Terrain Modifiers In Overland Movement

Overland movement is much more affected by terrain than single-round movement. Thus, a wide variety of terrain types slow or, on very rare occasions, increases the character's rate of movement.

Overland movement is measured in miles. It is possible for characters to cross several different types of terrain in a single day. To say that characters must take the worst terrain modifier for all movement is ridiculous. Imagine telling players they have to travel at the mountain movement rate when they are crossing the plains just because they spent their first hour in the mountains!

Furthermore, in round movement the DM can see where a character will be at the end of the round and what terrain he had to cross to get there. In overland movement, it is very hard to predict all the different terrain types characters will enter during the course of a day.

Table 74 lists the effects of different terrain. These are listed as points of movement spent per mile of travel through that terrain type. When a character or creature moves through the listed terrain, that number is subtracted from the total movement available to the character or creature that day.

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