Map, Survey

Personal

Maps come in all shapes and sizes, and in varying degrees of quality as well. Most maps are digital files that can be downloaded onto a computer, but physical maps are also available. The prices listed on Table 1–31 are for both digital or physical maps. There are two broad categories of maps: survey and navigational. In addition, maps differ based on the size of the area they cover: local maps depict an area up to 1,000 square miles, regional maps depict an area up to 10,000 square miles, planetary maps depict an entire planet, and system-wide maps depict an entire star system.

A map grants you a circumstance bonus to Survival checks perform the orienteering task or Piloting checks to navigate within the region detailed by the map; survey maps grant a +1 bonus, and navigational maps grant a +2 bonus. You gain the bonus for using a map only if you are traveling directly through the area depicted by the map. For instance, you gain no bonus from a planetary map when navigating on foot through the streets of a settlement, but you would gain the bonus when plotting a course to a different location on that planet.

Survey maps are usually made when an area is first discovered and surveyed. They describe the general shape and features of the region but lack detail and precision.