D&D 5E Ideas for Cartography

[clearstream]

Does the below sound reasonable for dealing with Cartography? Any problems? Better ideas?

Cartography

When making a map, simply note the region charted (no ability check is needed). When using a map to navigate a vast or ambiguous region such as a wilderness or labyrinth, make an Intelligence (Cartography) check against a DC set by the DM. Failure means the map does not help with navigation. The check can be repeated after a short or long rest.

You can clarify or obfuscate a map you make, setting one DC for yourself and another for other creatures. To clarify a map, make an Intelligence (Cartography) check while you are drawing it. Deduct the result from 30 to set the DC for Intelligence (Cartography) checks to navigate using that map. To obfuscate a map, make an Intelligence (Cartography) check either while you are drawing it, or later by making a copy. The result of that check sets the minimum DC for the ability checks of other creatures when attempting to navigate using that map. The actual DC might be higher, as set by the DM or by attempts to clarify the map.

Cartography checks results should be hidden from players.

 

[iserith]

What's the design goal for this mechanic? What effect on the play experience is it supposed to have and how does it emphasize some aspect of your campaign or setting?

The way I handle maps in my game is that a map gives advantage on ability checks made to navigate such as Wisdom (Survival or Navigators Tools). Drawing a map while traveling is a dedicated task with an uncertain outcome resolved by an Intelligence check. The faster the party's pace, the higher the DC. Once the map is made, it can be used on future checks made to navigate or can be sold (once) at a set price. This sets up two reasons for a party member to risk being automatically surprised.

 

[clearstream]

What's the design goal for this mechanic? What effect on the play experience is it supposed to have and how does it emphasize some aspect of your campaign or setting?

Two of players in my campaign took Cartography. Everyone looks to them to produce maps. RAW renders their choice valueless by specifying that you do not make an ability check to map. RAW indicates that a map helps stay on track... *somehow*. Offering players a choice that has no value risks disappointment, and when all players strongly believe that cartography does something, it also risks dissonance.

The way I handle maps in my game is that a map gives advantage on ability checks made to navigate such as Wisdom (Survival or Navigators Tools).

I like this. It is streamlined and satisfies a reasonable definition of the word "helps". The effect is identical to another character helping the navigator so that a map simply frees up a character to do something else, like forage. One downside is that if all a map does is give advantage, then it doesn't connect well for me with the idea of a location that can be found only with the map. I'd like to fix that.

Drawing a map while traveling is a dedicated task with an uncertain outcome resolved by an Intelligence check. The faster the party's pace, the higher the DC. Once the map is made, it can be used on future checks made to navigate or can be sold (once) at a set price. This sets up two reasons for a party member to risk being automatically surprised.

I chose clarify rather than draw, because of the RAW that anyone can draw a map. I agree that pace could be one factor in setting the DC.

 

[iserith]

Two of players in my campaign took Cartography. Everyone looks to them to produce maps. RAW renders their choice valueless by specifying that you do not make an ability check to map. RAW indicates that a map helps stay on track... *somehow*. Offering players a choice that has no value risks disappointment, and when all players strongly believe that cartography does something, it also risks dissonance.

Rulings are what matter, not RAW. If you say it takes an ability check to create a map for some reason, then it does. I establish the uncertainty as being related to the hectic conditions of adventuring, for example. If a character was instead drawing a map while sitting still in a comfortable, well-lit environment without the constant threat of monsters eating their face, then yeah, it's reasonable that no check is needed.

As well, there may be other reasons why a character may have to make an ability check using Cartographers' Tools other than map creation. You might want to think of a few situations like that. Interpreting ancient maps, telling a forgery from the real deal, copying a complicated map, charting a complex course for some kind of gain, creating a good map in a very short amount of time, forging a map to mislead an enemy, etc.

Notably, a player shouldn't want to roll dice anyway since the d20 is nobody's friend. Perhaps Cartographer's Tools proficiency are required to draw a map while traveling with no check. Everyone else rolls. Or proficiency with Cartographer's Tools allows someone drawing a map while traveling to also keep watch for hidden dangers (like a ranger in favored terrain). Therefore the investment has a payoff.

As noted earlier, maps can be worth gold. So you could also say that while drawing a map can be done by anyone, drawing one someone would pay gold for requires proficiency.

 

[clearstream]

Cartography (take two)

When making a map, simply note the region charted or route recorded (no ability check is required). A map of a region gives advantage on ability checks to navigate in that region. A map recording a route to a location permits a navigator to choose that location as their destination.

If a mapper's passive Intelligence (Cartography) score is equal to or higher than the Wisdom (Survival) DC to navigate, they can improve the quality of their map as they draw it so that navigators using it can check to get back on course after 1 hour from becoming lost, instead of d6.

When a map is copied, the new copy can be made harder to decipher. Make an Intelligence (Cartography) ability check. Other creatures cannot use the map unless they beat the result of that check with their own Intelligence (Cartography). A creature that fails cannot try again until it receives information helping it to better understand the map.

 

[LordEntrails]

Hmm, wouldn't work for me. But, again, depends on you. A couple of questions, etc;
1) Can you make a map of a place you have not been to or see? How familiar with a place do you need to make the map?
2) How long does it take to make a map?
3) Are all maps the same? Is one map just as good as the next? (Not to me.)

Though I like the simplicity of advantage/disadvantage, I'm not sure such works when using a PC created map for things like navigation or survival. In 3E I would have done something as simple as DC10 to make the map (with a guideline for how many hours it would take to map). Then when you make the map if you exceed or fail the check, that would become the bonus or penalty to use the map for another skill check.

i.e. you roll a 15 on making a DC 10 map so now the map is a +5 map (or maybe +2, based on +1 for every 2). But, that's too detailed for 5E (and too cumbersome anyway...)

I don't have a suggestion, but there are some ting to think about.