A group of characters can travel overland at a Normal, Fast, or Slow pace, as described in "Playing the Game." During any journey stage, the predominant terrain determines the characters' maximum travel pace, as shown in the Maximum Pace column of the Travel Terrain table. Certain factors can affect a group's travel pace.
The presence of a good road increases the group's maximum pace by one step (from Slow to Normal or from Normal to Fast).
The group must move at a Slow pace if any group member's Speed is reduced to half or less of normal.
Characters can push themselves to travel for more than 8 hours per day, at the risk of tiring. At the end of each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, each character must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or gain 1 Exhaustion level. The DC is 10 plus 1 for each hour past 8 hours.
If a party can travel at a high Speed for an extended time, as with a spell such as Wind Walk or a magic item such as a Carpet of Flying, translate the party's Speed into travel rates using these rules:
Miles per hours = Speed ÷ 10
Miles per day (Normal pace) = Miles per hour × number of hours traveled (typically 8)
Fast pace = Miles per day × 1 1/3 (round down)
Slow pace = Miles per day × 2/3 (round down)
If the characters are flying or their special movement allows them to ignore Difficult Terrain, they can move at a Fast pace regardless of the terrain.
Characters traveling in a vehicle use the vehicle's speed in miles per hour (as shown in "Equipment") to determine their rate of travel, and they don't choose a travel pace.
Terrain |
Maximum Pace |
Encounter Distance |
Foraging DC |
Navigation DC |
Search DC |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Arctic | Fast* | 6d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 10 | 10 |
Coastal | Normal | 2d10 × 10 feet | 10 | 5 | 15 |
Desert | Normal | 6d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 10 | 10 |
Forest | Normal | 2d8 × 10 feet | 10 | 15 | 15 |
Grassland | Fast | 6d6 × 10 feet | 15 | 5 | 15 |
Hill | Normal | 2d10 × 10 feet | 15 | 10 | 15 |
Mountain | Slow | 4d10 × 10 feet | 20 | 15 | 20 |
Swamp | Slow | 2d8 × 10 feet | 10 | 15 | 20 |
Underdark | Normal | 2d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 10 | 20 |
Urban | Normal | 2d6 × 10 feet | 20 | 15 | 15 |
Waterborne | Special† | 6d6 × 10 feet | 15 | 10 | 15 |
*Appropriate equipment (such as skis) is necessary to keep up a Fast pace in Arctic terrain.
†Characters' rate of travel while waterborne depends on the vehicle carrying them; see "Vehicles."