ADVENTURING

Journeying from place to place is as much a part of the game as combat or magic. This chapter covers carrying capacity and encumbrance, movement overland and through adventure sites, exploration, and treasure.

CARRYING CAPACITY

Encumbrance rules determine how much a character's armor and equipment slow him or her down. Encumbrance comes in two parts: encumbrance by armor and encumbrance by total weight.

Encumbrance by Armor: A character's armor defines his or her maximum Dexterity bonus to AC, armor check penalty, speed, and running speed. Unless your character is weak or carrying a lot of gear, that's all you need to know. The extra gear your character carries won't slow him or her down any more than the armor already does.

Weight: If you want to determine whether your character's gear is heavy enough to slow him or her down more than the armor already does, total the weight of all the character's items, including armor, weapons, and gear. Compare this total to the character's Strength on Table 9–1: Carrying Capacity. Depending on how the weight compares to the character's carrying capacity, he or she may be carrying a light, medium, or heavy load. A medium or heavy load counts as medium or heavy armor for the purpose of abilities or skills that are restricted by armor. Carrying a light load does not encumber a character.

If your character is wearing armor, use the worse figure (from armor or from load) for each category. Do not stack the penalties.

Table 9–1: Carrying Capacity

Strength Score	Light Load	Medium Load	Heavy Load
1	3 lb. or less	4–6 lb.	7–10 lb.
2	6 lb. or less	7–13 lb.	14–20 lb.
3	10 lb. or less	11–20 lb.	21–30 lb.
4	13 lb. or less	14–26 lb.	27–40 lb.
5	16 lb. or less	17–33 lb.	34–50 lb.
6	20 lb. or less	21–40 lb.	41–60 lb.
7	23 lb. or less	24–46 lb.	47–70 lb.
8	26 lb. or less	27–53 lb.	54–80 lb.
9	30 lb. or less	31–60 lb.	61–90 lb.
10	33 lb. or less	34–66 lb.	67–100 lb.
11	38 lb. or less	39–76 lb.	77–115 lb.
12	43 lb. or less	44–86 lb.	87–130 lb.
13	50 lb. or less	51–100 lb.	101–150 lb.
14	58 lb. or less	59–116 lb.	117–175 lb.
15	66 lb. or less	67–133 lb.	134–200 lb.
16	76 lb. or less	77–153 lb.	154–230 lb.
17	86 lb. or less	87–173 lb.	174–260 lb.
18	100 lb. or less	101–200 lb.	201–300 lb.
19	116 lb. or less	117–233 lb.	234–350 lb.
20	133 lb. or less	134–266 lb.	267–400 lb.
21	153 lb. or less	154–306 lb.	307–460 lb.
22	173 lb. or less	174–346 lb.	347–520 lb.
23	200 lb. or less	201–400 lb.	401–600 lb.
24	233 lb. or less	234–466 lb.	467–700 lb.
25	266 lb. or less	267–533 lb.	534–800 lb.
26	306 lb. or less	307–613 lb.	614–920 lb.
27	346 lb. or less	347–693 lb.	694–1,040 lb.
28	400 lb. or less	401–800 lb.	801–1,200 lb.
29	466 lb. or less	467–933 lb.	934–1,400 lb.
+10	×4	×4	×4

Lifting and Dragging: A character can lift as much as his or her maximum load over his or her head. A character can lift as much as double his or her maximum load off the ground, but he or she can only stagger around with it. While overloaded in this way, the character loses any Dexterity bonus to AC and can move only 5 feet per round (as a full-round action).

A character can generally push or drag along the ground as much as five times his or her maximum load. Favorable conditions can double these numbers, and bad circumstances can reduce them to one-half or less.

Bigger and Smaller Creatures: The figures on Table 9–1 are for Medium bipedal creatures. A larger bipedal creature can carry more weight depending on its size category, as follows: Large ×2, Huge ×4, Gargantuan ×8, Colossal ×16. A smaller creature can carry less weight: Small ×3/4, Tiny ×1/2, Diminutive ×1/4, Fine ×1/8.

Tremendous Strength: For Strength scores not shown on Table 9–1, find the Strength score between 20 and 29 that has the same number in the "ones" digit as the creature's Strength score. Multiply the figures by 4 if the creature's Strength is in the 30s, 16 if it's in the 40s, 64 if it's in the 50s, and so on.

Table 9–2: Carrying Loads

Load	Max Dex	Check Penalty	Speed (30 ft.)	Speed (20 ft.)	Run
Medium	+3	–3	20 ft.	15 ft.	×4
Heavy	+1	–6	20 ft.	15 ft.	×3

Quadrupeds, such as horses, can carry heavier loads than characters can. Instead of the multipliers given above, multiply the value corresponding to the creature's Strength score from Table 9–1 by the appropriate modifier: Fine ×1/4, Diminutive ×1/2, Tiny ×3/4, Small ×1, Medium ×1½, Large ×3, Huge ×6, Gargantuan ×12, Colossal ×24.

MOVEMENT

Characters spend a lot of time getting from one place to another. There are three movement scales in the game:

Tactical — for combat, measured in feet (or squares) per round.
Local — for exploring an area, measured in feet per minute.
Overland — for getting from place to place, measured in miles per hour or miles per day.

Modes of Movement: While moving at the different movement scales, creatures generally walk, hustle, or run.

Walk: A walk represents unhurried but purposeful movement at 3 miles per hour for an unencumbered human.

Hustle: A hustle is a jog at about 6 miles per hour for an unencumbered human.

Run (×3): Moving three times speed is a running pace for a character in heavy armor — about 9 miles per hour for a human in full plate.

Run (×4): Moving four times speed is a running pace for a character in light, medium, or no armor — about 12 miles per hour for an unencumbered human.

Table 9–3: Movement and Distance

Speed
	15 feet	20 feet	30 feet	40 feet
One Round (Tactical)¹
Walk	15 ft.	20 ft.	30 ft.	40 ft.
Hustle	30 ft.	40 ft.	60 ft.	80 ft.
Run (×3)	45 ft.	60 ft.	90 ft.	120 ft.
Run (×4)	60 ft.	80 ft.	120 ft.	160 ft.
One Minute (Local)
Walk	150 ft.	200 ft.	300 ft.	400 ft.
Hustle	300 ft.	400 ft.	600 ft.	800 ft.
Run (×3)	450 ft.	600 ft.	900 ft.	1,200 ft.
Run (×4)	600 ft.	800 ft.	1,200 ft.	1,600 ft.
One Hour (Overland)
Walk	1½ miles	2 miles	3 miles	4 miles
Hustle	3 miles	4 miles	6 miles	8 miles
Run	—	—	—	—
One Day (Overland)
Walk	12 miles	16 miles	24 miles	32 miles
Hustle	—	—	—	—
Run	—	—	—	—

TACTICAL MOVEMENT

Use tactical movement for combat. Characters generally don't walk during combat — they hustle or run.

Hampered Movement: Difficult terrain, obstacles, or poor visibility can hamper movement. When movement is hampered, each square moved into usually counts as two squares. If more than one condition applies, multiply together all additional costs that apply.

Table 9–4: Hampered Movement

Condition	Example	Additional Movement Cost
Difficult terrain	Rubble, undergrowth, steep slope, ice, cracked and pitted surface, uneven floor	×2
Obstacle¹	Low wall, deadfall, broken pillar	×2
Poor visibility	Darkness or fog	×2
Impassable	Floor-to-ceiling wall, closed door, blocked passage	—

You can't run or charge through any square that would hamper your movement.

LOCAL MOVEMENT

Characters exploring an area use local movement, measured in feet per minute.

Walk: A character can walk without a problem on the local scale.

Hustle: A character can hustle without a problem on the local scale.

Run: A character with a Constitution score of 9 or higher can run for a minute without a problem. Generally, a character can run for a minute or two before having to rest for a minute.

OVERLAND MOVEMENT

Characters covering long distances cross-country use overland movement. A day represents 8 hours of actual travel time. For rowed watercraft, a day represents 10 hours of rowing. For a sailing ship, it represents 24 hours.

Walk: A character can walk 8 hours in a day of travel without a problem. Walking for longer than that can wear him or her out (see Forced March, below).

Hustle: A character can hustle for 1 hour without a problem. Hustling for a second hour in between sleep cycles deals 1 point of nonlethal damage, and each additional hour deals twice the damage taken during the previous hour of hustling. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from hustling becomes fatigued (–2 to Strength and Dexterity, can't run or charge).

Run: A character can't run for an extended period of time. Attempts to run and rest in cycles effectively work out to a hustle.

Terrain: The terrain through which a character travels affects how much distance he or she can cover (see Table 9–5). A highway is a straight, major, paved road. A road is typically a dirt track. A trail allows only single-file travel. Trackless terrain is a wild area with no paths.

Forced March: A character can walk for more than 8 hours in a day by making a forced march. For each hour of marching beyond 8 hours, a Constitution check (DC 10, +2 per extra hour) is required. If the check fails, the character takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who takes any nonlethal damage from a forced march becomes fatigued.

Mounted Movement: A mount bearing a rider can move at a hustle. The damage it takes when doing so is lethal damage, not nonlethal damage. Mounts also become fatigued when they take any damage from hustling or forced marches.

Waterborne Movement: See Table 9–6: Mounts and Vehicles for speeds for water vehicles.

Table 9–5: Terrain and Overland Movement

Terrain	Highway	Road or Trail	Trackless
Desert, sandy	×1	×1/2	×1/2
Forest	×1	×1	×1/2
Hills	×1	×3/4	×1/2
Jungle	×1	×3/4	×1/4
Moor	×1	×1	×3/4
Mountains	×3/4	×3/4	×1/2
Plains	×1	×1	×3/4
Swamp	×1	×3/4	×1/2
Tundra, frozen	×1	×3/4	×3/4

Table 9–6: Mounts and Vehicles

Mount/Vehicle	Per Hour	Per Day
Mount (carrying load)
Light horse or light warhorse	6 miles	48 miles
Light horse (151–450 lb.)¹	4 miles	32 miles
Light warhorse (231–690 lb.)¹	4 miles	32 miles
Heavy horse or heavy warhorse	5 miles	40 miles
Heavy horse (201–600 lb.)¹	3½ miles	28 miles
Heavy warhorse (301–900 lb.)¹	3½ miles	28 miles
Pony or warpony	4 miles	32 miles
Pony (76–225 lb.)¹	3 miles	24 miles
Warpony (101–300 lb.)¹	3 miles	24 miles
Donkey or mule	3 miles	24 miles
Donkey (51–150 lb.)¹	2 miles	16 miles
Mule (231–690 lb.)¹	2 miles	16 miles
Dog, riding	4 miles	32 miles
Dog, riding (101–300 lb.)¹	3 miles	24 miles
Cart or wagon	2 miles	16 miles
Ship
Raft or barge (poled or towed)²	1/2 mile	5 miles
Keelboat (rowed)²	1 mile	10 miles
Rowboat (rowed)²	1½ miles	15 miles
Sailing ship (sailed)	2 miles	48 miles
Warship (sailed and rowed)	2½ miles	60 miles
Longship (sailed and rowed)	3 miles	72 miles
Galley (rowed and sailed)	4 miles	96 miles

EXPLORATION

Adventurers spend time exploring dark caverns, cursed ruins, catacombs, and other dangerous and forbidding areas. A little careful forethought can help the characters in their adventures.

PREPARATIONS

Characters should have the supplies they need for their adventures: arrows, food, water, torches, bedrolls, or whatever is needed for the task at hand. Rope, chains, crowbars, and other tools can come in handy, too. Characters should have ranged weapons, if possible, for combats in which they can't close with the enemy. Horses are useful for overland journeys, while sure-footed pack donkeys and mules can be handy for exploring ruins and dungeons.

VISION AND LIGHT

Characters need a way to see in the dark, dangerous places where they often find adventures. Dwarves and half-orcs have darkvision, but everyone else needs light to see by.

In an area of bright light, all characters can see clearly. A creature can't hide in an area of bright light unless it is invisible or has cover.

In an area of shadowy illumination, a character can see dimly. Creatures within this area have concealment relative to that character.

In areas of darkness, creatures without darkvision are effectively blinded — 50% miss chance in combat, lose any Dexterity bonus to AC, take a –2 penalty to AC, move at half speed, and take a –4 penalty on Search checks and most Strength- and Dexterity-based skill checks.

Characters with low-light vision (elves, gnomes, and half-elves) can see objects twice as far away as the given radius. Double the effective radius of bright light and of shadowy illumination.

Characters with darkvision (dwarves and half-orcs) can see lit areas normally as well as dark areas within 60 feet.

Table 9–7: Light Sources and Illumination

Object	Bright	Shadowy	Duration
Candle¹	n/a	5 ft.	1 hr.
Everburning torch	20 ft.	40 ft.	Permanent
Lamp, common	15 ft.	30 ft.	6 hr./pint
Lantern, bullseye²	60-ft. cone	120-ft. cone	6 hr./pint
Lantern, hooded	30 ft.	60 ft.	6 hr./pint
Sunrod	30 ft.	60 ft.	6 hr.
Torch	20 ft.	40 ft.	1 hr.
Spell
Continual flame	20 ft.	40 ft.	Permanent
Dancing lights (torches)	20 ft. (each)	40 ft. (each)	1 min.
Daylight	60 ft.	120 ft.	30 min.
Light	20 ft.	40 ft.	10 min.

BREAKING AND ENTERING

There inevitably comes a time when a character must break something, whether it's a door, a chain, or a chest full of treasure. When attempting to break an object, you have two choices: smash it with a weapon or break it with sheer strength.

SMASHING AN OBJECT

Armor Class: An object's Armor Class is equal to 10 + its size modifier + its Dexterity modifier. An inanimate object has a Dexterity of 0 (–5 penalty to AC) plus an additional –2 penalty. If you take a full-round action to line up a shot, you get an automatic hit with a melee weapon and a +5 bonus on attack rolls with a ranged weapon.

Hardness: Each object has hardness — a number that represents how well it resists damage. Subtract its hardness from any damage dealt. Only damage in excess of its hardness is deducted from the object's hit points.

Hit Points: An object's hit point total depends on what it is made of and how big it is. When an object's hit points reach 0, it's ruined.

Energy Attacks: Acid and sonic attacks deal damage to most objects just as they do to creatures. Electricity and fire attacks deal half damage to most objects. Cold attacks deal one-quarter damage to most objects.

Ranged Weapon Damage: Objects take half damage from ranged weapons (unless the weapon is a siege engine or something similar).

Immunities: Objects are immune to nonlethal damage and to critical hits.

Magic Armor, Shields, and Weapons: Each +1 of enhancement bonus adds 2 to the hardness and +10 to the item's hit points.

Damaged Objects: A damaged object remains fully functional until the item's hit points are reduced to 0, at which point it is destroyed. Damaged (but not destroyed) objects can be repaired with the Craft skill.

Saving Throws: Nonmagical, unattended items never make saving throws — they are considered to have failed automatically. An item attended by a character makes saving throws as the character. Magic items always get saving throws; their Fortitude, Reflex, and Will save bonuses are equal to 2 + one-half the item's caster level.

Table 9–8: Common Armor, Weapon, and Shield Hardness and Hit Points

Weapon or Shield	Example	Hardness	HP¹
Light blade	Short sword	10	2
One-handed blade	Longsword	10	5
Two-handed blade	Greatsword	10	10
Light metal-hafted weapon	Light mace	10	10
One-handed metal-hafted weapon	Heavy mace	10	20
Light hafted weapon	Handaxe	5	2
One-handed hafted weapon	Battleaxe	5	5
Two-handed hafted weapon	Greataxe	5	10
Projectile weapon	Crossbow	5	5
Armor	—	special²	armor bonus × 5
Buckler	—	10	5
Light wooden shield	—	5	7
Heavy wooden shield	—	5	15
Light steel shield	—	10	10
Heavy steel shield	—	10	20
Tower shield	—	5	20

Table 9–9: Substance Hardness and Hit Points

Substance	Hardness	Hit Points
Paper or cloth	0	2/inch of thickness
Rope	0	2/inch of thickness
Glass	1	1/inch of thickness
Ice	0	3/inch of thickness
Leather or hide	2	5/inch of thickness
Wood	5	10/inch of thickness
Stone	8	15/inch of thickness
Iron or steel	10	30/inch of thickness
Mithral	15	30/inch of thickness
Adamantine	20	40/inch of thickness

Table 9–10: Size and Armor Class of Objects

Size (Example)	AC Modifier	Size (Example)	AC Modifier
Colossal (broad side of a barn)	–8	Medium (barrel)	+0
Gargantuan (narrow side of a barn)	–4	Small (chair)	+1
Huge (wagon)	–2	Tiny (book)	+2
Large (big door)	–1	Diminutive (scroll)	+4
		Fine (potion)	+8

Table 9–11: Object Hardness and Hit Points

Object	Hardness	Hit Points	Break DC
Rope (1 inch diam.)	0	2	23
Simple wooden door	5	10	13
Small chest	5	1	17
Good wooden door	5	15	18
Treasure chest	5	15	23
Strong wooden door	5	20	23
Masonry wall (1 ft. thick)	8	90	35
Hewn stone (3 ft. thick)	8	540	50
Chain	10	5	26
Manacles	10	10	26
Masterwork manacles	10	10	28
Iron door (2 in. thick)	10	60	28

Table 9–12: DCs to Break or Burst Items

Strength Check to:	DC
Break down simple door	13
Break down good door	18
Break down strong door	23
Burst rope bonds	23
Bend iron bars	24
Break down barred door	25
Burst chain bonds	26
Break down iron door	28
Condition	DC Adjustment¹
Hold portal	+5
Arcane lock	+10

BREAKING ITEMS

When a character tries to break something with sudden force rather than by dealing damage, use a Strength check (rather than an attack roll and damage roll) to see whether he or she succeeds. The DC depends more on the construction of the item than on the material.

If an item has lost half or more of its hit points, the DC to break it drops by 2.

Larger and smaller creatures get size bonuses and penalties on Strength checks to break open doors: Fine –16, Diminutive –12, Tiny –8, Small –4, Large +4, Huge +8, Gargantuan +12, Colossal +16.

A crowbar or portable ram improves a character's chance of breaking open a door.

MARCHING ORDER

The characters in a party need to decide what their marching order is — the relative position of the characters to each other while moving. The sturdiest characters (barbarians, fighters, paladins) usually go in front. Wizards, sorcerers, and bards often find a place in the middle or back, where they are protected from direct attack. Clerics and druids are good choices for rear guard. Rogues, rangers, and monks might serve as stealthy scouts.

HOW PLAYERS CAN HELP

Mapping: Someone should keep a map of places you explore so that you know where you've been and where you have yet to explore. A map is most useful when the characters are in a dungeon setting — an environment with lots of corridors, doors, and rooms that would be almost impossible to navigate without a record.

Party Notes: It often pays to keep notes: names of NPCs the heroes have met, treasure the group has won, and secrets the characters have learned. Jotting down facts that might be needed later prevents you from having to ask the Dungeon Master about details from previous sessions.

Character Notes: Keep track of hit points, spells, and other characteristics about your character that change during an adventure. Between playing sessions, you might decide to write some of this information directly on your character sheet.

TREASURE

When characters undertake adventures, they usually end up with silver, gold, gems, or other treasure. These rewards might be ancient treasures unearthed, the hoards of defeated villains, or pay from a patron.

Splitting Treasure: Split treasure evenly among the characters who participated. Some characters may be of higher level than others, or some might have done more on a particular adventure, but the simplest, fastest, and best policy is to split treasure evenly.