As in the real world, time passes in all AD&D® game worlds. Weeks slip away as wizards research spells. Days go by as characters ride across country. Hours pass while exploring ruins. Minutes flash by during battles. All of these are passages of time.
There are two different types of time that are talked about in these rules. Game time is the imaginary time that passes for the characters in the game. Real time is the time in the real world, the time that passes for the players and DM as they play the AD&D game. The two times are very different; players and DMs should be careful to distinguish game time from real time.
For example, when the character Delsenora researches a spell for three weeks, this is three weeks of game time. Delsenora is out of action as three weeks passes in the campaign world. Since nothing interesting at all happens to Delsenora during this research time, it should require only a minute or two of real time to handle the situation. The exchange in real time is something like this:
Louise (Delsenora’s player): “Delsenora’s going to research her new spell.”
DM:okay, it’ll take three weeks. Nothing happens to her. While she’s doing that, the rest of you get a chance to heal your wounds and do some stuff that you’ve been ignoring. Johann [pointing at another player], you’d better spend some time at the church. The patriarch’s been a little upset that you haven’t been attending ceremonies.”
Jon (Johann’s player): “Can’t I go out and earn some more experience?”
DM (Not wanting to deal with a split-up group): “The patriarch mumbles something about failing in your duties to your deity, and he rubs his holy symbol a lot. You know, it’s not very often that low levels like you have personal audiences with the patriarch. What do you think?”
Jon: “Marvelous. Subtle hint. I’ll stay and be a good boy.”
DM: “Well, great! The three weeks pass. Nothing happens. Del, make your roll for the spell research.”
And so three weeks of game time flash by in brief minutes of real time.
The importance of game time is that as a campaign progresses, characters tend to become involved in different time-consuming projects. Three characters may set off on a four-week overland joumey, while a mage researches for six weeks. At the inn, a fighter rests and heals his wounds for two weeks. It is important to note how much time passes on different tasks, so the activities of different characters can be followed.
Campaign time is measured just as it is in real life: years, months, weeks, days, hours, minutes, and seconds. But, since this is a fantasy game, the DM can create entirely different calendars for his world. There may be only ten months in the year or 63 days to a month. When beginning play, these things are not tremendously important, so players need not worry about them right away. With continued adventuring, players eventually become familiar with the calendar of the campaign.
Rounds and turns are units of time that are often used in the AD&D game, particularly for spells and combat. A round is approximately equal to a minute (it is not exactly one minute, so as to grant the DM some flexibility during combat). A turn is equal to ten minutes of game time. Turns are normally used to measure specific tasks (such as searching) and certain spells. Thus a spell that lasts ten turns is equal to 100 minutes or 1⅔ hours.
Movement
Closely related to time is movement. Clearly your character is able to move, otherwise adventures would be rather static and boring. But how fast can he move? If a large, green carrion crawler is scuttling after Rath, is the redoubtable dwarf fast enough to escape? Could Rath outrun an irritated but heavily loaded elf? Sooner or later these considerations become important to player characters.
All characters have movement rates that are based on their race. Table 64 lists the movement rates for unencumbered characters of different races.
| Table 64: BASE MOVEMENT RATES | |
| Race | Rate |
| Human | 12 |
| Dwarf | 6 |
| Elf | 12 |
| Half-elf | 12 |
| Gnome | 6 |
| Halfling | 6 |
A character can normally walk his movement rate in tens of yards in a single round. An unencumbered human can walk 120 yards (360 feet), slightly more than a football field, in one minute. A dwarf, similarly equipped, can walk 60 yards in the same time. This walk is at a fairly brisk, though not strenuous, pace that can be kept up for long periods of time.
However, a character may have to move slower than this pace. If the character is carrying equipment, he may move slower because of the encumbrance (see page 76), if this optional rule is used. As the character carries more gear, he gradually slows down until he reaches the point where he can barely move at all.
When a character is moving through a dungeon or similar setting, his movement rate corresponds to tens of feet per round (rather than the tens of yards per round of outside movement). It is assumed that the character is moving more cautiously, paying attention to what he sees and hears while avoiding traps and pitfalls. Again, this rate can be lowered if the optional encumbrance system is used.
Characters can also move faster than the normal walking pace. In the dungeon (or anytime the character is using his dungeon movement rate) the character can automatically increase his movement to that of his normal walking pace. In doing so, however, he suffers a -1 penalty to his chance of being surprised and gives a +1 bonus to others on their chance of being surprised by him (the rapidly moving character is not taking care to conceal the noise of his passage in the echoing confines of the underground). Furthermore the character does not notice traps, secret doors, or other unusual features.
It is also certainly possible for a character to jog or run – an especially useful thing when being chased by creatures tougher than he cares to meet. The simplest method for handling these cases is to roll an initiative die. If the fleeing character wins, he increases the distance between himself and his pursuers by 10 times the difference in the two dice (in feet or yards, whichever the DM feels is most appropriate). This is repeated each turn until the character escapes or is captured. (If this seems unrealistic, remember that fear and adrenaline can do amazing things!)
Jogging and Running (Optional Rule)
If your DM wants greater precision in a chase, the speeds of those involved in the chase can be calculated exactly. (But this is time-consuming and can slow down an exciting chase.) Using this optional rule, a character can always double his normal movement rate (in yards) to a jog. Thus a character with a movement rate of 12 can jog 240 yards in a round. While jogging, a character can automatically keep going for the number of rounds equal to his Constitution. After this limit has been reached, the player must roll a successful Constitution check at the end of each additional round spent jogging. There are no modifiers to this check. Once a Constitution check is failed, the character must stop and rest for as many rounds as he spent jogging. After this, he can resume his jogging pace with no penalties (although the same limitations on duration apply).
If a jogging pace isn’t fast enough, a character can also run. If he rolls a successful Strength check, he can move at three times his normal rate; if he rolls a Strength check with a -4 penalty, he can quadruple his normal rate; if he rolls a Strength check with a -8 penalty, he can quintuple his normal rate. Failing a Strength check means only that the character cannot increase his speed to the level he was trying to reach, but he can keep running at the pace he was at before the failed Strength check. Once a character fails a Strength check to reach a level of running, he cannot try to reach that level again in the same run.
Continued running requires a Constitution check every round, with penalties that depend on how long and how fast the character has been running. There is a -1 penalty for each round of running at triple speed, a -2 penalty for each round of running at quadruple speed, and a -3 penalty for each round of running at quintuple speed (these penalties are cumulative). If the check is passed, the character can continue at that speed for the next round. If the check is failed, the character has exhausted himself and must stop running. The character must rest for at least one turn.
For example, Ragnar the thief has a Strength of 14, a Constitution of 15, and a movement rate of 12. Being pursued by the city guard, he starts jogging at 240 yards a round. Unfortunately, so do they. His Constitution is a 14, so he can keep going for at least 14 rounds. He decides to speed up. The player rolls a Strength check, rolling a 7. Ragnar pours on the speed, increasing up to 360 yards per round (triple speed). Some of the guardsmen drop out of the race, but a few hold in there. Ragnar now has a -1 penalty to his Constitution check. A 13 is rolled, so he just barely passes.
But one of the blasted guardsmen is still on his tail! In desperation, Ragnar tries to go faster (trying for four times walking speed). The Strength check is an 18: Ragnar just doesn’t have any more oomph in him; he can’t run any faster, but he is still running three times faster than his walking speed. The player now must roll a Constitution check with a -2 penalty (for two rounds of running at triple speed). The player rolls the die and gets a 4 – no problem! And just then the last guardsman drops out of the race. Ragnar takes no chances and keeps running. Next round another Constitution check is necessary, with a -3 penalty. The player rolls an 18. Exhausted, Ragnar collapses in a shadowy alley taking care to get out of sight.
Cross-Country Movement
A normal day’s marching lasts for ten hours, including reasonable stops for rest and meals. Under normal conditions, a character can walk twice his movement rate in miles in those ten hours. Thus an unencumbered man can walk 24 miles across clear terrain.
Characters can also force march, intentionally hurrying along, at the risk of exhaustion. Force marching enables a character to travel 2½ times his movement rate in miles (thus a normal man could force march 30 miles in a day). At the end of each day of the march, the character or creature must roll a Constitution check. Large parties (such as army units) make the check at the average Constitution of the group (weaker members are supported, encouraged, and goaded by their peers). Creatures must roll a saving throw vs. death at the end of each day’s force marching (since they lack Constitution scores). A -1 penalty is applied to the check for each consecutive day spent force marching. If the check is passed, the force marching pace can be continued the next day. If the check fails, no more force marching attempts can be made until the characters have completely recovered from the ordeal. Recovery requires ½ day per day of force marching.
Even if the Constitution check fails, the character can continue overland movement at his normal rate.
One drawback of force marching is that each day of force marching results in a -1 penalty to all attack rolls. This modifier is cumulative. Half a day’s rest is required to remove one day’s worth of force marching penalty. Characters who have managed to force march for eight straight days suffer a -8 penalty to their attack rolls; it takes four days of rest to return to no attack roll penalty.
Overland movement rates can be increased or decreased by many factors Terrain can speed or slow movement. Well-tended roads allow faster marching, while trackless mountains slow marches to a snail’s pace. Lack of food, water, and sleep weaken characters. Poor weather slows their pace. All these factors are detailed in the DMG.
Swimming
All characters are either untrained swimmers or proficient swimmers.
When the DM determines the swimming ability of characters, the decision should be based on his campaign. If the campaign is centered around a large body of water or if a character grew up near the sea, chances are good that the character knows how to swim. However, being a sailor does not guarantee that a character can swim. Many a medieval mariner or black-hearted pirate never learned how to swim and so developed a morbid fear of the water! This is one of the things that made “walking the plank” such a fearful punishment. Furthermore, some character races are normally suspicious of water and swimming. While these may vary from campaign to campaign, dwarves and halflings often don’t know how to swim.
Untrained swimmers are a fairly hapless lot. When they are unencumbered, they can manage a rough dog-paddle in relatively calm waters. If the waters are rough, the current strong, or the depth excessive (at sea or far out on a lake), untrained swimmers may panic and sink. If weighed down with enough gear to reduce their movement rate, they sink like stones, unable to keep their heads above water. In no way do they make any noticeable progress (unless, of course, the object is to sink beneath the surface).
Proficient swimmers are able to swim, dive, and surface with varying degrees of success. All proficient characters are able to swim ½ their current land movement rate times 10 in yards, provided they are not wearing metal armor. A character with a movement rate of 12 could swim 60 yards (180 feet) in a round. Characters whose movement rates have been reduced to ⅓ or less of normal (due to gear) or who are wearing metal armor cannot swim – the weight of the gear pulls the character under. They can still walk on the bottom, however, at ⅓ their current movement rate.
Proficient swimmers can double their swimming speed, if a successful Strength check is rolled (vs. ½ the character’s normal Strength score). For a character with a movement rate of 12, a successful check means he can swim 120 yards in one round, an Olympic-class performance.
Like running, swimming is not something that a character can do indefinitely. There are several different speeds a character can choose to swim at, thus moving in either short sprints or a slower, but longer-lasting, pace.
* If swimming at ½ normal speed or treading water, the character can maintain this for a number of hours equal to his Constitution score (although he will have to abandon most of his gear). After a character swims for a number of hours equal to his Constitution, a Constitution check must be made for each additional hour. For each extra hour of swimming, 1 Constitution point is temporarily lost (regaining lost ability points is explained in the next column).
Each hour spent swimming causes a cumulative penalty of -1 to all attack rolls.
All this assumes calm water. If the seas are choppy, a Constitution check should be made every hour spent swimming, regardless of the character’s Constitution. Rough seas can require more frequent checks; heavy seas or storms may require a check every round. The DM may decide that adverse conditions cause a character’s Constitution score to drop more rapidly than 1 point per hour.
If a swimming character fails a Constitution check, he must tread water for ½ hour before he can continue swimming (this counts as time spent swimming, for purposes of Constitution point loss).
A character drowns if his Constitution score drops to 0.
As an example, a freak wave sweeps Fiera (an elf) overboard during the night. Fortunately she can swim and knows that land is nearby. Bravely, she sets out through calm water. Her Constitution score is 16. After 14 hours of steady swimming, she makes out an island on the horizon. Two hours later she is closer, but still has some way to go. During the next hour(her 17th in the water), her Constitution drops to 15 (her attack penalty is -17!) and she must make a Constitution check. A 12 is rolled – she passes. In the last hour, the 18th, the seas become rough. Her Constitution is now 13 (the DM ruled that the heavy seas made her lose 2 points of Constitution this hour), and the DM decides she must pass an extra Constitution check to reach shore. She rolls a 5 and flops onto shore, exhausted.
* Characters can also swim long distances at a faster pace, although at increasing risk. Swimming at the character’s normal movement rate (instead of the usual swimming speed of ½ the normal movement rate) requires a Constitution check every hour, reduces Strength and Constitution by 1 point every hour, and results in a -2 cumulative attack penalty for each hour of swimming. Characters can swim at twice this speed (quadruple normal swimming speed), but they must roll a check every tum and suffer the above penalties for every turn spent swimming. Again, when an ability score reaches 0, the character sinks and drowns.
* Upon reaching shore, characters can recover lost ability score points and negate attack penalties by resting. Each day of rest recovers 1d6 ability points (if both Strength and Constitution points were lost roll 1d3 for each ability to determine points recovered) and removes 2d6 points of attack penalties. Rest assumes adequate food and water. Characters need not be fully rested before undertaking any activity, although the adjusted ability scores are treated as the character’s current scores until the character has rested enough to fully recover from the swim.
To continue the earlier example with Fiera, after a bad last hour in the water, she reaches shore. Her Constitution is 13 and she has a -18 penalty to her attack roll. Exhausted, she finds some ripe fruit and collapses in the shade of a palm tree. All the next day she rests. At the end of the day she rolls a 4 on 1d6 and regains 4 points of Constitution, restoring it to normal. An 8 is rolled to reduce her attack penalty, so the next day she suffers only a -10 penalty to her attack roll. The next day of rest lowers this by 6 to -4 and the third day erases it completely. So in three days she has fully recovered from her 18-hour ordeal in the water.
Holding Your Breath
Under normal circumstances (with a good gulp of air and not performing strenuous feats), a character can hold his breath up to ⅓ his Constitution score in rounds (rounded up). If the character is exerting himself, this time is halved (again rounded up). Characters reduced to ⅓ or less of their normal movement because of encumbrance are always considered to be exerting themselves. If unable to get a good gulp of air, these times are reduced by ½. All characters are able to hold their breath for one round, regardless of circumstances.
While attempting to hold his breath beyond this time, the character must roll a Constitution check each round. The first check has no modifiers, but each subsequent check suffers a -2 cumulative penalty. Once a check is failed, the character must breathe (if he cannot reach the surface, he drowns).
Diving: All characters can dive to a depth of 20 feet in a single round. For each encumbrance category above unencumbered (or for each point of movement below the character’s normal rate, if this optional system is used – see page 76), two feet is added to this depth (the additional weight helps pull the character down). A short run or a few feet of height adds 10 feet of depth to the first round of a dive. For every 10 feet of height above the water, an additional five feet of depth is added, up to a maximum addition of 20 feet. Thus, with a run and from a height of 40 feet or more, an unencumbered man can dive 50 feet in a single round.
Surfacing: A character can normally rise at the rate of 20 feet per round. This rate is reduced by two feet for every encumbrance category above unencumbered or for every point of current movement below the character’s normal rate (if this optional system is used). Note that, under the optional encumbrance system, heavily loaded characters (those who have lost 10 or more points off their normal movement rate because of their current encumbrance) cannot even swim to the surface. Those simply floating to the surface (unconscious characters, for example) rise at a rate that is five feet per round slower than someone similarly encumbered who is actively swimming up to the surface. It is quilte possible for a moderately weighed-down character to sink if he makes no effort to stay on the surface.
Climbing
Although thieves have specialized climbing abilities, all characters are able to climb to some degree or another. Climbing ability is divided into three categories: thief, mountaineer, and unskilled.
Thieves are the most skilled at climbing. They are the only characters who can climb very smooth, smooth, and rough surfaces without the use of ropes or other equipment. They are the fastest of all climbers and have the least chance of falling.
Mountaineers are characters with mountaineering proficiency or those the DM deems to possess this skill. They have a better climbing percentage than unskilled characters. Mountaineers with proper equipment can climb very smooth, smooth, and rough surfaces. They can assist unskilled characters in all types of climbs.
Unskilled climbers are the vast majority of characters. While they are able to scramble over rocks, they cannot use climbing equipment or negotiate very smooth, smooth, and rough surfaces. They have the lowest climbing success rate of all characters.
Calculating Success
The chance of success of a climb is calculated by taking the character’s skill level (given as a percentage) and modifying it for his race, the condition of the surface, and situational modifiers. Table 65 lists the percentages for the different categories of climbers.
* Only if optional proficiency system is used.
The chance of success given in Table 65 is modified by many factors. Some of these remain the same from climb to climb (such as a character’s race) and can be figured into the character’s base score. Others depend on the conditions of a given climb. All of these are listed on Table 66.
* These are the same as the modifiers given in Table 27. Make sure that thief characters are not penalized twice for race.
* * Rope and wall applies in most climbing situations in which the character is able to brace his feet against the surface being climbed and use a rope to assist in the task
† This is -5% per encumbrance category above unencumbered, or per movement rate point lost off normal movement rate.
The final result of Tables 65 and 66 is the number the character uses for Climbing checks. A Climbing check is made by rolling percentile dice. If the number rolled is equal to or less than the number found from Tables 65 and 66, the character succeeds with the Climbing check. Rolls above this number indicate failure.
A Climbing check must be made any time a character tries to climb a height of 10 feet or more. This check is made before the character ascends the first 10 feet of the climb. If the check is passed, the character can continue climbing. If the check is failed, the character is unable to find a route and cannot even attempt the climb. No further attempts can be made by that character until a change occurs. This is either a significant change in location (a half mile or more along the face of a cliff) or an improvement in the character’s chance of success.
For example, Brondvrouw the gnome is an unskilled climber. Her normal chance of success is 25% (40% – 15% for being a gnome). She has been cut off from the rest of the party by a rugged cliff 50 feet high. Fortunately, the cliff is dry and the rock seems solid. She makes an attempt, but a 49 is rolled on the percentile dice. She cannot climb the cliff. Then one of her friends up above remembers to lower a rope. With the rope, Brondvrouw can again try the climb, since her percentage chance is now 80%. A 27 is rolled and she makes the ascent.
On particularly long climbs – those greater than 100 feet or requiring more than one turn (10 minutes) of climbing time – the DM may require additional checks. The frequency of these check is for the DM to decide. Characters who fail a check could fall a very long way, so it is wise to carry ropes and tools.
Climbing Rates
Climbing is different from walking or any other type of movement a character can do. The rate at which a character moves varies greatly with the different types of walls and surfaces that must be climbed. Refer to Table 67. Cross-reference the type of surface to be climbed with the surface condition. Multiply the appropriate number from the table by the character’s current movement rate. The result is the rate of climb for the character, in feet per round, in any direction (up, down, or sideways).
All the movement rates given on Table 67 are for non-thief characters. Thief characters are able to climb at double the movement rate for normal characters.
Ragnar the thief and his companion Rupert (a half-elf) are climbing a cliff with rough ledges. A recent rain has left the surface slightly slippery. Ragnar has a movement rate of 12 and Rupert’s is 8. Ragnar can cover 12 feet per round (12 x 1 since he is a thief), but Rupert struggles along at the pace of 4 feet per round (8 x ½). If Ragnar had gone up first and lowered a rope to Rupert, the half-elf could have climbed at the rate of 8 feet per round using rope and wall (8 x 1).
* Non-thief characters must be mountaineers and have appropriate tools (pitons, rope, etc.) to climb these surfaces.
** Thief characters can climb very smooth, slightly slippery surfaces at ¼. Even thieves cannot climb very smooth, slippery surfaces.
Types of Surfaces
Very smooth surfaces include expanses of smooth, uncracked rock, flush-fitted wooden walls, and welded or bolted metal walls. Completely smooth walls, unbroken by any feature, cannot be climbed by anyone without tools.
Smooth and cracked walls include most types of well-built masonry, cavern walls, maintained castle walls, and slightly eroded cliff faces.
Rough faces are most natural cliffs, poorly maintained or badly built masonry, and typical wooden walls or stockades. Any natural stone surface is a rough face.
Rough with ledges is similar to rough faces but is dotted with grips three inches or more wide. Frost-eroded cliffs and natural chimneys are in this category, as are masonry buildings falling into ruin.
Ice walls are cliffs or faces made entirely of frozen ice. These are different from very smooth and smooth surfaces in that there are still many natural cracks and protrusions. They are extremely dangerous to climb, so a Climbing check should be made every round for any character attempting it without tools.
Trees includes climbs with an open framework, such as a scaffold, as well as trees.
Sloping walls means not quite cliff-like but too steep to walk up. If a character falls while climbing a sloping wall, he suffers damage only if he fails a saving throw vs. petrification. If the save is made, the character slides a short distance but is not harmed.
Rope and wall require that the character uses a rope and is able to brace himself against a solid surface.
Actions While Climbing
Although it is possible to perform other actions while climbing, such as spellcasting or fighting, it is not easy. Spellcasters can use spells only if they are in a steady, braced position, perhaps with the aid of other characters.
Climbing characters lose all Armor Class bonuses for Dexterity and shield and most often have rear attack modifiers applied against them also. Their own attack, damage, and saving throw rolls suffer -2 penalties. Those attacking from above gain a +2 bonus to their attack rolls, while those attacking from below suffer an additional -2 penalty to their attack rolls. A climbing character cannot use a two-handed weapon while climbing. The DM can overrule these penalties if he feels the player character has reached a place of secure footing. If struck while climbing (for any amount of damage), the character must make an immediate Climbing check. Failure for a roped character means he spends a round regaining his balance: an unroped character falls if he fails this check.
Climbing Tools
Tools are an integral part of any mountaineer’s equipment and all climbs can profit from the use of tools. Mountaineering tools include rope, pitons (spikes), and ice axes. However, it is a mistaken belief that the main function of tools is to aid in a climb. The main purpose of pitons, rope, and the like is to prevent a disastrous fall. Climbers must rely on their own skills and abilities, not ropes and spikes, when making a climb. Accidents happen when people forget this basic rule and trust their weight to their ropes and pitons.
Therefore, aside from ropes, other tools do not increase the chance of climbing success. However, in the case of a fall, climbing tools can reduce the distance fallen. When a character falls, he can fall only as far as the rope allows, if being belayed, or as far as twice the distance to the last piton set (if the piton holds – a piton pulls free 15% of the time when a sudden stress occurs). The distance fallen depends on how far apart the pitons have been set. Falling characters fall twice the distance to the last spike that holds.
For example, Rath is 15 feet above his last piton. Suddenly he slips. He falls the 15 feet to his piton, plus another 15 feet past his piton since there’s 15 feet of rope between him and the piton, for a total of 30 feet fallen and 3d6 points of falling damage.
Roping characters together increases individual safety, but it also increases the chance that more than one person falls. When a character falls, the character(s) on either side of the falling climber must roll Climbing checks (a penalty of -10 is applied for each falling character after the first one to fall). If all checks are successful, the fall is stopped and no one suffers any damage. If a check is failed, that character also falls and Climbing checks must be repeated as before. Climbing checks are made until either the fall is stopped (the climbers on either side of the falling character(s) successfully roll Climbing checks or the last non-falling climber succeeds with his check), or all the roped-together characters fall.
For example, a party of five is roped together as they go up the cliff. Suddenly Johann falls. Megarran , immediately above him, and Drelb, following him, must roll Climbing checks. Megarran passes her check. But Drelb fails and is snapped off the wall. Now Megarran must make another check with a -10 penalty (for two falling characters), and Targash, who’s bringing up the rear, must also roll a check with a -10 penalty. Both succeed on their rolls and the fall is stopped.
Getting Down
Aside from jumping or flying, the quickest way to get down from a height is to rappel. This requires a rope attached at the top of the climb and a skilled mountaineer to set up the rappel and to hold the rope at the bottom. When rappeling down a surface, a Climbing check with a +50 bonus must be rolled. Free rappels (the end of the rope unsupported at the bottom) can also be done, but the modifier is only +30. Of course, a failed check results in a slip sometime during the rappel (the DM decides on the damage suffered). A character can rappel at a speed equal to his normal dungeon movement (120 feet/round for an unencumbered human). One other thing to bear in mind is that there must be a landing point at the end of the rope. Rappelling 60 feet down a 100-foot cliff means the character is either stranded at the end of the rope or, worse still, rappels right off the end and covers the last 40 feet much faster than he did the first 60!