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Laurefindel
2015-04-16, 07:55 PM
The idea is simple; each day emulates the combat round structure. Therefore during each day, you can move up to half the distance* in miles allowed by your speed and take one overland action. Just like in a combat round, you decide whether to move first, take an action first or break-up your move in any ways.

*during a full day of march, you take the Dash overland action and therefore move up to the full distance as described in the Player's Handbook.

This is still a draft, but it should give you a good idea. All comments/suggestions/criticisms are welcome

A short rest is considered a overland bonus action.

ATTACK
The most common Attack overland action is to overcome an obstacle blocking your movement, such as a climbing a cliff or crossing a torrent.
With this action, you make a Strength (Athletics) check or fail to move beyond the obstacle. The DC is based on the severity of the obstacle to overcome.

Type of Obstacle DC
Routine 10
Challenging 15
Daunting 20
Specialized equipment +5
Harsh Weather -5

Certain spells like spider climb or features such as the Wild Shape feature of the druid, allow a character to automatically succeed on the Strength (Athletics) check or even bypass the obstacle completely without having to spend an Overland-Attack action to proceed to its destination.


CAST A SPELL
Spellcasters such as wizards and clerics have access to spells and can use them to great effect. Most spell do have a casting time of 1 action but a few, such as astral projection or raise dead, do have a casting time of 1 hour or more.

Casting such a spell is not necessarily an Overland Action. Spells with a casting time of 1 hour may be cast as an overland bonus action, provided that you haven’t already taken an overland bonus action this day. You can cast another spell with a casting time of 1 hour during the same day or if you have already taken your overland bonus action, but you must take the Cast a Spell overland action in that case

To cast a spell with a casting time of 8 hours, such as awaken or plant growth, but you must also take the Cast a Spell overland action.

To cast a spell with a casting time of 12 hours such as simulacrum or 24 hours such as hallow, you must dedicate you whole day to such activity. You cannot take an overland movement, an overland bonus action or an overland reaction when casting a spell with a casting time of 12 or 24 hours.

DASH
When you take the Dash overland action, you gain an extra overland movement for the current day. The increase equals your speed after applying terrain, conditions, pace or any other modifiers.

Any increase or decrease to your speed changes this additional movement by the same amount. If your speed of 12 miles is reduced to 10 miles, for instance, you can move up to 20 miles this day if you dash.

DISENGAGE
If you take the Overland Disengage action, your movement does provoke Wisdom (Perception) checks until you take a long rest. If you are actively evading creatures present in an area, you must make a Dexterity (Stealth) check against the passive perception of any creature on watch or that actively searches for intruders or signs your presence.

DODGE
When you take the Overland Dodge action, you focus entirely on evading patrols and sentries. Until you finish a long rest, any Intelligence (Investigation) or Wisdom (Survival) check made against you has disadvantage if you are aware of your pursuers, and you make Wisdom saving throw made to resist divination magic or scrying sensors with advantage. You lose this benefit if you are incapacitated or if your speed drops to 0.

HELP
You can lend your aid to another creature in the completion of an overland task. When you take the Help action, the creature you aid gains advantage on the next ability check it makes to perform the task you were helping with, provided that it makes the task before it takes a long rest.

HIDE
When you take the Hide action, you make a Dexterity (Stealth) check in attempt to hide your encampment or traces of activities, contested by the Wisdom (Perception) or Wisdom (Survival) check of any creature that actively searches for signs of your presence. See chapter 7, for rules on hiding.

READY
Sometimes you want to ambush your foe, or set watch over an area. To do so, you must take the Ready overland action on your turn so that you can act later before you finish a long rest using your overland reaction.

Ambush: To set an ambush, you must make a Dexterity (Stealth) check as if you were using the Hide overland action (see Surprise at page 189 of the Player's Handbook).
Watch: To set a watch on an area, you must make a Wisdom (Perception) check. You can use this result or your passive perception, whichever is higher, until you take a long rest.

SEARCH
When you take the Search overland action, you devote your attention to finding something such as food in the wild, tracks or traces of activity from a creature or group of creatures, ancient ruins rumored to exist in the area or gather information from townsfolk.

Depending on the nature of your search, your DM might have you make a Wisdom (Perception) or Intelligence (Investigation) check. If you are attempting to find something in the wilderness, your DM might allow you to make a Wisdom (Survival) check instead.

Depending on the size of the area covered by your search, you DM may allow you to make the check with advantage or impose disadvantage on the check.

USE AN OBJECT
You normally interact with an object while doing something else, such as setting up camp as part of taking a long rest. When an object requires your overland action for its use, such as constructing a trap or using artisan tools, you take the Use an Object overland action. This action is also useful when you want to interact with NPCs without attempting to gain information from them.

Laurefindel
2015-04-17, 07:43 AM
Added that rogues of 2nd level or more in urban environment, and rangers in their favorite terrain can take the Dash, Disengage or Hide overland action as a overland bonus action.

WrittenInBlood
2015-04-17, 08:24 AM
I like it! Good for exploration adventures, much simplier than standard PHB movement measured with hours count and three march paces, and I see possibilities for poor Rangers to shine here. But there's some things you may find worth considering.

1) Mounts should give disadvantage or penalty to Stealth and Hide checks.

2) To handle long rests, let them be some kind of "non-action", taken by default once an "overland round", with possibility to trade for another action and exhaustion level.

3) "Overland fight" can be representation of chase, with "overland attack" as start of normal combat.
Instead of initative, deciding factor in overland combat is lowest base speed in group. Party, which slowest member is faster than the slowest member of second party, acts first. To start a fight, the chasing party must be aware of the presence of their quarry, occupy the same square, and beat them in opposed Constitution check within the Overland Attack action. If escaping party is surprised (unaware of chasing party presence), chasing party has advantage on this check. If they succeed, normal fight starts.
What do you think? Can this make as epic chase as third LotR book :smallsmile:?

4) Use of your rules with "overland battlegrid" raises the issue of sight range and cover.
Cover types: None, Partial (bad weather/light vegetation, disadvantage on Perception checks), Total (night/jungle-like heavy vegetation, effectively blinding anyone inside). Distance beyond 10 miles also imposes disadvantage. Two sources of disadvantage combine to the effect of Total cover, so for example forest 10 miles away is unobservable.

Laurefindel
2015-04-17, 02:34 PM
Text leading to the action description...

TL;DR: day = overland round; same structure as combat round. short rest can be take as bonus overland action, long rest is not an action. Setting a night watch uses your reaction. Rogues can use Cunning Action as overland action in town, so can ranger in their favored terrain.

THE OVERLAND ROUND
Each day uses a structure similar to the combat round. On each of your days, you can move up to a distance in miles indicated in the table below, also known as your overland speed, and take one overland action. You decide whether you move first, take an action first or break up your move, using some of your overland speed before and after your overland action.

Like a combat round, you can take only one overland bonus action per day, so you must choose which overland bonus action to use when you have more than one available. Likewise when you take an overland reaction, you can’t take another one until you finish a long rest.

NOTE ON THE USE OF “YOU”
In this document, “you” may refer to a single character or to a group of characters. Usually, characters can undertake different actions as long as the group remains more or less stationary. Other actions, such as setting up an ambush, imply that all characters act together as a group. At any case, the DM remains the final judge on whether characters can take actions separately or must act in concert to gain the benefits of an action.

SHORT REST
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A short rest is a period of downtime at least 1 hour long. As such, you can take a short rest as an overland bonus action during your day.

You can also take short rest if you have already taken a short rest this day or if you have already taken your overland bonus action, but you must spend your action to do so.

LONG REST
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A long rest is an extended period of downtime at least 8 hours long. Taking a long rest does not require you to spend an action but it marks the end of all activities. The effect of some actions remains active until you take the long rest and some other effects remain active until you finish the long rest.

SET A NIGHT WATCH
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The most common overland reaction is to set a night watch when the rest of the group is resting. As an overland reaction, you can make a Wisdom (Perception) check to spot predators or hostile creatures edging close to your camp. Setting a night watch does not require you to take the Ready overland action

CUNNING ACTION & NATURAL EXPLORER CLASS FEATURES
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The rogue and ranger enjoy a unique relationship with their environment. If you are a rogue of 2nd level or higher in an urban environment, or if you are a ranger and have been traveling for an hour or more in your favored terrain, you gain the following benefits.
• You can always take an overland reaction to make a Wisdom (Perception) check, even if you have not readied a watch.
• Use Dash, Disengage or Hide overland action as a bonus action on each day.

OVERLAND ACTIONS
Overland actions are tasks that you undertake during a day’s worth of activities. When you take you overland action, you can take one of the actions presented here, an overland action you gain from your class or special feature, or an action you improvise.

When you describe an action not detailed elsewhere in this document, the DM tells you whether that action is possible and what kind of roll you need to make, if any, to determine success or failure.

Laurefindel
2015-04-17, 02:42 PM
1) Mounts should give disadvantage or penalty to Stealth and Hide checks.

(snip)

4) Use of your rules with "overland battlegrid"

Thanks WiB. Indeed this meshes well with hexagonal grip exploration-type games. I didn't think about Mounts giving disadvantage. good point. I'm compiling the stealth/encounter info on my random encounter chart.

Gritmonger
2015-04-18, 12:06 AM
There is the concept of obstacles (rivers, cliffs, very high mountains) but is there any stipulation on what constitutes "difficult terrain" for the sake of movement? Would a road be the only non-difficult terrain? Would a successful survival check or trait among druids mean that woodland doesn't count as difficult terrain? Would foraging be an action, a bonus action, or a reaction if you don't have rations? Would a reaction be used if you run across the overland terrain equivalent of a trap (flash flood, forest fire)?