Symbaroum Travelling Rules v 1.

Travelling through Davokar is both hard and deadly, hence the homebrew rules, compiled from two different systems to
represent my take on the excursions inside the dark forest.
One important note is that any rule below can be (and probably should be at some point) neglected for the pace of the
story to gain momentum, or any failure can still be adjusted by the GMs to better suit their own tone. Symbaroum is, after all,
a very narrative and story-driven game.

Preparation before the journey

First, the expedition needs to decide and to nominate their leader and guide, and then, optionally, nominate other people
to fill the following roles (note that apart from the Guide, other roles may not be filled, but the players should understand that
they might face the repercussions for being this ignorant to the dangers that await them in Davokar):

- Guide [Cunning] : a leader of the expedition, a person who makes the itinerary and decides upon the path the party will
take. The bonus from the boon Cartographer is applied to the tests made by the Guide.

- Scout [Vigilant] : a person who explores the area ahead of the main party, looking for possible shortcuts, dangers and
detours.

- Hunter : a person who either hunts to provide the party with additional provisions or looks for clean/fresh water during the
downtime. The bonus from the boon Green Thumb can be applied to Hunter's tests. For hunting, the Hunter's test is [Discreet
← Accurate] and for fresh water the test is [Vigilant ← Cunning].

- Quartermaster [Cunning] : a person responsible for setting up camp in a safe environment and in good conditions, also a
person who keeps the party's provisions in check and occasionally may even cook a nice supper.

- Look-Out [Strong, Vigilant] : a person on the look-out during the party's sleep on one of four shifts, who keeps an eye for
possible danger or lurking beasts.

After deciding on the role of a Guide, the party calculates the distance to the point of their destination, bearing in mind that
a few adjustments may be added by their GM depending on the terrain they're crossing, most usually adding/subtracting a
few kilometres to represent harsh paths or environment.

Preparation for the GM

The GM must know the distance to the point of the players' destination and have an access to a deck of cards.
The useful information for the GM is the ways of travelling and the general distances those ways usually cover.

WAY OF TRAVEL THE PLAINS OF AMBRIA LIGHT DAVOKAR DARK DAVOKAR

Day's march 20 km 20 km 10 km
* Forced march 40 km 30 km 15 km
** Death march 60 km 40 km 20 km
Day's ride 40 km 30 km 10 km
* Forced ride 60 km 45 km 15 km
** Death ride 70 km 50 km 20 km
Boat downstream 30 km 30 km 15 km
* Boat downstream, rowing 40 km 40 km 20 km
* Downstream, forced rowing 60 km 60 km 25 km
Boat upstream 20 km 20 km 10 km
* Upstream, forced rowing 30 km 30 km 15 km

* Forced march/ride/rowing means that no natural healing will occur while travelling.
** Death march/ride involved an actual risk to one's life and wellbeing. All who travel at this speed suffer at least 1 point of
Toughness each day, and must take a Strong test in order to not suffer an additional 1D6 points of damage. A roll with the
outcome of 20 means that the traveller has been mortally damaged in an accident during its journey.
Note: A boat going against the current assumes that someone is rowing; you can't take an option “death rowing”, as it'd be
safe to imagine that an exhausted character brings nothing to the speed of the boat, hence this option is unavailable.
Now that we refreshed the ways of travelling, it's time to look at one's deck of cards. They will represent various hazards during
the journey, and their value will represent a possible additional distance travelled due to the Scout's efforts.

For the clarity sake, all Aces have the value of 1; Jack is equal to 12, Queen – to 14, and King is equal to 16.
All the values are divided by 2, rounded down, which in turn will give the amount of kilometres the cards represent, with the
exception of Aces that will have 0 km, as they represent a fumble.
Example: 8 of Clubs has the value of 8, divided by 2 it gives us 4km that the card represents. These 4 km can – with a
favourable outcome – represent 4 additional kilometres of travel. Following the same logic King will mean 8 km that the party
can additionally travel.

The colour of the cards represent various hazards that may or may not happen during the journey.

Diamonds ♦ : monsters/population [Discreet] Clubs ♣ : climate [Strong]

Hearts ♥ : fauna/flora [Quick] Spades ♠ : terrain/corruption [Resolute]

Travelling through dangerous land

Here lies possible tests that the party may have to undergo, and step by step explanation of the process for all the roles.

1. GUIDE
The very first day it is the Guide that rolls against their Cunning to set the route.
Success: the party makes way with their chosen way of travel (if not travelling on a boat) and covers the distance as noted
on the table above. A successful roll may also mean that the party reach a point of interest from a safe distance to let them
decide whether they would approach and/or explore.
Failure: “I have no memory of this place”; the Guide makes a wrong turn or reads the map the wrong way, forcing the party
to make a detour at some point and backtrack their own steps, losing a day of travelling. It may also mean that the party
stumble upon some ruin or a point of interest without preparation and may be exposed it its dangers.
2. SCOUT
If there's a nominated Scout in the party, he or she may roll after the Guide. The Scout rolls against their Vigilant to determine
if they can find a more suitable way or avoid any dangers set ahead.
Success: the player draws three top cards from the shuffled deck and may present them to the party or keep them in hand.
At this point there should probably be no discussion from other party members, as it's the Scout job to explore one of the
paths suggested. Once the Scout has chosen one of the cards, the other two go facedown into a discard pile, and the
chosen card is laid face-up in front of the Guide. What happens with that card is mentioned below in the section “Travel
Hazards”. The card can be triggered during the next day, and it's up to the Guide to decide whether this happens.
Failure: only one card is drawn from the deck, and that card is applied on the next day.

3. HUNTER
If there's a person nominated for Hunter, he or she may choose to either hunt for supplies or look for clean/fresh water. Note
that only one option is available, as hunting takes up time setting up traps or waiting for the prey, and looking for water takes
up time going around the forest, avoiding possible dangers and exploring. Note that the Hunter must decide before any rolls
are made or any cards are drawn for them.

If the Hunter decides to hunt, he or she may roll against their [Discreet ← Accurate], representing the process of hunting,
waiting in cover, and finally striking their prey. A boon Bushcraft can be applied, scrapping the initial test in favour of Vigilant
test to determine the success. If the boon is used with the party not moving, no test in required with the boon.
Success for Hunt: one card is drawn from either the players' deck or a separate GM's deck. The value of the card represents
the amount of supplies the Hunter managed to acquire (see below). Ace means a fumbled attempt.

SUCCESFUL HUNTING
CARD VALUE King, Queen, Jack 10, 9, 8 7, 6, 5 4, 3, 2
AMOUNT OF SUPPLIES 4 3 2 1

Failure for Hunt: either nothing happens, or the player draws one card, and its colour determines if any tests are needed.

FAILED HUNTING
CARD COLOUR AMBRIA AND OUTSKIRTS LIGHT DAVOKAR DARK DAVOKAR
Hearts – – –
Diamonds – – Quick to avoid danger
Clubs – Quick to avoid danger Quick/Discreet to avoid
danger
Spades Quick to avoid danger At GM discretion At GM discretion

Failure during hunting might represent that the beast the Hunter was stalking turned out to be a blight-born beast, or a wild
aboar that posed more threat than initially thought, and the Hunter must make a test against their Quick to get away from
danger, or to roll against Discreet to avoid being noticed by an elven warband; the results after failing these tests can stay at
the discretion of the GM or mean a 1D4 damage to Toughness, ignoring Armour, as an example. If played with a critical
failure option, if 20 is rolled when avoiding danger after a failed hunt, it may represent the death of the Hunter.

The Hunter may decide to go look for fresh water to fill party's flasks. In this case a [Vigilant ← Cunning] test is made,
representing the Hunter's knowledge and ability to spot the stream.
Success: the player can draw two cards; check the “Threat Table” (see below) to see which colour means what in different
regions. Spades always mean the growing darkness, hence the water is spoilt, for example. If both cards' colour have a
negative outcome, the Hunter may opt to come back without finding a good source of clean water or risk it and fill the flasks
with unsafe water. What happens after consuming such water can stay at the GM's discretion, but one suggestion may be
that at times nothing really bad would come out of it – apart from the party spending some uncomfortable moments in the
bushes.
Failure: a failed roll may mean that the player doesn't get to see the drawn cards and must decide blindly which card to use
as a source and whether to fill the flasks with this water. Note that if the character has a boon Bushcraft , the cards are
always revealed. Another possibility is that the character didn't manage to find a water source.
Example: the party is travelling through Dark Davokar – a dangerous place to be in! The Hunter goes to find some water, rolls
successfully, draws a card: it's Jack of Diamonds. This being Dark Davokar, it means that everything, apart from Hearts, means
that corruption is spreading, so the water source has a dead plant in it. The player obviously decides to draw the second
card, this time drawing 7 of Hearts. Even in Dark Davokar Hearts represent the prevailing life, so the second water source
seems to be healthy enough for the party to consume.
 THREAT TABLE
CARD COLOUR AMBRIA AND OUTSKIRTS LIGHT DAVOKAR DARK DAVOKAR
Hearts – – –
Diamonds – – Negative outcome
Clubs – Negative outcome Negative outcome
Spades Negative outcome Negative outcome Negative outcome

4. QUARTERMASTER
If there's a person nominated for the role of a Quartermaster, he or she may roll at the end of the day to set up a safe and
comfortable camp and, possibly, cook over a fire to help their comrades.
The Quartermaster rolls against their Cunning to see if they are savvy enough to make all the necessary preparations and also
if they can keep the provisions safely stored and looked after.
Success: +1 to everyone's rolls concerning the travelling (if the GM and the gaming group so wishes it may be extended to
the first tests of an encounter), representing a comfortable good night's sleep or a nice bowl of soup that lifted up the spirits.
Success +5: adjusting the morale of the party, reducing the Doom Cubes by 1.
Failure: -1 for any Vigilant checks during the Look-Out phase; draw a card, its value divided by 2 will determine the amount of
supplies that gone missing or gone rotten, depending on the threat table (see above). Another example can be that the
rough sleep affects the party so much that they are not moving at their usual pace.
Example: the Quartermaster failed their roll, then draws a card: it's 8 of Spades. As the party is travelling through Light
Davokar, all Spades and Clubs represent the growing darkness of the forest, hence they mean something sinister, so 4 rations
are rotten when the camp wakes up in the morning.

5. LOOK-OUT
The Look-Out phase during night is divided into four shifts. It can be divided between 4 (or more) people, resulting in a more
or less refreshing sleep, or a lesser amount of watchers can take the responsibility upon themselves, allowing their party
members a full night sleep. Note that it is not necessary to fill the shifts at all, letting the guard down and hoping for the best.
Not that this approach will result in the party arriving back to safety any time soon...

Before any rolls are made, the GM decides – either by rolling 1D4 or by simply choosing due to the current situation – if
anything happens during the night, and if so, approximately around what time (during which shift). Then everyone involved
at the Look-Out phase should roll against their Strong (it takes some stamina not to fall asleep after a day of travelling and
possible encounters). A failed test means that the watcher simply snoozes during their shift; a successful test means that the
watcher remained vigilant and may roll against their Vigilant attribute. As a suggestion, it shouldn't always require this to
notice things, and it'd be better if a GM asks for Vigilant tests randomly even there's nothing happening – just to keep the
players guessing if anything happened or was about to happen! After all, with a successful Vigilant test they may notice
some shadows lurking around the camp, or a wandering spirit slowly drifting away – it's Davokar, a place of wonders and
horrors, we are talking about here!

If one person takes 2 shifts, their second shift has a negative modification of -1.
If one person takes 3 shifts, their third shift has a negative modification of -2. They get one tier of their Fatigue.
If one person an entire night to be a look-out, their last shift has a negative modification of -3. They receive no natural healing
due to lack of sleep.

These penalties come on top of each other, but do not stack. However, they are carried into the following day, and shall
remain with all character's test until said character sleeps a full night.
Example: Twin-Tooth, the ogre stoic mercenary, decides that she can take three shifts – after all, she's the strongest amongst
these puny humans, and that last encounter with the elves left them all a bit shaken. The first shift goes with normal attributes,
the second shift has both tests against Strong and Vigilant at a -1, and then the third shift has a penalty to both tests of -2, plus
Twin-Tooth gets Tired. When she wakes up the following morning, even a mighty ogre feels tired, and so she moves a bit
hazily, not noticing things as she used to, so every roll she has to make during the following day has the negative modification
of -2. This goes on until Twin-Tooth decides to sleep it off.

Important notice.
One person may decide to fill more than one role. For instance, the Scout decides to be on the Look-Out as well, or to be
both the Scout and the Hunter.
For each additional role to the first one, the character needs to roll against their Strong not to get Tired and later Exhausted.
An Exhausted character cannot perform any more roles.

Travel Hazards
When the nominated Scout chooses one of the cards, that card has its value (divided by 2) that determines an additional
boost to their travelling distance and a hazard that the party needs to overcome in order to achieve that boost. It's always
up to the Guide to decide if the party follows the scouted route or if they prefer to follow the guide's suggested path without
triggering (and thus overcoming) the hazard.

Note that if the Scout's roll was a success, the hazard represent an amount of kilometres that might be added to the travelled
distance if its test is beaten. However, if the roll was a failure, the amount of kilometres, if the hazard's test isn't beaten, are
subtracted from the travelled distance.
Example: the first scouted route was a success: the party now has an ability to travel an additional 5 kilometres. They all need
to pass the hazard's test. In this case it's 10 of Hearts, which means a fauna or a flora hazard (thick vines or some nasty bog),
so the person with the lowest Quick needs to roll against the attribute to brave through the vines or get through the swamp
and keep up the pace. If he or she succeeds, then the party can add those 5 kilometres to their usual travelled distance.
However, if the scout's attempt to explore the path ahead was a failure, and the same card is presented before the party
during this day, the same test is applied, but now the success means that 5 km won't be subtracted from the travelled
distance. Otherwise, they will be.

Step by step presentation:

1. The Scout makes their test to explore the area ahead.
- success: they get to choose one from three cards. The value of the card divided by 2 represents an boost to the travelling
distance. The colour of the card represents a hazard. The card is triggered by the Guide's decision on the next day.
- failure: only one card is drawn. The value of the card divided by 2 represents a penalty to the travelling distance. The colour
of the card represents a hazard. The card is triggered on the next day.
2. The next day comes.
3. If the scout's efforts were successful, the Guide may now decide if the want to trigger the card's hazard in order to achieve
that boost. The Guide may decide to discard the card, and proceed without an additional hazard with the current pace.
If the scout's efforts were a failure, the card is triggered despite Guide's wishes. The party needs to overcome the hazard in
order to avoid the penalty to their travelling distance.
4. The Guide may now roll for their own test.
5. Repeat until the destination is reached. Or until the party is dead.

EXAMPLES OF HAZARDS

The colour of the cards represent different hazard and their nature. The value of the card may give an idea to the GM of the
severity of the hazard. See below for suggested difficulty level.
King: -5 7: +1
Queen: -4 6: +2
Jack: -3 5: +3
10: -2 4: +4
9: -1 3: +5
8: 0 2, Ace: no tests

Diamonds ♦ : monsters/population [Discreet]

Diamonds may be connected to monsters roaming the territory, or raiding brigands, or barbarians hostile towards the
characters. To avoid the danger, the character with the lowest Discreet must roll against this attribute; a failure may mean an
encounter, or simply a wasted opportunity, or even a day of journey. The GM should decide how harsh they should be.

Clubs ♣ : climate [Strong]

Clubs may be connected to the climate – a heavy rain pouring down the clearing, or an unusually strong fog covering the
land. All party members should test their Strong to brave through the obstacle. A failed roll may mean damage, getting one
tier of the Fatigue, or some other penalty. It is suggested, though, that in this case the party gets the travelled bonus even if
the tests were failed.

Hearts ♥ : fauna/flora [Quick]

Hearts may mean some harsh vegetation or a pack of beasts protecting their lair. It requires to be nimble to navigate
through a ravine or some dense bushes. Or simply run around the lair. The character with the lowest Quick should roll against
it to keep up pace.

Spades ♠ : terrain/corruption [Resolute]

Spades represent the growing darkness, or a harsh and surprisingly treacherous terrain. Either the entire party should roll
against their Resolute to test their will against succumbing to the corruption, sipping through the fabric of the world (it may
result in getting Temporary Corruption or Temporary Stigmas, as an alternative, without the corruption), or the person with the
lowest Resolute may roll against it to see if the harsh terrain doesn't break their spirit.
 Moral and Fatigue
MORALE
Travelling through Davokar is not only dangerous – it also takes its toll on the spirit of the adventurer.
As a representation of the morale inside the party, for every failed attempt from one of the Roles, the GM may put a token in
front of the screen – a Doom Cube. It's the rising tensions inside the party, the downed morale, that deep down thought that
the person cannot bring themselves to say out loud.
Having a good night sleep in a safe camp or village should decrease the Cubes at the very least by 1 Cube. Spending a
night inside a walled and guarded inn, it is suggested that the Doom Cubes could be reduced by 2. After all, nothing lifts up
the spirits as some brandy and a wall around!

The GM may transform 3 Doom Cubes into some penalties: either to discard one of the cards drawn, reducing the value of
the travelled distance by -5, giving a -1 to a test. It can be done once in two days. The Cubes do not go away.

FATIGUE
Once the travel begins, the journey will obviously be a hardship, and the party needs to do some Fatigue tests rolling against
their Strong, representing the toll of the unending walks, sleeping outside, braving the harsh conditions, and so on.

Spring / Summer : one test every 3 days

Autumn / Winter : one test every 2 days

Each failure reduces 1 point of the character's Pain Threshold and makes the character first Tired and then Exhausted.
If the Pain Threshold is reduced to 0, the point is reduced from Toughness.

Each Tired character reduces the travelled distance by 2 km.

Each character with less than his Pain Threshold in Toughness reduces the travelled distance by 2 km.
Each Exhausted character reduces the travelled distance by 5 km.
An Exhausted character cannot perform any roles.

Pain Threshold points can be recovered when the party is resting in a safe place outside of Dark Davokar. It's up to the GM to
determine what constitutes a safe place (a walled inn might, for example). First day sees 1 point recovered, whereas the
consequent day sees 1D4 points recovered. A hot bath or any sort of manual relaxation may provide an additional 1D4.

This is a compilation work from “Regles de Viajes” (“Rules for Journeys”) posted by Falenthal on Reddit and “Travelling in
Symbaroum” as posted by anonymous author.

Created, written and compiled by Antoine Doukravets