Post/Author/DateTime	Post
sophocles 08-05-04, 09:00 AM	HI all... I'm new to the forum, and need a bit of assistance. Within the last year, I've started to DM for my buddies, We're using the Faerun Map as a 'guide' for the realm. Which is to say, I'll use specific locations, as I like them and am able to work them into my campaign. Or, insert home-made locales at my discretion for some authenticity. But, now for the question.... How can I determine the distance from one location to another? I've poured through my ever-growing collection of books, as well as bribed a halfing Fharlanghn Cleric, and can only find info on over-land movement, and speeds for various forms of movement. I would like to add/find a "standard" for distance... then be able to modify the distance [travel time] for variable factors in my campaign. ie. If the party's in Daggerdale and wants to travel to ... let's say ... Anauroch. How far is that (miles). Or how many traveling days? Then I can take into account variable factors such as random encounters, study time (for the arcane members), rest time for the party, terrain difficulties.... etc.. etc.. so as to better judge the actual travel time for the party. Any help would be greatly appreciated... as the Cleric I consulted said he'd be "Right Back" and that was a fortnight ago. :) Of course this questions assumes that my defination of standard traveling is being used (walking).... the party is not on horses, flying carpes, pegasi, nor magicked to the destination.
Damador 08-05-04, 09:26 AM	2nd edition (rules using hex grid) have very good rules for long distance traveling . Btw in fearun you have to take portals into possible shortcuts
sophocles 08-05-04, 09:51 AM	drats 2nd edition huh? do you know of a good link that sums up the hex grid idea.... my core books are v3.5 and my accessory books don't have any info on travel
sophocles 08-05-04, 02:39 PM	great info on movement dragonheart. tyvm. But my question still remains the same...... and perhaps alas there is not a definative answer.... but If my PC's team is at point A and wants to travel to point B how far is that?... not how far can they move via various modes of travel? The underlying reason for my continued quest for this answer is this. When we play. And my PC's are at Point A and travel to Point B. I guesstimate the distance between the two locations.... and calculate the number of days traveled (and variable factors). Then the PC's will move to Point C. Again calculated days of travel. And then need to go back to Point A. Yet again more guesstimated calcualtion. The reason that this becomes such a factor in my game play is the inherent aspect of Time. Sometimes, the PC's need to acomplish a task within a certain amount of Time....and have to travel to different locales to complete the quest. The argument then comes from when the PC's "take too long" along various legs of the Journey--flirting w/ the bar maid, wandering the bazaar etc... etc.. and do not complete the Quest in the allotted time.... which had been previously stated In Game. The players then felt cheated... And I have a difficult time granting an award for the completion of the Quest if it's not "completed" in the required time.... and the rest is history..... So my question is distance managment - OR - DM Advice in situations such as this.....??? Any thoughts?
jaerrod 08-05-04, 03:38 PM	The easiest way to handle this is to use the legend on the FRCS's map and the string method. In case you don't know what the string method is, you get a piece of yarn or twine that's roughly a foot long, lay it down on the map so that it traces the party's route (so you curve it for curves in the trail etc) and then mark it (or just carefully pinch it) before laying it back down over the legend to determine how many miles that ammount of string correlates to. A hex grid would be easier, but unfortunately, the map's scale was changed between 2ed and 3ed, so the grids that exist won't work any more.
sophocles 08-05-04, 04:04 PM	great idea jaerrod... i can use the old measurin' tape from my mage knight days as my "string" and mark it that way...... most excellent. tyvm :)