
Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a dungeon corridor, scaling a treacherous mountain slope-all sorts of movement play a key role in fantasy gaming adventures. In combat and other fast-paced situations, the game relies on rounds, a 6-second span of time. Following the road from Baldur's Gate to Waterdeep, the adventurers spend four uneventful days before a goblin ambush interrupts their journey. Adventurers eager to reach the lonely tower at the heart of the forest hurry across those fifteen miles in just under four hours' time.įor long journeys, a scale of days works best. In a city or wilderness, a scale of hours is often more appropriate. It takes them about a minute to creep down a long hallway, another minute to check for traps on the door at the end of the hall, and a good ten minutes to search the chamber beyond for anything interesting or valuable. In a dungeon environment, the adventurers' movement happens on a scale of minutes. The DM might use a different time scale depending on the context of the situation at hand. In situations where keeping track of the passage of time is important, the DM determines the time a task requires. Sometimes, the passage of time and the adventurers’ actions determine what happens, so the DM might use a timeline or a flowchart to track their progress instead of a map. The DM’s notes, including a key to the map, describe what the adventurers find as they enter each new area. Typically, the DM uses a map as an outline of the adventure, tracking the characters’ progress as they explore dungeon corridors or wilderness regions.


This section covers the basics of the adventuring life, from the mechanics of movement to the complexities of social interaction. And if all goes well, your character will survive to claim rich rewards before embarking on a new adventure. Your character in the game might explore forgotten ruins and uncharted lands, uncover dark secrets and sinister plots, and slay foul monsters. Delving into the ancient Tomb of Horrors, slipping through the back alleys of Waterdeep, hacking a fresh trail through the thick jungles on the Isle of Dread-these are the things that Dungeons & Dragons adventures are made of.
