Advanced Camping Rules


Homebrew and House Rules

Verdant Wheel

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New use for the Survival Skill:

Make Camp: It´s a DC 10 to make a usable camp for 8 hours for four medium creatures (a large creature counts as 2 mediums, and two small creatures counts as one medium). After 10 minutes of work, all people helping mount camp roll a survival check, the better one is the prime result and each other roll is considered a aid another attempt. Each time a check beats the DC 10 by 5, gives the Camp a resource point, the participants of the camp can use this points to buy camp vantages for the duration of the camp.
Unnatural enviroments or underground, gives a -5 penalty on this check, indoors or barren desert, gives a -10 penalty on this check.

Camp vantages:

- Bigger camp (cost 1, can be bought any number of times): Raises the number of creatures allowed in camp by 2.
- Protected Camp (cost , max 3 times): Gives +2 on fortitudes savings to overcome enviremental hazards by the campers.
- Safety Zone (cost 1, max 2 times): Gives +2 on percetion checks made by campers to perceive creatures approaching camp or to avoid being surprised inside camp.
- Tactical Camp (cost 1, max 1 time): Gives +2 to campers initiative to combats inside camp perimeter.
- Feeding Resources (cost 2, max 1 time): Campers don´t need to spend rations while camping and can refill waterskins.
- Camoflage Camp (cost 2, max 1 time): Gives +2 to all stealth checks of campers while in camp. All campers can take 10 on stealth checks while sleeping.
- Improvised Infirmary (cost 3, max one time): Doubles natural healing rate of all campers after a full-s night rest, gives +2 to healing checks made inside camp.

Verdant Wheel

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awesome concept, slightly more complicated than i like.

i think if you standardized the number of boons you'd keep the idea and shed half of the complexity. like:

Base DC 10, supports 6 people and/or horses, choose one boon per +5 you exceed the DC, each boon selectable up to twice

Bigger Camp: +2 campers supported (may be selected more than twice)
Protected Camp: +2 bonus to camper environmental Fortitude saves
Safety Zone: +2 bonus to camper Perception against enemy approach
Tactical Camp: +2 bonus to camper Initiative within camp parameter
Feeding Resources: campers do not expend food/water resources for 1 day
Camouflaged Camp: +2 bonus to camper Stealth checks, who may take 10
Improvised Infirmary: +2 bonus to camper Healing checks, who may take 10

Verdant Wheel

This was my first thought, but i am the overcomplicate type. Thanks for the polishing.

Verdant Wheel

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i mean, unless your campaign is about continuos travel, in which case the 'camping pool' concept might be suited quite well... maybe there can be some sort of synergy with The Overland Round.

I think I'm going to try these rules out my next game. my players oughtn't be on the road but once in a while, but it might add a little spice to the whole camping experience.

i think there could be a better way to do the Camouflaged Camp mechanic - the way I run I have them organize their watch then roll random monster encounters from a special list prepared ahead of time. And the premise is usually they see you so it's too late to hide. But maybe if I introduce these rules my rogue will stay in his sleeping bag (cover) until leaping up to sneak attack an unsuspecting ambusher (who thought there were only 6 not 7 people in this camp)?


I like this idea. I think a lot of the little details of travel and camp get overlooked all too often.

That being said, I also think this needs to take things like equipment and spells into account. If I have winter gear or hanging tents, and want to use a wall of stone spell to secure my camp, that should change things. That could be done by the dm, but I think it would be cool if that stuff were a part of this.

Obviously that expands the scope of the project a bit.

The Exchange

some locations should give these bonuses for free. Like if you camped next to a clean water source. A wall of stone could auto give protected.

Verdant Wheel

Yeah, i pretty much designed it to let the party choose the bonus so when they don't need something they could just don't choose it.

My original mental draft had a large table of bonus and penalties for locations and spells, but i never gone in this direction without knowing if the geral idea was any good.


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I like the idea and will probably use it in my next campaign. I agree with rainzax though that as written its a little complicated for my taste, but that's just personal preference.

Verdant Wheel

ok.
to some the following post descends into nit-pickery. I ask because, as DM, it is important for my game.

what sort of camping 'necessitates' the building of a fire to keep warm? how does this change the visibility or 'secrecy' of the camp sight? what are the penalties for not lighting a fire when you 'have' to?

more importantly, how could this interact with the rules above? looking for ideas...


As an avid camper, I might be able to shed some light so to speak.

During the fall, winter and spring, a fire is most assuredly a good idea to keep yourself warm. In certain climates too, a fire could mean life or death at night. Alternatively, camping in the summer or in a warmer climate doesn't need a fire probably, unless you want to cook your food.

At night, a fire is good but also bad. It makes you easier to find in the wilderness, which would probably remove the +2 stealth bonus. But it can also help or hinder your visibility, depending on if you are facing it or not. Any character trying to see past a fire would take a penalty to perception checks. But if your back is to the fire, you'll be able to see a lot easier.

Personally, I find that any light source other than the moon makes it difficult to see at night, particularly if you're moving through the woods. The light source will light up whatever you're pointing it at sure, but it makes the surrounding area much darker by contrast. It's easier to get surprised then.

If a party does choose to light a fire, a savvy rogue might consider sleeping outside of camp in the darkness. He is likely to be overlooked by an encroaching enemy, and therefore he could get a sneak attack or two in when the sound of battle wakes him up.


Awesome concept Draco

I like Rainzax more straightforward rules (yours are not bad, but they introduce yet another sub-system of rules).

I'm in the process of polishing-up my Overland Round houserule and with your permission, I would incorporate some of the concepts you've introduced in your OP.

'findel

Verdant Wheel

The stealth isn't about not locating the camp, the stealth is about not locating the people camping. (Fake sleeping persons, cammo sleeping bag etc... ).

No problem, i am a subsystem person. I like pestering my players about their camping place choices ( What ?! You want to camp in a floating rock on lava inside a active volcano ?!). So a subsystem was needed after a lot of paranoia while camping or even staying an a inn (You go to a INN and then sleep inside a Rope Trick cast in the neighboor bedroom ? ). I just wanted to know if other people liked the idea.

Verdant Wheel

ok so what happens if the players fail the roll? or similarly, if the size of the party exceeds the capacity of the camp?

everybody is fatigued the next day? or exhausted if fail by 10 or more or capacity supports less than half?

also UsagiTaicho how can those 'fire recommendations' be incorporated into these rules above? do we take a -10 to the check if we choose not to make a fire but the weather/conditions dictate that we ought to?

how does that look or play out?


IMO, it should impact chances of encounters.

Failed camp check and/or too big group should increase % of random encounter or something going bad. The way I see it, water shortage, food spoiling, pest infestation, snaps of cold/hot weather etc should be considered encounter episodes alongside monster attacks.

In my old rules, a bright fire increased % of encounters but negated results of animal encounters (or monsters with animal intelligence) and against cold weather, on premises that animals would be daunted by fire and that the fire would keep the adventurer warm and merry.

Statistically, it reduced the chances of encounter slightly, but increased the chances of powerful baddies if an encounter was confirmed.


A fire in a Protected Camp would be beneficial, so it should give an additional +2 bonus to the Fort saves granted to campers.

As for the others, that is tricky. A fire will likely make your camp easier to spot, and therefore easier to get in and kill you in your sleep. Assuming the players on guard aren't facing the fire (which is normally in the center of a camp unless you're camping insider), it should give them an additional +2 Perception bonus to spot potential enemies.

I would use a fire to incur a -2 penalty to Stealth checks to campers, or make it to where they cannot take ten. Camping with a fire makes your camp, and therefore you, easier to spot.

Since fire is almost always a necessity when camping (stay warm, cook food, scare away animals), I think that maybe having a fire just imposes that you cannot select the Camouflaged Camp boon. Or alternatively, if you select the Camouflaged Camp boon, you make camp without a fire. So basically, it boils down to how you want to die. By exposure? Or by a sword?

If Camouflaged Camp means no fire, then Protected Camp should mean a fire. A fire helps warm you, and a warm body is a body that is actively getting better. I would ignore the Perception bit then, as it has the variable of whether or not you have a fire and whether or not you're facing it. Just too much for me to keep track of. But it could work with either of the opposing boons.

Incidentally, Bigger Camp would make it easier to find too, since there will be more going on and make a lot more noise.

As for if the party size exceeds the camp size, then I'd say everyone should be fatigued the next day. However, if this happens regularly, then maybe you should up the base camp size for future rolls.

Verdant Wheel

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Overnight Camping

This house rule now fits on an index card which may be handed to players.

Survival DC 10, supports 6 persons, choose one "boon" per raise (+5 over DC):

*Bigger: Camp supports two additional persons
*Forage: Campers needn't expend rations/water for 1 day
*Tactical: +2 bonus to (choose); Initiative, Perception, or Stealth
*Medical: Long-term care (see Heal) may be administered
*Weather: +2 bonus to Fortitude saves vs environment (max +4)


The concept of making skills more useful during rest periods seems like a good one. It might be nice to expand that beyond Survival though.

-Stealth: While hiding a campsite might rely on Survival I think that hiding the campers themselves should be aided by Stealth.
-Knowledge (Engineering): I'd think that this class skill for Fighters might be helpful for setting up impromptu fortifications.
-Heal: This seems like it would be a good skill for the "infirmary" aspect of the camp.

Verdant Wheel

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Ooh good points.

I think the big appeal is that the houserule fits on a single index card - especially for my newer players. So, these rules serve as a base, and if I had a creative Fighter-Engineer who wanted to make up to (Skill check/5) squares with fortifications or what not, that would be decided on the fly. A case could be made for Cook, Handle Animal, Local, Geography, Storytelling... the list goes on.

While I slept I realized I could have the "Tactics" bit actually lower the chance of a random encounter - something the PCs may be interested in doing in more hostile terrain. The skill list grew too quickly to "hard code" it in. What's left are the essentials.

And so:

Overnight Camping

Spoiler:
Survival DC 10, supports 6 persons/horses, choose one "boon" per raise (+5 over DC):

*Bigger: Supports two additional persons/horses
*Hidden: Decrease the Random Encounter % by one step
*Forage: Campers needn't expend rations/water for 1 day
*Medicine: Long-term care (see Heal) may be administered
*Weather: +2 bonus to Fortitude saves vs Weather (max +4)

**Creative skill checks may Aid the primary Survival check.

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