Movement can be written in feet or as a value such as 6. A movement value of 6 means six 5-foot squares, or 30 feet, in one round.

One square equals 5 feet.

Movement Values

MovementFeet
15'
210'
315'
420'
525'
630'
735'
840'
945'
1050'

Most medium humanoids have a base move of 30 feet, or 6 squares.

  • Small characters are usually -5 feet base move.
  • Large characters are usually +5 feet base move.
  • Armour, fatigue, injuries, impairment, and difficult terrain can reduce movement.
  • Your movement in feet is divided by 5 to determine movement in squares.

Fatigue and Movement

Base MoveFatiguedTiredExhausted
30'25'20'15'
40'35'30'20'
50'45'40'25'
60'55'50'30'
  • Fatigued means you lose 5 feet of movement from your base.
  • Tired means you lose 10 feet of movement from your base.
  • Exhausted means you lose half your base move, rounded up.
  • A move action by itself each round is not strenuous.

Movement and Threat

Moving away from or into combat does not provoke threat by itself.

Taking a single 5-foot step also does not provoke threat, regardless of direction, as long as you make no other moves in the round.

Movement provokes in these cases:

  • moving across a target's threatened area, each 5-foot square moved
  • moving toward spears and polearms, but not away from them
  • moving into an opponent's square without an overrun attempt
Moving into an opponent's square without an overrun provokes a free attack from that target. It also counts as movement through adjacent threatened squares.

Some abilities prevent threat from movement, but may not prevent other free attacks. For example, an ability may stop threat from entering a square without stopping the free attack for entering an opponent's square.

Shared Spaces

You can move through friendly creatures that allow you to pass.

You cannot move through an unfriendly creature unless it lets you through, you overrun it, or you force it back.

If you end movement in the same space as a friendly creature, both creatures gain the Distracted condition.

Diagonal Movement

Diagonal movement costs the same as other movement.

You cannot move diagonally through a corner or object. You must move around the corner, which costs 2 squares of movement.

Difficult Terrain

Difficult terrain costs double movement. This can apply while walking, climbing, swimming, or flying.

Move Action Options

OptionCost / Notes
Move your movement valueMove up to your current movement.
Drink potionProvokes threat unless an ability says otherwise.
Brace for impactWarwager option.
RecoverGain your HD in HP and increase fatigue by 1 level.
Pick up a dropped item1 movement.
Open or close a door1 movement.
Interact with unattended object1 movement.
Grab an item from your pack1 movement if handy; full move action if not.
Catch item thrown to you1 movement. The thrower usually spends a primary action.
Stand from proneProvokes reaction.
Mount steedMove action.
Reload crossbowMove action.
Pull yourself up from a ledgeSDF check if hanging.
String a bowMove action.
Draw a single handy weaponAs part of 1 movement, 1 movement cost, or by burning reaction.
Sustain a spell or vardaanIf outside a sustain matrix or sustain prayer.
Extinguish yourself while burningIf not dropping prone, AGL check required.
Spot invisibleSuccess gives +6 to pinpoint square.
Retch+2 on sickened checks.
SneakHalf speed; AGL check at +6 to be quiet, modified by armour. Critical failure is obvious noise.

If an action costs your move action, you must spend the whole move action on that action. You cannot spend some movement, then complete a full move-action task with the remainder.

Prone and Crawling

If you are prone, you can stand or crawl.

  • Standing as a move action provokes reaction.
  • Standing with primary + move avoids provoking.
  • Crawling is at 1/4 speed.
  • Crawling costs 3 movement per square; prone crawling may cost 4 depending on the situation.

Climbing

When climbing, a character is impaired.

Climbing usually costs double movement and may require a success roll if the surface is difficult.

If you fail a climbing success roll, you may stop progressing for the round, or continue and make an AGL check. If that AGL check fails, you fall.

Examples:

  • rock wall: success roll
  • uneven castle wall: success roll at +6
  • overhang: success roll at -6
You may freeclimb at your full movement rate, but cannot hustle, charge, sprint, or use other increased movement unless a rule says otherwise. While freeclimbing, you must make AGL checks to continue. If you fail, make a success roll or fall.

Swimming

Swimming is usually quarter movement.

You may hustle while swimming, but it causes strain as normal. Swimming against a current also costs strain.

Characters in heavy armour must make SDF checks each round to get air. On failure, they start holding breath.

Characters who cannot swim make SDF checks as though wearing heavy armour and swim at quarter movement.

If a character who cannot swim is wearing heavy armour, they only get air on a critical success on the SDF check; otherwise they are underwater.

Long-Distance Movement

Movement 6 equals about 24 miles per day. Each movement point is about 4 miles per day.

Terrain modifies this.

  • Foraging reduces speed by 1/3.
  • Exploring reduces speed by 1/3. Each character may make a success roll to discover something of interest per hex.
  • In underdark-style travel, movement can translate directly to miles per day: move 6 becomes 6 miles per day, 4 if foraging, 9 if hustling.
Hexes of 6 miles work well for hexcrawls, matching visible horizon distance in many cases.