blizzards, tornadoes and flooding, for example), while others are actually invigorating (cool drizzles on hot summer’s day, for instance). When considering the weather’s effects on movement, try to place yourself in that condition and see how you might react to it. Also, bear in mind, people once spent a great deal more time outside experiencing the weather; they were not relaxing in cooled/heated, dry houses. People were once more accustomed to managing in adverse weather conditions, and, considering the nature of the milieu, the players’ characters would also likely be more acclimated to what we might consider adverse weather conditions.
Rainstorms, snowstorms, whiteouts, tornadoes, monsoons, driving rains, snow flurries, heat waves, cloudy conditions, wind, and sandstorms can all hinder, slow, or even stop characters from moving forward should the right condition exists. The weather can be an enemy as deadly as any fantastic creature one can imagine. However, it probably shouldn’t be used as such. Weather is most often a backdrop to the story, and it should only rarely be made dangerous. It should, however, be an impediment and obstacle as with anything else in nature. After accounting for the effects of terrain and obstacles, consult Table Movement Rate in Weather.
None: No weather of appreciable note.
Moderate: This weather type includes snow flurries, sprinkles, showers, low winds, and warm or cold temperatures
Bad: These are rainstorms, snowfall, average winds, or temperatures ranging from just below freezing to high.
Severe: Severe weather conditions are driving rainstorms, whiteouts, snowstorms, windstorms, sandstorms, and the like.
MOVEMENT RATE IN WEATHER
Weather Effect
None 0%
Moderate 90%
Bad 50%
Severe 10%
Example:
A human is moving overland through a hilly region and is off the beaten path. He is on the uphill side of the range, so more than 75% of his movement is uphill. The region is an old-growth, temperate, hardwood forest in late winter, when the undergrowth is minimal. His major movement impediments are the terrain’s rocky outcrops and the many streams, creeks, and deadfall present. This is a low-density obstacle region. The human’s normal movement rate is 2 miles per hour. This is automatically reduced to 40% because he is moving primarily in the uphill direction, as per Table Movement Rates per Terrain. So his movement is .8 miles per hour. Modify this further by his moving through a low density obstacle area, as per Table Movement Rate per Obstacle Type; then multiply .8 by .75 to arrive at .6 miles per hour. The weather is the final factor to consider. In this case, there are slight snow flurries, making the weather a moderate rating. Consulting Table Movement Rate in Weather, the CK must multiply .6 by .90 to come with his final movement rate of .54 miles per hour. Rounding down, our noble adventurer is moving at one-half a mile per hour. Given 8 hours of travel, he can move 4 miles.
Getting Lost Outdoors
For those not familiar with the woods, getting lost is not that difficult. Even in broad, open plains, a slow and gradual declination change in direction of movement can cause one to end up many miles from one’s destination. In woods and hilly regions, this effect can be dramatic, as keeping one’s direction becomes increasingly difficult. Even a ranger can veer off course, though skilled woodsmen usually note when they are veering off course and correct it fairly quickly. Weather conditions also greatly affect one’s ability to stay on a targeted direction of movement. Familiarity with one’s landscape mitigates this to a great degree, as one recognizes landmarks, landforms, and other familiar terrain. Keeping track of direction requires a making a wisdom check from time to time. The player characters must appoint a party member as the designated guide; if they fail to do so, the CK should appoint one secretly behind the screen. At the beginning of each travel day, the party’s guide makes a wisdom check. The challenge base is always 12. Characters DO NOT add their level to the die roll, but they do add their attribute bonus. Success indicates the person has chosen the correct path. Failure indicates he has veered them off course. To determine direction, consult Table Getting Lost. Consult the rating of each feature below to determine the wisdom check’s final challenge level.
TABLE :GETTING LOST
Terrain Obstacles Weather
None CL 0 None CL 0 None CL 0
Rolling CL 1 Slight CL 2 Bad CL 1
Hilly CL 2 Overgrown CL 3 Moderate CL 4
Mountainous CL 4 Thick CL 6 Severe CL 8
Determine how familiar the terrain is. If the terrain is very familiar, the character gains a +9 to his check; if the terrain is slightly familiar, he gains a +5, and if the terrain is a little familiar, he gains a +2 to his wisdom check. If a ranger or barbarian is making the check, then add +5 for a barbarian or druid and +7 for a ranger. Example: The party is traveling through a steep mountain range (CL 4, as per above); the land is covered in slight amounts of vegetation (CL 2); the weather is bad (CL 3). There is a 4th-level ranger guiding the party. The challenge base is 12. To determine the challenge level, add the terrain, obstacles, and weather to the CB. The terrain rates a 4 so CL 4, Obstacles rates 2 so CL 2, and the weather rates a 3 so CL 3. The ranger is not familiar with the terrain. The total CL is 12 + 9, for a challenge class of 21. The ranger has a wisdom of 12, so he gains no attribute bonus, but his ranger skills gain him a +7, for a total bonus of +7. Any roll of 14 or higher means the party does not become lost. If the party’s ranger fails the check, they move off course by 5d4 degrees off target for that day (right or left, CK choice). To determine a more random direction, roll on Table: Directions.
TABLE : DIRECTIONS
1 North (N)
2 Northwest (NW)
3 West (W)
4 Southwest (SW)
5 South (S)
6 Southeast (SE)
7 East (E)
8 Northeast (NE)
- 1. Base movement begins with a character's race. It is the standard movement for both combat (10 second round) and for a standard walking pace (6 rounds/minute = 6 times base for 1 minute's travel. For instance, humans move at 30' base which is 180'/minute, 2 miles/hour or 16 miles/day. For other races, see the Base Movement by Race chart (below). Use the base movement in the Movement Rates chart (below) for miles/hour and miles/day.
- 2. Environmental Effects on Outdoor Movement: Since base movement is calculated on level and unobstructed ground, it is generally the maximum traveled. Movement rates can be decreased by rougher terrain (see Movement rate per Terrain Types - below). Obstacles, such as heavy brush, will also decrease the movement rate (see Movement rate per Obstacle Type - below). Additionally, poorer weather conditions can also decrease movement rate (see Movement Rate in Weather - below). All 3 types of factors can combine to greatly influence movement rate.
- 3. Underground movement is generally influenced by the roughness and condition of the surface being moved over (see Underground Movement Rate - below). These can be cumulative.
- 4. Also, movement rate is influenced by the Party's decisions. How intensely the Party searches an area influences movement on a sliding scale (a cursory search of a passageway with little to no features hardly slows the Party down at all compared to an intense search of a similar sized passageway that is extremely cluttered….). See "Movement Rates" the last column - below.
- 5. Finally, encumbrance directly affects movement. Characters not/lightly encumbered move as normal. Burdened characters who are moderately to heavily encumbered lose 10' off their movement rate and all dexterity checks are at +2 difficulty. Overburdened characters are very heavily to maximum weight encumbered with their movement rate reduced to 5', fail all dexterity checks and lose their dexterity bonus to AC. See the Encumbrance page for more details.
- 6. The Party may also become lost (sometimes without knowing it for a while). See "Lost" - below.
- 7. Characters may choose to go faster than base movement. Faster travel rates will require longer rests and come at a cost to character performance. See "Increasing Speed" - below.
- 8. Movement rates can affect the chance of being surprised, a character's health and ability to act (e.g. exhausted due to overdoing movement). Players need to be monitor it carefully.
Base Movement by Race
Race Movement
Dwarf 20'
Gnome 20'
Half-elf 30'
Elf 30'
Halfling 20'
Human 30'
UNDERGROUND MOVEMENT RATE
Surface Movement rate
Sandy -5 ft.
Slime* -10 ft.
Wet* -5 ft.
Ice* -10 ft.
Jagged -10 ft.
Warped/Uneven -10 ft.
LAND MOVEMENT
Landforms vary greatly in small areas. Some areas are easy to move through, while others are exceedingly difficult or time consuming to navigate. One can encounter all manner of obstacles, from briar-infested lowland swamps to vast expanses of open, hard-packed savannah and icy cobblestone roads. In one, movement can be as slow as ¼ mile per hour or less, while in the other, one can move as much as 3 or 4 miles per hour. Considering that within a one-mile stretch a person might encounter a lowland swamp; a raging, flooded river; a thickly wooded stretch of forest; and an open savannah, determining movement rates becomes an arduous task.
Castles & Crusades addresses movement in fairly general terms, and the Castle Keeper must bear in mind that any movement rate is subject to change in short areas. The movement rules below are based upon certain accepted averages and generalities in landform. The weather’s effects on movement are addressed below; weather can greatly affect the time it takes to travel between two points. Furthermore, movement in this section concerns itself with macro-movement and not micromovement. Movement on the battlefield or in small spaces is addressed separately.
Very rarely is movement through an area impossible. Consider the vast expanses of the earth men traveled prior to the coming of roads or horses. Mankind had traveled over the Alps and Himalayas, crossed the Sahara desert and the Bearing Straights, entered the deepest African jungles, and moved to Patagonia and into the interior of the Amazon Jungle. The only limits to their travels, it seems, were the world’s highest peaks and the depths of the blue oceans. And in both cases, oxygen seems to have been the major impediment. With that said, there is, within any given area, terrain which is impassable. Sheer cliffs; deep, fast-flowing rivers; and other specific conditions can prevent movement. However, within any given region, it is nearly inconceivable that a geologic feature cannot be passed or bypassed, especially with magic - unless, of course, there is no oxygen.
Humans, demi-humans, and humanoids can move fast. The average person, someone in reasonably good health, can move over fairly level road at a rate of 2 or more miles per hour for up to 8 or more hours a day without exhausting himself. This person can do this while carrying a moderate load of up to 30 pounds. A reasonably healthy person can jog, unencumbered, 1 mile in 10 minutes. While great lengths, adding weight slows one down, and the terrain over which someone travels can impede this movement. Bad weather can also slow a person’s progress. Furthermore, the more people travelling together, the slower their movement rate seems to become. Organization and training, such as the training given to military units, can mitigate this. At the high end, in forced or speed marches, a healthy person can move as many as 20 miles in 3-4 hours.
Example: Davis used to hike extensively in the Rocky Mountains. On one day, while carrying a 65-pound pack, he hiked 26 miles of trails in the Rockies. With about 60% of his travel being downhill, he made the hike in just over 10 hours. He was not terribly exhausted by the hike, and he had ample time to set up camp, cook a big meal, eat, relax under the stars, and gaze upon a herd of elk in a pasture below. On another hike, it took him 8 hours to move a little more than a mile, with no trail, through swampy lowland replete with vines and briars. He carried only a devil’s walking-stick, a few power bars, and several gallons of water. Afterwards, he was exhausted, bleeding from various scratches, irritable, angry, and dehydrated. It took him two days to recover from that foray.
When dealing with movement rates over land, the Castle Keeper should take into consideration the following three factors: terrain, the presence or absence of roads or trails, and the weather. Additionally, CKs might want to factor in the nature of the travelers (civilians or trained military, for instance) and whether or not they have any transport animals and/or vehicles with them.
Terrain, obviously, plays the greatest role in travel. As noted above, the nature of the surface being crossed governs the movement rate. The land is rarely smooth for long: it may rise or fall, or it may have rocks, root stubs, briars, or bodies of water to contend with. Forests offer undergrowth, tree limbs, roots, mosses, and other flora to slow or impede travel. Desert sands slide under one’s feet and are surprisingly unyielding to the boot. Mountains offer steep uphill treks, climbs, rocks, small winding paths (if any), loose gravel, undergrowth, snow pack and ice, not to mention elevation issues and oxygen deprivation. The treacherous ground of swamps gives way to deep pools, mired water, thick grasses, mud, and muck. The list goes on. Any type of terrain crossed, except for perhaps open grasslands and savanna, offers its own challenges to movement.
Roads also play a large part in movement. Crossing paved, cobbled, or even simply cleared ground increases movement tremendously, and roads can even mitigate the effect of bad weather. Crossing through a forest where tree limbs constantly jam into one’s packs or pull at one’s helm and shield is time consuming and arduous. Moving over flat, level ground free of roots and stones makes travel much faster and easier. The Romans learned this early on, so they focused their efforts on building roads, and with them, became the most powerful state of the ancient world. Moving over a well-managed road in a desert is just as easy and efficient as moving over a well maintained road in a boreal forest or in the tundra.
Weather comes into play when anyone attempts to move over paved ground or open country. Heavy rain can impede vision, make cobblestones slick, turn dirt into mud, soak people and their gear, and so on. Snow can be much worse, making surfaces simply impassable. The open sky and beating sun bring heat that drains the traveler of precious water reserves, forcing them to carry more than they normally would, or they burn or blister travelers, bringing them to a painful rest. Weather stops armies in their tracks, and it does the same to wandering adventurers.
The movement rate of animals adds an additional level of complexity to the issue, as animals can vary greatly in their travelling distances, as well. Many animals do not walk much faster than humans do. Horses, for example, only move at an average walking speed of 2.5 miles per hour. This is not much faster than a human’s walking speed. This is why horses make such great traveling companions: Humans can keep up with them if walking. A horse’s advantage is that it saunters and runs so much faster than a human runs, and its burst speed is exceedingly greater than a man’s; furthermore, it can carry large loads without adversely affecting its walking speed. Over the course of 10 hours, of course, the small differences can become apparent. On an average 10-hour walk, the horse can move 25 miles and the human 20. That’s five miles difference or a quarter day’s travel for a human. Short canters interspersed throughout the day can increase the horse’s travel distance greatly.
As you can see, movement is difficult to manage because it varies so greatly and so many factors impact it. Considering this, the movement rates discussed below are averages derived from the average human stride. Castle Keepers are certainly within their limits to expand or contract these distances as necessary or augment the movement rates as they deem fit. Local circumstances and variables have much to do with movement rates. The movement rates only reflect movement outdoors; they do not concern themselves with movement inside, where a host of other variables come into play.
Determining Movement Rates
The Castles & Crusades Players Handbook and the Monsters & Treasure books give movement rates for most creatures. Table 5.8 Movement Rates shows the common movement rates governing movement in C&C, translating them into an average outdoor walking speed. The assumption is that the movement is occurring over level ground and along a well-worn trail, a path free of obstruction, or on an easily traveled road.
MOVEMENT RATES
Mv rate Mph/kM-h Mv/Minute# 1 Day's Travel* (Mi/kM) Search speed in feet/minute
10 feet .5/.8 60'/3m 4/6.4 6'-40'
20 feet 1/1.6 120/6m 8/12.8 12'-80'
30 feet 2/3.2 180/9m 16/25.7 18'-120'
40 feet 4/6.4 240/12m 32/51.5 24'-160'
50 feet 6/9.6 300/15m 48/77.2 30'-200'
60 feet 8/12.8 360/18m 64/103 36'-240'
70 feet 10/16 420/21m 80/128.7 42'-280'
80 feet 12/19.3 480/24m 96/154.5 48'-320'
#Walking pace over clear ground at normal pace(note - not searching nor exerting).
Cursory search (checking the obvious such as behind wall hangings, if doors are locked, etc.) or if there is only a limited amount to search (e.g. overland travel and checking behind bushes, etc.). Moving fairly quietly so +1 to surprise/wisdom check - 2/3 Movement
Intense search (actively searching for hidden doors, traps, mapping, etc) 1/10 movement. Note: a room that is cluttered that is being actively searched will take longer. Castle Keeper bases movement (and what the characters find) based on the description of what the characters are doing (varies between 1/10 to 2/3 movement rate plus will affect possible surprise/wisdom check bonus/penalty - quiet intense search +3 versus smashing furniture apart for hidden compartments -3).
*This assumes an 8-hour walking day over gentle ground.
Increasing Speed
Increased movement speed over long distances by sprinting or jogging can only be sustained for a short time without frequent rest, which tends to offset the effects of the increased movement rate. With some stress, characters can increase their movement rate in 10% increments to a maximum of 50%, but with a corresponding increase in the amount of time needed to rest as well as a temporary reduction of the character’s physical attributes (strength, constitution, and dexterity) by 1 point per 10% due to exhaustion. Increasing movement by 10% requires 1 additional hour of rest, which restores one point in the physical attributes. 20% requires 2 hours and restores 2 points. 30% requires 4 hours and restores 3 points. 40% requires 8 hours and restores 4 points, while 50% requires 10 hours and restores 5 points.
To supply the CK with a very simple and straightforward approach to governing movement rates through terrain and its many obstacles, including the weather, the CK should cross-reference the three tables below (after finding the base movement rate in Table: Movement Rates). Begin with Table: Movement Rates Per Terrain to determine terrain factors affecting the movement, and then move to Table: Movement Rates Per Obstacle Type for obstacle factors; finally, consult Table: Movement Rate in Weather. Together, these tables will yield the final movement rate. This movement rate is based on an individual moving overland with weight, 30-40 lbs.
Elevation and terrain do not affect flying movement at all. Weather can, however.
Elevation
The first terrain feature the CK must determine is the elevation. Traveling high in the mountains means less oxygen, as well as more strain due to the up-and-down nature of the movement. For game purposes, the time gained in downhill travel is average with the time lost going uphill. Elevation changes are generally broken down into the following categories; none, rolling, hilly, and mountainous.
Note: Here the ground is relatively flat. There are no appreciable elevation changes which affect movement. Rolling: Elevation changes are noticeable and travel rates uphill and downhill are affected. A slight weight gain is given to uphill travel or mitigating factors, such as switchback roads, affecting overall movement rates.
Hilly: Elevation changes are noticeable. Movement uphill slows appreciably, and movement downhill does not replace the lost time or distance of moving uphill. Downhill movements are greatly affected by terrain, as roads or trails switchback and follow irregular courses over any given stretch of land. Mountainous: Elevation changes in mountainous regions are extreme, and movement uphill can be arduous and demanding, slowing movement rates appreciably. Roads and trails follow very irregular courses over any given mile, switchback a lot, dipping and rising with local terrain features. Movement rates downhill do not replace the time lost in moving uphill.
The effects listed in Table: Movement Rates Per Terrain are the maximum movement rates as a percentage of normal speed. For example, a human moving in mountainous terrain can only move 25% of his normal walking pace, so .5 miles (.8 kilometers) per hour. The following chart assumes movement through a mountain range rather than climbing a summit. Climbing a summit changes the ascent rate to 5% and the descent rate to 75%.
MVT. RATES PER TERRAIN TYPE
Terrain type Effect Ascent Descent
None None None None
Rolling 75% — —
Hilly 50% 40% 80%
Mountainous 25% 10% 50%
Obstacles :
Once one moves off the road or away from well-tended trails, obstacles greatly affect overland movement. Obstacles can include anything from swampy morasses, sandy dunes, piles of deadfall, rocky outcroppings, thick brush, rubble in a city, and even deep grasses. The range of material and debris that can impede movement overland is vast and dealt with in the most cursory of manners. The CK must decide how difficult it is to move through certain terrain types based on the guidelines.
Overland movement can be slow. It can be very slow. Even short stretches of land can present nearly impenetrable conditions, and to get through them, hacking and clearing is sometimes necessary. In an old-growth forest with long-living trees, deadfall and debris can staggeringly impede movement. On the other hand, if the rate of decomposition is speedy, the same forest’s ground cover clears fairly quickly, making movement much easier. Deserts with deep sandy dunes present very difficult traveling conditions, while regions with rocky escarpments and a few dunes are almost like traveling on along a road.
The Castle Keeper must examine and determine the nature of the environment the characters are traveling through to gauge the difficulty of travel. Determine the type of obstacle below, the effect they have on movement rates is detailed in Movement Rate Per Obstacle Type.
It is important to note that the obstacles have to be significant and consistent to grossly affect movement. All forests, deserts, and even grasslands have their densely-packed areas, but often these can be bypassed or, even though costly in time, moved through. Traveling overland through the Ozarks would be considered travelling through a hilly region (regardless of ascent or descent, so slight are the elevation changes) and have low density obstacles, despite all the creeks, rivers, deadfall and underbrush present.
On Movement Rate Per Obstacle Type, the effects of movement are assessed for each terrain obstacle type’s density. Assess the effects of obstacles after the effects for Terrain.
None: This region contains no appreciable obstacles. The ground cover is slight, and the earth is hard packed, lacks rocky outcrops or other impediments to movement.
Slight Density: This region has moderate movement impediments. The undergrowth is sparse, with small creeks, rocky outcrops, deadfall, and other debris occasionally impeding movement and causing travelers to frequently move around it. These areas might include small bodies of water, boggy areas, deadfall, exposed sandy soils, boulder-strewn ground, vines, and similar natural growth or debris. Overgrown Density: These areas challenge any creature travelling through them. Dense underbrush, vines, thorn thickets, creeks, large bodies of water, deep boggy soils, deadfall, and other similarly difficult terrain make movement extremely difficult. Often backtracking is necessary to move through an area. Some regions require a wide berth, and sometimes deep, exposed sandy soils slow movement. Snowdrifts, ice, and exposed rock formations also can combine to make travel difficult though these regions.
Thick Density: Movement through areas with a high obstacle rating can be exceedingly difficult. These obstacles include swampy terrain with at least 6 inches of muck and dense undergrowth, sand-dune deserts, areas of deep snow drifts, or areas of densely packed, large deadfall, such as in many oldgrowth or boreal forests or dense jungle growth like that in the Amazon’s interior.
Ice, etc. cause difficulty of movement by either poor footing or impeding leg movement (such as waist-deep snow).
MVT. RATE PER OBSTACLE TYPE
Obstacle type Effect
None none
Slight Density 75%
Overgrown Density 50%
Thick Density 25%
Ice or slippery footing 65%
Knee-deep snow, water, or soft sand 65%
Waist-deep snow or water 50%
Shoulder-deep snow or water 30%
Weather
Weather can greatly affect movement. Because it varies greatly in effect, timing, and nature, weather is discussed separately. Weather can be so severe as to bring virtually all movement to a halt. Some weather conditions are deadly (white-outs, blizzards, tornadoes and flooding, for example), while others are actually invigorating (cool drizzles on hot summer’s day, for instance). When considering the weather’s effects on movement, try to place yourself in that condition and see how you might react to it. Also, bear in mind, people once spent a great deal more time outside experiencing the weather; they were not relaxing in cooled/heated, dry houses. People were once more accustomed to managing in adverse weather conditions, and, considering the nature of the milieu, the players’ characters would also likely be more acclimated to what we might consider adverse weather conditions.
Rainstorms, snowstorms, whiteouts, tornadoes, monsoons, driving rains, snow flurries, heat waves, cloudy conditions, wind, and sandstorms can all hinder, slow, or even stop characters from moving forward should the right condition exists. The weather can be an enemy as deadly as any fantastic creature one can imagine. However, it probably shouldn’t be used as such. Weather is most often a backdrop to the story, and it should only rarely be made dangerous. It should, however, be an impediment and obstacle as with anything else in nature. After accounting for the effects of terrain and obstacles, consult Table Movement Rate in Weather.
None: No weather of appreciable note.
Moderate: This weather type includes snow flurries, sprinkles, showers, low winds, and warm or cold temperatures
Bad: These are rainstorms, snowfall, average winds, or temperatures ranging from just below freezing to high.
Severe: Severe weather conditions are driving rainstorms, whiteouts, snowstorms, windstorms, sandstorms, and the like.
MOVEMENT RATE IN WEATHER
Weather Effect
None 0%
Moderate 90%
Bad 50%
Severe 10%
Example:
A human is moving overland through a hilly region and is off the beaten path. He is on the uphill side of the range, so more than 75% of his movement is uphill. The region is an old-growth, temperate, hardwood forest in late winter, when the undergrowth is minimal. His major movement impediments are the terrain’s rocky outcrops and the many streams, creeks, and deadfall present. This is a low-density obstacle region. The human’s normal movement rate is 2 miles per hour. This is automatically reduced to 40% because he is moving primarily in the uphill direction, as per Table Movement Rates per Terrain. So his movement is .8 miles per hour. Modify this further by his moving through a low density obstacle area, as per Table Movement Rate per Obstacle Type; then multiply .8 by .75 to arrive at .6 miles per hour. The weather is the final factor to consider. In this case, there are slight snow flurries, making the weather a moderate rating. Consulting Table Movement Rate in Weather, the CK must multiply .6 by .90 to come with his final movement rate of .54 miles per hour. Rounding down, our noble adventurer is moving at one-half a mile per hour. Given 8 hours of travel, he can move 4 miles.
Getting Lost Outdoors
For those not familiar with the woods, getting lost is not that difficult. Even in broad, open plains, a slow and gradual declination change in direction of movement can cause one to end up many miles from one’s destination. In woods and hilly regions, this effect can be dramatic, as keeping one’s direction becomes increasingly difficult. Even a ranger can veer off course, though skilled woodsmen usually note when they are veering off course and correct it fairly quickly. Weather conditions also greatly affect one’s ability to stay on a targeted direction of movement. Familiarity with one’s landscape mitigates this to a great degree, as one recognizes landmarks, landforms, and other familiar terrain. Keeping track of direction requires a making a wisdom check from time to time. The player characters must appoint a party member as the designated guide; if they fail to do so, the CK should appoint one secretly behind the screen. At the beginning of each travel day, the party’s guide makes a wisdom check. The challenge base is always 12. Characters DO NOT add their level to the die roll, but they do add their attribute bonus. Success indicates the person has chosen the correct path. Failure indicates he has veered them off course. To determine direction, consult Table Getting Lost. Consult the rating of each feature below to determine the wisdom check’s final challenge level.
TABLE :GETTING LOST
Terrain Obstacles Weather
None CL 0 None CL 0 None CL 0
Rolling CL 1 Slight CL 2 Bad CL 1
Hilly CL 2 Overgrown CL 3 Moderate CL 4
Mountainous CL 4 Thick CL 6 Severe CL 8
Determine how familiar the terrain is. If the terrain is very familiar, the character gains a +9 to his check; if the terrain is slightly familiar, he gains a +5, and if the terrain is a little familiar, he gains a +2 to his wisdom check. If a ranger or barbarian is making the check, then add +5 for a barbarian or druid and +7 for a ranger. Example: The party is traveling through a steep mountain range (CL 4, as per above); the land is covered in slight amounts of vegetation (CL 2); the weather is bad (CL 3). There is a 4th-level ranger guiding the party. The challenge base is 12. To determine the challenge level, add the terrain, obstacles, and weather to the CB. The terrain rates a 4 so CL 4, Obstacles rates 2 so CL 2, and the weather rates a 3 so CL 3. The ranger is not familiar with the terrain. The total CL is 12 + 9, for a challenge class of 21. The ranger has a wisdom of 12, so he gains no attribute bonus, but his ranger skills gain him a +7, for a total bonus of +7. Any roll of 14 or higher means the party does not become lost. If the party’s ranger fails the check, they move off course by 5d4 degrees off target for that day (right or left, CK choice). To determine a more random direction, roll on Table: Directions.
TABLE : DIRECTIONS
1 North (N)
2 Northwest (NW)
3 West (W)
4 Southwest (SW)
5 South (S)
6 Southeast (SE)
7 East (E)
8 Northeast (NE)