Exploration & Survival

Through the process of adventuring, a party frequently needs to survive through many different environments where the dangers are not only monsters and hazardous terrain, but the acquisition of food, water, and shelter as well. While there are spells that aid in this, only the most powerful of magics can negate the need for these things entirely.

Surviving in the Wilds

At the end of each day, the adventurers must check to see how well they are surviving on the road. This is composed of three d100 tests: one for Food, one for Water, and one for Shelter. The difficulty of each test is based on the environment the adventurers find themselves in. Each test is determined individually from one another: a location can be lush in Food, Sparse in Water, and Hostile in Shelter.

Table: Food
EnvironmentCritical FailureFailureSuccess
Lush (DC 10)01-1011-5051-100
Sparse (DC 15)01-2526-7576-100
Barren (DC 20)01-5051-9091-100
Table: Water
EnvironmentCritical FailureFailureSuccess
Lush (DC 10)01-1011-5051-100
Sparse (DC 15)01-2526-7576-100
Barren (DC 20)01-5051-9091-100
Table: Shelter
EnvironmentCritical FailureFailureSuccess
Lush (DC 10)01-1011-5051-100
Sparse (DC 15)01-2526-7576-100
Barren (DC 20)01-5051-9091-100


Bonuses and Penalties

Other factors may provide additional bonuses or penalties to these d100 tests, or circumvent them completely:

FactorPenalty / Bonus
Group Size-5 for every five creatures
Supplies+10 to applicable tests
Inclement WeatherAdvantage / Disadvantage on d100 test
NotorietyShelter penalty if the party draws attention to themselves
SettlementMay bypass tests
MagicVaries
Creature SizeGroup Contribution
Tiny1/2
Small/Medium1
Large2
Huge4
Gargantuan8

Survival Actions

Before rolling the Tests, each creature may take one Survival Action, which may provide further benefits to the roll. If the action requires an ability check, use the Environment DCs on the table above. On a failure, most checks have no drawback, though some do – and all carry risks in the event of critical failure:

Food

Water

Shelter

Miscellaneous

Determine the Result

Once the final modifiers have been established, roll a d100 and add or subtract the modifiers to get the final result, then compare it to the environment tables to determine if it is a Success, Failure, Critical Failure, or Critical Success.

Table: Food Complications
D20 ResultComplication
1Multiple Complications. Roll two more times on this table and suffer both complications.
2Hunting Accident. While hunting for wild game, your companion received an injury. The creature who rolled the lowest result on the Hunt Survival Action receives a Lingering Injury. If no one took the Hunt Survival Action, gain the complication above instead.
3Starvation. There is not enough food to go around. Every creature in your party must make a DC 20 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Food complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
4Lost Supplies. Your food stores are depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Food Supplies to 0. If your Food Supplies were less than 15, also gain the complication above.
5Food Poisoning. Most of your food was not safe to eat. Creatures in your party make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature gains the Poisoned condition for a number of hours equal to how much they failed by, starting the next day when the DM decides.
6Foraging Accident. While foraging for food, your companion touched something they shouldn’t have. The creature who rolled the lowest result on the Food Forage Survival Action receives a Long-Term Madness. If no one took the Forage (Food) Survival Action, suffer the complication above instead.
7-8Starvation. Food is more scarce than you would like. Every creature in your party must make a DC 15 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Food complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
9-10Deplete Supplies. Your food stores are heavily depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Food Supplies by 10. If your Food Supplies were less than 10, also gain the complication above.
11-12Food Poisoning. Some of your food went bad. Creatures in your party make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature gains the Poisoned condition for a number of hours equal to how much they failed by, starting the next day when the DM decides.
13-14Starvation. Food is more scarce than you would like. Every creature in your party must make a DC 10 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Food complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
15-16Deplete Supplies. Your food stores are partially depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Food Supplies by 5. If your Food Supplies were less than 5, also gain the complication above.
17-18Food Poisoning. Some of your food was a little raw. Creatures in your party make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature gains the Poisoned condition for a number of hours equal to how much they failed by, starting the next day when the DM decides.
19-20Half-Rations. You had enough food to get by, but only just barely. If you roll on the Food Complication chart on your next Survival roll, you roll with Disadvantage
Table: Water Complications
D20 ResultComplication
1Multiple Complications. Roll two more times on this table and suffer both complications.
2Foraging Accident. While gathering water, your companion received an injury. The creature who rolled the lowest result on the Forage (Water) Survival Action receives a Lingering Injury. If no one took the Forage (Water) Survival Action, gain the complication above instead.
3Dehydration. There is not enough water to go around. Every creature in your party must make a DC 20 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Water complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
4Lost Supplies. Your water stores are depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Water Supplies to 0. If your Water Supplies were less than 15, also gain the complication above.
5Contaminated Water. Most of your water was not safe to drink. Creatures in your party make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature gains the Poisoned condition for a number of hours equal to how much they failed by, starting the next day when the DM decides.
6Waterborne Disease. While gathering water, your companion was bitten by a diseased insect or drank something they shouldn’t have. The creature who rolled the lowest result on the Forage (Water) Survival Action contracts a disease (such as Filth Fever, Throat Leeches, or Shivering Sickness). If no one took the Forage (Water) Survival Action, suffer the complication above instead.
7-8Dehydration. Water is more scarce than you would like. Every creature in your party must make a DC 15 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Water complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
9-10Deplete Supplies. Your water stores are heavily depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Water Supplies by 10. If your Water Supplies were less than 10, also gain the complication above.
11-12Contaminated Water. Some of your water went bad. Creatures in your party make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature gains the Poisoned condition for a number of hours equal to how much they failed by, starting the next day when the DM decides.
13-14Dehydration. Water is more scarce than you would like. Every creature in your party must make a DC 10 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Water complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
15-16Deplete Supplies. Your water stores are partially depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Water Supplies by 5. If your Water Supplies were less than 5, also gain the complication above.
17-18Contaminated Water. Some of your food was a little raw. Creatures in your party make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. On a failure, the creature gains the Poisoned condition for a number of hours equal to how much they failed by, starting the next day when the DM decides.
19-20Half-Rations. You had enough water to get by, but only just barely. If you roll on the Food Complication chart on your next Survival roll, you roll with Disadvantage.
Table: Shelter Complications
D20 ResultComplication
1Multiple Complications. Roll two more times on this table and suffer both complications.
2Scouting Accident. While searching for a safe place to stay, your companion received an injury. The creature who rolled the lowest result on the Scout Survival Action receives a Lingering Injury. If no one took the Scout Survival Action, gain the complication above instead.
3Poor Rest. There was no comfort or safety during your rest. Every creature in your party must make a DC 20 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Shelter complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
4Lost Supplies. Your camping supplies are depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Shelter Supplies to 0. If your Shelter Supplies were less than 15, also gain the complication above.
5Encounter. Roll on the random encounter chart associated with your current environment. The encounter takes place during the watch of the creature who rolled the lowest result on the Keep Watch Survival actions (if anyone took the action). The attitude of the encountered creatures is one level lower than usual if this creature did not succeed on the check. The DM can reroll this result if they wish.
6Nighttime Visitor. A wild creature, bandit, or other phenomenon threatens to deplete your food and water supplies. Reduce the efficiency of your Food and Water Supplies by a total of 20, divided by the players. This reduction is reduced by 5 for each creature who succeeds on a Keep Watch Survival Action, plus an amount equal to the total these creatures exceed the DC by. If your Food and Water Supplies were less than this number, also gain the complication above.
7-8Poor Rest. Your camp leaves much to be desired. Every creature in your party must make a DC 15 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Shelter complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
9-10Deplete Supplies. Your camping supplies are heavily depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Shelter Supplies by 10. If your Shelter Supplies were less than 10, also gain the complication above.
11-12Encounter. Roll on the random encounter chart associated with your current environment. The encounter takes place during the watch of the creature who rolled the lowest result on the Keep Watch Survival actions (if anyone took the action). The attitude of the encounter creatures is one level higher than usual if this creature succeeded on the check. The DM can reroll this result if they wish.
13-14Poor Rest. Your camp could have been a little different. Every creature in your party must make a DC 10 + 2 for every consecutive day with a Shelter complication before this Constitution (Resilience) ability check or gain 1 level of Exhaustion, plus an additional level for each increment of 5 the check failed by.
15-16Deplete Supplies. Your camping supplies are partially depleted. Reduce the efficiency of Shelter Supplies by 5. If your Shelter Supplies were less than 5, also gain the complication above.
17-18Nighttime Visitor. A wild creature, bandit, or other phenomenon threatens to deplete your food and water supplies. Reduce the efficiency of your Food and Water Supplies by a total of 10, divided by the players. This reduction is reduced by 5 for each creature who succeeds on a Keep Watch Survival Action, plus an amount equal to the total these creatures exceed the DC by. If your Food and Water Supplies were less than this number, also gain the complication above.
19-20Half-Rations. You had enough food to get by, but only just barely. If you roll on the Shelter Complication chart on your next Survival roll, you roll with Disadvantage.
Table: Survival Windfalls
D20 ResultWindfall
1Surprise Complications. Roll on the Complications table for the d20 test that Windfalled.
2-3Treasure Cache (Coins). The party finds treasure of gold value equal to the party’s level x half their proficiency bonus.
4-5Restored Supplies. Increase the efficiency of the Supplies associated with the d20 test that Windfalled by 5. If the Supplies were at 30, also gain the Windfall below.
6-7Good Rest. You and your companions gain one of the following benefits (chosen individually by each character):
• Reduce Fatigue and Strife levels to 1, and count as an additional day for injuries and similar effects.
• Regain all expended Hit Dice.
• Gain Advantage on the next attack roll, ability check, and saving throw you make today (can stack multiple times).
• Increase your maximum hit points by 5 until you finish your next Long Rest.
• Gain 1 Willpower
8-9Treasure Cache (Common). The party finds a Common magic item or 100 gp of treasure.
10-11Restored Supplies. Increase the efficiency of the Supplies associated with the d20 test that Windfalled by 10. If the Supplies were at 25, also gain the Windfall below.
12-13Well-Rested. You and your companions gain two of the following benefits (chosen individually by each character):
• Reduce Fatigue and Strife levels to 1, and count as an additional day for injuries and similar effects.
• Regain all expended Hit Dice.
• Gain Advantage on the next attack roll, ability check, and saving throw you make today (can stack multiple times).
• Increase your maximum hit points by 5 until you finish your next Long Rest.
• Gain 1 Willpower
14Treasure Cache (Uncommon). The party finds an Uncommon magic item or 200 gp.
15Restored Supplies. Increase the efficiency of the Supplies associated with the d20 test that Windfalled by 15. If the Supplies were at 15, also gain the Windfall below.
16Great Rest. You and your companions gain three of the following benefits (chosen individually by each character):
• Reduce Fatigue and Strife levels to 1, and count as an additional day for injuries and similar effects.
• Regain all expended Hit Dice.
• Gain Advantage on the next attack roll, ability check, and saving throw you make today (can stack multiple times).
• Increase your maximum hit points by 5 until you finish your next Long Rest.
• Gain 1 Willpower
17Silver Lining. Undo the Complication rolled from another Survival d20 test. If you did not roll up a Complication, gain the Winfall above instead.
18Benevolent Encounter. Roll on the random encounter chart associated with your current environment. The encounter takes place after the party wakes up, and the creatures are friendly to the party. The DM can choose to gain the Windfall above instead.
19Treasure Cache (Rare). The party finds a Rare magic item or 2,000 gp of treasure.
20Supreme Windfall. Roll two more times on this table and gain both windfalls, rerolling any results of 1.