Common Travel Destinations

There are many things that affect the full day movement rate listed on a character sheet (usually a base of 40 miles/day.) Though listed as a full day movement, it is really the maximum distance that can be covered by someone when they’re really trying to get somewhere quickly. Anyone who has done any amount of hiking realizes that moving 40 miles in a full day means starting out extremely early and hiking for a full 14-16 hours. This is something beyond the capability of most people. Since this is a fantasy setting, we’re moving that aside a little and allowing this as an absolute maximum for characters. Below information will help DMs cut down on the amount of math needed to figure out where people are traveling and how long is needed to get somewhere.

Standard Travel Time

The below travel distances and times are shown as “standard” meaning a fairly good hiker without much encumbrance avoiding difficult terrain and sticking to main trails, roads and waterways. Additionally, overland distances are mostly shown as the crow flies and walking or riding generally means a fair amount more ground to cover (switchbacks, elevation drops and gains, impassible terrain features, river fords, etc.) As a basic rule of thumb, caravans usually move at half the listed standard speed (double the number of days needed.) Caravans will move at the standard rate over excellent roads & highways. Riding horses without pack animals or wagon trains will move roughly twice as fast overland as long as there are trails

Primarily sailed routes (or only sailing possible routes) will be shown in distances that take into account water routes. Generally sailed routes will always be the most favorable as a ship sails all day cutting most travel times drastically

River barges generally move at 15 mph down river and 5 mph up river

Sailing ships average 10 mph with average sailing conditions (equal calm vs favorable wind)

How far can someone travel each day? Not all men or women are created equal. Some have endurance and some don’t. For ease of calculation, when walking/hiking, let’s consider normal travel to be half of the full maximum. The next factor in this equation should be CON. For the average 10 CON, let’s consider normal travel to be half again. Thus a base travel day in 8-10 hours with normal rest breaks and non-harsh terrain should be about ten miles each day.

For each point of CON below 10, subtract a mile off of this base down to a CON of 5. Anyone with a Constitution below 5 isn’t hiking anywhere without aid. Walking down the street makes them winded. On the other side of this for every point of CON above 10 add a mile to the base. This will end up with a comfortable travel day in miles, following trails, roads or non-challenging terrain.

Mounts – mounted riding moves a bit faster than walking usually, but more importantly does not tax the rider nearly as much. However, once again, 8-10 hours is considered a normal travel day, not the forced march pace of maximum. Thus mounts should have a base movement of about half their normal day movement (about 20 miles for many riding and war horses)

Basic Terrain/Weather Modifiers

^* Any time you are actually traveling on a maintained road terrain will not affect your movement no matter what terrain, however storms will affect movement even there

        Rough/Game Trail    – x ¾ 
        Cross Country       – x ½ 
        Medium Snow         – x ¾ 
        Heavy Snow          – x ½ 
        Light Storm         – x ¾ 
        Heavy Storm         – x ½ 
        Mountains           – x ½ 
        Light Jungle        – x ¾ 
        Heavy Jungle        – x ½

Examples:

A 15 CON barbarian hiking has a standard pace of 15 miles/day. Moving cross country through regular snow gives him a 75% and a 50% modifier which are applied separately and in descending order of penalty (thus the 50% penalty first, the 75% penalty second.) Do not round the result until all modifiers have been applied to fractions. Thus the barbarian would move a 5.625 miles per day. This would round up to 6 miles per day under these conditions

During the summer months, horsemen can ride up maintained trails 100 miles up into the Skarstind mountain valleys in 4-5 days. During the winter, the trails are not maintained and diminish to the equivalent of rough trails. Snow is heavier here than in the lowlands and there are often storms. Attempting to ride into the mountains in winter is a rough task, but let’s assume a heavy snow with light flurries (a common condition.) Mounts normally can gain 20 miles in a day, but with modifiers (x50%, x75%, x75%) movement is reduced to the same 5.625 movement (rounded to 6 miles per day) as the hiking barbarian above. Thus the same 100 mile trip will take 16-17 days

Standard Travel Times - Major Roads/Thoroughfares

Cirdan to Morgana – 1400 miles; sailing Sunken Sea (8 days pretty much a straight shot across)
Cirdan to Tynderius – 550 miles; sailing Sunken Sea (3 days pretty much a straight shot across)
Gargan to Eulan (S Hordelands) – 800 miles; overland, mountain passes (30 days, roughly a month)
Gargan to Sunethra (E Torosia) – 1700 miles; sailing Savage Sea, inside passage (10 days)
Hippocrane to Tynderius – 750 miles; overland, Altacampean Highway, excellent road with mansios (20 days)
Hippocrane to Tanis (W Torosia) – 900 miles; standard Golden Triangle route (4 days)
Hippocrane to Ungor (Syth) – 1250 miles; standard Golden Triangle route (6 days)
Isengrim to Gargan – 1400 miles; overland, avoid core Eastern Empire, around mountains (50 days; just short of 2 months)
Jo’Rak Clan Hold to Ruins of Isengaard – 1100 miles; overland, forest, prairies, scorched earth, no roads (40 days)
Morgana to Jo’Rak Clan Hold – 150 miles; overland, heavy forest, Zaron or Sunken Sea crossing (6 days standard)
Morgana to Hippocrane – 850 miles; overland, forest, river, salt flats (30 days standard); floating down Zaron (5 days over 1200 miles due to bends, but 15 mph for 16 hours a day with - river flow aid); barging up river (15 days)
Morgana to Lor’Aserion – 600 miles; overland, good road, light forest, prairie, desert (18 days standard); sailing Sunken Sea route (5 days over 750 miles around the cape)
Morgana to Halfirien (Elven Capital/Lothlorien) – 400 miles; overland, heavy forest, no major roads or trails (17 days)
Morgana to Thalesfar – 2400 miles; overland, avoiding Lothlorien, mountain passes (90 days; roughly 3 months travel)
Thalesfar to E Edge of Rynd – 1400 miles; overland, some good roads, plains, light forest (50 days)

Other Game Based Travel Times

Gondheim to Grimstalt – 500 miles; overland
Teocal Ocelat to the Imperial City of Cuezaltzin (SW Peninsula) – 850 miles; overland, heavy jungle (57 days)