Most of the time your characters spend adventuring isn’t actually going to be spent fighting, no matter how long a fight might take you (the players) to finish at the table. The times in between combats while you’re out on an adventure are called Discovery, which has its own set of rules.
Why “Discovery”?
There are two types of travel during the Discovery phase of the game — Dungeon Travel and Overland Travel.
Dungeon Travel is used when the party is moving at a scale of feet per second or per minute — usually when they’re in an area (like a dungeon) where choices about exactly where you step, and how careful you are about taking that step, can matter significantly.
Overland Travel is used when the party is traveling across distances of miles or kilometers, and usually is measured in terms of 4-hour Watches. Figuring out the exact path you take doesn’t matter, in these circumstances. The route you take, the speed at which you’re moving, and the care you’re taking in paying attention to the path, though, can still matter enormously, and so those decision-points are what should be focused on during this phase of the game.
Speed of Travel
Rapid Travel — You move at half again (x1.5) your normal speed, but you take Disadvantage on Perception checks to avoid traps or ambushes, and on any checks you make to Forage, Track, or Seek Path.
Steady Travel — You move at your normal speed.
Careful Travel — You move at half your normal speed, but you gain Advantage on Perception checks to avoid traps or ambushes, and on any checks you make to Forage, Track, or Seek Path.
Discovery is very distinct from “traveling.” If you’re just going from one place to another, and there aren’t any decisions you need to make in the process of that journey, then use a narrative cut-scene and cut to the new location (literally the GM just describing your journey, with anywhere between a single sentence and a cinematic monologue describing the sights and places you move through).
Note to GMs: It can be tempting to have stuff happen when PCs spend significant time traveling from A to B. There’s nothing wrong with having random encounters, especially if the PCs are traveling through dangerous territory, but always ask yourself what purpose an encounter serves in
While encounters use rounds for combat, exploration is more free form. The GM determines the flow of time, as you could be traveling by horseback across craggy highlands, negotiating with merchants, or delving in a dungeon in search of danger and treasure. Exploration lacks the immediate danger of encounter mode, but it offers its own challenges.
Much of exploration mode involves movement and roleplaying. You might be traveling from one town to another, chatting with a couple of merchants an outpost along the way, or maybe having a terse conversation with the watchful city guards at your destination. Instead of measuring your rate of movement in 5-foot squares every round, you measure it in feet or miles per minute, hour, or day, using your travel speed. Rather than deciding on each action every turn, you’ll engage in an exploration activity, and you’ll typically spend some time every day resting and making your daily preparations.
See the Tools & Equipment page for more information on food and other exploration supplies.
1 day’s worth of rations (food and water) for one person is 1 Bulk.
3 day’s worth of food rations for one person is 1 Bulk.
2 day’s worth of water rations for one person is 1 Bulk. This does not include water to wash or clean with, only drinking water.
A light-weight Camping Pack is 4 Bulk. This includes a bedroll, a small one-person tent, and a 6-foot collapsible pole and 50 feet of rope that are used to set the tent up.
An Explorer’s Pack is 8 Bulk. It includes the contents of a Camping Pack, as well as
See the Carrying Capacity rules for more information on how much a character can carry.
You can use the Forage action to find food and water while away from civilization, rather than carrying all the supplies you need with you.
Exploration Activities:
Defend
Avoid Notice
Detect Magic
Follow the Expert
Exploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 479 3.0 You attempt a Stealth check to avoid notice while traveling at half speed. If you have the Swift Sneak feat, you can move at full Speed rather than half, but you still can’t use another exploration activity while you do so. If you have the Legendary Sneak feat, you can move at full Speed and use a second exploration activity. If you’re Avoiding Notice at the start of an encounter, you usually roll a Stealth check instead of a Perception check both to determine your initiative and to see if the enemies notice you (based on their Perception DCs, as normal for Sneak, regardless of their initiative check results).
Exploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 479 3.0 You move at half your travel speed with your shield raised. If combat breaks out, you gain the benefits of Raising a Shield before your first turn begins. ConcentrateExploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 479 3.0 You cast detect magic at regular intervals. You move at half your travel speed or slower. You have no chance of accidentally overlooking a magic aura at a travel speed up to 300 feet per minute, but must be traveling no more than 150 feet per minute to detect magic auras before the party moves into them. AuditoryConcentrateExplorationVisual Source Core Rulebook pg. 479 3.0 Choose an ally attempting a recurring skill check while exploring, such as climbing, or performing a different exploration tactic that requires a skill check (like Avoiding Notice). The ally must be at least an expert in that skill and must be willing to provide assistance. While Following the Expert, you match their tactic or attempt similar skill checks. Thanks to your ally’s assistance, you can add your level as a proficiency bonus to the associated skill check, even if you’re untrained. Additionally, you gain a circumstance bonus to your skill check based on your ally’s proficiency (+2 for expert, +3 for master, and +4 for legendary). Hustle ExplorationMove Source Core Rulebook pg. 480 3.0 You strain yourself to move at double your travel speed. You can Hustle only for a number of minutes equal to your Constitution modifier × 10 (minimum 10 minutes). If you are in a group that is Hustling, use the lowest Constitution modifier among everyone to determine how fast the group can Hustle together. Investigate ConcentrateExploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 480 3.0 You seek out information about your surroundings while traveling at half speed. You use Recall Knowledge as a secret check to discover clues among the various things you can see and engage with as you journey along. You can use any skill that has a Recall Knowledge action while Investigating, but the GM determines whether the skill is relevant to the clues you could find. Repeat a Spell ConcentrateExploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 480 3.0 You repeatedly cast the same spell while moving at half speed. Typically, this spell is a cantrip that you want to have in effect in the event a combat breaks out, and it must be one you can cast in 2 actions or fewer. In order to prevent fatigue due to repeated casting, you’ll likely use this activity only when something out of the ordinary occurs.
You can instead use this activity to continue Sustaining a Spell or Activation with a sustained duration. Most such spells or item effects can be sustained for 10 minutes, though some specify they can be sustained for a different duration. Scout ConcentrateExploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 480 3.0 You scout ahead and behind the group to watch danger, moving at half speed. At the start of the next encounter, every creature in your party gains a +1 circumstance bonus to their initiative rolls. Search ConcentrateExploration Source Core Rulebook pg. 480 3.0 You Seek meticulously for hidden doors, concealed hazards, and so on. You can usually make an educated guess as to which locations are best to check and move at half speed, but if you want to be thorough and guarantee you checked everything, you need to travel at a Speed of no more than 300 feet per minute, or 150 feet per minute to ensure you check everything before you walk into it. You can always move more slowly while Searching to cover the area more thoroughly, and the Expeditious Search feat increases these maximum Speeds. If you come across a secret door, item, or hazard while Searching, the GM will attempt a free secret check to Seek to see if you notice the hidden object or hazard. In locations with many objects to search, you have to stop and spend significantly longer to search thoroughly. Skill Exploration Activities Chapter 4: Skills includes numerous additional exploration activities, which are summarized here.
Borrow an Arcane Spell: You use Arcana to prepare a spell from someone else’s spellbook.
Coerce: You use Intimidation to threaten a creature so it does what you want.
Cover Tracks: You use Survival to obscure your passing.
Decipher Writing: You use a suitable skill to understand archaic, esoteric, or obscure texts (page 234).
Gather Information: You use Diplomacy to canvass the area to learn about a specific individual or topic.
Identify Alchemy: You use Craft and alchemist’s tools to identify an alchemical item.
Identify Magic: Using a variety of skills, you can learn about a magic item, location, or ongoing effect (page 238).
Impersonate: You use Deception and usually a disguise kit to create a disguise.
Learn a Spell: You use the skill corresponding to the spell’s tradition to gain access to a new spell (page 238).
Make an Impression: You use Diplomacy to make a good impression on someone.
Repair: With a repair kit and the Crafting skill, you fix a damaged item.
Sense Direction: You use Survival to get a sense of where you are or determine the cardinal directions.
Squeeze: Using Acrobatics, you squeeze though very tight spaces (page 241).
Track: You use Survival to find and follow creatures’ tracks.
Treat Wounds: You use Medicine to treat a living creature’s wounds.