Low Road: A Lamentations Hack for Wilderness Dungeoneering

This is a Lamentations of the Flame Princess hack which I am going to make for a wilderness dungeon/point crawl campaign which I intend to run someday.

I was recently in Hurricane Creek in Alabama, a state park that reminded me exactly how unrealistic the hex crawl is for wilderness areas. Paths are an absolute necessity for climbing up mountainous or even hilly wilderness areas. I was enchanted by the idea of climbing up and down the sorts of paths I found at Hurricane Creek in an rpg. There are hidden paths, unmarked roads, caves, tunnels, overlooks, narrow passes, and a feeling of wonder just from being out in creation.

This would be another West Marches style campaign but using the wilderness dungeon format with classes and rules geared specifically towards the needs of the wilderness dungeon.

Welcome to the Eldwood, the great and ancient forest which firmly occupies the middle of the Isle of Far Albion. It is a place of great beauty where the eldest of beasts and trees might be found, and caves of living stone which can sing of the days of Creation. It is also a place of great peril for dark things hide in the clefts where sunlight never reaches and foul elder-things hunt in the shadow of the trees.

Why are you in the Eldwood? (1d6)

1. You seek the city of Caer Valon, the birthplace of the elven race. There still, the Wyld Elves practice the most ancient ways of the elves and sing songs forgotten by all but them. Elves from the Continental Lands have muddled their bloodlines and forgotten much of their origins. Many of them yearn to once again return to their roots. Many humans in the Eldwood, are Elf-touched, in that they had a romantic encounter with a Wyld Elf or are the product of such an encounter. These Elf-touched go into the forest to find vanished lovers or parents.
2. You seek to reclaim an ancestral stronghold. Many castles lie ruined and forgotten, most enchanted or cursed by the powers of the Eldwood, resisting the encroachment of civilization. Your family once attempted to stake a claim in the wilderness and fell to a similar fate. Now you return to claim your birthright and drive out the forest.
3. You seek profit. Work in the Eldwood is extremely dangerous and profitable. Simply delivering packages or messages from Four Kings to Queensport fetches a fine wage. Not only that but there is treasure to be found in the forgotten places just ripe for you to claim.
4. You seek to map the wilderness. The many hidden paths of the Eldwood have resisted mapping for generations, and existing maps are inconsistent at best. You have come to make a name for yourself as a master cartographer! Perhaps, if you are lucky, you might even map the magical Elf Roads which are known to run throughout the whole forest, making a journey usually undertaken in many days last an hour. You might even discover all the Elf Gates which are said to lead to other worlds.
5. Many scholars have attempted to understand the strange sights that litter these lands, but few have succeeded. There are the Elf Signs, strange marks left by the Wyld Elves. It is widely believed there are a total of twelve unique signs. There are plants, animals, and other kinds of lifeforms that exist in the Eldwood that exist nowhere else. The world of academia will remember the name of the one that can truly make strides in understanding the Eldwood.
6. Dwarves once attempted to colonize Far Albion. The ruins of their settlements have been consumed by the Eldwood. What happened to them? Many dwarven ancestral treasures have been lost and there are dwarves who would pay handsomely for their return and for the discovery of the truth.

Imported Mechanics:

Item Slots: Every One Gets 12 Item Slots. When assigning a random item to lose for Stumble Saves, roll 1d12 for the lost item. Rolling an Empty Slot means nothing is lost. Torches, Supplies, and the like take up an Item Slot but take 3 Xs to be used up.

Travel Mechanics:

The paths of the Eldwood are segmented and each path is labeled. Destinations are important but roads and paths are as important so both are labeled and numbered. There are three paces of travel:

• Normal: At a regular pace, it takes a day to travel a segment. There is a base 1 in 8 chance of discovering something hidden and Stumble Saves are made as normal. 
• Slow: At a slow pace, it takes two days to travel a segment. There is a base 1 in 6 chance of discovering something hidden and Stumble Saves are made with Advantage,
• Quick: At a rapid pace, you can travel two segments in a day. There is no chance of discovering something hidden and Stumble Saves are made with Disadvantage. Each day of Travel, the entire Party must make a Save against Poison or take 1 Fatigue. Wearing Heavy Armor means this Save is made at Disadvantage.

Pushing on into the Night: The Party must make a Save against Poison or take 1 Fatigue and roll the Travel Die twice, only counting Monster Encounters, Stumble Saves, and Consume Supplies.

Into the Brush: When pushing into the forest off the beaten path, PCs must roll Poison Saves for gain 1 Fatigue and roll the Travel Die twice, only counting Monster Encounters, Stumble Saves, and Consume Supplies. All travel through the Brush is at Slow Pace. There is also a chance of becoming Lost:

• Well explored and mapped area: 1 in 8 chance of being Lost
• Moderately explored: 1 in 6 chance
• Unknown or any time the party is being chased or enters the brush hastily: 1 in 4 chance.

While Lost the party spends an additional 1d4 days on top of usual travel times in the Brush, rolling as per Into the Brush every day.

Fatigue: Taking Fatigue from Travel cannot be undone until you have rested in civilization or at an Inn. Fatigue gives you a -1 (+1 to roll under) to all d20 rolls for each Fatigue. For every Fatigue after 3, also reduce your max HP by 1. This cannot reduce a PC's max HP below 1.

Stumble Saves: Each PC rolls 1d6. The lowest roll must make a Breath Save or take 1d3 dmg and roll a Random Item to drop from your Inventory and fall into the brush. Critical Failures deal 1d6. Tied lowest rolls must all Save. Wearing heavy armor gives Disadvantage to the Save and the d6 roll.

Foraging: Rather than traveling, you spend the day trying to hunt or gather. Different areas have different chances to find food. Each person who gathers gains 1 Supplies on a success.

• Bountiful: 1 in 4 chance
• Fair: 1 in 6 chance
• Barren: 1 in 8 chance

Searching: Rather than traveling, you spend the day trying to find something hidden. Each person who searches may roll 2 Discovery checks.

Horses?: Horses simply can't travel most roads in the Eldwood. A donkey, mule, or goat might be led up the paths but horses have a very hard time finding their footing on the steep forest paths of the Wood.

Range: Range is going to be abstracted into Extreme, Long, Medium, Short, and Melee for combat purposes. Longbows have a Long Range. Shortbows have a Medium Range. Slings have a Short Range. In combat, all combatants but especially fast ones can move one range band. Normal-sized combatants can spend their action in combat to move two range bands. Small combatants like Dwarves or Halflings cannot.

When a Monster Encounter occurs during travel, roll a d4 on the following to determine where foes begin.

1. Extreme
2. Long
3. Medium
4. Ambush! Short

d6 Travel Die: This will be rolled for each day traveled.

1. Monster Encounter
2. Monster Sign
3. Stumble Save
4. Consume Supplies (Place an X next to Supplies)
5. Weather
6. Lucky Trip (+1 Chance to discovering something hidden.)

For Monster Encounters during regular travel, there is a 1 in 4 chance that the Encounter happens at night. Such encounters don't give any benefits from rest and the PCs must Save Against Poison or gain 1 Fatigue.

Classes:
All classes are as the usual Lamentations of the Flame Princess with a few alterations.

Elves:

• Start play knowing a single random Elf Sign (Not Listed because they are supposed to be a mystery)
• a single random Elf Trick
• At every odd level after first, you may roll to learn a new Elf Trick until you have learned them all.
• +1 to discovering something hidden
• +1 to Stumble Saves
• Roll with Advantage for Poison Saves for Fatigue when traveling in the Brush 

Dwarves:

• Cannot Stumble. 
• When traveling at a Slow Pace, Dwarves automatically discover all Caves and Tunnels. 
• At 2nd, 5th, 10th, 15th, and 20th level, gain a +1 to Attack Bonus. 
• Instead of the Dwarf's usual Encumbrance bonus, the Dwarf gains 5 additional Item Slots.

Halflings:

• Take no penalties for traveling in the Brush. 
• +2 to Stumble Saves. 
• +1 to Forage Checks
• In addition to your usual Stealth bonus (5 in 6 for the Wilderness), at all other times you also have a 2 in 6 for Stealth.
• Each level until 10th, gain a point of Luck. You can spend a point of Luck to gain a +2 to a d20 roll or a +1 to a d6 check. These can also be given to allies that you can see and recharge with a night's rest.

Thieves:

• +2 to Stumble Saves.
• Three times per day, a Thief may ask any of the following questions and must be given an honest answer:
• Is there a trap here? (Y/N Answer)
• Is there a hidden door here? (Y/N Answer)
• How will the following proposed action pan out? (The GM must respond in detail about the way they proposed plan will be resolved, including checks, saves, penalties or bonuses, and consequences for failure)

Magic User:

• Gain 2 Random Mundane Magics. 
• At every odd level after first, you may roll to learn a new Mundane Magic until you have learned them all. 
• Cannot prepare Spells at 2 or more Fatigue. 

Cleric:

• Gain 2 Random Divine Mundanities. 
• At every odd level after first, you may roll to learn a new Divine Mundanity until you have learned them all.
• Cannot prepare Spells at 2 or more Fatigue.

Fighter:

• When rolling an Attack, the Fighter may also roll a d4. This d4 applies to all damage rolls. On a 1 (Increasing by 1 at levels 5, 10, 15, and 20) that the Fighter will be able to perform a Combat Maneuver (As per Mighty Deed of Arms in DCC). 

Ranger:

• Same as the usual Lamentations Fighter, but they have the following:
• Can't wear armor past Chain
• +1 to discovering something hidden
• +1 to Stumble Saves
• 1 in 6 Chance of Suprise
• Roll with Advantage for Poison Saves for Fatigue when traveling in the Brush 

Equipment Packages:

Everyone starts with a Backpack or some other means of carrying items and a sleeping bag that doesn't count against their Item Slots. Each character may select one of the following Equipment Packages and take any items from it.

Scholar's Pack:

• Spyglass
• A Dagger (1d4) or Staff (1d4, +1 to Stumble Saves)
• Arrows and a Crossbow (1d6, Long Range, Takes an Action to Reload)
• Writing and Alchemical Supplies
• Leather Armor (14 AC)
• A Spell Scroll containing a random spell
• Torches
• Supplies

Wilderness Pack:

• 50ft of Rope
• Climbing Gear (Pitons, ect)
• Small Tent (Holds up to two people. Protects from rough weather at night)
• 2 Supplies
• 2 Torches
• Leather Armor (14 AC)
• Arrows and a Longbow (1d6)/ Shortbow (1d6)
• A Medium Weapon (1d6)
• A Staff (1d4, +1 to Stumble Saves)

Delver's Pack:

• 50ft of Rope
• 10ft Pole
• A Caged Canary
• A Bag of Sand/Marbles
• Chalk
• A Shovel
• A Pickaxe
• Climbing Gear (Pitons, ect)
• Leather Armor (14 AC)
• Thief's Tools
• Torches
• Supplies

Knight's Pack:

• Chain Armor (16 AC)/Leather Armor (14 AC) 
• A Shield (+1 Melee AC/+2 Ranged AC)
• A Large Weapon (1d8)/ Spear (1d6, Short Range)
• Medium Weapon (1d6)
• Arrows and a Shortbow (1d6)
• Repair Kit
• Torches
• Supplies

Example Road:

Each road in Low Road is labeled. The places the roads lead to is much less important than the roads themselves so rather than filling hexes or writing up points each road is mapped. So here is the way I would do roads.

Paths are separated out into day-long sections (when traveling at a Normal Pace). There are five kinds of paths:

• Marked Roads: Those that are found on the map, are visible to players, and are traveled regularly my mundane folk. Labeled like M#.
• Unmarked Roads: Those that are not marked on the map. They are obvious when traveling past them, but not recorded. Labeled like U#.
• Hidden Roads: These are roads that are hard to spot. The forest plays tricks on the eyes and it is easy to miss certain paths. These are paths hidden by mundane means that can be discovered. Labeled like H#.
• Cave Roads: These are roads that pass underground or through a mountain. They can be marked, unmarked, or hidden. Labeled like MC#. So there is a letter for whether the cave is marked or hidden or unmarked and a C and a number.
• Elf Roads: Elf Roads or Low Roads are the mysterious paths that are only the Wyld Elves know. They bridge space unnaturally, allowing for rapid travel between two points that would otherwise take much longer. They pass through realms unknown to man, other worlds of dream and twilight.

A regular Marked Road would have the following sort of documentation:

M1: Leads to M2, M3, U1, H1, HC1

This road is a wide-well traveled path of mostly even ground, occasionally ascending up over hills and once under a large rocky outcropping of moss-covered black stone.

There is an unmarked road about halfway along this path: a narrow path leading down a lichen-lined stone stair. A wet breeze wafts along it. Leads to U1.

d6 Monster Encounters:

1. 1d6+2 Moon-Eye Bandits from their hideout on H1. Sign: Blue-white powder stains from the drugs they take.
2. Wyld Elf Mischief: A tree falls. Every PC rolls a d6, the lowest, including ties must make a Breath Save or take 1d6. Sign: Giggles like bells among the trees.
3. 1d6+1 Militaristic Badgers: These badgers have been given self-awareness and have adopted a military hierarchy in their resistance against the humans that they consider invaders. Sign: Badger prints.
4. 1d4+1 Hobthrushes: Large predatory birds, mutated by Goblin Rot. Will attack the weakest looking target. Sign: Messy bloody nests in trees, decorated with viscera, eyes, and bones.
5. 1d4 Thorn Walkers: Ancient undead knights, covered in thorns wandering here from accursed Grailesman Keep. Sign: Thorny remains spreading out over trees and stones.
6. Gloamglowzer: The dark road wanderer. Tales are told to children to keep them out of the woods at night of its terrible eyes like enormous rings of swirling color. It's skin a sparkling, slimy black like the night itself. It's teeth like scythes, dripping burning green slime. Sign: An animal or human corpse, burned almost clean by acid.

d6 Discoveries:

1. Elf Eye: White flowers with a ring of blue around a cat eye-shaped black center. Among locals, this flower is said to have magical properties. There are also some potent hallucinogenics that can be made from it.
2. H1 marked by an Elf Sign.
3. HC1 many badger prints lead in and out of this place
4. A little off the road, you see a roadway shrine: an old gnarled tree, decorated with a pair of deer antlers with fetishes hanging off its twisting limbs. Marked by an Elf Sign. There is a wooden bowl there. Leaving some food here will appease the Wyld Elves here and you will be immune to Wyld Elf Mischief for 1d4 days.
5. A person beat within an inch of their life, robbed, and left to die in a ditch next to the road. They are severely wounded and will need medical attention. They will speak about men with wide blue eyes that beat and robbed them.
6. A Fairy Circle or a circle of mushrooms lies just a little off the road, marked by an Elf Sign. Sleeping here means no encounters can happen at night.

And here is some music that I have been listening to which makes me think of this project. Enjoy and keep your feet! The paths are treacherous these days...