Whether delving into a dungeon, trekking through wilderness, or navigating a teeming city, adventurers need rest, and they seek advancement and gear. This chapter gives rules for travel and resting, describes rewards, and details equipment that might help the characters survive.

Where was I?

Oh yeah,

D&D RULES, DAWG!

Let’s keep going!

Did I already say the part about me being your grandgod? Well, that hasn’t changed, Morty, and it never will!

Okay, cool.

Travel

Over the course of an adventure, the characters might travel across wide areas, on trips that could take days. The DM can usually summarize this travel without calculating exact distances or travel times: “You travel through the forest and find the old ruin late in the evening of the third day.” Characters can walk about 24 miles in a day.

I call it “Saddle Talk,” the transitional story bulls**t that happens in between combat, XP calculation, and loot hoarding.

Give your players some Saddle Talk time and they can pretend they’re doing their own super-angsty cable show drama while you prep the next encounter.

Don’t go overboard, though, or you’ll hear about how “our game should totally be a movie” for the rest of your life.

Marching Order

The adventurers should establish a marching order. A character might occupy the front rank, a middle rank, or the back rank. The characters in the front and back rank are keeping watch for danger, while those in the middle might be making a map, navigating, or gathering food for the characters to eat when they make camp. If the group encounters monsters or other threats, it’s important for the DM to know where each character is located.

Smart adventuring parties put their weakest members in the middle so they’re protected on all sides, Morty, but their mistake is even being weak at all!

D-d-don’t let ‘em get complacent on marching order, Morty.

Ask them where they are and make ‘em paranoid about who goes where. P-p-paranoia is important to the D&D Rickth Edition experience.

Special Forms of Movement

A journey overland or through a dungeon often requires an adventurer to jump, climb, or swim.

Long Jumps

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. In some circumstances, your DM might allow you to make a Strength (Athletics) check to jump farther than you normally can.

This rule assumes that the height of your jump doesn’t matter, such as a jump across a stream or chasm. At your DM’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). 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 Jumps

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 DM might allow you to make a Strength (Athletics) check to jump higher than you normally can.

Climbing and Swimming

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 DM’s option, climbing a slippery 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.

Th-th-this is how nerds get their exercise, Morty. They roll dice and pretend they’re super fit, running and jumping and s***.

All those atrophying muscles and brittle bones housed in your flesh sack are gonna be replaced by cybernetics anyway, Morty. It’s all replaceable. Don’t even worry about it.

Resting

Heroic as they might be, adventurers can’t spend every hour of the day in the thick of exploration, social interaction, and combat. They need rest—time to sleep and eat, tend their wounds, refresh their minds and spirits for spellcasting, and brace themselves for further adventure.

Adventurers can take short rests in the midst of an adventuring day and a long rest to end the day.

RESTING!?

Don’t let ‘em sleep at all! You can’t f*** with characters as much if they’re rested up, Morty!

You’ve gotta keep ‘em trudging forward all the time, paranoid and near death. That’s what D&D is all about!

Heroes going into a hole full of monsters in a kill-or-be-killed quest for glory!

resting is bulls***!

Look at me! I’ve never slept a day in my life!

Short Rest

A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds.

A character can spend one or more Hit Dice during a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level (the character sheets show each adventurer’s Hit Dice). For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total. The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest, as explained below.

Long Rest

A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps or performs light activity: reading, talking, eating, or standing watch for no more than 2 hours. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity—at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity—the character must begin the rest again to benefit from it.

At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if a character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest.

A character can’t benefit from more than one long rest in a 24-hour period, and a character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits.

 …

I changed my mind.

L-l-let ‘em rest once in a while, but make sure they know that any time they take a long rest, the creatures in the dungeon are also taking a long rest!

Every long rest gives the monsters they’re gonna face more hit points and bonuses!

that’ll teach ‘em.

And remind them how weak they are for resting at all.

Rewards

LOOT

As characters adventure and overcome challenges, they’re rewarded for their efforts by the treasure they find and the experience they earn.

A monster’s lair might contain a chest of coins, and a goblin raider might carry some of its ill-gotten gains. As characters acquire treasure, they can divide it as they see fit (dividing it equally among all the characters in the party is standard practice), and they can spend it on improved equipment or other supplies.

w-w-we’re all hopeless power addicts, morty.

People need to be rewarded in their hedonistic hamster wheels to keep themselves entertained… and that’s okay!

Kill critters and get paid, dawg!

Experience points (XP) are an abstract measurement of a character’s learning and growth in the game. As characters progress through an adventure, they receive XP when they defeat monsters, complete milestones, and overcome other challenges. An XP award for the party is divided equally among the characters.

Leveling up is like free cable, Morty. Tweaking those little statistics and writing out loot on your character sheet… it’s one of the only times you’ll feel like you have any worth.

Don’t deny yourself this pleasure, Morty. Do deny yourself the pleasures I hear you enjoying in your room, though. And seriously, you gotta hydrate, man.

Once a character reaches a specified experience point total, he or she advances in capability. This advancement is called gaining a level; a character goes from 1st level to 2nd level, and so on up to 20th level (this set goes to 5th level). Upon gaining a level, a character gains additional hit points and class features, as shown on the character sheets included in this set.

Coinage

Common coins come in several different denominations based on the relative worth of the metal from which they are made. The three most common coins are the gold piece (gp), the silver piece (sp), and the copper piece (cp).

One gold piece is worth ten silver pieces, the most prevalent coin among commoners. One silver piece is worth ten copper pieces, which are common among laborers and beggars.

Unusual coins made of other precious metals sometimes appear in treasure hoards. The electrum piece (ep) and the platinum piece (pp) originate from fallen empires and lost kingdoms. An electrum piece is worth five silver pieces, and a platinum piece is worth ten gold pieces.

A standard coin weighs about a third of an ounce, so fifty coins weigh a pound.

Electrum has no electricity in it, Morty. I checked. It won’t make your balls tingle or anything. I checked that too. Twice.

Equipment

Proper equipment can mean the difference between life and death in a dangerous environment such as an ancient dungeon or untamed wilderness. Armor and weapons are essential in combat, and a variety of other tools and supplies are useful for exploring dungeons, ruins, and the wilds. This section describes the equipment that the characters have when they start the adventure and additional items they can buy with the treasure they acquire along the way.

Equipment that doesn’t give you any combat or statistical advantage is as useless as three shleems on a plumbus, Morty.

Carrying Capacity

A character’s Strength score determines the maximum weight the character can carry and still move, provided that the weight is distributed across the body. Multiply a character’s Strength by 15 to determine the weight (in pounds) that the character can carry. A character carrying more than this weight has a speed of 0.

Old school D&D measured everything compared to the weight of coins ‘cause they knew that’s all anyone gave a s*** about. And it still is. You can’t escape the power of coinage, Morty.

Armor and Shields

Adventurers have access to a wide range of armor types. Armor falls into three categories in the game: light armor, medium armor, and heavy armor. Many warriors supplement their armor with a shield.

The adventurers presented on the character sheets are already equipped with armor, and each character’s Armor Class is calculated using the information in this chapter. You can use this information to upgrade your character’s armor as you acquire treasure.

Back in my day we had THAC0, Morty. It was honestly crazy, but I loved it. You really don’t want me to try to explain it, though.

Armor Proficiency

Anyone can put on a suit of armor or strap a shield to an arm. Only those proficient with the armor know how to wear it effectively, however. Your class determines what types of armor you have proficiency with: the fighter and cleric can wear any armor and use shields, the rogue is limited to light armor, and the wizard isn’t proficient with any armor or shields at all. If you wear armor that you lack proficiency with, you have disadvantage on any ability check, saving throw, or attack roll that involves Strength or Dexterity, and you can’t cast spells.

It’s how they try and keep the Magic Man down. O-o-once you start leveling up as a wizard, you’ll find ways around that little hurdle, and then you’re unstoppable.

Light Armor

Light armor is favored by rogues because it lets them make the best use of their Dexterity and doesn’t interfere with stealthy movement. When you wear light armor, you add your Dexterity modifier to the number shown on the table to determine your Armor Class.

Leather armor consists of chest and shoulder protectors made of stiffened leather, with lighter and more flexible protection for the rest of the body. Studded leather is reinforced with close-set rivets or spikes.

Medium Armor

Medium armor offers more protection than light armor, but it also impairs movement more. When you wear medium armor, you add your Dexterity modifier, to a maximum of +2, to the number shown on the table to determine your Armor Class. If your Dexterity is 16 or higher, you still add only 2.

Hide is a crude armor made from thick furs and pelts. A chain shirt is made from interlocking metal rings and commonly worn under clothing. Scale mail consists of a leather coat and leggings covered with overlapping scales of metal. You have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks while wearing scale mail. A breastplate is a fitted metal chest piece worn with supple leather.

Heavy Armor

Heavy armor offers the best protection, and it requires extensive training to master. The fighter and the cleric are proficient with it. When you wear heavy armor, you don’t apply your Dexterity modifier to your Armor Class. You also have disadvantage on Dexterity (Stealth) checks.

Ring mail is leather with heavy rings sewn into it. Chain mail is made of interlocking metal rings worn over a layer of quilted fabric. If your Strength is lower than 13, your speed is reduced by 10 feet while you wear chain mail. Splint armor is made of narrow vertical strips of metal riveted to a backing of leather that is worn over cloth padding. If your Strength is lower than 15, your speed is reduced by 10 feet while you wear splint armor.

Shields

A shield, made from wood or metal, is carried in one hand. Wielding a shield increases your Armor Class by 2. You can benefit from only one shield at a time.

If a player comes up with a “creative” reason why they should get two shield bonuses, I just double the damage I deal them.

Whatever, they won’t know.

Weapons

The Weapons table shows the most common weapons used in the worlds of D&D, their price and weight, the damage they deal when they hit, and any special properties they possess. Every weapon is classified as either melee or ranged. A melee weapon is used to attack a target within 5 feet of you, whereas a ranged weapon is used to attack a target at a distance.

When you describe your morningstar s-s-smashing an orc in the face, that’s totally sweet.

Nobody wants to hear about your stupid darts. Nobody names darts.

THEY NAME SWORDS.

Weapon Proficiency

Your class grants you proficiency with certain weapons or categories of weapons. The two main categories are simple and martial. Certain races, such as the elf race, also grant weapon proficiencies. Proficiency with a weapon allows you to add your proficiency bonus to the attack roll for any attack you make with that weapon.

The secret third category of weaponry is the marital weapon. It’s a ball and chain, Morty!

Sounds cool, right?

WRONG!

Love is a sham. Just fulfill your b-b-b-BURP-base biological needs and then move on.

Never get t-t-tied down. Then you can be just like your grandpa, who has everything allllll figured out.

Weapon Properties

Many weapons have special properties related to their use, as shown in the Weapons table.

Ammunition

You can use a weapon that has the ammunition property to make a ranged attack only if you have ammunition to fire from the weapon. Each time you attack with the weapon, you expend one piece of ammunition. At the end of the battle, you can recover half your expended ammunition by taking a minute to search the battlefield.

If you employ such a weapon to make a melee attack, you use the weapon as an improvised weapon (see “Improvised Weapons” later in the chapter).

Finesse

When making an attack with a finesse weapon, you use your choice of your Strength or Dexterity modifier for the attack and damage rolls. You must use the same modifier for both.

Heavy

Small or Tiny creatures have disadvantage on attack rolls with heavy weapons.

Light

A light weapon is small and easy to handle, making it ideal for use when fighting with two weapons. See the rules for two-weapon fighting in chapter 2.

Loading

Because of the time required to load this weapon, you can fire only one piece of ammunition from it when you use your action or reaction to fire it, regardless of the number of attacks you can normally make.

Range

A weapon that can be used to make a ranged attack has a range shown in parentheses after the ammunition or thrown property. The range lists two numbers. The first is the weapon’s normal range in feet, and the second is the weapon’s long range. When attacking a target beyond normal range, you have disadvantage on the attack roll. You can’t attack a target beyond the weapon’s long range.

Thrown

If a weapon has the thrown property, you can throw the weapon to make a ranged attack. If the weapon is a melee weapon, you use the same ability modifier for that attack roll and damage roll that you would use for a melee attack with the weapon. For example, if you throw a handaxe, you use your Strength, but if you throw a dagger, you can use either your Strength or your Dexterity, since the dagger has the finesse property.

Two-Handed

This weapon requires two hands to use.

Versatile

This weapon can be used with one or two hands. A damage value in parentheses appears with the property—the damage when the weapon is used with two hands to make a melee attack.

Simple Melee Weapons

Simple Ranged Weapons

Martial Melee Weapons

Martial Ranged Weapons

{@comic Marital Emotional Weapons}

Improvised Weapons

Sometimes characters don’t have their weapons and have to attack with whatever is close at hand: a broken bottle, a table leg, a frying pan, or a wagon wheel. Most combatants are not proficient with such objects as weapons. In many cases, an improvised weapon is similar to an actual weapon and can be treated as such. For example, a table leg is akin to a club. At the DM’s option, a character proficient with a weapon can use a similar object as if it were that weapon and use his or her proficiency bonus.

An object that bears no resemblance to a weapon deals 1d4 damage (the DM assigns a damage type appropriate to the object). This is also the amount of damage dealt by a ranged weapon used as a melee weapon and by a melee weapon that lacks a range but is thrown. An improvised thrown weapon has a normal range of 20 feet and a long range of 60 feet.

It’s kinda funny the first time one of your players says they’re gonna pick up a trout and slap a bad guy with it, but don’t encourage that, Morty.

Next thing you know they’ll be improvising all kinds of useless trash and you’ll be stuck assigning stats to plates and stools and goblin sacks of s*** and sacks of goblin s***… hard pass.

Miscellaneous Gear and Services

This section describes items that have special rules.

Summer is right, Morty.

Damsels in distress and chainmail bikinis are a thing of the past. Bad tropes gotta die off, Morty.

Adventuring Gear

Candle

For 1 hour, a candle sheds bright light in a 5-foot radius and dim light for an additional 5 feet.

Component Pouch

A component pouch is a small, watertight leather belt pouch that holds all the material components and other special items you need to cast your spells, except for those components that have a specific cost. See chapter 4 for more about spellcasting.

LOOK AT THIS, MORTY!

The D&D designers know that keeping track of basic spell components is ridiculous, so they include this grab bag of dollar store crap to magic s*** up with.

You gotta admire the commitment to a dumbass idea.

Crowbar

Using a crowbar grants advantage to Strength checks where the crowbar’s leverage can be applied.

I went to a place called Crowbar with Birdperson once, Morty.

Got stuck in a pile of bird crap and my pecker was never the same.

Healer’s Kit

This kit is a leather pouch containing bandages, salves, and splints. The kit has ten uses. As an action, you can expend one use of the kit to stabilize a creature that has 0 hit points, without needing to make a Wisdom (Medicine) check.

Holy Symbol

A holy symbol is a representation of a god or pantheon. It might be a silver amulet depicting a symbol commonly used to represent a deity, the same symbol carefully engraved or inlaid as an emblem on a shield, or a tiny box holding a fragment of a sacred relic. The cleric can use a holy symbol to replace the material components of spells, except for those components that have a specific cost. To use the symbol in this way, the caster must hold it in hand, wear it visibly, or bear it emblazoned on a shield. See chapter 4 for more about spellcasting.

Lantern, Bullseye

A bullseye lantern casts bright light in a 60-foot cone and dim light for an additional 60 feet. Once lit, it burns for 6 hours on a flask (1 pint) of oil.

Lantern, Hooded

A hooded lantern casts bright light in a 30-foot radius and dim light for an additional 30 feet. Once lit, it burns for 6 hours on a flask (1 pint) of oil. As an action, you can lower the hood, reducing the light to dim light in a 5-foot radius.

Lock

A creature proficient with thieves’ tools can pick this lock with a successful DC 15 Dexterity check. Better locks are available for higher prices.

Oil

As an action, you can splash the oil in this flask onto a creature within 5 feet of you or throw it up to 20 feet, shattering it on impact. Make a ranged attack against a target creature or object. On a hit, the target is covered in oil. If the target takes any fire damage before the oil dries (after 1 minute), the target takes an additional 5 fire damage from the burning oil. You can also pour a flask of oil on the ground to cover a 5-foot-square area, provided that the surface is level. If lit, the oil burns for 2 rounds and deals 5 fire damage to any creature that enters the area or ends its turn in the area. A creature can take this damage only once per turn.

Playing Cards

If you are proficient with playing cards, you can add your proficiency bonus to ability checks you make to play a game with them.

Potion of Healing

A character who drinks the magic, red fluid in this vial regains 2d4 + 2 hit points. Drinking or administering a potion takes an action.

Rations

Compact, dry foods suitable for extended travel, rations include jerky, dried fruit, hardtack, and nuts.

Rope

Rope, whether made of hemp or silk, has 2 hit points and can be burst with a DC 17 Strength check.

Spellbook

Essential for wizards, a spellbook is a leather-bound tome with 100 blank vellum pages suitable for recording spells.

You don’t want a spellbook, Morty—trust me.

Throw it on a USB so it’s easier to keister in your butt of holding.

Thieves’ Tools

This set of tools includes a small file, a set of lock picks, a small mirror mounted on a metal handle, a set of narrow-bladed scissors, and a pair of pliers. Proficiency with these tools lets you add your proficiency bonus to any ability checks you make to disarm traps or open locks.

Tinderbox

This small container holds flint, fire steel, and tinder (usually dry cloth soaked in light oil) used to kindle a fire. Using it to light a torch—or anything else with abundant, exposed fuel—takes an action. Lighting any other fire takes 1 minute.

Torch

A torch burns for 1 hour, providing bright light in a 20-foot radius and dim light for an additional 20 feet. If you make a melee attack with a burning torch and hit, it deals 1 fire damage.

Anything can be a torch, if you try hard enough. Actually, you don’t have to try that hard. {@i IT’S FIRE, MORTY.} Even you can figure this one out. Literally humanity’s first invention, Morty.

Mounts and Other Animals

Tack and Harness

Food, Drink, and Lodging