If the characters aren't following an established path or traveling with a landmark in sight, they risk getting lost. Here are some circumstances that can cause a group to lose its way:
- Branching passages underground
- Horizon-obscuring terrain, such as dense forest
- Obscuring weather, such as heavy rain or fog
- Traveling at night
- Traveling at sea while unable to see the sky or any familiar land
**Survival Check.** The DM should let the players know when the characters are at risk of getting lost, then have the characters choose one of their number to make a Wisdom (Survival) check against a DC appropriate to the terrain, as shown in the Navigation DC column of the [[Travel Terrain]] Table. Another member of the group can take the [[Help]] Action to assist this check as normal.
**Failure.** If the check fails, the party goes off course. The DM decide what this looks like: they might follow the wrong branch of a river, orient themselves to the wrong mountain peak on the horizon, or get turned around in the forest. As a baseline, assume that getting lost extends the length of the current journey stage by 1d6 × 10 percent. It might also affect subsequent stages of the journey.