System	
  Reference	
   Document	
  5.1 	
   85	
  
Difficult Terrain 
The	
  travel	
  speeds	
  given	
  in	
  the	
  Travel	
  Pace	
  table	
  
assume	
  relatively	
  simple	
  terrain:	
  roads,	
  open	
  plains,	
  
or	
  clear	
  dungeon	
  corridors.	
  But	
  adventurers	
  often	
  
face	
  dense	
  forests,	
  deep	
  swamps,	
  rubble -­‐‑filled	
  ruins,	
  
steep	
  mountains,	
  and	
  ice -­‐‑covered	
  ground —all	
  
considered	
  difficult	
  terrain. 	
  
	
   You	
  move	
  at	
  half	
  speed	
  in	
  difficult	
  terrain—
moving	
  1	
  foot	
  in	
  difficult	
  terrain	
  costs	
  2	
  feet	
  of	
  
speed—so	
  you	
  can	
  cover	
  only	
  half	
  the	
  normal	
  
distance	
  in	
  a	
  minute,	
  an	
  hour,	
  or	
  a	
  day. 	
  
Special Types of Movement 
Movement	
  through	
  dangerous	
  dungeons	
  or	
  
wilderness	
  areas	
  often	
  involves	
  more	
  than	
  simply	
  
walking.	
  Adventurers	
  might	
  have	
  to	
  climb,	
  crawl,	
  
swim,	
  or	
  jump	
  to	
  get	
  where	
  they	
  need	
  to	
  go. 	
  
Climbing, Swimming, and Crawling 
While	
  climbing	
  or 	
  swimming,	
  each	
  foot	
  of	
  movement	
  
costs	
  1	
  extra	
  foot	
  (2	
  extra	
  feet	
  in	
  difficult	
  terrain),	
  
unless	
  a	
  creature	
  has	
  a	
  climbing	
  or	
  swimming	
  speed.	
  
At	
  the	
  GM’s	
  option,	
  climbing	
  a	
  slippery	
  vertical	
  
surface	
  or	
  one	
  with	
  few	
  handholds	
  requires	
  a	
  
successful	
  Strength	
  ( Athletics)	
  check.	
  Similarly,	
  
gaining	
  any	
  distance	
  in	
  rough	
  water	
  might	
  require	
  a	
  
successful	
  Strength	
  (Athletics)	
  check. 	
  
Jumping 
Your	
  Strength	
  determines	
  how	
  far	
  you	
  can	
  jump. 	
  
	
   Long	
  Jump.	
  When	
  you	
  make	
  a	
  long	
  jump,	
  you	
  
cover	
  a	
  	
  number	
  of	
  feet	
  up	
  to	
  your	
  Str ength	
  score	
  if	
  
you	
  move	
  at	
  least	
  10	
  feet	
  on	
  foot	
  immediately	
  before	
  
the	
  jump.	
  When	
  you	
  make	
  a	
  standing	
  long	
  jump,	
  you	
  
can	
  leap	
  only	
  half	
  that	
  distance.	
  Either	
  way,	
  each	
  foot	
  
you	
  clear	
  on	
  the	
  jump	
  costs	
  a	
  foot	
  of	
  movement. 	
  
	
   This	
  rule	
  assumes	
  that	
  the	
  height	
   of	
  your	
  jump	
  
doesn’t	
  matter,	
  such	
  as	
  a	
  jump	
  across	
  a	
  stream	
  or	
  
chasm.	
  At	
  your	
  GM’s	
  option,	
  you	
  must	
  succeed	
  on	
  a	
  
DC	
  10	
  Strength	
  (Athletics)	
  check	
  to	
  clear	
  a	
  low	
  
obstacle	
  (no	
  taller	
  than	
  a	
  quarter	
  of	
  the	
  jump’s	
  
distance),	
  such	
  as	
  a	
  hedge	
  or	
  low	
  wall.	
  Other wise,	
  
you	
  hit	
  it.	
  
	
   When	
  you	
  land	
  in	
  difficult	
  terrain,	
  you	
  must	
  
succeed	
  on	
  a	
  DC	
  10	
  Dexterity	
  (Acrobatics)	
  check	
  to	
  
land	
  on	
  your	
  feet.	
  Otherwise,	
  you	
  land	
  prone. 	
  
	
   High	
  Jump.	
  When	
  you	
  make	
  a	
  high	
  jump,	
  you	
  leap	
  
into	
  the	
  air	
  a	
  number	
  of	
  feet	
  equal	
  to	
  3	
  +	
  your 	
  
Strength	
  modifier	
  if	
  you	
  move	
  at	
  least	
  10	
  feet	
  on	
  foot	
  
immediately	
  before	
  the	
  jump.	
  When	
  you	
  make	
  a	
  
standing	
  high	
  jump,	
  you	
  can	
  jump	
  only	
  half	
  that	
  
distance.	
  Either	
  way,	
  each	
  foot	
  you	
  clear	
  on	
  the	
  jump	
  
costs	
  a	
  foot	
  of	
  movement.	
  In	
  some	
  circumstances,	
  
your	
  GM	
  might	
  allow	
  you	
  to	
  make	
  a	
  Strength	
  
(Athletics)	
  check	
  to	
  jump	
  higher	
  than	
  you	
  normally	
  
can.	
  
	
   You	
  can	
  extend	
  your	
  arms	
  half	
  your	
  height	
  above	
  
yourself	
  during	
  the	
  jump.	
  Thus,	
  you	
  can	
  reach	
  above	
  
you	
  a	
  distance	
  equal	
  to	
  the	
  height	
  of	
  the	
  jump	
  plus	
  
1½	
  times	
  your	
  height.	
  