Swimming across a rushing river, sneaking down a dungeon corridor, scaling a treacherous mountain slope-all sorts of movement play a key role in fantasy gaming adventures.

The GM can summarize the adventurers' movement without calculating exact distances or travel times: "You travel through the forest and find the dungeon entrance late in the evening of the third day." Even in a dungeon, particularly a large dungeon or a cave network, the GM can summarize movement between encounters: "After killing the guardian at the entrance to the ancient dwarven stronghold, you consult your map, which leads you through miles of echoing corridors to a chasm bridged by a narrow stone arch."

Sometimes it's important, though, to know how long it takes to get from one spot to another, whether the answer is in days, hours, or minutes. The rules for determining travel time depend on two factors: the speed and travel pace of the creatures moving and the terrain they're moving over.

Speed

Every character and monster has a speed, which is the distance in feet that the character or monster can walk in 1 round. This number assumes short bursts of energetic movement in the midst of a life-threatening situation.

The following rules determine how far a character or monster can move in a minute, an hour, or a day.

Travel Pace

While traveling, a group of adventurers can move at a normal, fast, or slow pace, as shown on the Travel Pace table. The table states how far the party can move in a period of time and whether the pace has any effect. A fast pace makes characters less perceptive, while a slow pace makes it possible to sneak around and to search an area more carefully.

Forced March The Travel Pace table assumes that characters travel for 8 hours in day. They can push on beyond that limit, at the risk of exhaustion.

For each additional hour of travel beyond 8 hours, the characters cover the distance shown in the Hour column for their pace, and each character must make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The DC is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of exhaustion (see appendix PH-A).

Mounts and Vehicles For short spans of time (up to an hour), many animals move much faster than humanoids. A mounted character can ride at a gallop for about an hour, covering twice the usual distance for a fast pace. If fresh mounts are available every 8 to 10 miles, characters can cover larger distances at this pace, but this is very rare except in densely populated areas.

Characters in wagons, carriages, or other land vehicles choose a pace as normal. Characters in a waterborne vessel are limited to the speed of the vessel, and they don't suffer penalties for a fast pace or gain benefits from a slow pace. Depending on the vessel and the size of the crew, ships might be able to travel for up to 24 hours per day.

Certain special mounts, such as a pegasus or griffon, or special vehicles, such as a *carpet of flying*, allow you to travel more swiftly.

Travel Pace

Pace	Distance per: Minute	Hour	Day	Effect
Fast	400 feet	4 miles	30 miles	-5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores
Normal	300 feet	3 miles	24 miles	-
Slow	200 feet	2 miles	18 miles	Able to use stealth

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 Strength 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. Otherwise, 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 1.5 times your height.

Flying

Flying introduces a vertical dimension to movement, adding a new layer of tactics to both combat and exploration. Creatures with a flying speed can move through the air, avoiding obstacles and ground-based threats. Below are the general rules for flying in combat and other situations.

Flying Speed

A creature with a flying speed can move through the air as long as they maintain that speed, similar to walking or swimming. The flying speed is listed in the creature’s stat block or character sheet, and it indicates how far they can fly during their turn in combat.

• Example: A creature with a flying speed of 60 feet can move 60 feet through the air on its turn, just as a creature with 30 feet of walking speed moves across the ground.

Movement in Three Dimensions

Flying creatures can move freely in three dimensions: they can fly upward, downward, or horizontally. However, when determining movement through the air, the same rules apply as for movement on the ground—diagonal movement is calculated the same way, and flying up or down counts against a creature’s total flying speed.

• Example: If a creature with 60 feet of flying speed flies 30 feet upward, it can still move 30 feet horizontally during the same turn.

Hovering

Some creatures have the ability to hover, which means they can stay in one place in the air without needing to move. This is beneficial because it allows the creature to remain airborne without needing to move every round to avoid falling. If a creature does not have the ability to hover, it must continue moving or risk falling.

• Example: A dragon might hover in place while attacking its enemies from above, while a bird without the hover ability must move forward to maintain its flight.

Falling While Flying

A flying creature can fall if its flight is interrupted. This can happen for several reasons, including losing consciousness, being knocked prone, or having its flying speed reduced to 0.

• Knocked Prone: If a creature is knocked prone while flying and it cannot hover, it immediately begins to fall. The creature will fall to the ground unless it can recover flight on its turn. When it hits the ground, the creature may take falling damage.
• Speed Reduced to 0: If a creature’s flying speed is reduced to 0 (such as through a spell or other effect), the creature will also begin to fall, unless it can hover.

Taking Off and Landing

Flying creatures can take off from the ground or land on solid surfaces, but some surfaces may make this difficult.

• Taking Off: A creature that starts on the ground can fly on its turn if it has a flying speed. Generally, it can take off without much hindrance, assuming it has enough space. However, taking off from a confined or tight space may require a creature to first escape to a more open area.
• Landing: Landing is usually straightforward, though some terrain may be more difficult to land on (like uneven or slippery surfaces). A flying creature can land as part of its movement, provided it has enough flying speed to reach the ground.

Obstructed Airspace

Creatures flying near walls, ceilings, or other obstacles may have restricted movement, just as ground-based creatures may have to deal with difficult terrain or tight spaces. If the airspace is crowded or confined, the flying creature may need to make adjustments to its speed or maneuverability.

Aerial Combat

In combat, flying creatures gain certain advantages over their ground-bound enemies, such as avoiding melee attacks from creatures that lack reach or ranged attacks. However, flying also presents some vulnerabilities:

• Ranged Attacks: Flying creatures are often targeted by ranged weapons and spells. If a flying creature is high enough in the air, it may be harder to hit due to distance, but this depends on the range of the attacker’s weapon or spell.
• Melee Attacks: If a flying creature descends into melee range, it may be exposed to attacks of opportunity or other melee combatants. However, the creature can also use its flight to quickly ascend and escape reach after attacking.

Forced Movement

If a flying creature is pushed, pulled, or moved against its will (by a spell or ability), it may be forced out of the air, depending on how the movement affects it. If a forced movement causes the creature to crash into an obstacle or brings it into contact with the ground, it might take damage or fall prone.

Falling Damage

If a flying creature falls, it may take damage based on the distance it falls. The typical rule is that a creature takes 1d6 bludgeoning damage for every 10 feet it falls, up to a maximum of 20d6 damage (for a fall of 200 feet or more). If the creature lands in water or other soft surfaces, the damage may be reduced or negated, depending on the situation.

• Example: If a flying creature is 50 feet in the air and falls, it would take 5d6 bludgeoning damage unless something breaks its fall.

Flight and Fatigue

While there are no specific rules that limit how long a creature can fly, the environment and narrative conditions may come into play. For example, flying in a storm or over extremely long distances might require Constitution checks to avoid exhaustion, especially for creatures that are not innately built for prolonged flight.