Rules for the White Jungle, Take Two

This is my second attempt at presenting rules for a vertical hexcrawl through the White Jungle, an inverted jungle in the dreamlands that hangs from the bottom of a flying city. You can see the first attempt here. 

In developing rules for the exploration of Zyanbelow, I have balanced two competing impulses. On the one hand, adventuring in a vertical wilderness sandbox of inimical and unseemly life ought be perilous. Most of the all, there must be a way to emphasize the ever-present possibility of plunging to ones death. On the other hand, negotiating at length what sort of system of the party will use to tie itself off, and the minutiae of how they physically move on these strange expeditions, much less in the heat of combat, seems utterly foreign to the aesthetics of a game set in the dreamlands. I have responded to these difficulties by introducing a set of abstract rules emphasizing resource management, always in some connection with the fear of falling. The idea is that the players will experience the strains of travelling in this vertical heavenly hell through the game-like choices they make and the high-stakes rolls that result from their choices.

Movement

PCs can move in three dimensions in the White Jungle. They may travel up, down, or any of the six normal hex directions. Moving any normal direction costs 1 hex of movement. Moving up a hex costs 2 hexes of movement. Moving down a hex costs 1 point of movement. There are three levels of security that PCs can employ while traversing the White Jungle that affect their base movement rate: unsecured, lightly secured, and heavily secured. Characters should declare a marching order for travel. If they are lightly or heavily secured, then this marching order can be at most two abreast. 

Unsecured: When unsecured, the PCs are traveling without some system of ropes. They can travel more quickly this way, moving 5 hexes worth of movement a day. However, this is the most dangerous option, since it does not provide a bonus to the all important fall checks.

Lightly Secured: PCs are traveling with some system of ropes, but are keeping it loose. They may travel 4 hexes a day. They receive +1 to their fall checks.

Heavily Secured: PCs are traveling with a system of ropes, and are playing it safe. They may travel 3 hexes a day. They receive a +2 to their fall checks.

Pushing it: The party may opt to move an additional hex before resting for the night, but this hazards fatigue. The rules for the White Jungle use a series of conditions to keep track of the effects of fatigue on the party. The first hex requires everyone to roll 4d6 under con. The second, and all further, hexes requires everyone to roll 5d6 under con. Those failing each roll move one condition down the chain of fatigue conditions, listed below.

Fatigue Conditions

There are four fatigue conditions of increasing severity arranged on a chain: alert, tired, exhausted, and collapsing. These conditions can provide penalties to rolls, including fall checks, as people become wearier and less careful. Alert characters suffer no penalties. Tired characters receive -1 on all rolls, including fall checks. Exhausted character receive -2 on all rolls. Collapsing characters receive -3. Characters at tired or worse cannot memorize new spells. Collapsing characters cannot move hexes.

Condition	Consequence
Alert	None
Tired	-1 to all rolls; cannot memorize spells
Exhausted	-2 to all rolls; cannot memorize spells
Collapsing	-3 to all rolls; cannot memorize spells; cannot move hexes

Gary Chalk, obviously

Starvation and Dehydration

There are two types of rations: food and water. Each ration provides sufficient food or water for one character per day. If one does not eat or drink then one begins to move down the chain of fatigue conditions. Once one has a condition arising from thirst or hunger, one must consume an extra ration of the relevant type to remove the condition. Note that conditions stack. For example, a starving character who is exhausted from starvation and also fails the first check when pushing it will move down the chain from exhausted to collapsing. There is no worse condition than collapsing. 

Days Without	1	2	3	4-7	8+
Food	Tired	Tired	Tired	Exhausted	Collapsing
Water	Tired	Exhausted	Collapsing	Dead	Dead

When supplies are getting low, characters may ration food or water by consuming only a half share. Those who consume a half share must test 3d6 under constitution the first day, and 4d6 under constitution on the second and later days. Any failed checks involve moving one link down the chain of conditions.

Camping

Resting for the night removes any conditions arising from pushing it the previously day. (It has no effect on conditions arising from starvation and dehydration.) However, it is hard to get a good night’s sleep in a latticework of branches. Without having proper gear, e.g. a hammock, those sleeping amongst the branches must make a 3d6 under CON check to get a good night's rest. Failure means starting the day out one down on the chain of fatigue conditions. (Note that spellcasters who start the day tired or worse cannot memorize new spells.) A night of good rest removes this condition.


Getting Lost

When moving through unexplored hexes without landmarks to navigate by, there is a 1 in 4 chance per day that the party will become lost. (If the party contains a ranger, the chance drops to 1 in 10.) The DM will dice randomly to see in what hex they became lost and move them from that point on in a random direction. On the following day a new check is made. Provided the party does not fail, they will then realize that they are lost, although will not know in what direction they have moved or how far. (They may then try to backtrack.) If they stumble upon a previously explored hex, they will also realize their error as well as their current location.

Logan Knight

Encumbrance

Players must keep precise, numbered records of what they are carrying in the White Jungle. Each player may also choose one item that is secure. The secure item will be the last one lost if one fails a fall check. For these purposes worn clothing, jewelry, or packs, do not count as items. Small items can be bundled using common sense. Four flasks of oil count as one item, as do four torches. Two rations count as one item.

There are four levels of encumbrance used for travelling the White Jungle: unencumbered, lightly encumbered, heavily encumbered, and severely encumbered. These are calculated using a system of encumbrance points. These statuses have consequences for the player’s fall check modifier. (The mechanics here mostly derive from LoTFP.) 

Total Encumbrance Points	Status	Fall Check Modifier
0-1	Unencumbered	+1
2	Lightly Encumbered	+0
3	Heavily Encumbered	-1
4	Severely Encumbered	-2

Relevant Condition	Encumbrance Points
Strength 15+	-1
Strength 6-	+1
Carrying 1-5 Items	+0
Carrying 6-10 Items	+1
Carrying 11-15 Items	+2
Carrying 16-20 Items	+3
Carrying 21-25 Items	+4
Carrying 26-30 Items	+5
Wearing Chainmail or Scale Mail	+1
Wearing Platemail	+2

Encounter Checks

Every time the party enters a new hex, there is a 1 in 6 chance of an encounter. There is also a 1 in 6 chance of encounter per night of rest. If an encounter is rolled, the DM should check to see if either or both parties are surprised (2 in 6). Next the DM should determine distance. Unless the party is surprised, creatures encountered will start 2d6x10 feet from the party. Roll a 1d6 for their relative elevation: (1-2) lower, (3-4) the same, (5-6) higher. Assume that you can move 1/3 your normal move during a combat round, given the difficulty of the terrain.

Combat

Unless the party is surprised, they will confront a creature in their marching order. (If surprised a creature may flank the party, attacking back ranks.) In combat, a character can move ¼ their move safely as a full action. If they wish to move up to ½ their move, they must make a fall check.

If characters in the back ranks want to move up to flank an enemy that is engaged with the front rank, they must go off the rope, losing bonuses to fall checks from being secured. Characters that flank an opponent get +1 to hit. One may also spend a round changing elevation. Those attacking from a higher elevation receive +1 to hit.

Thieves who wish to backstab must also detach themselves from the rope and spend one round getting in to position. The stealth roll here is interpreted as looking for a vulnerability in an already engaged opponent to exploit. If a thief fails the stealth roll she may still attack as normal on the next round with the +1 for flanking rather than the +4 for backstab. A thief may only backstab once per fight against intelligent opponents.

Falling Checks

A falling check is incurred if something happens that would be likely to make someone fall, for example, being buffeted by sudden winds, or hit by a fireball. However, the most common instigator of fall checks is damage in melee combat. Every time a character or monster suffers damage in melee combat, it must make a fall check. (Most missile weapons do not induce a fall check.)

Characters have a base fall check of 1, unless they are thieves, in which case their base fall check is whatever their climbing skill is. This base is then subject to a variety of modifiers summarized below to arrive at a total fall check number. Falling checks are made by rolling 1d6 equal to or beneath ones fall check score, unless ones score is 6 or higher. The fall check ascends the dice chain. If ones score is 6 then one fails by rolling an 8 on 1d8, if 7 one fails by rolling a 10 on 1d10, if 8 by rolling 12 on 1d12, if 9 by rolling 20 on 1d20, and if 10 or higher by rolling 100 on 1d100.

Relevant Condition	Mod	Relevant Condition	Mod
Unencumbered	+1	Normal Dex (7-14)	+0
Lightly Encumbered	+0	High Dex (15+)	+1
Heavily Encumbered	-1	Low Dex (6-)	-1
Severely Encumbered	-2	In The Brambles (Level 1)	+1
Unsecured	+0	In The Depths (Level 2)	+2
Lightly Secured	+1	In the Bright Groves (Level 3)	+0
Heavily Secured	+2	In the Dangling Isles (Level 4)	-1

Results of Failing a Fall Check

If someone fail a fall check, then she will begin falling. Someone falling will fall the entire distance she falls in one round. She must make a series of checks. For the first check she fails, she will fall 50’. She will lose 1d4 items rolled randomly from her equipment list of numbered slots, losing all items in the slots rolled. She must make a saving throw vs. paralysis to avoid taking 1d6 hit points of damage. She then gets a second climb check to stop her fall. This second check must be made without any bonus previously had for being secured. If she fails this second roll, she falls 100’ further and must lose 1d4 more items and save vs. paralysis or take 2d6 damage. For the third failure and every failure thereafter, she will fall 150’, lose an additional 1d4 items, and save vs. paralysis or take 3d6 damage. Characters who fall can move as normal to rejoin the party during combat.

First Failed Check	Lose 1d4 Item Slots	Save vs. Paralysis or Take 1d6 Dam	Make Second Fall Check (No Bonus for Being Secured)
Second Failed Check	Lose 1d4 Item Slots	Save vs. Paralysis or Take 2d6 Dam	Make Third Fall Check
Third and Later Failed Checks	Lose 1d4 Item Slots	Save vs. Paralysis or Take 3d6 Dam	Make Another Fall Check

Example of Falling Rules in Play

Celwin the Conquerer (F3) is traveling in Level 2 of the white jungle. His strength is 16 and his Dex is 10. He is wearing chain armor, and carries 11 items. He receives one encumbrance point for his armor, two more for carrying 11-15 items, but subtracts one since his strength is over 15. This leaves him with 2 encumbrance points, making him lightly encumbered. He is playing it safe and so is heavily secured with ropes. Given that he is a fighter, his base climb skill is 1. His total modifiers are: Normal Dex +0, The Depths (Level 2) +2, lightly encumbered +0, heavily secured +2. So to make a climb check he must roll 5 or under on 1d6.

Celwin has a base move of 3 hexes per day. He passes through two hexes without incident (no checks necessary), but in the third hex he is attacked by a faceless lion. After clouding his intellect in the first round with the alien images that flit across the white expanse where its face ought to be, in the second round it strikes some good blows, batting him around like a rag doll. He must now roll a falling check.

Bad luck! He rolls a 6. He has now fallen 50'. He rolls 1d4 to see how many slots of items he loses, rolling a 1. He dices to see what has tumbled into the jungle below, losing two water rations. He now must save vs. paralysis. He makes the save, managing not to take major damage on his plummet down.

He now makes a second fall check without the bonus for being heavily secured to see whether he can catch himself. So he must now roll a 3 or under. His bad luck again, missing with a 4! Now he falls 100'. He rolls 1d4 to see how many items he loses, this time rolling a 3. He loses his hammock (2 slots) and his lantern. He makes another save vs. paralysis, failing this time and taking 2d6 damage. He loses 7 points of his 10 remaining hit points!

Sweating, Celwin’s player now makes a third falling check. This time he just passes with a 3! His head is bloodied from a terrible blow against a tree, but he has stopped his fall, clinging desperately to a branch at 150' lower than he was originally. The lion looks briefly for a route down before giving up in frustration. Celwin shakily pulls himself to his feet, wiping blood from his eyes.