Houserule - the Overland Round


Homebrew and House Rules

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The Overland Round was a houserule that we adopted to have a better idea of what could and what couldn't be achieved during a single day. The group consisted of 2 PCs, a ranger, a druid, and their menagerie...

Since there was a lot of traveling involved (at least until they got access to the wind walk spell), we came up with this simplification to figure-out traveled distance vs foraging and other uses of the Survival skill. The reality of random encounters (and ways to avoid them) were also a central theme in the game, so the list includes options to find sheltered camp sites and camouflage or fortify them as well as making bright bonfires that may scare-off animals and low INT beasts.

This houserule adopts a round-based model for the adventuring day. Basically, one day = one overland round, consisting of any number of Free Overland Actions, 1 Swift Overland Action, 1 Move Equivalent Action and 1 Standard Overland Action. Just like the combat round, a Standard Overland Action may be exchanged for an additional Move Equivalent Overland Action and the group may select to perform a Full-Day Action if they forfeit their Move and Standard Overland Actions. If the group does not move during their overland round, they may make their 1-mile step.

The Overland Round assumes that the group performs a multitude of trivial tasks and rest for a total period of at least 12 hours (including preparation time for meals, camp, fire, taking turns for watch etc.) Groups that are free of those chores (staying at the town’s inn for example) can “haste” their day and may perform 1 extra move action.

Overland Actions where broken-down as follow:

Free Overland Actions
Cast a spell with a casting time of 10 minutes or less.
Groom animals
Prepare meals
Prepare daily spells
Set camp / Set out for travel
Travel 1 mile (equivalent to the 5-foot step)
Any other mundane task requiring less than 1 hour or that can easily be performed while doing something esle

Swift Overland Actions
Gather wood for a bonfire
Cast a spell with a casting time of 1 hour
Find protected shelter / camp site
Any other task requiring about 1 hour to complete

Move Equivalent Overland Actions
Check snares / traps
Dig grave / trench (up to 5 ft. deep, 10 ft. long)
Erase traces of camp / activity
Gather Information (urban action)
Perform in front of an audience (urban action)
Protect against severe weather (as per Survival skill description; +2 if moving, +4 if stationary)
Taking 20 on a Search check over an area of 50’ x 50’
Traveling (up to half the daily overland distance indicated in PHB. Remember that this distance is reestablished if the group performs a double move)
Any other task requiring steady work but low concentration

Standard Overland Actions (8 hours)
Attempt a Craft skill check
Camouflage or fortify camp or shelter
Forage for food (as Survival skill description)
Hunt for herbs
Rest for 8 hours
Set snares and traps
Study a new spell
Taking 20 on a Search check over an area of 75’ x 75’
Any other task requiring steady work and high concentration

Full Day Actions (12 hours or more)
Attempt a Move or Standard Overland Action with a +2 circumstance bonus
Attempt a Profesion skill check
Cast a spell requing more than 8 hours of uninterrupted activity
Forced march (attempting to travel more than a double overland move, with appropriate fortitude saves)
Full day’s rest
Record a spell in spellbook
Scribe a scroll
Taking 20 on a Search check over an area of 100’ x 100’

The list is by no mean exhaustive, but it covered 95% of their activities

Appart from that, we had also made a cross-reference chart of distance traveled vs speed, terrain and access (roads, paths, trackless) which was really useful.

Any idea to improve or "pathfinderize" this houserule is welcome.

Dark Archive

Fantastic idea!

I have book marked this page so that I can come back to it later when I have more time.

Again, great job!

Cheers


agreed, great idea.

Silver Crusade

Pathfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Adventure Path Subscriber

Wow, so elegant yet so brilliant an excellent way to get my players organized during those parts of the adventure when killing things and taking their stuff isn't necessarily the order of the day. I'm saving this stuff to my hard drive right now.

Dark Archive

Very good idea here. I think I may try it out sometime when my group is traveling. Thank you for posting it.


Nice idea also - very slick and detailed too [which is always a bonus] - will definately be adopting this one as/when my group do some travelling...

Thanks again

Sovereign Court

I gotta admit I admire this rule, very simplistic and yet elegant. One problem though, with the new pathfinder craft rules, you can make multiple scrolls and potions in a day so it may be better to turn scribe a scroll and brew a potion into a move equivalent action (that way in an overland round a player can make two a day).


lastknightleft wrote:
I gotta admit I admire this rule, very simplistic and yet elegant. One problem though, with the new pathfinder craft rules, you can make multiple scrolls and potions in a day so it may be better to turn scribe a scroll and brew a potion into a move equivalent action (that way in an overland round a player can make two a day).

great, that's exactly why I posted that here, so inconsistencies between 3.5 and pathfinder may be spotted.

I'd have to go back to the beta rules, but how about recording spells in a spellbook?

'findel

Sovereign Court

Laurefindel wrote:
lastknightleft wrote:
I gotta admit I admire this rule, very simplistic and yet elegant. One problem though, with the new pathfinder craft rules, you can make multiple scrolls and potions in a day so it may be better to turn scribe a scroll and brew a potion into a move equivalent action (that way in an overland round a player can make two a day).

great, that's exactly why I posted that here, so inconsistencies between 3.5 and pathfinder may be spotted.

I'd have to go back to the beta rules, but how about recording spells in a spellbook?

'findel

I believe it got cheaper, but not any difference in time taken.

Sovereign Court

Laurefindel wrote:
we had also made a cross-reference chart of distance traveled vs speed, terrain and access (roads, paths, trackless) which was really useful.

Posting this list would make you very popular

The Exchange RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16

I concur with the other posters. This is a very nice idea. With a little more detail, and perhaps the additional information you mention, this would be a nice article for something like Kobold Quarterly.


lastknightleft wrote:
Laurefindel wrote:
we had also made a cross-reference chart of distance traveled vs speed, terrain and access (roads, paths, trackless) which was really useful.
Posting this list would make you very popular

unfortunately, the messageboard conveys charts very badly, mainly for the lack of tabulation. I'll see what I can do tonight, but I don't have a website on which I could upload a pdf that I could link here...


This looks like it has some enormously practical benefits with handling wilderness movement.

A overland free action takes less than an hour; a swift action takes about an hour, a move action is about four hours, and a full-day action is 8 hours or more.

It takes a spellcaster one full hour to prep spells

I didn't see it on your list, but it'd perhaps be useful to rule that a "Full resupply shopping trip (urban action)" (getting complete new supplies of rope, rations, clothes, weapons, &c., is an overland move action.

You have forage with Survival as an overland standard (8-hour) action. The Survival description says: Move up to one-half your overland speed while hunting and foraging (no food or water supplies needed).

I assume what you do is say that foraging is an 8-hour standard action, and then the party can take an overland move action to move 1/2 their speed. This is a neat abstraction.

You might replace "scribe a scroll" with "Create Magic item". The new item creation rules in the Beta state than scrolls and potions worth less than 250 gp can be made in two hours, while scrolls and potions worth more than 250gp take eight hours of work like any other magic item.

Perhaps add "Create one to two potions or scrolls worth 250gp or less" as an overland move action.

EDIT

Nifty, nifty, nifty. I'm working on a variant of this in which a swift action takes approximately two hours, and you can substitute two swift actions for one move or standard action, and four swift actions for one full-day action. Crafting a scroll or potion would be a swift action, and making four scrolls or potions would require as much work as crafting 1000gp worth of magic items.

I'm renaming them somewhat in my variant, to preserve the analogy but minimize confusion with the combat round. An "overland round" will be a "working day", which is divided into free, swift, move, and standard "activities".


Unleash the power of the cloud. Google documents is your friend.

I second the advice to submit an article to kobold quarterly.


1 person marked this as a favorite.

OK, here's my take. Obviously, this (slight) variant derives from Laurefindel's OP and the description of Actions in Combat. Pathfinderization includes Perception checks for searching and Diplomacy checks for gathering information. I increased a free action's walk to 2-3 miles and defined scroll-making in terms of swift actions. This action economy would allow a spellcaster to craft a single scroll while traveling overland; allowing extra move actions in towns may monkey with scroll creation limits. Some of these things look like DM prerogative, like allowing Craft checks as standard actions but Profession checks as full-day actions, or assigning various tasks as move, standard, or full-day activities.

Activities during the Day

The Working Day

Each working day represents approximately 12 hours in the game world, the amount of time a person can effectively work and still get adequate rest. A working day presents an opportunity for each character to undertake several activities.

The working day assumes that characters perform a multitude of trivial tasks and rest for a total period of 12 hours (including preparing and eating meals, making camp, building campfires, and taking turns for watch).

Activity Types

A activity's type essentially tells you how long that activity takes to perform (within the framework of a 12-hour working day) and how movement is treated. There are five types of daily activities: standard activities, full-day activities, swift activities, and free activities.

A standard activity allows you to perform a task that requires steady work and high levels of concentration, or takes approximately eight hours to perform. Standard activities include attempting a Craft skill check, camouflaging or fortifying a camp or shelter, making a Survival check to forage for food and water, study a new spell, or taking 20 on a Perception check to search an area of 75 feet by 75 feet.

A move activity allows you to move your half your daily overland speed, perform an activity that requires steady work but low concentration, or perform a task that takes approximately four hours to complete. You can take a move activity in place of a standard activity. Move activities include digging a grave or trench, erasing traces of a camp, attempting a Perform check to earn money by public performance (in an urban setting), making a Diplomacy check to gather information, making a Survival check to gain a bonus on Fortitude saves against severe weather, taking 20 on a Perception check to search an area of 50 feet by 50 feet, or traveling up to half your daily overland distance.

A free activity consumes a very small amount of time and effort, usually an hour or less. You can perform one or more free activities while undertaking another activity normally, but there are reasonable limits on what you can do for free. Free activities include preparing and eating meals, grooming animals, preparing spells, setting or breaking camp, or walking two or three miles or less.

A swift activity consumes a small amount of time but represents a larger expenditure of effort and energy than a free activity, representing a task that takes up to two hours to complete. You can take two swift actions in place of a standard or move action, but taking four swift actions is equivalent to a full-day activity. Swift activities include creating a scroll or potion worth 250 gp or less, gathering wood for a bonfire, casting a spell with a casting time of 1 hour, shopping for ordinary supplies in an urban setting, or finding a protected shelter or camp site.

A full-day activity consumes all of your effort during a working day. The only other activities you can undertake during a working day are one or more free activities. Full-day activities include casting a spell requiring more than 8 hours of uninterrupted activity, undertaking a forced march, taking a full day's rest, recording a spell in a spellbook, taking 20 on a Perception check to search an area of 100 feet by 100 feet. or working on crafting magic items. Making a Profession skill check to earn an income requires a week of full working days.

In a normal working day, every character can perform one standard activity, one move activity, and one swift activity or one or more free activities.

Activities and Combat

Combat encounters are usually brief, not taking more than a few minutes, and are usually counted as a free activity. However, combat may interfere with rest or disturb the concentration needed to successfully perform specific activities such as creating magic items.

Optional Rules

If a character takes extra time to perform a move or standard activity as a full-day activity, she can receive a +2 circumstance bonus on checks related to the associated activity.

The working day assumes characters are traveling overland or otherwise engaged in providing for themselves. In an urban setting where characters can pay for meals to be prepared, clothes and rooms to be cleaned, and other basic services, character may be able to accomplish an extra move activity every day.

Scarab Sages Contributor, RPG Superstar 2008 Top 4, Legendary Games

Count me in to the "good idea" crowd. Nicely done!

The Exchange

I like this. I'll have to give it a try in my upcoming PF campaign I plan on running and see how well it works.


Wow, this is a really cool system, thanks for sharing! How come it ended up all the way down in the Pre-release archives when it's still a fairly new topic?

Laurefindel wrote:


unfortunately, the messageboard conveys charts very badly, mainly for the lack of tabulation. I'll see what I can do tonight, but I don't have a website on which I could upload a pdf that I could link here...

If you are still willing to share your charts, I'd be happy to host any relevant files on my blog for you. Email Laithoron [at] gmail [dot] com if you are amenable and I can have it available by this evening. :)

Vic: This topic needs to be up in the current PfRPG > Houserules forum for all to see!

RPG Superstar 2008 Top 32

Laithoron wrote:
Vic: This topic needs to be up in the current PfRPG > Houserules forum for all to see!

Moved.


Flagging one's own reply FTW! Thanks Ross! :)

Liberty's Edge

Just found this thread a couple of days ago...
Great stuff from the OP!!!

I added two things to that rule, because of some time-issues my players have during RotRL. They kind of complained, that the story pushes them so fast, that they have actually no campaign-time left to create magic items. Therefore (as I want to keep the pace high), I thought to add the following lines:

Standard Overland Actions (8 hours)
Create Scroll or Potion (see page 549)

Full Day Actions (12 hours or more)
Create Magic Item, see page 549 (keep in mind, that work that is performed in a distracting or dangerous environment nets only half the amount of progress and therefore might need more than one day to complete)

I kept the following from the Corebook in mind.
p.549:
"Creating an item requires 8 hours of work per 1,000 gp in the item’s base price (or fraction thereof ), with a minimum of at least 8 hours. Potions and scrolls are an exception to this rule; they can take as little as 2 hours to create (if their base price is 250 gp or less). Scrolls and potions whose base price is more than 250 gp, but less than 1,000 gp, take 8 hours to create, just like any other magic item."

and (same page):
"This work is generally done in a controlled environment, where distractions are at a minimum, such as a laboratory or shrine. Work that is performed in a distracting or dangerous environment nets only half the amount of progress (just as with the adventuring caster)."

I know, this might be a bit over the top, but it keeps my players happy. They need to have a quiet place for this, and all material have to be bought beforehand, of course.

Thoughts?


Tagging this for later reference

Dark Archive Bella Sara Charter Superscriber

This is so cool. I actually sat down a while ago and tried coming up with a similar system. So psyched that someone already did so much of the work and did it so well.

My version was much more needlessly complex. I started with the idea of the full day action as the basis of measurement, but then wanted to scale that down to actions per hour and basically run overland travel somewhat like movement in a dungeon. The last version of the system I was kicking around was based on using a hex map. Each time the party entered a hex, they could use actions to explore it, find resources etc. I also played with the idea of giving each hex a series of ratings and passive checks against those ratings.

So, one particular hex might provide a penalty to survival due to being barren, or might have a lair that could be noticed with a passive perception check. I also started to build a mechanic around overland scouting - basically, the party could make a check (Perception or Survival (tracking) IIRC) and the results would determine how they would begin an encounter in that hex ranging from being surprised, to a free "buff" round (i.e., neither combatant is surprised, but the party gets a "free" standard action which could be used to take an action that did not require targeting or harming their opponents, typically movement or casting a buff spell) to full surprise for the party.

The other piece I played with was the campsite. I wanted the party's actions in locating, securing, and hiding their campsite to have tangible benefits, including lowering the chance of having a random encounter, providing them an opportunity to don armor in the event of a random encounter, or letting spellcasters make a caster level check in the event their rest was interrupted in order to avoid having to restart the rest period from scratch.


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Dryder wrote:

I know, this might be a bit over the top, but it keeps my players happy. They need to have a quiet place for this, and all material have to be bought beforehand, of course.

Thoughts?

Seems completely appropriate to me.

Laurefindel, this is exquisite. Posted on my birthday no less. :) Count me in the "Submit this to KQ!" crowd.

This is completely stolen for Kingmaker!

Dark Archive Bella Sara Charter Superscriber

Laurefindel wrote:
The reality of random encounters (and ways to avoid them) were also a central theme in the game, so the list includes options to find sheltered camp sites and camouflage or fortify them as well as making bright bonfires that may scare-off animals and low INT beasts.

Out of curiosity, how did you handle random encounters? I'm a big fan of them, and I've been trying to figure out a good system. The idea I'm kicking around right now would be something like:

1-5: Non-Combat Encounter (river to cross, tracks, basically something that can be overcome with a skill check or that can yield a reward with a skill check).
6-10: Territory Encounter (each hex would be included in the territory of a large predator, when this is rolled, that predator arrives).
11-18: Random Encounter (roll on a separate table for a standard random encounter)
19-20: Good Stuff (friendly NPCs, harvestable resource, etc.)

Also, I didn't see the rules for making a bright bonfire or the advantages of finding a sheltered/camoflaged/fortified campsite. How did you handle that?


I am sooo book marking this page. A most exceptional house rule. :o)


Now that I discovered the power of Google docs, I will attempt to post the integral document with the movement table.

'findel


Could you link us the google docs link??


Tread resurrection...

The houserule for overland actions and its associated travel chart may be found here via this elegantly crafted link.

As usual, all comments are welcome, especially ways to "Pathfinderize" the concept as I'm not familiar with every minute details that might have change from 3.5.

'findel


Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
Laurefindel wrote:

Tread resurrection...

The houserule for overland actions and its associated travel chart may be found here via this elegantly crafted link.

As usual, all comments are welcome, especially ways to "Pathfinderize" the concept as I'm not familiar with every minute details that might have change from 3.5.

Minor Changes needed:

  • "Gather Information" to "Diplomacy: gather information"
  • "Search check" to "Perception check to search"
  • Scribe Scroll could be included as a Move or Standard action, when value is < 250gp (only takes 2 hours once setup).
  • Profession has two s's.
  • End is cut off (or just not done?)

    Looks great!

  • The Exchange

    This looks great! Very well done. Right now I am trying to break it down for Kingmaker.

    I think the best way to do it just rule that exploring a hex is a Full Day Action. A hex requires a number of Full Day Actions according to the chart on page 57 to be fully explored. Any thoughts?


    Sebastian wrote:
    Laurefindel wrote:
    The reality of random encounters (and ways to avoid them) were also a central theme in the game, so the list includes options to find sheltered camp sites and camouflage or fortify them as well as making bright bonfires that may scare-off animals and low INT beasts.
    Out of curiosity, how did you handle random encounters? I'm a big fan of them, and I've been trying to figure out a good system (snip)

    I set 3 levels of likeliness of encounters, ranging from 10%, to 25% to 33%. Encounters were rolled for each night, but some result specified that the encounter happened during day time. Characters where invited to move cautiously using the guide's Survival skill (in wilderness) or Stealth skill (if urban). Every point above 15 would decrease the chance of encounter by 1%. Doing so divided the distance by half, unless they took a -10 penalty on the check. Rangers could make their band to travel cautiously at full speed at 8th level (same as tracking).

    If the encounter was confirmed, I'd roll the nature of the encounter (actually, I made the player roll). I had a selection of 30 bands of critters/monsters/humanoids at hand for this use, but the roll included friendly encounters, natural hazards and special results such as "spoiled supplies" and "disease" as well.

    A doused fire would confer a 20% miss chance to negate an encounter with an animal or magical beast, while a bonfire would up the chances of encounter by 10% or so but scare off animals and magical beasts 50% of the time.

    I could google doc my encounter sheet if that can be helpful to anyone...


    Majuba wrote:

    Minor Changes needed:

  • "Gather Information" to "Diplomacy: gather information"
  • "Search check" to "Perception check to search"
  • Scribe Scroll could be included as a Move or Standard action, when value is < 250gp (only takes 2 hours once setup).
  • Profession has two s's.
  • End is cut off (or just not done?)

  • fixed!

    thanks a lot


    I am truly speechless- this is AWESOME. I will playtest this when I run Kingmaker later this year, and I will use an urban variation of this when I run my homebrew campaign setting.


    Added an alternate movement chart to the doc...

    google doc wrote:
      Alternate Distance Chart
      Now, being a meddling DM (with the rules anyways), I do not feel satisfied with this chart. For one thing, there are too many terrains for my taste. Something easy, something hard, something harder and something really hard should suffice. Also, all distances are indicated "as the crow flies". While I can buy that an average person (speed 30) can walk 24 miles in a day "as the wolf runs", very few roads would allow him to cross more than 12 miles "as the crow flies". Except for the best engineered modern freeways, roads go up and down hills and around natural obstacles. Medieval roads were shitty and trails were far from railroads converted into bike paths. Only roman highway *perhaps* granted a ratio of 50% between plan distance vs traveled distance.


    Pathfinder Adventure Path, Lost Omens, Rulebook Subscriber
    Laurefindel wrote:
    I could google doc my encounter sheet if that can be helpful to anyone...

    Very cool stuff, and Yes please!

    Dark Archive

    this is an amazing find and I cannot wait until you release your random encounter tables.

    +1


    There's an encounter distance and visibility in the 3.0 DMG that didn't make into the 3.5 DMG (or anyplace else).

    It might be useful for the encounter table, and save some time. I don't have the book anymore, but maybe someone here does.


    Majuba wrote:
    Laurefindel wrote:
    I could google doc my encounter sheet if that can be helpful to anyone...
    Very cool stuff, and Yes please!

    here it is


    Playtesting this today. Will let you know how it goes.


    Freehold DM wrote:
    Playtesting this today. Will let you know how it goes.

    Let me know how it goes.

    It worked wonders for us, but then again it was tailored to suit the needs of that particular game game. You know, mother necessity and all...

    Let me know of any feedback from players as well.

    'findel


    Laurefindel wrote:
    Freehold DM wrote:
    Playtesting this today. Will let you know how it goes.

    Let me know how it goes.

    It worked wonders for us, but then again it was tailored to suit the needs of that particular game game. You know, mother necessity and all...

    Let me know of any feedback from players as well.

    'findel

    Okay, played it a bit, and the only problem that came up was stuff that went on in town- people wanted to shop and stuff, and I had to rule that fell under the "5 foot step" rule since they were all within the same 1 mile area. That's the only thing I would add so far- something for shopping, more options for the city itself, or more details on what can happen with the 5-foot-step/1 mile free action.


    Freehold DM wrote:
    Laurefindel wrote:
    Freehold DM wrote:
    Playtesting this today. Will let you know how it goes.

    Let me know how it goes.

    It worked wonders for us, but then again it was tailored to suit the needs of that particular game game. You know, mother necessity and all...

    Let me know of any feedback from players as well.

    'findel

    Okay, played it a bit, and the only problem that came up was stuff that went on in town- people wanted to shop and stuff, and I had to rule that fell under the "5 foot step" rule since they were all within the same 1 mile area. That's the only thing I would add so far- something for shopping, more options for the city itself, or more details on what can happen with the 5-foot-step/1 mile free action.

    Hum, you mean that I forgot the most common urban action among adventurers EVER; shopping for gears!

    That definitively needs to go somewhere. Shopping for common items should be a free action, but magical gears and less common/readily available items should taken more dedication. I'm torn between an overland move action and a standard action...


    Laurefindel wrote:
    Majuba wrote:
    Laurefindel wrote:
    I could google doc my encounter sheet if that can be helpful to anyone...
    Very cool stuff, and Yes please!
    here it is

    Can you repost this on Google Docs please!


    Nice and some thoughts:

    You have resting 8 hours as a standard action... is this beyond what you would get as part of the other 12 hours of the day?

    Maybe including "explore a dungeon" as a standard or full day action? This would help standardize how much time it takes to do such an action and give a concept of how much time is taken in such a regular endeavor.


    Sean Riley wrote:
    Laurefindel wrote:
    Majuba wrote:
    Laurefindel wrote:
    I could google doc my encounter sheet if that can be helpful to anyone...
    Very cool stuff, and Yes please!
    here it is
    Can you repost this on Google Docs please!

    Hum, weird...

    Fixed Link to Google Doc


    Reall really cool

    Liberty's Edge

    I just found this thread. Wow, great stuff indeed.

    I will definitely find a way to utilize this. Thanks to all Lf for sparking this idea and all others who contributed to it.

    I have a question though and perhaps I'm just being a bit dense in not noticing the obvious, but an explanation would help me get that "a-ha!" moment.

    A party of 6 PCs containing a healthy mix of classes/races are travelling together.

    One wants to spend his hour or so doing the swift activity: Find protective shelter. Another wants to spend his: Looking for firewood, and a third some other 1-2 hour activity......

    So what I can't fathom is how does the person who out looking for shelter not leave behind the person(s) who are doing other things. It seems to me that sure they can stick together, but it would still use up the swift action for all those not wanting to seperate from the group, since the amount of time in that day is still elapsing for them even though they aren't actively doing something.....

    Or am I just reading too much into it and being too nit-picky?

    Thanks
    Robert


    Very clever and practical...once you get feedback over the next week or so and polish it up a bit...I also suggest you shoot it over to KQ, it would make a great article.


    Tagged for ref doc

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