Hey everyone! I'm a bit of a new DM and I'm still getting used to the roll, but it's been quite fun and rewarding.
The next adventure I'm running for some friends is Dragons of Icespire Peak; and while the content in here makes sense and is explained well, there's one thing that isn't explained in the book, and that I can't seem to find in the PHB, searching through google, or other sources. That one thing is: On some of the provided maps (ex: the map for Umbrage Hill), there's different parts of the map where I see "+__ft" listed; and I've never seen that used by previous DM's when I've been a player, and am unsure of what this means exactly.
If I had to guess, I'd assume that moving in the area where it has that "+__ft" listed, you add that many additional ft to the required movement to move through a square. E.G. a normal square is 5ft of movement; but if the map says "+10ft", then I'd assume each square in that section requires 15ft of movement to traverse it.
It is just topographical information to tell you the heights of different parts of the map. The are labeled "+10 feet" are ten feet higher up from the lowest level.
The rules don't mention any movement penalties for going up hill.
It's mainly for use when dealing with weapon ranges (I would actually give ranged weapons improvement when they are fired from a height but that's me) and spell areas of effect.
Take the classic Fireball. First there is the 120 cast range. That doesn't just mean 120 on a flat plane, but 120 in height and in the third dimention. Additionally, there is the 60 ft from the center of the cast point for the Fireball itself which you will have to consider if the enemy happens to be on a raised area that won't be effected.
Many systems I've played require an additional unit of movement whenever you move up a unit of elevation, and you can add an additional unit of movement when you move down a unit of elevation.
DnD does have movement rules for climbing, which you could just use while moving up or down a hillside, which work essentially this way - though this gives you no bonus for going down.
I haven't decided how I want to rule this in any game I'm running, but my current thoughts are to use double movement cost going up and allow players to increase their movement going down but requiring an Athletics check at the bottom to avoid going prone.
Thank you everyone for responding to my post; I appreciate the feedback as well as the ideas for using elevation in and out of combat. I had a feeling I was probably reading into it too much, and it turns out I was; with it noting how much higher or lower something is on the map.
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HayDumGee - Novice Dungeon Master
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Hey everyone! I'm a bit of a new DM and I'm still getting used to the roll, but it's been quite fun and rewarding.
The next adventure I'm running for some friends is Dragons of Icespire Peak; and while the content in here makes sense and is explained well, there's one thing that isn't explained in the book, and that I can't seem to find in the PHB, searching through google, or other sources. That one thing is: On some of the provided maps (ex: the map for Umbrage Hill), there's different parts of the map where I see "+__ft" listed; and I've never seen that used by previous DM's when I've been a player, and am unsure of what this means exactly.
If I had to guess, I'd assume that moving in the area where it has that "+__ft" listed, you add that many additional ft to the required movement to move through a square. E.G. a normal square is 5ft of movement; but if the map says "+10ft", then I'd assume each square in that section requires 15ft of movement to traverse it.
Any feedback or advice would be helpful.
HayDumGee - Novice Dungeon Master
It is just topographical information to tell you the heights of different parts of the map. The are labeled "+10 feet" are ten feet higher up from the lowest level.
The rules don't mention any movement penalties for going up hill.
It's mainly for use when dealing with weapon ranges (I would actually give ranged weapons improvement when they are fired from a height but that's me) and spell areas of effect.
Take the classic Fireball. First there is the 120 cast range. That doesn't just mean 120 on a flat plane, but 120 in height and in the third dimention. Additionally, there is the 60 ft from the center of the cast point for the Fireball itself which you will have to consider if the enemy happens to be on a raised area that won't be effected.
Many systems I've played require an additional unit of movement whenever you move up a unit of elevation, and you can add an additional unit of movement when you move down a unit of elevation.
DnD does have movement rules for climbing, which you could just use while moving up or down a hillside, which work essentially this way - though this gives you no bonus for going down.
I haven't decided how I want to rule this in any game I'm running, but my current thoughts are to use double movement cost going up and allow players to increase their movement going down but requiring an Athletics check at the bottom to avoid going prone.
Thank you everyone for responding to my post; I appreciate the feedback as well as the ideas for using elevation in and out of combat. I had a feeling I was probably reading into it too much, and it turns out I was; with it noting how much higher or lower something is on the map.
HayDumGee - Novice Dungeon Master