DAMN EASY HEXCRAWL RULES

So the other night I was thinking my current game, set in the Shudder Mountains, and how the players are near the end of their quest and how they now must trek back to town in order to finish said quest. Usually I would just use my chapter rule of "You've been traveling for x days and you arrive here" and begin the newest adventure. This time things are a bit different as there is a time limit placed upon the the party to get to their destination or else bad things will happen.

So in the spirit of not overly complicating things and taking some hints from The One Ring ruleset I present my DAMN EASY HEXCRAWL RULES! Take it or leave it. I'm know other people have tackled this before, but what the heck!

The Rules:

During a hexcrawl journey the party must make the following checks as determined by the Judge. Usually one check for every hex travelled unless otherwise determined by the tables below.

Scouting: As the party moves through the wilderness they will need to make decisions regarding the direction they are taking and whether or not to abandon the road or set off on a new path. The guide or scout makes an Intelligence check and adds their Luck modifier. Depending on the land they are currently traveling the die may be raised or lowered according to the dice chain (see Terrain Table below).

Scouting Roll	Result
20+	The party is making exceptional time and may move two hexes away.
15-19	The party is making good time and easily moves on to the next hex.
10-14	The party must make an Encumbrance check before moving on.
5-9	No change. The environment is suppressing the party.
3-8	The party temporary loses Stamina according to their current encumbrance die and each PCs rations drop -1d.
1-2	Incident! (i.e. rotten food, animal attack, monster encounter, etc.)

Hunting/ Foraging: Determine if the PC is hunting or foraging. Hunting requires a Strength or Agility check; while forging requires an Intelligence check. A PCs Luck modifier is added to the roll for good or ill. Depending on the land they are currently traveling the die may be raised or lowered according to the dice chain (see Terrain Table below).

Hunting/ Forging Roll	Result
20+	The entire party raises their rations +1d.
15-19	The PC rolling raises their rations +2d.
10-14	The PC rolling raises their rations +1d.
3-9	No change.
1-2	Incident! (i.e. rotten food, animal attack, monster encounter, etc.)

Terrain Table

Type	Description	Die Type
Easy	Open Terrain, well-trodden path, plains, etc.	d24
Moderate	Pathless wilderness, hills, sparse woods, bogs.	d20
Hard	Marshes, wastes, fells, woods with good tracks.	d16
Severe	Dense woods or very rough ground.	d14
Daunting	Desert, blighted or ruined land, mountain passes.	d12

Rations: Each PC is assigned a die equating the amount of rations they currently carry. When making a rations check during a journey the PC will roll the assigned die. If the roll comes up a 1 the die is dropped -1d in accordance to the dice chain.

Meager Rations = d3

Standard Rations = d4

Plentiful Rations = d6

Rich Rations = d8

PCs can give their companions a portion of their rations by lowering their current die -1d while the acceptee raises their rations +1d.

Encumbrance: Each PC is assigned a die equating their encumbrance. The encumbrance die is determined by the Judge at the start of the journey. When an encumbrance check is required the PC attempts to roll under their current Stamina score using the die assigned. If the roll is higher than the PCs Stamina score they suffer a temporary Strength or Stamina loss (player’s choice) according to their current encumbrance.

Unencumbered = d16 (1d3 loss)

Light Encumbrance = d20 (1d4 loss)

Encumbered = d24 (1d6 loss)

Heavy Encumbrance = d30 (1d8)

I'll be testing this out the next time I play (gods know when that will be) so I'll have to get back to you on how well it works and how much fun the players have with it. If you decide to incorporate it into you game drop me a line and let me know how it goes.