The Old World - Warriors & Heroes - Complete Online Rule Book
Travel Land Sea & Beyond
Players wishing to venture forth into the Old World will face numerous challenges and opportunities. Each day of travel will have a series of rolls that determine the outcome of the day. The players can also choose some activities to engage in to ease the cost of travel.
These activities include hunting, gathering, fishing, harvesting plants for alchemy, and searching for water or other drinkables. Each of these activities takes time. The time they take can increase the trip duration but will reduce the expenses incurred along the way.
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When setting out for a long journey, players first need to determine the distance to be covered. Once this is known, the distance will become a total score that they need to cover through travel. Each day the distance covered roll will be subtracted from the total, bringing the players closer to their goal.
Of course, the roads have their perils. Players face anything from broken roads and empire toll booths to powerful monsters attacking. They will face several hurdles on their journey. These will be determined by the random encounter rolls.
Random Encounter & Distance Covered Rolls
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Party rolls a D20:
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1-4 Battle – Regional Monster Table Roll
5-8 Negative Event Table Roll
9-16 Normal Day
17-20 Positive Event Table Roll
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Distance Covered Roll = 6D6
Players will roll two rolls each day. The first will be the random encounter roll. This will be a D20 roll with no modifiers. The second will be the distance covered roll. To calculate the distance players travel in a day they will roll 6 D6. The total number rolled will equal the miles covered that day. However, both positive and negative events can lengthen or shorten the distance traveled.
Some positive events will also slow travel if players take advantage of the associated opportunity. They can however forfeit this to keep moving without penalty.
When riding mounts, players gain an additional bonus for the distance traveled. Carriages offer a larger capacity for carrying weight but are slower than mounts alone. When a carriage is being used the players still gain a bonus, but it is less than that available when only using mounts.
The modifiers for travel are listed on the travel modifier table. The minimum travel in one day is 0 miles. Any modifier that would reduce below 0 is ignored.
Travel Modifier Table
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Camping:
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Camp uses supplies but recovers 50% of total hit points (Rounded up). To camp, players must have adequate supplies and drinks for all party members. Supplies include bedrolls, food, and beverages. The required food for camp will be determined by the player's and NPC's sizes.
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Players without bedrolls will only recover 40% HP (Rounded up) when camping. Creatures like horses do not require bedrolls. Players must camp each day. If players wish to skip camping they will suffer +1 Fatigue for each day they skip.
If players skip camping they may use supplies to prevent taking food and drink penalties. However, they may skip using resources as well but are still subject to the existing rules of starvation and thirst. Players should keep a running tally of days they have gone without food and drink.
Inadequate supply:
When a camp has only partial supplies, they may use the supplies as they see fit. If one party member is low on HP, for example, they may choose to give the supplies to the selected player, meaning they will recover. Other players will have to begin tracking their days without food at this point. This also applies to drinks. It will be very important for players to prepare before leaving on a long journey.
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Starvation:
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Players traveling without food will begin to suffer from starvation after 3 days. When players begin to suffer they will lose 10 HP every day. Bandages, potions, and magic will not allow a player to heal the damage caused by starvation. Effectively their HP cap will be reduced continually as they starve until they reach 0 and die.
This can be countered by eating food, but the HP will not be restored until they have camped with sufficient supplies.
Once players have camped with enough supplies, they will return to their normal cap. However, if a player has been starving for a duration longer than 20 days, they will suffer a permanent -10 reduction in their HP. They will never recover this cap.
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This assumes that the party has sufficient water. If they lack water as well as food, then the circumstances are much worse.
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Thirst:
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Like starvation, thirst can be deadly. However, dehydration causes death much quicker. Players lacking drink will suffer constant +1 Fatigue after 2 days. If they have neither food nor drink for 4 days, they will die. This overrides the normal food limits which are much longer.
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Negative Modifier
-1D6 Hunting / Gathering
-1D6 Fishing
-1D6 Find Drinking Supplies
-1D6 Harvest Alchemy
-3D6 Battle
-1D6 Bad Weather
-2D6 Rough Terrain
-2D6 Forest / Jungle
-1D6 Extreme Heat
-3D6 Deep Snow
Positive Modifier
+1D6 Mounted
(Must include entire party)
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+4 Mounts with Carriage
(Replaces Mounted)
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+4 Short Cut (Event)
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+6D6 Skip Camping
There are five travel actions players can use while traveling.
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Gathering
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Find Drink
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Harvest Alchemy
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Hunting
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Fishing​
(Fishing and Hunting will be covered in a separate section.)
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Gathering:
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Players can gather supplies to survive on. This could be by finding wild sources of food such as berries or wild grain, or by finding abandoned or lost supplies left by other travelers. Different regions will have modifiers to the difficulty of this task. For example in arid regions with little in the way of resources, this might require a much higher survival roll.
To gather supplies from the surrounding region in standard livable regions, the player will roll a survival roll (TN15). Success in this search will result in a roll on the supply table. This can result in greatly increased resources while traveling.
Find Drinking Supplies:
Players will also require drinking supplies. Traveling without water can be very dangerous. If players travel for 6 days without any drinking supplies they will die. Drinking supplies can include any beverage, even alcohol. However, when traveling, players may be able to locate water or barrels of drink to replenish supplies.
To find drinking supplies a player will declare that they intend to search. The party must agree, or the player will be dragged along with them regardless of their desires. The player will then roll a survival check (TN10). If they succeed, they will then roll on the drink table.
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Harvest Alchemy:
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Players with the Alchemist Ability can use travel time to hunt for ingredients. This can be an easy way to earn extra gold or find crucial components for powerful potions and poisons. The array of available components is considerable as are their effects.
To find alchemy supplies a player will declare that they intend to search. The party must agree, or the player will be dragged along with them regardless of their desires. The player will then roll a knowledge check (TN10). If they succeed, they will then roll on the alchemy harvest table.
Travel Action Limits:
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Players are limited to one search action per day. Search actions include Find Drink, Gather, and Harvest Alchemy. They may also include quest-specific actions. Players need to choose carefully when deciding which actions they wish to accomplish each day. Any search they choose to do must be agreed upon by the party, otherwise they will be dragged along.
This is limited to one action per player character. The penalties for search actions do not stack. Non-player characters may only aid in searches when the GM merits them qualified for the purpose. Any creature companion with hunter-beast ability will give players attached to them a +2 on search rolls.
Animals traveling with players that are domestic pets that lack hunting or searching skills give no bonus to search actions. They do, however, still consume supplies. These should be included in the camp supply requirements.
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Shops:
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Many positive events allow players to purchase items from shop tables. Traveling merchants, however, will be limited in both what they can sell and buy. All traveling merchants will carry a limit of 1000g. They will also be limited to 2 of all items on their shop table. This limit is shared by the entire group. The only exceptions are Antidotes and Health Potions. Shops may carry up to 5 of these items.
Like in towns and cities, these limits are always shared by the entire party. Unique opportunities for rare equipment may be encountered on the road, but players will have to quickly buy such items. If they miss their chance due to lack of funds or simply pass up the chance it is gone forever.
All new encounters will include new rolls for items. Every meeting has its own unique spin. It’s also important to consider the limits on selling. Players may find that they need to travel to the larger cities to make any real profits on the equipment they find. Small villages simply lack the income to afford some of the more unique treasures of the Old World.
Travel Actions
When players roll a 1-4 on the random encounter roll they are forced into a random battle. These battles will be played out on a standard 24x36 map. The players will begin all battles in the center of the map. Enemy units must be deployed in base contact with the edge of the map.
The enemies chosen for each encounter will be selected off the regional monster table. Poor rolls will result in tougher battles while good rolls will result in easier battles. Sometimes, the players may face a battle they are not ready for. Perhaps they will be in bad shape from difficulties in their journey or they are simple not strong enough to battle the foe they have rolled. Either way they may retreat from battle.
Retreating simply requires the players to navigate their tokens off the current play map. This could prove more difficult against foes that have a higher pace. If players retreat, they receive no experience points or loot. When players decide to battle their random encountered foes, they will fight using normal battle rules. Should they defeat their enemies they will receive whatever loot and experience points that would normally be acquired.
Random Battles
Supply Table
Drink Table
Alchemy Harvest Table
Travel Action Tables
Positive Event Table
Negative Event Table
Event Tables
Regional Monster Table (Feild & Roads)
Regional Monster Table (Forest)
Random encounter Monsters
Sea Perils
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Sea perils only come into play when the players are on board a ship. Regular trade missions do not involve these events (unless the GM wants it). Every day while travelling players will roll a D20 the same as normal land travel. Use the guide below.
The party rolls a D20:
1 – Sea Peril!
2-8 Against the wind, -3 D6 for distance covered
9-16 Normal Day
17-20 Tailwind, +2 D6 for distance covered
Distance Covered Roll = 6D6
Each of these events may be played out as RP events or simply be explained by the GM. For any event, the GM should explain the situation leading up to the event as clearly as possible. The greatest catastrophe, that of losing the ship is only possible if the player manages to roll 1 three times in a row, once for the day's travel, once on the sea peril table, and again once a shipwreck has occurred. This should make such an event a rare occurrence, but dice can be fickle.
When encountering a battle at sea, let the GM make the call on how this is played out. The GM should try to make the battle appropriate to the situation in terms of difficulty.
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Safe Waters
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Sea perils are optional, and the GM may decide that they are in safe enough waters to ignore the sea peril table on certain occasions. If the perils are being ignored, treat 1 as 2-8 on the travel table. The reasons for ignoring sea perils could be traveling up a river, navigating a heavy trade route or any similar situation.
Sea Travel
Sea Peril Table
Fishing
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Player rolls a D20 + Survival Modifier (TN 11)
-1D6 Travel per attempt
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Fishing is a great way to get extra food for your journey. Players can only fish if they have found a river or lake (Find Drink) or are on a boat. Fishing travel penalties stack with the find drink search penalties but allow a player to perform two actions in one day. Each attempt to fish removes 1D6 from daily travel.
To fish players must have a fishing rod or hand net. Once the player has the required equipment, they can fish by making a survival roll (TN 11). Success gives the player a roll on the catch table. On a critical failure, or a roll totaling 5 or less, the players will encounter a dangerous water creature. Roll on the fishing battle table. This will start a battle.​
Fishing​ Battle Table
Fishing battles will take place on 24x36 map. The map should allow players to deploy units within 2 squares of the water edge. Monsters start within 2 squares of players. Deal initiative cards as usual. Players can flee from battle but will receive no loot or experience points. Time penalties will still be incurred.
Fishing
Catch Table
Fish & Game Scale
Hunting
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Player rolls a D20 + Survival Modifier (TN 11)
-1D6 Travel per attempt
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Hunting is a common way to extend journeys without needing to stop in towns to resupply. The wide range of creatures in the Old World allow for a multitude of food sources. To hunt a player simply requires any ranged weapon. Once a player has the required equipment, they may hunt. Each attempt at hunting removes 1D6 from daily travel. To hunt a players need to make a survival roll (TN11). Success gives the player a roll on the hunt table. On a critical failure, or a roll totaling 5 or less, the players will encounter a dangerous creature. Roll on the regional monster table. This will start a battle.
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Hunting
Catch Table
Hunting a Monster
Clue Search:
Party rolls a D20 + Survival Modifier (TN 20)
1 = Critical Failure – lose 2 days on the hunt
2-19 = Failure – lose 1 day on the hunt
20+ = Success – Begin tracking
Tracking:
Party rolls a D20 + Survival Modifier (TN 20)
1 = Critical Failure – Restart with clue search.
2-19 = Failure – lose 1 day on the hunt
20+ = Success – Creature discovered.
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Not all hunts are for food. Sometimes the players may be required to hunt for a dangerous creature or monster that is terrorizing the locals. Such hunts are special. These require the players to have higher survival skill and take a bit longer than a traditional hunt. First the players will have to find clues (Survival TN20). Each failure will add a day to the hunt. This will include all standard food and drink costs, as well as standard sleep requirements.
Success will yield clues. These could be bloody tracks, torn fragments of traveler’s clothes, or even remains of previous victims of the beast. Be creative. Even if successful, this will take time, so subtract 3D6 from travel. Once they find a clue, they will have to track the monster. This will require another survival roll (TN20). If the player has a creature companion with hunter beast skill, they will roll survival with advantage. Again failure will extend the hunt. Add one day for each failure.
Success will lead them to the creature’s location. At this point the ensuing encounter can be roleplayed, played on a map, or played as an immediate battle. The GM should choose the most appropriate method. Whatever method is employed the hunt is now complete.
Hunting a Special Target
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To hunt for a specific animal or fish for a specific fish the player rolls a series of survival rolls (TN15). Each roll will subtract 1D6 from the travel distance for the day, however each roll that is a success will allow the player to roll an additional D20 on the catch table. They may then choose which dice to keep. If the player has an animal companion with Hunter beast ability they will gain an additional D20. These can all be stacked.
For creatures not listed on the catch tables, the GM will assign a target value for the creature based on its rarity in the region. For example they might assign 2 or 40 to a rare target, while assigning 17 – 25 for a common creature. This will allow players to do special hunts for quests. Once the creature is found, the player will have to do a final survival roll to capture (Survival TN16) or kill the creature (Survival TN10). Capturing a creature requires players to have rope.
