the dms guide to travel

The DMs  Guide
toT r a ve l

8 Methods for
Prepping and Running Travel

The DMs  Guide
toT r a ve l

Credits Table of Contents

Producer: Zeke Gonzalez Introduction 3
Writers: Zeke Gonzalez & Anja Svare
Editor: Leon Barillaro Tips for the DM 3
Layout: Anja Svare
Cover Art: provided by the DMs Guild Creator DMs Guide to Travel 4
Resources
Jump to the Action 4
2 Interior Art: provided by the DMs Guild Creator
Resources Sightseers 4
Cover
An airship captain heads home after a long journey Travelogue 5
across the realms.
Collaborative Worldbuilding 5
Sign up for my mailing list
Travel Enounter(s) 7
Get a FREE
Adventure The Day-to-Day 8
& Bestiary
Click Here! Skill Challenge 11

Abstract Map 13

Conclusion 15

Appendix A: Skill Challenge Template 16

Appendix B: Example Skill Challenge 17

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The DMs Guide to Travel

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Introduction Tips for the DM 3

Long journeys are a staple in the fantasy genre, but they The methods outlined in this guide are not meant to be
can be quite difficult to make fun and meaningful in mutually exclusive or all-encompassing. Rather, take
tabletop roleplaying games. Collaborative and dynamic what you like and leave the rest behind, or try a few
storytelling is what fuels enthusiasm for a campaign, and different methods at your table to see what maximizes
that kind of play comes naturally when the story centers the fun for your group. I mix-and-match these eight
on an exciting quest or adventure. It is all too easy for strategies at my own tables, using the method in each
that enthusiasm to lag during sessions that are focused instance that best emphasizes story advancement and
more on moving from one quest to another rather than matches the pacing of the adventure at hand.
action. Obviously, every table is different, and some may
throw themselves into long travel with excitement and As with any supplement, The DMs Guide to Travel is
aplomb, but in my own experience travel that stretches meant to be adapted to work for your group. If you don’t
for longer than a handful of scenes or a whole session like the way one of these methods works, or if it doesn’t
without significant forward momentum or new story mesh well with how you like to prep for your game,
beats quickly becomes stale. That’s where this guide please feel free to change it. Adjust the methods you
comes in! like in order to suit you, your games, and your players.
For example, if you want to try using a skill challenge
The DMs Guide to Travel is a rules supplement to represent long-term travel in your game but don’t like
containing suggestions, tips, and guidelines for preparing the potential consequences, replace them with other
and running travel in your 5th Edition D&D campaigns. consequences appropriate to your table’s setting and
Specifically, this guide outlines eight different methods characters! Use this supplement however it can best be
for running travel. It covers each of the eight methods utilized at your table and in your games. We hope you
in order of and concludes with notes on how travel can have as much fun with these rules as we have!
be used as the framework for a long-term adventure or
campaign spanning a large geographic region. The DMs Guide to Travel

The DMs Guide to Travel

Jump to the Action Sightseers
The simplest way to handle travel is to skip it completely. Sometimes you want to keep travel short and simple

Describe how the characters arrive at their destination while still taking the opportunity to immerse the

and let them get right to the next leg of the story. characters in the setting. In these cases, briefly describe

Whether or not this is the right method to use often the sensory experience of the travel for the benefit of

comes down to pacing. Think about how or why the the players. This description can include the climate

party is traveling and what best serves the action of the and weather, important or interesting landmarks, and

adventure. For example, if the party is traveling a safe the sights, smells, and sounds of the landscape. It is

and well-used route, then it makes sense for them to “fast essential to keep this description brief. Follow the rule

travel” to the destination without dice rolls or extensive of three: things that are grouped into threes are more

discussion. It is also common in D&D for the party to satisfying, effective, and memorable.

operate under time pressure. In these cases, sometimes This method requires very little prep; simply jot down
skipping travel to get to the reason for their hurry up to three details that the characters will encounter on
maintains the momentum and tension of the adventure. their journey. Lean into the themes of your campaign
It may feel instinctive to have a three-day journey to the to create an engaging atmosphere. For example, if the
next town “on-screen” and play it out at the table, but if characters are traversing Icewind Dale in the Rime of the
that journey is not intrinsically interesting or eventful, Frostmaiden campaign, you can emphasize the theme
then there is no difference between skipping a three-day of isolation by describing the enormity of the mountains,
journey and skipping a ten-minute walk down the road, the quiet stillness of a distant blizzard squall, and the
something most DMs do all the time! sight of a lone penguin on a broad glacial shelf.

As Dungeon Masters, our first instinct is often to provide This may also be an appropriate time to ask the players
4 the characters with an interesting challenge, expand the
world, and give the players opportunities to roleplay. But to explain how their characters are feeling, ask how they
sometimes the best story happens when you follow the have dressed, or check in by giving each character a brief
unfolding plot rather than when you introduce a new “on-camera” moment. Once each character has had a

wrinkle. Reading your table and determining whether or moment, narrate the party’s arrival at their destination.

not it would suit the game’s pacing to jump to the action

is a great tool for DMs to keep in their back pocket.

Remember that no matter what you have planned for

travel, you can always skip it and save that prep for

another time.

The DMs Guide to Travel

Travelogue Collaborative 5
Worldbuilding
This method turns away from the act of travel itself
and refocuses the session on the characters. Using this In some games, it is widely held at the table that
method, each player gets the opportunity to spotlight the players control their characters while the DM
their character for a single scene, which should last makes decisions about the wider world. In this travel
no more than five minutes. I find that this method method, we flip the script a bit and give the players the
works best when the players are told ahead of time and opportunity to author important or interesting features
provided with a list of examples to jog their imagination. of the world. This method won’t suit everyone’s playstyle,
These scenes can also act as a sort of downtime-lite for but I personally enjoy using it to collaboratively build
characters to work on a personal project. A character’s the setting during travel, especially a few sessions into a
scene can be any number of things, such as a short new campaign. When using this method, explain to your
conversation with another character (NPC or PC), players that this is an opportunity for them to emphasize
preparing and casting a spell such as scrying, sending, an existing theme or discover something new.
or the like, foraging along their route for a rare herb
the character learned about in their last adventure, or Emphasizing an existing theme is when your table
working on a new song to memorialize a fallen comrade. expands upon an existing threat, phenomenon, faction,
or symbol in a new context. For example, let’s say that
This method is a great opportunity to see “on-screen” the party has previously investigated signs that a cult
character development and give each player a fun devoted to Zuggtmoy, the Demon Queen of Fungus, is
roleplaying opportunity. This method also gives the DM active in the area. During travel, a character may discover
an idea of what is important to each player and their a number of living animals whose hides are bursting with
character. Allow these scenes to act as guideposts for unnatural mushrooms never seen before on the Material
discovering what relationships, personal projects, and Plane. In this example, something that already exists in
interests are fueling the characters so that you can the campaign (Zuggtmoy’s influence) has been expanded
incorporate those into the story more moving forward. by one of the players into new and interesting territory
(infecting wild animals with otherworldly mushrooms).
One of the best parts about this method is that it requires Discovering something new is just that: when a player
very little preparation from the DM. It is also a very easy introduces a new element separate from any previously
method to tack onto the other methods described in this existing plot point. For example, a character may
supplement, thereby adding character-focused scenes to describe that a troupe of badly-burned bandits attacked
any other method of running travel. the party while they were resting near the trade road,
but they were fought off and retreated. In this example,
something that did not previously exist in the campaign
is now part of the world (the vengeful Charred Palm
Bandits lurk near the trade road at night, waiting for the
characters to return).

An essential part of this method is actually
incorporating whatever arises from it into your
campaign. It will almost certainly require some
improvisation and goes against some paradigms about
how D&D is played, but your setting will be all the richer
for the collaborative worldbuilding done at the table. On
top of that, your players will be excited and intrigued to
see ideas they contributed to the campaign come back up
in future adventures.

First, the DM explains how the travel will work and
frames a scene for each character. Then each player has
the opportunity to describe something in the world from
their character’s perspective. Whatever they describe is
now a real part of your campaign setting. For example,
let’s say the DM is using this method for a party of two:
Rachel, who plays a halfling barbarian named Windling,
and Max, who plays a tiefling sorcerer named Honesty.

The DMs Guide to Travel

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during this trip?
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spyglass.
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through the desert?
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directly at him.

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Max: I’m not really sure. I can come up with
anything?
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desert. Is that okay?
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In this example, the characters do not interact with the
objects of their discovery outside of the player’s own
explanation, but if you are comfortable with improvisation
you could give each character (or even the whole party) a
scene to further investigate each of these new discoveries
or any of them that capture the party’s attention!

The DMs Guide to Travel

Travel Encounter(s) 7

This common practice traces its roots back to the design Foreshadowing
of earlier editions of D&D. “Encounter” is a broad
term; it can be combat, a passing NPC, an interesting Use your knowledge of the party’s destination to define
landmark, or pretty much anything that the party stops interesting features or details of the encounter. For
to interact with. Under this method, the party faces one example, if the party is heading towards the base of a
or more encounters (either from a table or purposefully cult and encounters a pack of hungry gnolls, the gnolls
designed) on their route. In other words, the journey may have been ousted from their home by the cult’s
is defined by the encounters that punctuate it. Almost activity. Or perhaps if a purple worm is nesting in the
every hardback campaign contains its own set of random ancient ruins ahead, then maybe the bandit captain the
encounter tables, sometimes even separated into day and party meets on the way is tracking the beast to steal its
night (such as in Curse of Strahd) or by different terrain valuable eggs. By tying together details of an encounter
types (like in Tomb of Annihilation). and the party’s destination, you create a living world and
foreshadow the party’s future adventures.
In my experience, travel encounters work best when
they act as a vehicle for interesting or useful information
about the world, an important NPC, a character’s
backstory, a faction, or the party’s destination. This way,
an encounter contributes to the story of the campaign
rather than acting as a deviation from it. Regardless
of whether you use encounter tables or design your
own travel encounters, here are three tips that help tie
encounters to lore, clues, and secrets:

Concise Ideas

Most of the time, encounters should be no more than a
single scene. Whether you are prepping your encounters
beforehand or rolling on your encounter table mid-
session, all you need is one concise idea: hungry wolves,
traveling salesman, cattle slaughter, bejeweled cactus,
caged pixie, homicidal scarecrow, lost midshipman.
By keeping the essence of an encounter pointed, you
can both prep and run it easily. When you roll on your
random encounter table, pick up the central concept of
the encounter and run with it.

Embrace Improvisation

Keeping your travel encounter concepts succinct gives
you lots of space to improvise as the party reacts to
the situation. One of the major goals of most tabletop
roleplaying games is to play to find out what happens. So
set the scene for your encounter and ask the players how
their characters respond, then go with the flow as the
story unfolds. Try not to decide beforehand whether an
encounter is destined to end in combat and simply react
appropriately to the actions of the party. For example, if
the party notices the malnourished nature of the wolves
and feeds the pack with a successful Wisdom (Animal
Handling) check, then the wolves are sated and have no
reason to attack!

The DMs Guide to Travel

8 Next, we explore each of these elements and explain
The Day-to-Day what the DM needs to successfully incorporate that
element into the framework and how to prep to use it in
This method simulates a day-to-day travel experience a session. This method is at its most successful when the
at the table without bogging down play. In this method, DM breaks each element into manageable chunks during
the DM builds a framework that allows the players to prep, keeps each element abstract, and uses relevant
address traveling concerns their characters encounter charts from the core rulebooks. In this section, the
over a long journey. This framework also ensures that Player’s Handbook is abbreviated PHB and the Dungeon
each of the players can contribute during the journey. Master’s Guide is abbreviated DMG. The DM should
The elements of this framework are modular, meant to allocate one hour of prep for each day of the party’s
be included or excluded based on what is best for your planned journey.
table.
Distance and Speed
>>>>>>>>The framework has several elements:
Distance and Speed In 5th Edition, an adventuring party can move at
Supplies slow, medium, and fast speeds. Read the benefits and
Travel Roles penalties for the different travel paces as described
Weather under Movement in Chapter 8 of the PHB. Using that as
Complications a base, it is easy to calculate how long it will take a party
Encounters to reach their destination. Many DMs advocate using a
Maps regional hex map with hexes of 6 miles, which dovetails
Putting It Together nicely with the chart from the PHB.

The DMs Guide to Travel

Supplies Travel Roles

Food and Water Each party member in a traveling group should have a
Using this element will require the players to track how role to fill, whether it be an advance scout, someone who
much food and water their characters have. You can is foraging for food or water, reading a map and helping
determine how much food and water each character keep the party on course, or even someone deteremined
requires daily under Foraging in Chapter 5 of the DMG. to cook up those coneys for dinner that were caught
Many parties find this sort of bookkeeping cumbersome, earlier. These roles do not have to remain static, but
so make sure your group is comfortable with this should be fluid, allowing different party members to
element before implementing it. Tracking supplies can contribute to the success of the story.
create a lot of tension on a journey and requires very
little from the DM (until they run out of something)! Characters cannot perform more than one skill check
at a time, so a player looking for a suitable camping site
Other Supplies cannot also forage at the same time. This limitation
Ask the party what sort of travel supplies they bring for keeps the outdoor skill checks from all falling on a single
their journey, or what they purchase before heading out. character and involves more characters in the day-to-day
You could impose penalties or bonuses along the way travel activities.
based on what they bring. Discuss this openly with your
players, especially since no adventurer would forget to Foraging
bring their bedroll on a multi-day journey. For example, if This should be kept fairly basic, but may have real
the characters sleep without their tent, they may need to consequences if the party starts to run low on food and
succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw to avoid water. Use the Foraging and Food and Water Needs chart
gaining a level of exhaustion. Below are some items that in Chapter 5 of the DMG to keep things simple.
characters might find useful while traveling, or regret not
bringing! If one character (often a Ranger or Druid) cannot meet
all of the food and water requirements for the entire
Additional Travelling Supplies party every day, two members of the party may need to
forage: one for food and one for water. Each character
Backpack Bedroll makes a foraging check as described in the charts
referenced above.
Blanket Traveler's clothes

Fishing tackle Hunting Trap Camping 9
One character can be responsible for finding a suitable
Mess kit Shovel place to rest each day. Use the Camping Chart below to
help determine what kind of campsite the party locates:
Tent Tarpaulin

Waterskin Climber's Kit Camping Chart

Compass Spyglass Find a suitable campsite Notes

Map Tinderbox Advantage if the party has
more supplies than simple
Cold weather gear Cooking equipment DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) bedrolls

Tinderbox Hatchet Diadvantage if attempting
to bed down in a swamp
Rope Spikes

Failure to find a campsite Notes
DC 10 Constitution check
Failure results in a level of
exhaustion the next day

Navigation
The Wilderness Navigation chart in chapter 5 of the
DMG was the basis for this section.

Ask the party which direction and how quickly (See
Distances and Speed) they wish to travel for both the
morning and again for the afternoon, or into the night if
they desire. The character leading the party must roll a
Wisdom (Survival) check, with any bonuses or penalties
that are appropriate (such as from exhaustion or from
weather conditions).

The DMs Guide to Travel

Weather Encounters

Introducing weather adds an additional layer of Having a map of the area the characters will be traveling

complexity. Use the Weather table in Chapter 5 of the through allows you to see the variety of terrains they

DMG to roll up and write out as many successive days as might pass through. Think about what the adventurers

you need of weather conditions. Following the Weather might encounter in each of those terrains. Use the Travel

table in Chapter 5, the DMG describes the difficulties that Encounters section of this supplement to create tables

are imposed on the characters from extreme weather with 4-6 encounters for each terrain. This is enough to

events. Make sure you note any of these conditions on keep a good level of randomness to the session.

your pre-rolled weather chart for easy reference. Maps
When implementing weather, consider how it affects the

party and their travel roles. Strong winds or heavy rain Depending on how you play, it may be useful to prepare
may impose disadvantage on foraging and camping, hot battle maps for each terrain type the party will travel
or humid weather may increase the DC for Constitution though. Each map should remain fairly generic for each
checks, and rain or snowfall may reduce visibility or terrain type, so they can be used for any of the encounters
speed. It is worth the effort to have weather notes you’ve planned. Try to have at least three maps for each
prepared, as it adds realism, depth, and an element of terrain. When an encounter occurs, randomly roll for
suspense that the players can't control (at least up until which map you will use for that encounter to introduce
5th level). randomness and improvisation. If you need more maps of

Complications a certain terrain, flip your map’s orientation and reuse it
from another perspective. This element takes the longest

Complications can be almost any external force that to prep, but it pays off during play.

makes things more difficult for the characters, or at Putting It Together
least more interesting. They can add extra pressure to a

situation without resorting to random encounters. By setting all of this up ahead of time, play at the table

The Chase should be smooth and efficient, even with the multitude

An exciting complication is to have someone or of moving parts. In its simplest form, you (and the

something chasing the party, such as an enemy posse or players) only have to make a few rolls, even when
10 a bounty hunter. The chasers must succeed on Wisdom
(Survival) checks to continue tracking the party, which implementing all of the elements as described above.
could be contested by the party’s actions, such as Here is an outline to follow each day that uses every
covering their tracks with a Dexterity (Stealth) check or element from the framework:
moving through different terrain like a swamp.
1. DM announces the weather for the day and notes any
Time Constraints effects for the day.
Does the party have to get somewhere by a certain date
2. Players decide the travel speed for the morning.

or time? Will something bad happen if they don't get 3. Player in the lead makes a Navigation roll to avoid

there in time? Adding the element of time can greatly getting lost.

increase the tension of travel. 4. A different player rolls for a random encounter for

Combining these two elements can quickly ratchet up each new hex entered or 6 miles travelled.

the pressure in a game. A posse hunting the party while 5. Play out any encounters that may have been rolled,
they rush to stop the king's assassination should keep using a random map of the appropriate terrain.
everyone sweating!

Limited Supplies 6. D M notes position of party on DM map, noting any
Limiting the party’s access to supplies may affect other possible interactions.

aspects of day-to-day travel. Did they go shopping for 7. R epeat steps 2-6 for the afternoon.

supplies, or were they rushed and could only grab a few 8. P layers mark off any food and water they used.
items? Perhaps the party is not fully prepared for the 9. P layers look for a suitable camp, forage, or continue
rigors of an overland journey.
travel through the night.
Without certain supplies maybe they can't afford to

prolong their journey, tying in a time constraint. They 10. R epeat each day until the party arrives at their

may need to travel a day without rest to get to their destination.

destination, perhaps suffering a level of exhaustion. After the first day of travel, you should have the rhythm
Without proper gear, the weather may become a serious of this method down and be able to move forward at a
factor. Can they hunt effectively with the tools and decent pace punctuated with interesting narrative beats
weapons they do have, or do they have to improvise and as you run into encounters.
travel more slowly to hunt and forage?

The DMs Guide to Travel

Skill Challenge as they make a good case for how it fits into the story..
However, once somebody makes a skill check, that
If you want the focus of the story to be the travel itself character cannot make the same check again (though
(as opposed to the landscape, the characters, travel another character can still use it).
encounters, or something else) without delving into
the daily minutiae of resource management, then try >Some examples of skill checks include:
running travel as a skill challenge. A skill challenge is Wisdom (Perception) to keep an eye on the weather
a collaborative and structured way to resolve a group
action that involves the entire party— such as a group > and look out for bandits.
journey! An advantage of the skill challenge is that it can I ntelligence (History) to recall useful trails,
be easily tweaked to suit almost any journey through
any environment: carving a trail through a dense abyssal > switchbacks, and local factions.
jungle, sailing a nautiloid through the Astral Sea, or C harisma (Intimidation) to scare off a pack of hungry
protecting a merchant caravan to the next town over. All
the DM needs to run a skill challenge is to review the > wolves.
rules, set the DC for the skill checks, generate a short list W isdom (Medicine) to create calming herbal teas at
of consequences that can arise when a character fails a
skill check (optional), and consider what will happen if > night to ensure everyone is well-rested.
the party fails the skill challenge. Charisma (Performance) to tell a great campfire story

Rules of the Skill Challenge > to lift spirits.
Or anything else that makes sense!
Once the party begins to travel, explain to your players
that the journey will be represented by a skill challenge. Encourage your players to find unique and interesting
Clearly state the goal of the skill challenge so that ways to use their skills, especially those they don’t often
everyone is on the same page. During the skill challenge, have an opportunity to use.
each character can perform a check in a skill that they
are proficient in. Players can choose any skill as long The characters roll checks until the party accumulates
six successes or three failures. Indicate to the players
that whenever a character fails a skill check, there
is a possibility that they run into a complication.
A complication may require the party put the skill
challenge on pause to resolve it before continuing..

11

The DMs Guide to Travel

DC of the Skill Challenge

Before running the skill challenge, set a DC for the
party’s checks, but do not tell the party what the DC is.
See the table below for recommended DCs based on
character level. Note that in Tiers 3 and 4, characters
are likely traveling across extraordinarily dangerous
locations in the Outer Planes. Set the DC for travel based
on how hostile and dangerous the environment is.

Character Level Skill Challenge DC

1 10

2-4 12

5-8 14

9-12 16

13-16 18-20

17-20 21-25

12 Consequences

Consequences introduce an element of randomness into party as they get within eyeshot of their destination; or
a skill challenge beyond a simple pass or fail decision. possibly a rival has beaten them there and awaits them.
Use the Travel Encounter(s) method to create a table Be sure to consider what will happen in your game if
of 4 or 6 possible consequences that can occur on a your party fails the skill challenge and jot down a few
failed check. You can even create as few as 2 if you want notes to help you improvise what happens next.
to include consequences but prefer to keep your prep
succinct. Depending on the context of the skill challenge, By using a skill challenge to summarize travel, you can
consequences can be as simple as the character who succinctly tell the story of an epic journey, a short trip, or
rolled the failure taking some damage or as complex anything in between with very little prep and a few dice
as a full combat encounter with a violent adversary in a rolls! If you would like additional guidance on building
dangerous location. Think creatively and consider how your own skill challenges, the Appendices contain a
the environment and landscape may cause consequences one-page skill challenge template and two example
on the journey. skill challenges: one for level 1 characters defending
a merchant caravan for a two-week journey across the
To use these consequences while in play, roll randomly trade road and another for level 2-4 characters sailing a
to determine the complication or select a unique borrowed rowboat through a dangerous reef towards a
consequence whenever a character fails a skill check. glowing cave.
Once the complication has been resolved, resume the
skill challenge.

Outcomes

If the party accumulates six successes, they succeed
on the skill challenge and accomplish their goal no
worse for wear. In fact, they may even pick up a valuable
resource or useful information during the journey!

If the party accumulates three failures, they fail the skill
challenge. This does not mean the party doesn’t make
it to their destination. You don’t want travel to become
an iterative process that the party has to repeat until
they succeed. This is boring and doesn’t provide any
satisfactory advancement of the story. Instead, failing the
skill challenge introduces a major wrinkle in the story:
maybe the city is in the midst of a violent revolution
and the person they’re looking for has gone into hiding;
perhaps a violent and dangerous creature ambushes the

The DMs Guide to Travel

Abstract Map >Now I need to prep some notes for each of these locations.
T he Mistwood is a dangerous sylvan forest. While
The crux of this method is to develop a map of the party’s traveling through, the party’s caravan is discovered
intended or possible routes from their starting point and stalked by a pack of 3 displacer beasts. The
to their destination and label the map with interesting characters may notice the displacer beasts with
landmarks. Some example landmarks include a town Wisdom (Perception) checks contested by the
or city, a strange monument, a geographic obstacle, Dexterity (Stealth) of the displacer beasts. That
an encounter (see the Travel Encounter(s) section), or contest determines whether or not the characters are
anything else that the characters can engage with on
their journey. For each landmark, the DM should write > surprised when the displacer beasts attack!
down notes about what the landmark is, who or what Mountainside is the City of Gears because of its
lives in or around the landmark, and how it may affect marvelous industry, run by the town boss Marvolo
the journey. Rightsbane (dwarvish noble, lawful evil, he/they)
who is hell-bent on crushing the Miners Union, led
For example, let’s say the party wants to travel in a by the radically kind activist Myra Tarquir (human
covered wagon from Meikelium, the City of Wild Beasts, commoner, lawful good, they/them). The party
across the entire continent to Rakhollo, the Throne of mentioned they want to pick up some healing potions,
Light. I’m going to make an abstract map with just the so there is also a small potion shop run by the nervous
starting point and the destination. alchemist Curiosity (tiefling priest, chaotic good, they/
them).
Next I need to fill in the important or interesting
landmarks the party may encounter on this journey. I’m
going to add five possible landmarks to the map that
have come up in previous sessions and connect them by
the existing roads.

13

The DMs Guide to Travel

14 > A nyh Anore is the Elvish Capitol from the ranger’s When To Give Players the Map
backstory, so I will defer to that player on what is
around town and improvise from there. Her mentor Sometimes the party will have most or
Halt (human scout, chaotic good, he/him) is definitely all of the map from the start of their
here, and if the ranger comes to town he will seek her journey and know what lies ahead. In
out to tell her about the elves that are disappearing these cases, share the map with the
and found covered in spiderwebs. That might lead to a characters so they can track their
monster hunt side quest into the nearby caves where progress! Other times the party is
discovering and exploring the map with
> the young fungal dragon Moraxiss dwells. very limited information. In these cases,
T he Screaming Crevasse is a terrible, deep crevasse it may be fun for the characters to draw
whose walls are lined with perfectly person-sized a map themselves as they continue their
holes from which horrific howling emerges all day travels.
and night. At night when the party makes camp, they
must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw This light preparation gives me enough to improvise the
in order to complete their long rest. At dawn, a hungry party’s arrival at any of these landmarks, but you can
sorrowsworn emerges from one of the nearby holes prepare more (or less) for each landmark as is required
and attacks the party, moaning about the fall of the by your personal approach. This method can also be
used to create an outline for a hex crawl or a point crawl.
> Dark Star. One major strength of this method is its flexibility with
T he Desert of Wandering was once a vibrant desert regards to the length of the journey. An abstract map
ecosystem but was cursed eons ago according to works very well as a framework for long journeys, but
the bard’s backstory. The curse causes any living it can work just as well for shorter ones, depending on
thing that dies in the desert to rise as an undead, so the number of landmarks you’d like to include. When
the party comes across the terrible massacre of a running travel as a multi-session long adventure, this
merchant caravan by a zombie manticore. If anybody method can establish a clear outline for such a journey.
uses thunder damage or makes a loud sound, it
attracts a nearby zombie purple worm that rolls

> initiative and arrives in 1d6 + 1 rounds.
R akhollo, the Throne of Light, was once the seating
place for the bard’s family but has since been taken
by Kynos the Dreamreaver. The massive dragon
awaits the party’s prophesied arrival and is happy to
condescendingly mock the party until combat begins!

Conclusion 1. P arty gathers what they need for the journey in 15
Meikelium and sets out on the trade road south
Each of the methods above are intended for you to towards the Mistwood. As the characters enter the
modify to maximize fun at your own table. Sometimes eerie Mistwood, use the Travelogue method. Each
that means having a quick discussion with the players player gets to set their own scene in this strange fey-
before trying something different. For example, if you touched place.
want to try a method like the travelogue or collaborative
worldbuilding but have never done something like it 2. O n their last day in the Mistwood, the displacer beast
before, give the players advance notice so that they can pack from the Abstract Map prep attacks; this is a
come up with something beforehand if they want to avoid Travel Encounter.
feeling like they were put on the spot.
3. T he party arrives in the split in the road and decides
As mentioned in the introduction, a staple of the fantasy whether to go to Mountainside or Anyh Anore. The
genre is the epic journey spanning a large geographic characters roleplay out their decision and perhaps
region. Sometimes as DMs, we have visions for make checks to recall information about both
including such a narrative in our campaigns. Whether landmarks.
it is traversing the length of the entire Sword Coast,
sailing vast unknown waters in search of a lost island 4. O n the road to Anyh Anore or Mountainside, use
of dinosaurs, or mapping a mysterious mountain range Sightseers to describe the surrounding landscape
for the local cartographer’s guild, we may imagine an and briefly check in with each player about how their
adventure that is entirely defined by travel. If you are character is feeling as they approach one of these
planning such an adventure or arc, be sure that it is clear grand cities.
to the players and that everyone is enthusiastic about
such an adventure. If the stage isn’t properly set for such 5. U se my notes from the Abstract Map prep to run
a story, players can get frustrated or confused, and their the party through whichever city they decide to visit.
enjoyment of the game may wane. Both cities have a side quest connected to player
backstories, so they will likely spend the rest of the
When it comes to preparing for such an adventure, I session there.
recommend using and combining different methods from
this guide to create a unique and dynamic experience. 6. B efore the end of the session (if the party chose to
Use The Day-to-Day or Abstract Map as a framework go to Mountainside) ask the players whether the
and punctuate the moments between landmarks and/or party wants to go to the Screaming Crevasse or Anyh
encounters with the other methods. Let’s return to the Anore next so that I can prep more easily for the next
example from the abstract map. session.

If I wanted to run this travel as a multi-session adventure By combining and changing the travel methods you
with a strong focus on travel, I would run my first 2-hour like and throwing away the rest, you can create fun and
session with the following outline: interesting travel that contributes to the story at your
table and still focuses on the player characters. I hope
you enjoyed this supplement and are able to find new
and exciting ways to utilize these travel methods!

The DMs Guide to Travel

Appendix A: Skill Challenge Template

This skill challenge is for level ______ characters who are:
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

Players. The goal of the skill challenge is to ___________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
During the skill challenge each character will be able to perform a check in a skill that they are proficient in. However,
once somebody makes a skill check, that person cannot make the same check again. Checks are made by the
characters around the table until the party accumulates six successful checks or three failed checks.

Any skill can be used if the players make a good case for it. Brainstorm 3 examples below:
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
______________________________________________________________________________________________.
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

DM. The DC for success in this skill challenge is ______. The party must accumulate six successes to win. If a
character fails a skill check during this challenge, roll on the Consequences Table to determine the outcome. Some
DMs may find that this skill challenge is more interesting if each failure has a unique consequence. In that case, if you
roll the same consequence twice, choose an unused consequence instead.

16 Outcomes. If the party accumulates six successes, they succeed on the Skill Challenge. This means that they are able to:
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

If the party accumulates three failures, they fail the Skill Challenge. This results in at least one consequence:
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

However, regardless of whether they succeed or fail the Skill Challenge, the characters do ______________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________.

Skill Challenge Consequences

d6 Consequences
1
2
3
4
5
6

The DMs Guide to Travel

Appendix B: Example Skill Challenges

Merchant Caravan If the party accumulates three failures, they fail the
Skill Challenge Merchant Caravan Skill Challenge. This results in two
major consequences. Firstly, it means that the trade
This skill challenge is for level 1 characters defending a caravan has lost all of its wares and that the party is not
merchant caravan for a two-week journey across a busy paid their reward upon arrival at the big city. Secondly,
trade road. it means that the merchant (if they survive) views the
party negatively and spreads word of their incompetence
Players until they perform another job for him successfully.
Regardless of the nature of the failure, the party makes it
The goal of the skill challenge is to protect a one-person to the big city.
merchant caravan traveling along a trade route all
the way to the big city. During the skill challenge each Adjusting Difficulty
character will be able to perform a check in a skill that
they are proficient in. However, once somebody makes To make the skill challenge harder, increase the DC for
a skill check, that person cannot make the same check the ability checks to 12 for level 3 characters or 14 for
again. Checks are made by the characters around the level 5 characters.
table until the party accumulates six successful checks
or three failed checks. The merchant caravan is at risk Merchant Caravan Challenge Consequences
every time the characters fail a skill check. If the value
of the traveling wares is reduced to 0 or the merchant d6 Consequences
is killed, the characters automatically fail the skill
challenge. You attract the attention of Raze & Pick, a pair of
halfling bandits, who insist on accompanying you
Any skill can be used if the players make a good case for 1 for the day. That evening, after they’ve slipped
it. Example checks include: away, you discover they’ve made off with 1d100 gp
worth of the caravan’s wares.
Investigation: Checking the wagon each morning to
ensure its proper function. The horses get spooked by something you do and 17

Animal Handling: Keeping the horses under control trample towards you. Succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity
during difficult weather or the sudden appearance of
predators. 2 saving throw or they stampede over you, crushing a
piece of mundane equipment on your person. What
Persuasion: Getting useful tools or information from
passersby on the trade road. is broken, and how do you feel when you discover

DM that it’s been crushed?

The DC for success in this skill challenge is 10. The 3 Weather or animals ruin 2d20 gp worth of wares.
party must accumulate six successes to win. If a
character fails a skill check during this challenge, roll A giant poisonous snake sneaks into the caravan
on the Consequences Table to determine the outcome. overnight and hisses whenever someone
Some DMs may find that this skill challenge is more 4 approaches the caravan. You will not be able to
interesting if each failure has a unique consequence. In continue the skill challenge until the snake is driven
that case, if you roll the same consequence twice, choose away, loses interest, or dies.
an unused consequence instead. Keep in mind that the
trade caravan has 200 gp worth of wares and that the A bandit who has been hired by a rival merchant
merchant uses noble statistics.
takes a shot at the merchant with their hand
Outcomes
5 crossbow from half cover (+3 to hit, 1d6 + 2
If the party accumulates six successes, they succeed on piercing damage). The skill challenge does not
the Merchant Caravan Skill Challenge. This means that
they are able to safely bypass the challenges of the road continue until the bandit has been paid off,
to arrive at the big city safe and sound.
discouraged, or murdered.

The character has put themself between an angry
brown bear and her cub. She makes a claw attack at
them (+5 to hit, 2d4 + 2 slashing damage) before
6 escaping back into the woods around the trail with
her cub. By the end of the trip, this leaves a scar;
what does the scar look like, and how does the
character feel about it?

The DMs Guide to Travel

18 Rowboat Skill Challenge DM
This skill challenge is for level 2-4 characters sailing a
borrowed rowboat through a dangerous reef towards a The DC for success in this skill challenge is 12. The
glowing cave. party must accumulate six successes to win. If a
character fails a skill check during this challenge, roll
Players on the Consequences Table to determine the outcome.
Some DMs may find that this skill challenge is more
The goal of the skill challenge is to successfully navigate interesting if each failure has a unique consequence. In
the Sundering Reef and safely reach the glowing cave. that case, if you roll the same consequence twice, choose
During the skill challenge each character will be able an unused consequence instead. Keep in mind that
to perform a check in a skill that they are proficient Raxi’s Rowboat has an AC of 14 and 35 hit points.
in. However, once somebody makes a skill check, that
person cannot make the same check again. Checks Outcomes
are made by the characters around the table until the
party accumulates six successful checks or three failed If the party accumulates six successes, they succeed on
checks. The boat is at risk every time the characters the Rowboat Skill Challenge. This means that they are
fail a skill check. If the boat is destroyed, the characters able to safely dock their boat at the small rocky coast of
automatically fail the skill challenge. the Coastal Cavern and enter without issue.

Any skill can be used if the players make a good case for If the party accumulates three failures, they fail the
it. Example checks include: Rowboat Skill Challenge. This results in two major
consequences. Firstly, the party crashes or otherwise
Perception: Keeping your eyes open for safe routes by destroys Raxi’s Rowboat and are thrown into the
which to row the boat. dangerous waters of the reef. Each character must
succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw. On a failure,
Survival: Determining the direction of the tides and the character is hurt by the spiny coral of the reef, taking
charting a course to the cavern. 1d10 slashing damage. On a success, the character takes
half damage. In either case, the character is able to reach
Athletics: Rowing around a sudden obstacle or the mouth of the glowing cave.
dangerous wildlife.

The DMs Guide to Travel

Secondly, the noise and chaos caused by the crashing Rowboat Skill Challenge Consequences
and sinking of their boat alerts the cephaloid (use giant
octopus statistics) and the karkinos (use giant crab d6 Consequences
statistics), which reside inside the glowing cave. The
monsters attempt to ambush the characters inside the Your activity attracts the attention of two reef
glowing cave with Dexterity (Stealth) checks contested
against the characters’ passive Wisdom (Perception). 1 sharks, each of which make a bite attack against
Any character who does not detect at least one monster Raxi’s Rowboat (+4 to hit, 1d8 +2 piercing
is surprised when the creatures attack.
damage) before swimming off.
Adjusting Difficulty
You shake the boat and lose your balance. Make
To make the skill challenge harder, increase the DC for
the ability checks to 14 for level 5 characters. a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the

To make the skill challenge easier, lower the DC for the 2 water, where you are attacked by a small swarm
ability checks to 10 or increase the hitpoints of Raxi's of quippers (+5 to hit, 2d6 piercing damage)
Rowboat to 50.
before you are able to hoist yourself back into the

Rowboat.

3 The boat crashes against a reef, taking 2d10
slashing damage.

A reef shark begins circling Raxi’s Rowboat. You

4 will not be able to navigate the rowboat safely until
the reef shark gets scared away, loses interest, or

dies.

An enormous wave suddenly splashes over the side
5 of the boat, dealing 1d4 cold damage to everybody

aboard.

A tentacle rises from the ocean and makes an

attack against you (+4 to hit, 1 bludgeoning

6 damage), and you must make a DC 10 Strength
saving throw or become grappled and pulled

overboard by the octopus which has latched to the

bottom of the rowboat. 19

The DMs Guide to Travel

The DMs  Guide
toT r a ve l

8 Methods for
Prepping and Running Travel