Mystic Arts
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The Hexploration Rules | Adept PDF
🕑 Added 2025-04-10 15:00:09 +0000 UTCHere's a rules light system that will provide a loose structure around your hexcrawls. I think it's exactly as complex as it needs to be: not even a little. I use these rules actively in my current game. It's been edited for legibility by my collaborator Magnús!
In the new revised rules, we include more guidance on the system, an outline on how you could create your own rules for random encounters, clearer rules text, improved layout, rules for permanent injuries, and more!
I've also included a markdown file for your Obsidian Vault!
Comments
thekezzamachine
Okay. Found the Mystic Arts randomly on YouTube a few weeks ago and watched like a gazillion videos since then. Just bought the Hexploration Rules - they look freakin' awesome. Also, find myself wandering around the house and randomly saying "B'beeg" like Daði does. Love it! Ngā mihi maioha (thank you with appreciation!)
Mystic Arts
We play in 2024 5e where those features were removed. They are honestly overpowering enough to side-track the system a little in my opinion. But I've let our party's ranger unlock each region as they do quests. That way it's more tied to progress in the hexploration. Once they've explored a bunch of one territory, the ranger learns it's ins and outs and gains those same benefits per region. My map's got about half a dozen regions, so it's beneficial for her to keep exploring. But that's the kind of thing you'd have to discuss with your players of course.
Jack K
How do you deal with the Ranger class in this hex system? A ranger joined our table and his background is proficient in forests and mountains -can’t get lost -can’t be surprised -no time travel penalty
Mystic Arts
I just roll 1d6 per day as it says in the document, that's plenty when you're using excursion resting. For more on how I build these tables there's this video on how the random encounter tables are just supposed to inspire the DM to think about what would be a fun encounter: https://youtu.be/MFnJDUPcmTM Though sometimes I roll for time of day (1d3, 1 is morning, 2 is evening, 3 is night) or similar rolls to inspire me.
Keiran Emond
Hello! I wondered if I could have some clarification on the encounter rolling here please? These published rules state roll once per day for random encounters. Doo you as the DM decide where to place these in a day? Does the number of random encounters increase/decrease depending on hexes travelled?
Tom Morgan
Love the rules, looking forward to using them in my next game. Do you have a printer friendly copy of the PDF? Just the same but without the background please.
Mystic Arts
InDesign! :)
Keiran Emond
Yes! .md files inclusion again! (EDIT:) I can't quite tell but are these new PDFs made via Homebrewery or InDesign?
Rattrap24
The PDF version is not downloading for some reason - disregard user error
Yonzi
Am I the only one having trouble downloading the first PDF file...?
Mystic Arts
Yeah, I was never pleased with it and it became our most downloaded PDF so I've been itching to make it look a bit better with more guidance ever since we uploaded it.
Mystic Arts
Good point! Made one quickly and added it!
Oliver Tormey
I'm not going to lie, I was a little disappointed with the brevity of the previous product but this makes up for it ten fold! Beautifuly president with a lot of content.
Mystic Arts
That table is just my Random Encounter table, check out my post on Random Encounters in Barovia for an example. I've also added more on that in this document!
Mystic Arts
Fixed now!
Yonzi
And can you make a .MD file for obsidian? Thanks
Derek Mastromonaco
Looks great, I was excited to download this after seeing the accompanying video. It seems like not quite all of the rules are there, though. Is there a newer version? In particular, there are no rules about when to reveal adjacent hexes, the rules for failing navigation and getting lost are vague, and there are a few extra rules (non-lethal / holy day) that seem out of place. Thanks!
General Anubis
Hey in your video you talk about rolling on a table for things in the Hex (such as "encounter local faction") -- where is that table?
NathienSK
Ooh, i love deckbuilding. Were players exploring tiles ahed to be added into the deck or what?
Mystic Arts
The time it takes to enter a hex is determined by the Hex Type table, see page 2.
Robin de Rover
I was wondering if entering a hex always takes 1 hour, even if it is a mountain hex? And thanks for sharing your knowledge and insights!
Timmy L
Im also curios about this since it makes a big difference! The rules for it in Tomb of Annihilation where... well just not great. Please Daði or Anna, help us!
Pat Campbell
Couple quick questions about getting lost in this system: First, are players explicitly informed they're lost when they fail? And, second, if they are aware they're lost, are they informed of what hex they wind up in, or do they have to try and figure that out themselves? Thanks for the great content!
Frédéric Melanson
I love this! I love what you mentionned in your video about "gamifying" various parts or the game... I recently ran a maze and essentially made it into a deck builder with map tiles.
Mystic Arts
I don't want to rehost other folks' content, but the brushes are: Henrycp, srsketchy cartography, and cartography brushes by erago.
Mystic Arts
Photoshop, we just dropped a video on this! :D
Andreas Rahbek Knudsen
Could you potentially upload a folder with the different stamps you use when making the hexmaps?
Duncan Jones
Thank you for sharing this structure. I have been considering five scales for my own game. Two of which are hex-based at 1/2 mile and 12 miles. This is similar logic to your 3 miles and 24 miles (one for exploring a local area and one for travel between places). You didn't mention visibility in your note (other than that some locations may be hidden). Are you considering developing anything further for rules on visibility across hexagons? Also, was the paragraph on Knocking Out a Creature included on purpose?
Eli Davis
What software do you use for creating hex maps?
xavier Pino
Ive been running a game with similar style of hexcrawl style with some random enounter tables Ive made. glad to see you running a similar style and stoked on giving these parameters a try. Really makes the experience of traveling through a world much more immersive for my players. Thanks for the awesome layout
Hedi
Yesss! Now Ansalon will feel even more vivid. Thank you for your hard work!
