[CONAN] As the Crow Flies

[Supplement Four]

Speaking over Overland Movement here.

Do you think the Terrain Adjustment accounts for non-linear travel? Or, does it just slow movement due to the actual terrain (i.e. a person can move faster on a flat trail than he can on uneven ground in the wilderness)?

Let's say the PCs have to move 100 miles through Rough Terrain. That's straight line, point-to-point, as the crow flies distance. In reality, we all know that the ground route that the PCs take will be snake-like, avoiding obstacles, going around large hills and crevices.

Should I count that as 100 miles and then apply the Terrain modifier? Or, should I count the distance as longer, to account for the longer ground route, and then apply the Rough Terrain modifier?

 

[Nyarlathotep5150]

I'd say the normal unevenness of the ground is counted in to the terrain modifier. To me it would just be silly to say, "this is the terrain modifier for walking through a completely flat desert." such things really don't exist, there are dunes, slopes, broken ground, etc.
So, as long as the uneven terrain is pretty mundane to the climate, it should be rolled in. Now, if the PC's were to come upon a large canyon, or a towering rocky ridge while traveling through the forest, I'd say this is separate from the terrain modifier (and such a dramatic feature, would probably be the set piece for some "encounter").