Exploring on Horseback?

[Ultradan]

Hi folks...

I understand that the PCs will eventually get horses to move around the maps faster, but are they supposed to explore a new hex on foot, or can they continue exploring on horseback and save a bundle of time?

Ultradan

[Queen Moragan]

The exploration rules only consider the terrain of the hex and the exploring party's speed, i.e. slowest party member.

Whatever mode of locomotion the party uses, foot, mounted, wagon, boat, balloon or whatever else, just use the speed of the slowest.

You should also change the amount of time needed if something happens and the party's speed changes.

[T.A.U.]

IMC we decided to houserule that the exploration of plains and hills can be done on horseback, while forests, mountains and swamps must be done on foot.

[Queen Moragan]

While we're at it, IMC days exploring have become weeks, as the GM doesn't believe 1 day on horseback is enough time to adequately explore 125 square miles of plains (or any other kind of terrain).

[Scott Romanowski]

That kind of makes sense. Travelling on a lightly-loaded horse, and assuming that you can explore 1000' to either side, you'd explore less than 20 square miles a day.

[Curghann]

The timings presented in the book may not be the most realistic, but in reality all it changes is the amount of random encounter rolls the dm is making. Random encounters are good to keep people on their toes and develop a deeper sense of the area they're in, but if you've got more ransoms than you do module encounters, I think things start to feel a bit muddy.

My party was able to mix in moving at 20, and moving at 40 and I didn't see any major issues between the two.

Actually, when they were moving at 20 and not bringing horses it ended up working out better for them because the animals/predators that attacked them were attacking the pcs for the most part, rather than the unarmored/no pointy sticks tasty horseflesh that was trundling along with them.