Mundane navigation and cartography

[ayvango]

What tools other than magic could be used by D&D characters to make maps, calculate angles and navigate using created maps? There is always divination magic to rescue (Lay of the Land). Is it the only available method?

Normally DM just points at his painstakingly drawn map and says "You are here". But it leaves question of how characters could obtain such map and navigate behind the scene. Making precise map is a significant step for planning a battle. Normally characters would like to obtain map prior to making ambush or planning chase.

I found no items that could take role of compass, sextant. Maybe tech levels matters, maybe planar cosmology. There is no clock either. How mages which relies on spell duration heavily could manage without clocks? I just couldn't imagine that.

[Crake]

The water clock is a thing, I'm like 90% sure the sextant is in stormwrack, and compasses have been around for a long time, though understanding magnetism less so, so compasses shouldn't be cheap. Still, cartography has been a thing for a long time, and you've never needed magic to do it, just a keen eye and a good hand.

[ayvango]

The water clock is a thing

Never met a wizard carrying water clock to measure his buffs duration.

[liquidformat]

So besides pen and paper, hiking to the top of mountains or having a flying mount is very useful to being able to make maps. As Crake said water clock, sextant, and compass. Though I don't know of an official source for a compass off the top of my head, will have to take a look through Arms and equipment manual and maybe a few other books. Besides those, there are the sun and stars as will as using nature, in many places directions can be determined by the direction moss faces on trees and rocks for example.

[ShurikVch]

Navigator's Kit (Arms and Equipment Guide):

This expensive set of instruments includes a sextant, astrolabe, compass, and measuring tools. It has no benefit on land but grants a +2 circumstance bonus on Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore (directional only) checks while at sea, and on Profession (cartographer) checks to make maps.

[Hiro Quester]

Custom Masterwork tools for Knowledge (Geography) checks might also be something like the Navigator's Kit. They help you make maps from observations.

But amassing ranks in Knowledge Geography and Gather Information could turn talking to locals into maps, too, with a generous DM.

[ayvango]

+2 circumstance bonus on Intuit Direction and Wilderness Lore (directional only) checks while at sea, and on Profession (cartographer) checks to make maps

That is a farcical benefit. Appropriate tools contribute gigantically to precision in navigation and map-making. Look for example for the Circle Dance spell. Every fraction of degree made position difference in kilometers. And entire process takes two steps. First is association with terrain features. Second is to measure precisely direction from the spell. Then sum data and get direction on map. And that process would multiply instrumental errors. Naked eye output would differ hugely from aided eye. That difference could not be neglected as +2 bonus. It should be +20 difference at minimum.

[ShurikVch]

That is a farcical benefit. Appropriate tools contribute gigantically to precision in navigation and map-making. Look for example for the Circle Dance spell. Every fraction of degree made position difference in kilometers. And entire process takes two steps. First is association with terrain features. Second is to measure precisely direction from the spell. Then sum data and get direction on map. And that process would multiply instrumental errors. Naked eye output would differ hugely from aided eye. That difference could not be neglected as +2 bonus. It should be +20 difference at minimum.

I couldn't help it, such is RAW
And sextant in Stormwrack gives +2 too:

A sextant grants a +2 circumstance bonus on Knowledge (geography) checks to set and hold course

If you asking it as DM, then you may take a page from the Monster Manual:

Some creatures simply aren't made for certain types of physical activity. Elephants, despite their great Strength scores, are terrible at jumping. Giant crocodiles, despite their high Strength scores, don't climb well. Horses can't walk tightropes. If it seems clear to you that a particular creature simply is not made for a particular physical activity, you can say that the creature takes a -8 penalty on skill checks that defy its natural tendencies. In extreme circumstances (a porpoise attempting a Climb check, for instance) you can rule that the creature fails the check automatically.

[Elkad]

The water clock is a thing...

A thing that's terrible at timekeeping if there is variance in altitude, temperature, or moving around.
It might tell you when lunch should be. It won't let you determine your longitude accurately.

[Thurbane]

That is a farcical benefit.

+2 is the standard, established benefit for masterwork tools on skill checks.

The Royal Explorer PrC (Song & Silence) is good at this sort of thing.

The Caravanner feat (RoF) gives a +2 bonus on all Handle Animal and Knowledge (geography) checks.