Level Up Playtest #17

Journeys
Welcome to the 17th Level Up playtest document. This playtest contains an abbreviated
expression of the game’s Journey rules, which form an important part of the
exploration pillar of play.

What this is
This is a playtest document. We’d love you to try out the rules presented here, and then
answer the follow-up survey in a few days

What this is not

This is NOT the nal game. It’s OK if you don’t like elements of these rules; that’s the purpose
of a playtest document. Be sure to participate in the follow-up survey in a few days. All data,
positive or negative is useful

What we use this for

Your survey responses help form the direction of the game as it goes through the development
process

Don’t forget!
Sign up for the mailing list for noti cations of playtests, surveys, and news, and also ensure
you get noti ed on Kickstarter when the project launches in 2021.

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 The Journey  Glossary
At the heart of exploration is the journey, or
the story that happens while the adventurers
travel from origin to destination—surviving
the elements, discovering new places, and
overcoming the obstacles presented by the
environment. This section provides the rules
and resources for running a journey from
start to nish.
  Before a journey, the party sets their travel
pace, or how fast they’d like to go. The
Narrator determines the dif culty of the
journey itself and the number of encounters
the adventurers have on the journey. Some
encounters might be a ght against one or
more monsters or happening across other
travelers, but they’ll also have to contend
with the world itself in exploration
challenges.
Navigation
When the adventurers have a map (see
Survival Gear on page @@ in Chapter 4:
Equipment) there is little chance of them
getting lost. The mystery lies in the time it
takes them to reach their destination, and the
challenges that they face along the way.
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The exploration pillar introduces several
new game concepts
Encounters. Encounters are divided into
four types: monsters, exploration
challenges, social, and scenery
Exploration Challenge. A type of
encounter which might be geographical
(like a broken bridge) or event-based (like a
tornado)
Haven. A location where the heroes can
recover from fatigue or strife by resting
Region. A de ned area of the world, such
as Lofty Mountains or Parched Desert,
which the heroes travel through. Regions
have their own properties and encounter
tables
Supply. A resource which is consumed
while traveling, and which is required to
take a long rest.
Without a map, adventurers always know
which region (see below) they are in, but are
not usually aware of adjacent regions (unless
one of them takes the Scout journey activity).
They can journey from region to region,
making choices along the way—for example,
the party might be in Rolling Grasslands, and
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 Pace Minute Hour
Crawl 50 feet 1/2 mile 4 miles
Slow/wagon 200 feet 2 miles 16 miles
Normal 300 feet 3 miles 24 miles
Fast/mounted 400 feet 4 miles 32 miles
Gallop 800 feet 8 miles - Disadvantage on Survival checks to track
need to decide between hiking Majestic
Mountains or chancing a Feywood as their
next step before nally reaching some safe
Open Roads leading to their destination.
Travel Pace
Adventurers can travel at a normal, fast, or
slow pace, which determines the distance
they cover in a day of travel (see Table: Travel
Pace). While a fast pace might shorten the
time required for a journey, moving so
quickly makes travelers less aware of the
dangers around them. Likewise, a steadier
slow pace prolongs a journey but
adventurers can stay alert, cover their tracks,
and move more stealthily. The effects from
traveling faster than a slow pace are
cumulative.
Fatigue. Creatures suffering from two or
more levels of fatigue cannot travel faster
than at a normal pace. Creatures suffering
from three or more levels of fatigue cannot
travel faster than at a slow pace. Creatures
suffering from four or more levels of fatigue
cannot travel faster than a crawl.
Forced March
Adventurers on a journey can travel for up to
8 hours in a day before requiring a long rest
to reinvigorate themselves and continue—
any further and they may exhaust
themselves. For every additional hour of
travel past 8 hours, an adventurer makes a
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Day E ect
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Unable to use Stealth
–5 penalty to passive Perception and
disadvantage on Perception checks
Constitution saving throw at the end of the
hour (DC 10 + the number of additional
hours of travel), suffering a level of fatigue
on a failure. The party can set the pace,
increasing the DC of the saving throw for a
normal pace (+1) or fast/mounted pace (+2).
  For example, after traveling for 8 hours a
party decides to push themselves and
continue the day’s journey for 1 additional
hour at a normal pace. At the end of the hour
they’ve traveled another 3 miles, but each
adventurer makes a DC 12 Constitution
saving throw (10 + 1 additional hour + 1 for
normal pace), suffering a level of fatigue on a
failure
Mounts and Pack
Animals
Mounts such as riding horses can only travel
for about an hour a day at the gallop pace
listed in Table: Travel Pace. While mounts
and pack animals may be useful on a journey,
they are also a responsibility—each mount
requires its own Supply, may have dif culty
traveling in different kinds of environments,
and can become a liability during certain
exploration challenges. For example, it may
be dif cult to lead a mount through a
swampy area or have it traverse a landslide.
A mount can only travel at gallop speed for
1 hour each day. Otherwise it travels at the
fast/mounted pace
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Resting and Havens
While on a journey, adventurers are only able
to recover from fatigue or strife on a long rest
when they have access to a haven. A haven is
a place to get a meal and a full night’s sleep
without the reasonable risk of attack or harm
from the elements. For example, an inn is
considered a haven, but a campsite where
adventurers must take turns keeping watch
through the night is not. Some spells and
class features may create havens.
Tracking Supplies
Mundane consumable items like food and
water are simpli ed into a single item called
Supply. When an adventurer gains access to
food and water, they can add Supply to their
inventory
• 1 Supply consists of enough combined
food and water to sustain a Medium-
sized creature for a day
• A creature can carry a number of Supply
equal to its Strength score in addition to
the rest of its gear
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Whenever a creature takes a long rest, it
must consume a Supply. If it does not, it
gains a level of fatigue
 
When adventurers run out of Supply while
journeying, they can access more in a few
ways. Some journey activities allow
adventurers to forage for more food and
water. Boons and discoveries, which are
common rewards for exploration challenges,
may lead to more Supply. As a last resort, the
party may need to take a detour to the
nearest town, nd a wandering merchant, or
even abandon the journey and head home
Vehicles
Not all travel is done by foot or hoof. Vehicles
are used by many adventurers to help travel
the vast distances of the world. 
Land Vehicles. Wagons and carts are unable
to go faster than a slow pace, but some land
vehicles can choose at which pace to move.
Stealth cannot be used while journeying in a
land vehicle, and they require a DC 13
vehicle (land) check every day spent
traveling at a fast pace. On a failure, the
vehicle suffers a malfunction (see
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 Malfunctions on page @@ in Chapter 4:
Equipment).  towards certain ends of the scale; for
Water Vehicles. Water vehicles are
restricted by the speed of the vehicle and
gain no bene ts from a slow pace, but have
no penalties for moving at a fast pace.
Depending on the vehicle and crew size, a
ship can travel up to 24 hours a day.
Regions
A region is an area of the world, de ned
geographically by its physical features. It
might be a vast forest or a sandy desert; or it
might be a snow-tipped mountain range or a
stretch of underground caverns. Regions are
usually named areas on the map, such as the
Ironpeak Mountains or the Forest of Dreams.
Regions are important building blocks of the
world, and each region has its own
properties and encounter tables. Later in this
chapter are 15 common regions for Narrators
to use
Combined Regions. Sometimes an area on
the map might t the description of more
than one region. The Narrator may choose
either region, combine both, or create a new
region.
Regions and Tiers. Each region on the map
is designated with a tier (from 0–4) which
corresponds with the adventuring tiers of
play introduced on page @@. Any region can
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be any tier, but some regions lend themselves
example, a tier 3 Country Shire would be
highly unusual, but a tier 2 Feywood would
not.
The combination of region and tier allows
for a wide array of building blocks with
which to build the game world. A tier 1
Feywood might be a small forest on the edge
of a village where it is rumored that satyrs
play in the moonlight, while a tier 4 Feywood
could be home to powerful and capricious
fey beings, or ruled by an ancient green
dragon.
A region’s tier determines the dif culty of
the challenges encountered within.
Exploration and monster encounter tables are
all categorized by tier, making it easy to
select tier-relevant encounters. Of course,
exceptions can and do exist, and a powerful
monster can wander into that tier 1 Country
Shire, or a cruel necromancer might make
their lair on the outskirts, but such an
occurrence is not typical of that region and is
usually used as the subject of an adventure
rather than a random encounter.
It should be noted that it is possible for a
low-level party to wander into a region too
dangerous for them. The Narrator should
provide clues to the danger level and—where
appropriate—allow for some means of escape
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 should the adventurers nd themselves in
over their heads.
Party-Appropriate Challenges. In some
games the Narrator may prefer not to
designate regions with a default tier, and
instead present the adventurers with
encounters and challenges appropriate for
their level
Weather
Each region contains a short list of randomly
generated weather options. These are
generally limited to non-extreme weather
conditions, including clear, overcast, mist,
rain, and snow, and are purely descriptive
tools to help the Narrator set the scene—they
do not affect the adventurers. More extreme
weather events are treated as exploration
challenges (see page @@) and include
phenomena like blizzards, dense fogs, hail
storms, sandstorms, tornados,
thunderstorms, and more.
Roll a d20 for weather once for each region.
In the winter season, add 5 to the roll.
Encounters
Each region the adventurers travel through
will include one or more encounters. The
Narrator decides how many encounters the
party has.  Adventurers have the option to participate in
Encounters include four categories:
exploration challenges, monsters, social
encounters, and scenery. It is important that
the players do not not know which type of
encounter they’ve stumbled into—it should
be introduced to them narratively. That chill
feeling might be mere scenery, but it might be
the sign of some kind of undead spirit, or it
might foreshadow a weather event.  activity is based on the region’s tier: tier 0—
Each region presents encounter tables
which include all four encounter types. The
Narrator can roll on these tables, choose an
option, or introduce something new.
Along a journey the Narrator should
employ a mix of combat encounters, social
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encounters, exploration challenges, and
scenery. Exploration challenges, which are
detailed [elsewhere], have assigned tiers and
challenge ratings that correspond to
adventurers’ levels. It is assumed that high-
level adventurers are able to pass tier 1
exploration challenges without much effort,
but a tier 4 exploration challenge poses a
major threat.
Ultimately how many encounters
adventurers have while traveling is at the
discretion of the Narrator, but in general it’s
recommended that the party has at least one
encounter (combat, exploration challenge,
scenery, or social) in every region they
journey through to make it memorable. Some
regions are going to have more encounters
than other regions—either because they are
tumultuous, the area plays an important part
in the campaign, or they are large in size—
and the types of encounters the party might
have in a given region are listed in its
Exploring table. Depending on the needs of
the game and campaign setting, the types of
encounters, frequency of encounters, and
dif culty of certain journey activities might
be different
Journey Activities
activities while traveling in order to pick up
some extra resources, improve the conditions
of their journey, or learn more about the
world around them. An adventurer can make
one journey activity check per region. Only
one party member can undertake a given
journey activity.
Dif culty Class. The DC of a journey
DC 10, tier 1—DC 12, tier 2—DC 14, tier 3—
DC 16, tier 4—DC 18. Depending on the
region, some journey activities are made with
either advantage or disadvantage. For
example, the Scout journey activity in a tier 2
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 Blasted Badlands is DC 14 and the check is
made with advantage.  to spot the danger.
Experienced Travelers. The Busk and Rob
journey activities are most pro table for
novice adventurers, but experienced travelers
can sometimes pick out a mark carrying
con dential materials instead of gold, and
nobles seek out performers of note wherever
they might be. Additionally, when an
adventurer is attempting to gather a speci c
component of 100 gold or less with Gather
Components, they can roll with
disadvantage, nding it on a success.
Modifying DC. The Narrator can raise the
DC on a journey activity based on
extenuating circumstances. Here are some
suggestions for how to modify a journey
activity’s dif culty class
• Inclement Weather (+2) may impede an
adventurer’s ability to search for things
with the Scout activity, or lead to fewer
people on the road (making the Busk and
Rob activities more dif cult).
• Multitasking (+3), such as attempting a
journey activity while trying not to be
discovered, may make it harder to
attempt the check
• Hostile Territory (+4) may make it
dif cult to interact with the locals,
impeding a check made to Busk or
Gossip. It may be dangerous to stop, so
taking the Pray activity or using Scout is
harder to do
Befriend Animal
An adventurer can make friends with a wild
animal by succeeding on an Animal
Handling check. The animal follows the
party through the region until it spots
danger. Adventurers can assume that when
the animal runs off that something dangerous
is following them or hidden nearby. The
adventurer who befriended the creature can
then make a Perception check contested by
the hidden creature’s Stealth check in order
Critical Success. The adventurer befriends
two animals and gains advantage on their
Perception check
Busk
Adventurers can entertain passersby with a
successful Acrobatics, Athletics, or
Performance check to gain 1d4 gold plus 1d4
gold for every 5 points the check result
exceeds the journey activity DC.
Critical Success. The adventurer gains
double the amount of gold
Chronicle
An adventurer that spends their time writing
down observations of local landmarks,
recording various customs, or charting a map
can make a History check. On a success, they
gain an expertise die on future History or
Survival checks made within or about the
region.
Critical Success. The adventurer gains an
additional expertise die on future History
and Survival checks made within or about
the region
Cook
By acting as the party’s cook and
quartermaster, with a Survival check an
adventurer can help ensure that everybody
remains fed. On a success, for every 4
creatures being fed, the Supply requirement
to feed them is reduced by 1 Supply (up to a
maximum equal to their pro ciency bonus). 
Critical Success. The Supply requirement is
reduced by 1 for every 3 creatures being fed
Cover Tracks
While moving at a slow pace, an adventurer
can cover the party’s tracks with a Survival
check so that it is harder for pursuers to

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 follow. The adventurer’s Survival check
result is the DC for any pursuer’s Survival
check to track them.
Critical Success. Creatures are unable to
gain expertise die on their Survival checks to
track the adventurers
Entertain
With a successful Performance check an
adventurer can help keep the party’s spirits
high. The next time the adventurer or an ally
would suffer a level of strife, they do not.
Critical Success. The adventurer and any
allies recover one level of fatigue or strife
Gather Components
Adventurers that gather supplies useful for
the material components of spellcasting can
make an Arcana or Nature check, nding 3d4
gold worth of material components on a
success.
Critical Success. The adventurer gains
double the amount of material components
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Gossip
Success on an Investigation or Persuasion
check tells an adventurer the local news and
rumors. The Narrator reveals an engaging
rumor or tidbit that could lead the party on a
new sidequest or support the main plot of the
campaign.
Critical Success. The adventurer either
learns a second rumor, con rms a rumor they
are unsure of, or discovers that a rumor they
thought was true is actually false
Harvest
An adventurer that succeeds on a Medicine
or Nature check nds enough plants to re ll
1 use of a healer’s satchel, herbs for an
herbalism kit, or ingredients to use with a
poisoner’s kit. 
Critical Success. On a critical success, the
adventurer nds twice the amount of useful
plants
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 Hunt and Gather Track

It’s often fruitful for an adventurer to track A designated tracker can ensure that the
and kill game, or forage for food and water, party remains on the trail of their prey with a
along the road with a Survival check. On a Survival check. This check is opposed by the
success the adventurer gains Supply equal to Survival check of the creature being tracked
their pro ciency bonus.  if it is attempting to hide its tracks, or the
Critical Success. The adventurer gains an region’s journey activity DC if it is not.
extra 1d4 Supply Critical Success. The party gains an
expertise die on their next Stealth checks
made against the creature being tracked
Pray
While traveling many choose to connect with
deities and spirits. An adventurer makes a
Religion check, and on a success they gain an
expertise die on their next ability check made
in the next region. 
Critical Success. The adventurer instead
gains advantage on their next ability check
made in the next region

Rob
Adventurers can force others into handing
over their coins with a successful
Intimidation check, or pickpocket travelers
with a successful Sleight of Hand check. In
either case they gain 1d4 gold.
Critical Success. The adventurer gains
double the amount of gold

Scout
An adventurer roams at a distance from the
party, seeking vantage points to look ahead.
The party automatically learns which regions
adjoin the current region. Additionally, with
a successful Perception check, the adventurer
gains advantage on their next ability check
made in that region
Critical Success. The adventurer nds a
handy path and the party has advantage on
the next forced march check they make
before taking a long rest

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List of Regions
The core rulebook has 15 regions as well as
guidelines on how to create your own
regions. The regions are are presented below,
but in the core rulebook they also contain
encounter tables which can result in
exploration challenges, monster encounters,
social encounters, or scenery
The names below are generic names
In the game world, each region will likely
have its own unique name
Blasted Badlands
These deserts are notorious for their many
capricious ruins, the devastated landscape
the biggest mark left upon the world by the
forgotten civilizations that once ourished
there. Monsters aplenty roam the wastes as
well, so adventurers journeying through it
encounter many creature and constructed
terrain exploration challenges.
Tiers. Blasted Badlands tend to be tier 2 and
above.  Haven. The whole of this area counts as a
Weather. 1–10 clear, 11–25 overcast.
Journey Activities. Adventurers gain
advantage on checks made to Scout, but
disadvantage on checks made to Befriend
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Animal, Gossip, and Rob. It is not possible to
Harvest or Hunt and Gather
Country Shire
Small villages and rural communities, often
surrounded by a patchwork of farms, make
for a safe and cozy existence with the most
threatening events involving an angry bear
harassing livestock. Adventurers journeying
through this region can expect little danger,
and a high number of social encounters.
Tiers. Country Shires are usually tier 0 or
tier 1 regions. Often used as the starting area
in a campaign, it would be unusual to nd
tier 3 or 4 country shires.
Weather. 1–8 clear, 9–12 overcast, 13–16
rain, 17–19 mist, 20–25 snow. 
Journey Activities. Adventurers gain
advantage on checks made to Busk,
Chronicle, Gossip, Harvest, and Rob. 
Friendly Locals. Adventurers gain an
expertise die on Charisma checks made
against people local to the region.
haven. Travelers can always recover from
fatigue and strife when taking a long rest,
even when camping
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 Feywood
Home to faeries, sprites, dryads, nymphs,
satyrs, and other fey, the animals in this
forest are bold and only foolish travelers fail
to respect nature as they go along their way.
Adventurers journeying through regions like
this contend with frequent combat
encounters, social encounters, and natural
terrain and supernatural exploration
challenges.
Tiers. Feywoods often range from tier 1
through tier 4. While a tier 1 Feywood
presents little danger other than from wildlife
and the occasional faeries, a tier 4 Feywood
might be a dangerous plane like the
Dreaming, or the domain of an ancient green
dragon
Weather. 1–15 clear, 16–19 mist, 20–25 rain.
Fey Promises. When an adventurer breaks
a promise made in a Feywood they suffer a
level of strife.
Natural Camou age. Adventurers gain an
expertise die on Stealth checks.
Journey Activities. When making a check
to Hunt and Gather, an adventurer rolls with
advantage.
Fiery Hellscape
From active volcanoes to the hottest layers of
Hell, these regions are dominated by red-hot
lava ows and aming geysers. Adventurers
journeying through these regions can expect
to encounter many natural terrain challenges
and dangerous creatures.
Tiers. These regions lend themselves
towards danger and are usually tier 3 or tier
4. A higher tier Fiery Hellscape might be
found on a plane of elemental re or the
volcanic domain of a red dragon. Lower tier
versions of these regions are rare, but might
be found naturally occurring in some places.
Weather. Uncomfortably warm.
Hot. Traveling at faster than a slow pace is
dangerous in the region’s hot temperatures,
and adventurers that do so suffer a level of
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fatigue when taking a long rest (even if they
have Supply). The use of appropriate mounts
(such as camels) and keeping a light pack
(less than half carrying capacity) allow for
adventurers to travel as fast as a normal pace
without suffering fatigue during a long rest.
Unquenchable Thirst. Twice the usual
amount of Supply is required when taking a
long rest
Journey Activities. Checks to Harvest or
Hunt and Gather are made at disadvantage
Frozen Wastes
Endless elds of white and imposing
mountains stretching towards the sky ll this
icy land, and though it is rather devoid of life
it is a place of great peril. Adventurers
journeying through this region have to
overcome many natural terrain and weather
event exploration challenges, and perhaps a
few combat or social encounters.
Tiers. Arctic-like tundra can range from tier
2 to tier 4 depending on the severity of its
climate.
Weather. 1–6 clear, 7–12 overcast, 13–25
snow.
Chilly. Without the proper gear or magic to
survive the cold temperatures (see Survival
Gear on page @@ in Chapter 4: Equipment),
an adventurer suffers a level of fatigue when
taking a long rest in this environment (even if
it has Supply).
Journey Activities. Adventurers gain
advantage on Survival checks made to nd a
target using tracks left in the snow. Checks
made to hide tracks have disadvantage
Haunted Lands
Settlements that have suffered a curse, or
areas which are home to powerful undead
beings, typically have effects that spread far
from the source bringing woe to the people
living nearby and attracting prowling
monsters and ominous signs. Adventurers
journeying through regions like this have
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 plenty of combat encounters, some social
encounters, and many circumstance or
supernatural exploration challenges.
Tiers. Haunted lands are often higher tier
areas. The corrupted realm surrounding a
doom knight’s castle or a county ruled over
by a sinister vampire would likely be tier 3 or
higher.
Weather. 1–5 clear, 6–10 overcast, 11–15
foggy, 16–25 rain.
Bleak Light. All light sources illuminate
only half the area they would normally cover.
Night Terrors. It is dif cult to get a restful
night’s sleep in this area. Adventurers make a
Wisdom saving throw against the region’s
journey activity DC when taking a long rest
or suffer a level of strife.
Suspicious Minds. The people who inhabit
this area are wary and suspicious of
strangers. Adventurers have disadvantage on
Charisma checks made against people local
to the region
Journey Activities. The Pray and Entertain
activities are made with disadvantage
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Lofty Mountains
Legends from all over the realm speak of
remote passes, cataclysmic con icts and relics
of fell power within the ancient ruins of
temples to defeated evils, the graves of
terrible warlords, and sites of unspeakable
rituals. Adventurers journeying through this
region have few social encounters, a
moderate amount of combat encounters, and
many constructed terrain, natural terrain,
and supernatural exploration challenges.
Tiers. Idyllic mountain ranges might be tier
1, while cliffs and crags ruled over by an
ancient dragon would be tier 4.
Weather. 1–8 clear, 9–12 overcast, 13–16
mist, 17–18 rain, 19–25 snow.
Climbable. The terrain offers numerous
footholds and pitted surfaces. Adventurers
gain an expertise die on checks made to
climb.
High Altitude. Breathing air gets harder at
altitudes of 10,000 feet or higher above sea
level, and adventurers not used to the
reduced oxygen tire easily. Every hour spent
traveling at high altitude counts as 2 hours of
travel for the purposes of travel pace. For
example, after 4 hours of travel a creature
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 makes forced march checks every half hour.
After spending 30 days or longer at high
altitude an adventurer becomes acclimated to
it and can travel normally. Altitudes above
20,000 feet can only be acclimated to by
creatures native to the environment.
Mountsbane. Travel time is doubled for
mounts and pack animals
Journey Activities. The Scout activity is
made with advantage
Open Roads
Well-traveled roads with wide tracks, and
plentiful inns, villages, and other stopping
points along the way make some journeys
less arduous than others. Adventurers
journeying along country roads have many
social encounters, combat encounters with
NPCs or the occasional wild beast, and
circumstance and constructed terrain
exploration challenges.
Tiers. It’s unusual (although not
impossible) for open roads to be above tier 2.
Weather. 1–8 clear, 9–12 overcast, 13–16
rain, 17–19 mist, 20–25 snow.  Journey Activities. Adventurers have
Fast Travel. Adventurers move one mile
per hour faster when traveling along open
roads
Parched Sands
Endless dunes and the baking sun make
these deserts dif cult and dangerous places
in which to survive. Adventurers journeying
through this region have very few social
encounters.
Tiers. A desert region with numerous oases
might be tier 1, but most are tier 2 or higher.
Weather. 1–25 clear.
Hot. Traveling at faster than a slow pace is
dangerous in the region’s hot temperatures,
and adventurers that do so suffer a level of
fatigue when taking a long rest (even if they
have Supply). The use of appropriate mounts
(such as camels) and keeping a light pack
(less than half carrying capacity) allow for
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adventurers to travel as fast as a normal pace
without suffering fatigue during a long rest.
Unquenchable Thirst. Twice the usual
amount of Supply is required when taking a
long rest
Journey Activities. Checks to Harvest or
Hunt and Gather are made at disadvantage
Restless Sea
Rapid currents and quick trade routes make
these waters popular with merchants, but
only the bravest and most skilled sailors are
willing to chance the frequent, dangerous,
and unpredictable waves. Adventurers
journeying through this region or along its
coast have to overcome an unusually high
number of weather event exploration
challenges, as well as some combat
encounters and social encounters.
Tiers. Regions with calm waters might be
tier 1, but most adventurous seas are tier 2 or
tier 3.
Weather. 1–7 clear, 8–11 overcast, 12–16
rain, 17–25 mist.
disadvantage on checks made to Scout.
Rolling Mists. Adventurers gain an
expertise die on Stealth checks if the weather
is not clear.
Thick Fog. Without the sight of natural
landmarks to guide them, adventurers have
disadvantage on checks made to navigate the
area if the weather is not clear
Rolling Grasslands
There is great prosperity among the people
that call these elds and rolling hills home,
and regular patrols of guards ensure the
safety of all. Adventurers journeying through
this region have frequent social encounters,
few combat encounters, and several
circumstance exploration challenges.
Tiers. These plains and hills tend to be tier 1
and 2 regions, with threats from bandits,
goblin tribes, or wild animals. 
13 © EN Publishing 2021
 Weather. 1–8 clear, 9–12 overcast, 13–16
rain, 17–19 mist, 20–25 snow.  There is no map—even among the
Journey Activities. Adventurers gain
advantage on checks made to Busk,
Chronicle, Gossip, Harvest, and Rob.
Urban Township
From mighty sprawling cities to smaller
bustling towns, these areas are full of people
—and more people means more accidents,
more con ict, and more action. Adventurers
journeying through urban areas have many
social encounters, combat encounters against
NPCs, and both circumstance and
constructed terrain exploration challenges.
Tiers. Metropolises can be as high as tier 4
and small towns as low as tier 1.
Weather. 1–8 clear, 9–12 overcast, 13–16
rain, 17–19 mist, 20–25 snow.   area (an explosion, loud sound, or shaping
Breakable Surroundings. A critical failure
on a Strength or Dexterity check results in
destruction of property, angering the owner
of said property
Journey Activities. Adventurers gain an
expertise die on checks made to Busk or Rob
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Underland Realm
subterranean cultures that dwell within—
that accurately depicts all of these enormous
tunnels, which range from natural caverns
and dwarven mines to shadow elf cities.
Adventurers journeying through this region
have combat encounters, some social
encounters, and many constructed terrain,
natural terrain, and supernatural exploration
challenges.
Tiers. It’s unusual for these regions to be
less than tier 2.
Weather. 1–16 clear, 17–25 mist.
Resonant. Adventurers gain an expertise
die on sound-based Perception checks.
Unstable. When an adventurer creates a
force that would disturb a non-stoneworked
the structure of the cave through magic), roll
1d20. On a result of 20 the activity causes a
cave-in. One passageway in the cave is lled
with fallen rocks 20 feet wide.
Journey Activities. With poor visibility and
few vantage points, attempts to Scout are
made with disadvantage.
14 © EN Publishing 2021

 Unrelenting Marsh
So named because time seems to slow to a
crawl while traversing its swamps, this area
is rife with dangerous predators, lethal fauna,
and ground best left untrusted. Adventurers
journeying through this region have frequent
combat encounters, a few social encounters,
and many natural terrain exploration
challenges.
Tiers. Swamp regions with friendly
inhabitants might be tier 1, but more hostile
places (oft ruled over by ancient dragons or
worse) can easily be tier 4.
Weather. 1–5 clear, 6–8 overcast, 9–15 rain,
16–25 mist.
Hard to Hoof. Mounts and pack animals
are unable to travel at a fast pace or gallop
pace. Additionally, wheeled vehicles cannot
travel faster than a crawl.
Journey Activities. Plants harvested during
a journey activity are typically very rare.
Adventurers gain an expertise die on checks
made to Harvest, but on a critical failure the
plants are carnivorous, and the adventurer
suffers one level of fatigue
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Wartorn Kingdom
An occupied nation, or one amidst a civil
war, is a dubious place populated with
aggressive soldiers, desperate commoners,
and merciless opportunists. Adventurers
journeying through this region have many
social encounters, combat encounters against
NPCs, and both circumstance and natural
terrain exploration challenges as they
navigate the country in con ict.
Tiers. Nascent counties skirmishing against
one another might merit tier 1, but when
larger nations take umbrage against one
another they usually merit being tier 2 or
even tier 3
Weather. 1–8 clear, 9–12 overcast, 13–16
rain, 17–19 mist, 20–25 snow. 
Journey Activities. The Busk journey
activity is made with disadvantage due to the
wary and suspicious nature of other
travelers
15 © EN Publishing 2021
 Notes: Putting It All
Together
The journey rules presented here are only a
part of the whole exploration pillar
We’ve mentioned exploration challenges
before, and they have featured in various blog
entries on the of cial Level Up website. There
are 75 exploration challenges in the core
rulebook. The effect of all the components of
the exploration pillar is to create a really rich
and immersive part of the game
Below are a couple of example exploration
challenges. We’ll delve deeper into
exploration challenges in a later playtest
document, and explain how they work, but
the important thing to keep in mind is that
exploration challenges are designed to be
very freeform, and that the solutions
suggested are only suggestions. Creative
player solutions or expenditure of resources
should be rewarded, and the Narrator
ultimately decides what degree of success or
failure has been achieved and what the
outcomes are
Of course, all character classes now have
abilities they can use in the exploration pillar,
ensuring that everybody gets to play in this
expanded third of the game
Acid Field
2nd tier (terrain)
Challenge 8 (3,900 XP); DC 17/15
Area Local (1 hour)
Strange black spots mar the sparse ground
ahead and after a few moments of
observation it’s clear why—acidic uid
erupts from ssures in the ground!  the wind picks up. In a matter of minutes the
Acidic Spray. Every half hour spent
traveling in this area a corrosive geyser
explodes near the party sending acid in a 60-
foot radius. Each creature in the area makes a
Dexterity saving throw, taking 7 (2d6) acid
damage on a failure.
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Nature. A Nature check will reveal to the
party that their Supply is vulnerable to the
corrosive atmosphere.
Protecting Provisions. An Engineering
check (or a check made with tools the
Narrator deems appropriate) allows each
adventurer to adequately protect any Supply
they are carrying. This check must be made
before the Supply is destroyed
Possible Solutions
A group Survival check is made to
adequately protect the adventurers and
safely traverse the area
Suggested Outcomes
Critical Failure: The party loses 4 (1d4+2)
Supply to the corrosive atmosphere, and each
adventurer suffers a level of fatigue from acid
burns.
Failure: The party loses 2 Supply to the
corrosive atmosphere and any adventurer
that failed their check suffers a level of
fatigue from acid burns.
Success: The adventurers make it through
the area successfully.
Critical Success: The adventurers make it
through the area successfully and they notice
something important. Roll once on the Tier 2
Discoveries and Boons table
Tornado
2nd tier (weather)
Challenge 10 (5,900); DC 18/15
Area Intermediate (3 hours) 
Stormy skies above quickly mass together as
gusts are strong enough to knock creatures
over and a cyclone touches down onto the
nearby ground!
Realize Danger. With a Nature check an
adventurer knows how to stay safe in a
tornado (sighting funnel clouds that will
16 © EN Publishing 2021
 develop into new twisters, avoiding trees,
protecting one’s head, crouching to avoid the
wind, using ditches and gullies) and the
party has advantage on Athletics checks
made against it.
Spell Solve. A casting of control weather
immediately ends the tornado and triggers a
critical success.
Tempest Winds. When a creature rolls a
natural 1 on an ability check against the
tornado, it makes a Strength saving throw or
is thrown 200 feet, taking 35 (10d6)
bludgeoning damage. A creature suffers a
level of fatigue when it takes 20 or more
damage from being thrown by the tornado.
Possible Solutions
A group check can be made to overcome this
challenge. Examples include:
• A group Athletics check to withstand the
tornado and trudge forward
• A group Nature check to avoid the
tornado altogether, costing 2 (1d4) days
of travel time.
• A group Survival check to nd shelter
along the way and take cover, waiting a
day for the storm to pass.
Suggested Outcomes
used to simply add avor to a region. A stone
Critical Failure: Each adventurer suffers one
level of fatigue and loses half of their Supply,
and the party loses an extra day of travel
time.
Failure: Each adventurer suffers one level of
fatigue and loses 2 (1d4) Supply.
Success: The adventurers make it through,
ghting against the winds.
Critical Success: The adventurers travel
through the tempest unhindered. Roll twice
on the Tier 2 Discoveries and Boons table
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Encounter Tables
Encounter tables are divided into ve tiers
for each region. A tier 2 Feywood’s encounter
table is very different to a tier 3 Frozen
Waste’s table. Each includes a range of tier-
appropriate encounters
Monster encounters. Each monster in the
Monstrous Menagerie comes with it’s own
CR-linked encounter table
Additionally, each monster comes with a
selection of monster signs — adventurers
might come across claw marks at head height
in a tree before encountering the owl bear, or
the toppled statue of a grif n before meeting
a basilisk. Skill checks can be used to identify
the creature before the heroes run into it.
These signs add a level of anticipation and
suspense to any encounter
Of course, they don’t always get a warning!
Social encounters. Some regions have a
higher proportion of social encounters. These
are short little hooks for the Narrator to use.
Perhaps they encounter a knight looking for
her lost love, or a merchant selling a brand
new potion
Exploration challenges. These we have
already touched on, and we will delve into
those in more detail later
Scenery. Finally, the Narrator is furnished
with a wide array of scenery which can be
circle, an empty windmill, a tree decorated
with humanoid skulls. Of course, the players
don’t know if that’s just scenery or a monster
sign, or some type of exploration challenge.
They might spend 20 minutes discussing that
oddly placed hilltop graveyard.
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