Desert	Forest	Hills	Mountains	Plains
Seacoast	Swamp	Hierarchy of Terrain	Bodies of Water	WSG

Hierarchy of Terrain

    The preceding text gives some advice on how to deal with terrain
that seems to belong in two categories at once. Even with
that advice in mind, occasions may arise when there is some
question in the DM's mind about how an AREA of terrain
should be classified. If that happens, the following ranking
may be of use:

    1. Seacoast
    2. Swamp
    3. Forest
    4. Plains
    5. Desert
    6. Hills
    7. Mountains
 
 

Bodies of Water

    In a typical campaign world, rivers and lakes serve at least two
important purposes: They provide a ready source of water, and
their presence requires a party of adventurers to be more versatile.
A body of water is both an opportunity and a challenge. Travel
on the surface of a lake or river is often faster, easier, and
safer than negotiating the surrounding terrain on foot -- but only
if characters have access to a boat or a barge and someone in the
group has the skill to handle the craft expertly. Swimming across
a deep, wide river, instead of following the shoreline and looking
for a place to ford, can save hours or even days of travel time --
but only if characters have the ability to swim in the first place. To
be fully prepared for a trek through the wilderness, a party of adventurers
should have equipment and skills for coping with
bodies of water as well as for moving on land.