Travel - Skill Challenges

Most of the time, this campaign will treat the simple process of traveling from point A to point B as a Skill Challenge with the following parameters:

• At the outset of the challenge, the party must describe their preparations (if any), any special considerations (ex: We want to avoid notice as much as possible, so we want to stay away from the main roads) and their intended pace.
• Under normal circumstances, the party must achieve 4 successes before they reach 3 failures in order to safely arrive at their destination. As with all Skill Challenges, there is always a maximum of 3 failures, but there are a number of special conditions that may influence the required number of success. For example:
  • If the party has hired a guide or has traveled through this same area multiple times before, this can decrease the number of successes required.
  • If the party has not gathered any intel about how to reach their destination or is attempting to travel to a secret location, this can increase the number of success required.
• If the party does not generate any failures, they arrive safely, well-rested, and without delay.
• If the party has generated any failures, this results in some sort of complication to their travel plans. Complications could include (but are not limited to):
  • A combat encounter
  • A social encounter
  • Adverse weather or environmental conditions
  • Extra rations expended
  • Delay in reaching destination
  • Drawing unwanted attention
• If the party reaches 3 failures, this results in a major complication. Major complications could include (but are not limited to):
  • A difficult combat encounter
  • A difficult social encounter
  • Severe weather or environmental conditions
  • Suffering exhaustion
  • Suffering injuries
  • Getting lost
• Only in the most extreme circumstances will failure result in the party not arriving at their destination at all; the travel skill challenge is generally meant to determine how they arrive, not if they arrive.
• For travel skill challenges, it is always acceptable to use Nature and Survival-- though any other skill may also be attempted as long as its application can be appropriately described and justified (subject to GM discretion).
• The DC for each skill check is based on a) how applicable the skill is to the circumstances and b) the difficulty of the terrain. This may be further modified by an individual character's relevant Character Traits, feats or class skills (such as Favored Terrain, or "I grew up in the woods").
• As with any other Skill Challenge, it is not possible for a single character to use the same skill more than once, and it is not possible for a character to make an attempt for a skill that they are not at least Trained in.