West Marches

M
iles and miles to the west lies untamed
plains, dark forests, and merciless
deserts until travelers meet with the
edge of civilization. If they survive the
final stretch beyond that edge, they find
Palisade, a town of ill repute. While
most men and women of the realm are
content to spend their lives within the walls of their villages,
enclaves, and holds, a very few feel the call of the wilds
beyond. By tradition, Palisade is where these men and
women gather to venture forth. Bold or quiet- selfish or
generous- discontent or curious- you have come here to leave
the civilized lands behind and forge a new destiny for
yourself, by choice or by necessity.
Welcome to West Marches. This is a way to play D&D in a
persistent world that you and a group of players explore and
change with every adventure. What adventures are available?
That is up to you to find. Anyone can play and anyone can DM
the sessions in this sandbox.
The rules listed in this set are changes and additions to the
rules found in the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's
Guide, and Monster Manual. If there is any conflict of rules
between those three and this set, use the rules from this set.
Players' Responsibilities
What makes West Marches different from other styles of
campaign is that the players have a lot of agency to persue
their own goals. The following activities are now part of your
job as a player:
Suggest or join sessions on an at-will basis. There is no
assumed set party- characters can and should adventure
in many different groups.
Schedule sessions with each other through the Facebook
group. DMs can post contracts that can be selected from,
or players can simply choose to travel the wilds.
Map the world and share (or withold) information about it.
Hoard, share, or sell information and items. The choice is
yours.
Sharing Information
Not every player will be present in each session. Players will
need to rely on each other to learn about the world. How you
share that information is up to your characters. Maybe your
character is overheard at the tavern, bragging about his latest
exploits. Or maybe your character carves a new addition to
the Last Haven's table map, with notes about what to be wary
of. Poems, songs, artwork, its completely up to you.
Anyone who shares information between sessions gets an
inspiration for their next session.

West Marches | Rules 1

 Scheduling
A Harsher World
Players and DMs can post in the Facebook group about what The goal of the following rules is to make the frontier an
they would like to do and when they would like to do it. unforgiving place. These lands are harsh. Magic items are
Players can inquire about recent rumors and find the scarce. Items are heavy. Death awaits the reckless.
appropriate DM while DMs can share what adventures they
have lined up. Magic Items
Magic items are hard to come by. Those that are found tend
Adventuring to belong to another time or dimension. Finding these items
Pay attention during your time in Palisade, and you will imbued with incredible powers is one task, but learning their
quickly realize the following: secrets is another.
Each session is self-contained. Identifying Magic Items
Palisade is protected by its enourmous moat. Characters Players can pay a flat amount of gold within Palisade, or cast
can rest here between sessions and come to no harm. the Identify spell while making a Passive Arcana skill check
Adventure is found beyond Palisade's edge. to discover hidden properties of an item. The more rare the
The further you travel from town, the more dangerous the item, the higher the cost and the harder they are to identify.
world becomes.
The world persists beyond each session. If players have Cost of Identification
made a change in one session, other players will see that Rarity Cost Passive Arcana DC
change if they follow the same path in a later session. Common 25 gp 15
Player characters make up the vast majority of magic
users and adventurous spirit in this neck of the realm. Uncommon 50 gp 16-19
Dont be afraid to run from trouble. The world is Rare 250 gp 20
dangerous and unforgiving. Very rare 2,500 gp 21-24
Character Creation Lengendary 6,000 gp 25
You have made the journey to Palisade. For better or for far,
far worse, your character will try to survive here and emerge
with stories to tell.
New Characters begin at level 1 with one inspiration die.
Any and all Backgrounds, Races, and Classes from the
Players Handbook are available.
Ability Scores are determined by the 27-point buy-point
system. A calculator is available here: http://chicken-
dinner.com/5e/5e-point-buy.html
Characters can only know a number of exotic languages
equal to half of their total languages, rounded down.
Starting equipment rules from PHB page 143 will be
used. New characters can stick with the items granted to
them by class and backgrounds, or use the gold from class
selection to buy items.
DM experience can be used to start a character at an
advanced level. If so, that character gets bonus gold based
on starting level.
Starting level & bonus gold
Level Bonus Gold
2-4 50 gp per level
5 - 10 100 gp per level
11 - 14 200 gp per level
15 - 20 400 gp per level

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Scrolls Selling and Repurchasing Magic items
Scrolls, potions, and other consumables can be identified in
town for a discounted rate of 25 gp. Scrolls can be freely Rarity Sell Repurchase
identified by characters if the spell in the scroll is on their Common 50 gp 100 gp
class's spell list. Otherwise, the scroll is unintelligible and Uncommon 100 gp 500 gp
requires identification.
If the scroll's spell is on your classs spell list but of a higher Rare 500 gp 5,000 gp
level than you can normally cast, you must succeed a Very rare 5,000 gp 50,000 gp
spellcasting ability check when you attempt to cast it. The DC
is 10 + the spells level. Success or failure, the scroll is Lengendary 50,000 gp 500,000 gp
destroyed afterwards.
Copying a spell scroll into a wizards spellbook requires the Potions
appropriate gold and time, as well as an Arcana check equal Although increadibly situational, potions can be thrown to
to the spells level + 10. If successful, the spell is copied. other characters to restore their health. To do so, a player
Whether the check succeeds or fails, the scroll is destroyed. must use an action to throw the potion. Throwing a potion
Spells in spellbooks function as scrolls, with the exception counts as throwing an improvised, finesse weapon with a
that they cannot be directly read and cast. Spells in range of 20 to 60 feet. If throwing a potion to an unconscious
spellbooks sell for half of the value of the same scroll. character, that character retains their original armor class.
Scroll Casting Modifiers Carrying Capacity
Spell level Attack Bonus Save DC
Adventurers know that the lighter they pack, the more
0-2 +5 13 treasure they can haul in return. However, they don't want to
3-4 +7 15 pack too lightly and be unprepared for the unexpected. In
5-6 +9 17
addition, characters can safely store their items in Palisade.
The rules for variant carrying capacity are found in the
7-8 +10 18 Player's Handbook, page 176, but are summarized here.
9 +11 19 Encumbrance Effects
Weight Effect
Selling Magic Items
Magic items can be sold for their minimum value by rarity, Under 5x
Strength
No effect
from DMG p135. Magic items that have been sold this way
can be repurchased later at their maximum value. Over 5x -10 ft. Speed
Generally, consumable magical items (Potions, scrolls, Strength
ammunition) cant be sold for more than 100 gp. Exceptions Over 10x -20 ft. Speed & Disadvantage on rolls that
can be made at the discretion of the distributing DM. Strength use STR, CON, or DEX
Feel free to sell or purchase mundane items between
sessions to save time if your character is in Palisade.
Alternatively, items can be sold to other Players between
sessions. (Exchanging items between two PCs you control is
strongly discouraged.)

West Marches | Rules

3
 Character Death
Exploring the West Marches is a risk every adventurer is
willing to take. With a risk this grave, how good must the Last Haven
reward be? An infamous tavern of ill repute is open every night
Whether they perished in their first battle, or in the middle as a gathering place for social outcasts seeking
of a series of dungeons, a character stops accruing riches or adventure in the wild frontier of the West
experience at the point of their death. Their items and Marches. Its name is a reference to the inns
equipment are assumed to remain where they are, unless proximity to the west gate of Palisade, last stop
disturbed by other characters. before would-be adventurers head out.
After five sessions, the dead character's stash is sold in The place is run by a wise former adventurer
town. For payments of 25 gp, this can be delayed for another named Bastion who enjoys a good story and is
five sessions. When the stash is finally sold, they can be sympathetic to those of his ilk. Many an adventurer
repurchased for their full value. has stayed the night, and in the past those that
Not all is lost when a character dies. Experience received gathered carved maps and notes of the
since the last level they received can be funneled into a new surrounding wilds on the large oak table that
or existing character that the player controls. From the dominates the barroom.
One night, a particularly violent bar fight
memory of the dead, a new hero emerges. shattered the table and its remains later became
Some characters are deemed worthy enough of a second firewood for the harsh winter. New adventurers
chance. Allied player characters can revive them in Palisade once again take up the tradition carving into the
by providing the spell components for a Raise Dead spell table's successor.
(diamond worth 500 gp), and 100 gp for every level of the
deceased character.
Characters can also retire from adventuring before their
luck runs out. Once they retire, their experience points since
their last level can be distributed as above. Retired characters
have left their mark in these lands and will never come back.
DM Guidelines
The following is a collection of guidelines, rules-of-thumb,
and emphasized rules to be used at the DM's discretion. Use
these to suit your style. If you are unsure of your DMing
skills, you need not worry. Just have at it! It is strongly
encouraged for players to take turns DMing our sessions.
Building an Adventure
So, you want to design an adventure appropriate for the West
Marches? Awesome! Just keep these tips in mind, so you can
run an adventure that fits right in.
Make Palisade safe and the wilds wild.
Keep NPC adventurers nearly nonexistent so the players
feel their characters are significant.
Build dungeons with hidden treasures, locked doors, and
pockets of danger. Include rooms that are a lot harder to
clear. Make the players feel awesome for cracking these.
Check with the group before you commit an adventure to
a specific area. Make sure other DMs don't mind how you
are planning to use the area.
Keep things small scale until youve gotten a solid grip on
the West Marches style. Think hamlets and abandoned
mines instead of kingdoms and flying ships.
Scale general difficulty to different areas. Generally, the
further from Palisade, the more deadly the world
becomes.
Test your encounters for difficulty. Dragons should not be
flying so close to Palisade, for example.
Personalize your areas so experienced travelers know
what to watch out for.

4 West Marches | Rules

Running an Adventure
After carefully designing your adventure and crafting every
little detail your players may come across, be prepared to
throw it all out when it's time to start rolling the dice. Your
players can easily ignore the signs you laid for them and
carve their own path. You should let them. West Marches is
about player freedom. Be prepared to improvise, and keep
these tips in mind.
Appear passive and impartial. Roll your dice in the open,
let the game be a sandbox simulator.
Dont be afraid to roll for encounters and roll for treasure.
Remember that the players should feel like the game is
them vs the world, not them vs you.
Foreshadow the difficulties of upcoming challengers for
the players. Rewards for contracts can reflect this. So can
clues in the area and rumors about areas.
Provide an easy lead to get new players started. Things
like treasure maps and rumors will get the ball rolling.
The adventure is in the wilds, not the town. Stay away
from Palisade intrigue.
Let the players take over. Don't write game summaries or
manage the party map. Give the players responsibility.
Competition drives players. It enables their most creative
thinking and some of the highlights of an adventure.
Provide a mix of fair rewards, scarce resources, and tough
encounters. If they survive, they earn their bragging rights.
The Hex Map
The hex map is your tool for building the sandbox. Use the
following tips to integrate exploration and persistence
between sessions.
Rumors are based on PC activities in previous sessions,
and randomly generated hex numbers.
Hide the hexes from the players. They are part of a DM's
tools.
The campaign is designed for exploration. discoveries,
and getting lost.
Every hex should eventually have at least 1 keyed location
at some point. Can be geographic. (reusable material)
Try to incorporate a rich encounter check and travel
system.
If there are random creature encounters, consider adding
the lair/nest/camp to the hex.
Remember the ripple effect of the areas PCs influence vs
original "status quo."
Traveling
Many quests take adventurers into strange and dangerous
places. As players travel to their destinations, keep in mind
their travel speed, traveling activities, the weather they
encounter, their exhaustion levels, and what interesting
places and people they might meet along the way. Some
quests can only be discovered by the players stumbling into
them.
Difficult terrain, such as mountains or swamps, will halve
the speed of travel. Travel slower than walking, such as
climbing or swimming, will also halve the speed of travel. If a
character is traveling more slowly than their walking pace
while also in difficult terrain, their speed is reduced to one
third of their normal pace.
Travel Pace
Pace Speed Distance Effects
Fast 4 miles / hour 30 miles / day -5 Perception
Normal 3 miles / hour 24 miles / day -
Slow 2 miles / hour 18 miles / day Able to Stealth
Exhaustion
Characters can march at travel pace for 8 hours before
suffering exhaustion. Those who travel beyond this limit must
make a Constitution saving throw at the end of the hour. The
DC for this save is 10 + 1 for each hour past 8 hours. On a
failed saving throw, a character suffers one level of
exhaustion.
A lack of food and water can wear down even the mightiest
warrior. Characters can withstand 3 + their constitution
modifier days without one pound of food. Those that dont
drink a gallon of water per day, gain one level of exhaustion.
They can drink a half gallon and succeed on a DC 15
Constitution check, or suffer one level of exhaustion. Long
rests decrease a players exhaustion level by one.
West Marches | Rules 5
 Off-road
Many destinations have no roads leading to them.
Adventurers sometimes have no other option but to forge
their own path, if they don't get lost in the process.
Traveling without a road or familiar landmarks can warrant
a Wisdom (Survival) check. Depending on the terrain, the DC
for this check will vary. Failure of this check can lead to
several kinds of missteps, from wasting valuable travel time,
to encountering hostile environments and creatures.
This Wisdom (Survival) check can also be modified by
certain conditions not limited to the ones mentioned here.
Moving at a slow pace: DC reduced by 2.
Receiving clear, step-by-step directions: Double
proficiency bonus.
Night Travel: Halved proficiency bonus.
Possessing a map of the region: Advantage on Wisdom
(Survival) checks.
Inclement Weather: Disadvantage on Wisdom (Survival)
checks.
Navigation
Terrain DC
Grassland, meadows, farmland 5 Easy to forget about, but a dynamic force in your adventures is
Arctic, desert, hills 10
Forest, jungle, swamp, mountain 15
Travel Activities
While traveling, characters have several options to stay
productive or gain an edge for their next encounter.
Stealth: Stay hidden to surprise encountered creatures.
Navigate: Stay on course or determining goal destination.
Draw a Map: Add newly discovered hexes or locations to
the collobaritive map.
Track: Follow the trail of another creature.
Forage: Find food. Succeed DC 10 for 1 days worth of
rations. Succeed DC 15 for 2 days worth of rations. Etc.
Discovering New Places
It wouldn't be a sandbox if there were not locations and
creatures to discover. Underground shrines and ruined
castles contain stories just as interesting as bustling towns
and rowdy taverns. To build locations to discover, DMs might
use an encounter table. Use whichever encounter table
makes the most sense to you, or make your own.
As characters enter a new hex, roll to see if they discover
something about this hex. Sometimes they encounter a new
location. Other times they encounter dangerous creatures. If
a location has already been discovered for a hex, then just roll
to see if the characters encounter events or creatures.
Use the Hex map to refer to any landmarks that characters
can probably see from a distance. The taller the landmark is,
the more likely characters are going to see it. For example,
some mountains can be seen from 75 miles away. If
characters then scale that mountain, they will be able to see
38 miles away, if the weather permits.
Sight Range
West Marches | Rules
6
Sight Range
Elevation Range
0 ft. 3 miles
10 ft. 4 miles
25 ft. 6 miles
50 ft. 9 miles
100 ft. 12 miles
500 ft. 27 miles
1000 ft. 38 miles
All locations can be discovered differently and depend on
circumstances. Locations with tall structures may be seen
automatically if in range. Locations on the road may be found
without a check if characters are traveling on that road.
Familiar locations can be found without a check if characters
are on the same hex as the location. To find unfamiliar
locations, a successful encounter roll is needed.
Weather
the weather. Extreme conditions can change the way players
approach the game.
Extreme Cold: Freezing temperatures can cause creatures to
retreat for warmth and shelter. DC 10 Constitution check per
hour or +1 exhaustion.
Extreme Heat: A scorchingly hot day can drain creatures who
venture for too long. DC 5 (+1 per hour) CON check or +1
exhaustion. Wearing medium or heavy armor induces
disadvantage on this check.
Strong Wind: Disadvantage on ranged weapon attacks and
auditory Perception checks. Flying creatures must land at the
end of their turn or fall.
Heavy Precipitation: All creatures and objects are lightly
obscured as rain/snow/hail descends. Disadvantage on
relevant Perception checks.
For strong conditions, roll a 1d6 per day. On a 1, inclement
conditions will occur the next day. The conditions will depend
on the region.
Forest: A lightning storm may hit trees. Heavy rain slows
down travelers. Creatures take disadvantage on Perception
checks.
Swamp: A flood slows down travel even more.
Mountain: A blizzard strikes with the potential to bring
extreme cold. Creatures get disadvantage on sight Perception
checks.
Plains: A storm brings strong winds. Creatures get
disadvantage on ranged attacks and hearing/sight Perception
checks.
Desert: A sandstorm reduces visibility. Creatures get
disadvantage on ranged attacks and hearing/sight Perception
checks.
Credits
Art:
ZeniMax Media, Inc. Elder Scrolls Online
CD Projekt Red. Witcher 3
EA Bioware. Dragon Age: Inquisition
Nick Gindraux
Writing:
Wizards of the Coast
Neil
Spencer
Marco