There are two modes of hex crawling: over land and over sea. Hexes are numbered like 0000, 0001, … 1212. Flat sides are up. Hex 0001 is below Hex 0000.
Land
Hexes are 1 miles across.
Each hex has a dominate terrain type: Plains, Jungle, Mountains, Swamp, Desert, Forest, and Hills. Trails or roads may run through these types, as well as rivers and creeks. Movement through hexes is based on the combat movement of the PCs. The rates below represent a comfortable pace that can be maintained for eight straight hours. PCs may be able to double pace for short times.
| Encounter Movement | Clear, Plains, Trail | Jungle, Mountains, Swamp | Desert, Forest, Hills | Road (Paved) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (Feet per Round) | (Miles per Day) | x1/3 | x2/3 | x1 1/3 |
| 10′ | 6 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 20′ | 12 | 4 | 8 | 16 |
| 30′ | 18 | 6 | 12 | 24 |
| 40′ | 24 | 8 | 16 | 32 |
| 50′ | 30 | 10 | 20 | 40 |
| 60′ | 36 | 12 | 24 | 48 |
| 70′ | 42 | 14 | 28 | 56 |
| 80′ | 48 | 16 | 32 | 64 |
| 90′ | 54 | 18 | 36 | 72 |
| 100′ | 60 | 20 | 40 | 80 |
| 110′ | 66 | 22 | 44 | 88 |
| 120′ | 72 | 24 | 48 | 96 |
Hexes may contain one or more landmarks or other remarkable areas. Finding them is rarely automatic. Terrain and movement rates determine time to search a hex completely, after which it can be assume no more landmarks remain. Searches are made in 2-hour blocks.
| Encounter Movement | Clear, Plains, Desert | Forest, Hills, Scrub: x1.5 | Jungle, Mountains, Broken, Swamp: x3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feet/Round | Hours to Search Completely | ||
| 10 | 32 | 48 | 96 |
| 20 | 16 | 24 | 48 |
| 30 | 12 | 20 | 36 |
| 40 | 8 | 12 | 24 |
| 50 | 8 | 12 | 24 |
| 60 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 70 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 80 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 90 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 100 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 110 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
| 120 | 4 | 8 | 12 |
For each period spent searching, the PCs have a chance to spot a landmark until the hex is completely searched.
| Encounter Movement | Clear, Plains, Desert | Forest, Hills, Scrub: x1.5 | Jungle, Mountains, Broken, Swamp: x3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feet/Round | 1 in N Chance to Spot Landmark | ||
| 10 | 20 | 20 | 50 |
| 20 | 8 | 12 | 20 |
| 30 | 6 | 10 | 20 |
| 40 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| 50 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| 60 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 70 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 80 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 90 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 100 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 110 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
| 120 | 2 | 4 | 6 |
Hexes are rated with a threat level indicated by a die, going from D6 to D100. Checks are made every four hours, making six periods, three of which are during the day and the rest typically at night when the party is camping. If a 1 is rolled, an encounter happens. When on the move and exploring, the PCs may find a lair. Otherwise, monsters are wandering. This affects the number of monsters and how much loot they may have.
| Threat Level (1 in N) | Chance of Encounter | Change of Encounter Per Day |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 17% | 100% |
| 8 | 13% | 75% |
| 10 | 10% | 60% |
| 12 | 8% | 50% |
| 20 | 5% | 30% |
| 30 | 3% | 20% |
| 100 | 1% | 6% |
After resolving an encounter in which the monsters are destroyed, another check is made against the threat level. Unless another 1 is rolled, the threat level drops, thus a 1 in 6 becomes a 1 in 8. The threat level typically cannot get better than 1 in 100.
Reducing the threat level in one hex may also lower the threat in all neighboring hexes. For any given hex, none of its neighbors may be more than two ranks more threatening. For example, a hex at threat level 20 will cause nearby hexes to be 10 or better. In this way, an area may be pacified without needing to wipe out monsters in every hex.
Sea
Hexes are 30 miles across. Ships typically move through one hex per day and check for an encounter or event once per day.