This sheet provides guidelines for playing through wilderness travel and for keeping track of supplies during the journeys.
Journey Cycles
A journey takes place in Cycles that each represent the days spent traveling in the wilderness. The DM first decides whether the journey is short or long, depending on how long it will take the characters to reach their destination. The length of the journey determines how many days are represented by a cycle; each cycle is one day for a short journey or 7 days for a long one.
For each cycle, follow these steps in order:
Becoming Lost
Travelers are unlikely to get lost when following an established path or road or with a landmark in sight. In those circumstances, assume a group of adventurers won't get lost.
Here are the circumstances that can cause a group to lose its way:
- Weather that obscures the area, such as heavy rain, snow, or fog.
- Traveling at night, even with light sources or darkvision.
- Dense forest
- Traveling underground
- Traveling at sea while unable to see the sky or any familiar land.
The DM lets the group know when they are in one or more of those circumstances, and then the characters choose one of their number who must make a Wisdom (Survival) check against a DC appropriate to the terrain (see "Wilderness navigation" on the DM's screen). Other members of the group can take the Help action on this check as normal, and traveling at a fast pace imposes disadvantage on the check.
If the check fails, the group spends 1d6 hours (short cycle) or 1d6 days (long cycle) traveling in a random direction. The DM may roll a die to determine which hex the group ends up in on a map, such as the ones provided in this kit.
Random Encounter
If a random encounter occurs, the DM can roll on a table in a book like Xanathar's Guide to Everything or use the Wilderness Encounter table here.
| d8 | Encounter |
|---|---|
| 1 | A lone, powerful creature appears! The DM chooses the creature, selecting one with a challenge rating that is 1-3 higher than the group's level. The creature lives in the area or is passing through, and it is hostile toward the group only if they provoke it. |
| 2-4 | Hostile creatures prowl nearby! The DM chooses the creatures, selecting five with a challenge rating equal to the group's level. These creatures are either monsters native to the area or hostile travelers |
| 5-6 | A group of friendly travelers crosses the group's path. The travelers have 2d6 goods for sale that cost 1 gp or less on the Adventuring Gear table in the Player's Handbook |
| 7 | The group discovers a monument. Roll on the Monuments table. |
| 8 | The group wanders into a strange place. Roll on the Weird Locales table. |
| d20 | Monument |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sealed burial mound or pyramid |
| 2 | Plundered burial mound or pyramid |
| 3 | Faces carved into a mountainside or cliff |
| 4 | Giant statues carved out of a mountainside or cliff |
| 5-6 | intact obelisk etched with a warning, historical lore, dedication, or religious iconography |
| 7-8 | Ruined or toppled obelisk |
| 9-10 | Intact statue of a person or deity |
| 11-13 | Ruined or toppled statue of a person or deity |
| 14 | Great stone wall, intact, with tower fortifications spaced at one-mile intervals |
| 15 | Great stone wall in ruins |
| 16 | Great stone arch |
| 17 | Fountain |
| 18 | Intact circle of standing stones |
| 19 | Ruined or toppled circle of standing stones |
| 20 | Pillar carved with elemental or fey symbols |
| d20 | Locale |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Dead magic zone (similar to an antimagic field) |
| 3 | Wild magic zone (roll on the Wild Magic Surge table in the Player's Handbook whenever a spell is cast within the zone) |
| 4 | Boulder carved with talking faces |
| 5 | Crystal cave that mystically answers questions |
| 6 | Ancient tree containing a trapped spirit |
| 7-8 | Battlefield where lingering fog occasionally assumes humanoid forms |
| 9-10 | A portal to another plane of existence |
| 11 | Wishing well |
| 12 | Giant crystal shard protruding from the ground |
| 13 | Wrecked ship, even if water is nowhere nearby |
| 14-15 | Haunted hill or barrow mound |
| 16 | River ferry guided by a skeletal captain |
| 17 | Field of petrified soldiers or other creatures |
| 18 | Forest of petrified or awakened trees |
| 19 | Canyon containing a dragons' graveyard |
| 20 | Floating earth mote with a tower on it |
Food and Water
Creatures require units of food and water every cycle. The Food and Water Needs table lists the number of food units and water units a creature requires per cycle, and the table indicates how much each unit of food costs per creature for a cycle. A unit's weight is determined by the cycle:
A creature's water needs are doubled if the weather is hot, unless it has resistance or immunity to fire damage.
| Creature Size | Food/Water per Cycle | Food Cost per Short Cycle | Food Cost per Long Cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tiny | 1/4 unit | 1 sp, 2 cp | 7 sp, 5 cp |
| Small | 1 unit | 5 sp | 3 gp, 5 sp |
| Medium | 1 unit | 5 sp | 3 gp, 5 sp |
| Large | 4 units | 2 gp | 14 gp |
| Huge | 16 units | 8 gp | 56 gp |
| Gargantuan | 64 units | 32 gp | 224 gp |
Tracking Supplies
Use the accompanying Supply Tracker to note whether you are tracking a short or long cycle journey and how many units of food and water you are carrying. At the Supply step of each cycle, mark off a box for each unit of food or water consumed.
A character unable to eat or drink gains 1 level of exhaustion for each requirement they fail to meet. Exhaustion gained in this way can't be removed until the character is able to consume sufficient food and water.
Foraging
Characters can hunt or gather food and water while the party travels at a normal or slow pace. A foraging character makes a Wisdom (Survival) check against a DC determined by the terrain (see the Foraging table on the DM's screen). On a successful check, the character gathers units of food equal to 1d6 + their Wisdom modifier. Repeat the roll for drinkable water.