I'm going to be running a primitive/nomadic game in one of my campaign settings, focusing on the tribes that live in the Arctic regions.
Below are some extra rules and equipment that'll be included in the game. I would just like to make sure that the mechanics are both comprehensible and sensible:
Environmental-
Cold and exposure deal nonlethal damage that cannot be healed until the subject gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has taken an amount of nonlethal damage equal to their total hit points, any further damage from a cold environment is lethal damage.
A character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite or hypothermia (treat as fatigued). These penalties end when the character recovers the nonlethal damage they took from the cold and exposure.
Cold weather (below 40°F): an unprotected character in cold weather must make a Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
Severe cold or exposure (below 0° F): an unprotected character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
Extreme cold (below –20° F): a character takes 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage.
Ice: characters walking on ice must spend 2 squares of movement to enter a square covered by ice, and the DC for Acrobatics checks increases by +5. Characters in prolonged contact with ice might run the risk of taking damage from severe cold.
Snowfall: areas that have seen moderate snowfall (around 1ft) cost 2 squares of movement for every 1 moved through. Most Acrobatics and Athletics checks are at a -2 penalty.
Heavy snow: areas that have seen several feet of snowfall cost 3 squares of movement for every 1 moved through. You cannot charge or run through an area of heavy snowfall, and most Acrobatics and Athletics checks are at a -10 penalty. You can use heavy snowfall to provide 20% cover (this increases cover provided by undergrowth to 30%, or heavy undergrowrg to 40%).
Equipment-
Snowblindness: a character that spends an hour on the sea ice or tundra must make a Fortitude save (DC15, +1 per previous check) or become dazzled. Each failed check increases the penalty by 1. When the penalty exceeds the character's base Fortitude save, they are blinded.
A character is no longer dazzled when they spend at least an hour out of the glare or resting with their eyes closed. Removing the blindness takes 24 hours of similar rest.
Icy water: water between 60-41° is treated as cold weather, except Fortitude saves are made every 5 minutes. Water between 40-33° is treated as severe cold weather, except checks are made every minute. Water that is 32-0° is treated as extreme cold, except damage and saves occur every round.
A character jumping into icy water must make a Fortitude save (DC10 for cold, 15 for severe cold, 20 for extreme cold). Failure indicates they gasp and inhale water, and must make a Fortitude save (DC15) or begin drowning.
Cold-weather outfit: a character wearing these clothes treats severe cold and exposure as cold weather and gains a +5 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saves against cold weather and exposure.
Cost- 8gp Weight- 7lbs
Extreme cold-weather outfit: a character wearing these clothes may ignore the effects of cold weather and treats severe cold and exposure as cold weather (though they only need to save once every two hours) and only suffer the effects of extreme cold once every ten minutes, in addition to gaining a +5 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saves against severe and extreme cold. An extreme cold-weather outfit has an armor check penalty of -2 and is treated as medium armor for the purposes of movement.
Cost: 24gp Weight- 20lbs
Snowshoes: a character wearing snowshoes moves at half speed, but is not slowed in areas affected by heavy snow and receive a +4 equipment bonus to Acrobatics and Athletics checks to keep their balance due to snow and.m
A character wearing snowshoes cannot charge or run and suffers a -2 to attack rolls and to Acrobatics and Athletics checks other than to keep their balance due to snow and ice.
Cost- 5gp Weight- 4lbs
Snow goggles: a character wearing snow goggles only needs to save once every two hours for snowblindness, and receives a +5 circumstance bonus to Fortitude saves against it, though they suffer a -4 to Perception checks versus anything within 30ft.
Cost- 3gp Weight- 1lb
Sorry to come late to the party. It looks like you've given a lot of thought to this. I'd point out that a lot of similar work has been done in published supplements and I can't help but wonder if you have created this b/c you didn't like what was already published, or didn't know about it?
Either way, you're direction here looks pretty solid to me and I'd be more than happy to accept such rules at the table if I were playing.
One question: How do you deal with magic which will simply trivialize the whole thing anyway? Spells like Endure Elements comes quickly to mind. It is after all a 1st level spell for virtually everyone and has a 24 duration. Even a low level party would be able to cast such spells, and that is not even taking into consideration things like wands, scrolls, potions, etc.
I can't help but wonder if you have created this b/c you didn't like what was already published, or didn't know about it?
Both. I'm not usually a fan of most supplements and such.
One question: How do you deal with magic which will simply trivialize the whole thing anyway?
Endure Elements keeps you safe up to -50°, so that'll work most of the time, but being caught in the open when an arctic blizzard hits will be a death sentence even at fairly high levels.
Beyond that, I'm thinking about the wind from the Far North being inherently magic, potentially dispelling magic and the like.It's also a somewhat low magic setting, so things like teleportation and the like will be limited.
I do have a question as to why the range limit to the perception check while wearing goggles
The thought there was that they limit your field of vision, but the further away an object is, the less the obstruction matters. But I suppose it would be easier to make it a general -4.
I've also added the following:
Icy water: water between 60-41° is treated as cold weather, except Fortitude saves are made every 5 minutes. Water between 40-33° is treated as severe cold weather, except checks are made every minute. Water that is 32-0° is treated as extreme cold, except damage and saves occur every round.
A character jumping into icy water must make a Fortitude save (DC10 for cold, 15 for severe cold, 20 for extreme cold). Failure indicates they gasp and inhale water, and must make a Fortitude save (DC15) or begin drowning.
Thank you for your imput so far.
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So healing magic doesn't help until one gets warm. That means Cleric channels won't help. Consider adding a variant channel, perhaps for heat and sun related clerics, that warms and heals frostbitten people. That's such unforgiving cold rules that there would be demand for such a thing.
Those rules are pretty good.
So healing magic doesn't help until one gets warm...
Those rules are pretty good.
Thank you.
Though I feel like I have to clarify: most of this is straight from the core book.
I was assuming those degrees were Fahrenheit degrees but naturally occurring liquid water never gets anywhere near 0 F. Somewhat over 28 degrees F is the coldest naturally occurring on planet earth. And 60-41 C is definitely beyond "warm" into hyperthermia inducing (not hypothermia). Mixing scales accidentally or am I missing something?
Just Fahrenheit and for the sake of completion, what with magic and all.
Though in my initial research, it appears water can technically reach around -55 before it must freeze.|
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Those times I've GMd low level characters in cold weather conditions the PCs usually end up sleeping a clump inside whatever shelter they can arrange. That's the traditional (and effective) approach for any group of warm blooded animals to survive a night in cold weather. Those on the outside edge get cold, so occasional rotation is important. Those with real experience in winter survival will understand perfectly. This can also make for good role playing as players and PCs confront issues of homophobia and/or heterophobia.
This tradition only disappeared since the advent of central heating in recent centuries. Read about bundling for historical details of this ancient practice.
The party will consist of a dour halfling barbarian and his trickster ranger sister as well as a half-orc shaman with a haunted past.
At level 5, the ranger has a +16 to survival, so they'll usually be okay.
It'll be winter when the game starts, with temperatures ranging from 30° during the day to -100° or more at night during a storm (including windchill).
Been considering wild shape and the benefits it provides; maybe especially tough and/or wolly forms have an additional bonus to the cold. Or are just treated as having cold weather gear. That would probably be the easiest way to do it. I mean, if a musk ox doesn't get a bonus to withstand the cold, I'd like to know who does.
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I kind of feel that your 'Extreme Cold' rules are a bit too harsh. I say this based on my own experience in MN winters. These are just suggestions and reasons why. I know being as real as possible isn't the name of the game for fantasy, but to me, some of these seem..off.
While only wearing 3 layers of pants (two thin cotton pants and a pair of jeans), shirts (under-shirt, t-shirt, long-sleeved shirt), coat (light hoodie), hat, scarf, hood (hoodie), and a leather trench coat, I walked for more than 3 hours in -50+ temp (I think it reached below -60 at one point), at night, in the middle of a blizzard. None of the clothes by themselves were specifically designed to prevent extreme cold, but together they worked out to be what I'd imagine would be considered your 'Extreme Cold Outfit'.
By your rules, I would have been dead in minutes, even with your Extreme Cold Outfit. My department manager and store manager both yelled at me for being a stubborn idiot with a death wish. I did finish my shift and was given a ride home, but I was bedridden for almost 36 hours afterwards. This is just an example of the stupidest time I've been out in the cold like this (at least willingly). I've been in similar (though less extreme) situations, since I work nights and MN winters suck ass especially when you need to commute without a car and have to either walk, ride a bike (if you can through the snow), or rely on public transportation that takes hours for the next bus to arrive in the middle of the night.
My point being, I think the lethal damage should not be automatic with no save unless the temp is below -50, or at the very least, if the character is wearing an Extreme Cold Outfit, it should convert the lethal damage to non-lethal until at least 2 hours have passed, and grant a save. Remove the additional non-lethal damage from Extreme Cold.
Also, frostbite should only be possible from -20 and below, but never above 0 (10 is more accurate, but 0 for the ranges you've given), unless exposure is prolonged (2+ hours). Have frostbite impose penalties that could become permanent after extended exposure, including the loss of fingers/toes or, if severe enough, limbs. Possible penalties could be -1 to actions requiring fine motor control, -1 any attempt requiring balancing, or -2 attack due to numb fingers.
As for hypothermia, my suggestion is to alter it so that it has three stages. Non-lethal damage two (maybe three) times, save vs hypothermia, if fail, gain a status, repeat until final status. Status: Hypothermia (Fatigue), Severe Hypothermia (Exhausted), Death.
These are just some suggestions based on my personal experience.
I kind of feel that your 'Extreme Cold' rules are a bit too harsh. I say this based on my own experience in MN winters. These are just suggestions and reasons why...
First of all, let me state again: most of these rules have just been copy/pasted from the core book; I've just arranged them here and added other rules to them for completion. Specifically, the rules about extreme cold that you're referring to aren't mine at all.
Second, as having lived in Wisconsin for 30 years, I know how bad the winter can get. Last year, it was colder in Wisconsin (-60°F) than it was in Siberia, and ten degrees warmer than the surface of Mars. A state of emergency was declared. The streets were abandoned. The churches were filled with homeless people who would not have lived through the night otherwise. Frostbite took place within 5 minutes. A bucket of water froze solid in under an hour.
The extreme cold weather rules are exactly as I found them in the book. The extreme cold weather outfit is my creation (I figured there's a big difference between a coat, a sweater, and thick socks and a full-on caribou and seal parka, etc.) In your situation, you'd have taken that lethal damage once every ten minutes, so 6 times an hour, so 18 times, total (assuming you were wearing an extreme cold weather outfit, but it sounds like what you had was considerably less than that).
In my time in EMS, I can definitely say I wouldn't be surprised to see serve frostbite and life-threatening damage after an encounter like yours. But 18d6 does still seem like a lot. At least until you get to the point in the arctic where you can throw water into the air and it comes down as ice (-100°+).
As for frostbite and hypothermia, the damage and fatigue caused by cold *is* frostbite and hypothermia, according to the core book.
Additional stages, penalties and injuries would make it more realistic, but...we don't do that for combat, disease, poison or anything else, so it feels unnecessary to do that, here.
I'd like this to be a serious threat to the players, but I'd also like to streamline the process as much as possible. Hit points are a wonderful abstraction.
Ahh, I must have missed you mentioning it's mostly from the core book (or misread), I thought it was what you had come up with. Sorry about that. I haven't had a reason to look into those rules for a long time, completely forgot about them honestly.
I think I know when you're referring to, that was rough to say the very least. I'm just glad I had my new beautiful SUV with massive heat output while working that night. (The USPS might have shut down, but newspapers didn't, and I wasn't going to pass up the chance to gain a few hundred dollars extra for one night's work XD )
I didn't get any frostbite from that insane walk of mine, but like I said, bedridden for nearly 36 hours after, could barely move my arm to press a button to turn on my radio.
Like I said, I had thought you had come up with these on your own, and that your goal was for the cold to be something your players had to survive and suffer through with severe consequences. As if the cold itself was basically something like an antagonist. Not exactly sure where I was getting that from after rereading what you posted.
I didn't get any frostbite from that insane walk of mine, but like I said, bedridden for nearly 36 hours after, could barely move my arm to press a button to turn on my radio.
That sounds like first degree frostbite to me. I mean, frostbite and hypothermia are the only ways that the cold damages a physical body. Something happened, obviously. That's why you were incapacitated for so long.
Like I said, I had thought you had come up with these on your own, and that your goal was for the cold to be something your players had to survive and suffer through with severe consequences. As if the cold itself was basically something like an antagonist. Not exactly sure where I was getting that from after rereading what you posted.
That is exactly what I'm trying to capture in this game; that the environment is an ever-present threat, and often a more serious one than the fell beasts the characters might encounter.
But I don't want to fall down the realism rabbit hole; these guys will be foraging for food, looking for shelter and trying to stay warm as they make their way across the wild, nameless lands, hunting monstrous creatures, fighting off other tribes and the strange, haunted things that live in the Eternal Twilight of the far north.What I'm getting at is, it's rather a lot to fit in all at once. I want to hit that gritty, survivalist note, but I want the surreal, otherworldly wonder to provide a sort of counter melody. And to do that, it seems like I ought to strive to keep things as simple as possible, where I can.
I'll have to take a look at the threat the cold presents, in terms of intensity and frequency.
In the meantime, I'll post this here as well. This will be replacing the standard rules where applicable. Still have to work out some basic exploration stuff.
The following is heavily inspired by The Angry DM. Check out everything on that site. Everything.
Travel and Foraging: a character traveling through the wild may move at a slow, standard or quick pace. At the end of each day of travel, the character makes two Survival checks, one to find food and water, the other to find shelter. The character finds enough food to feed one extra person for every 5 they exceed the DC.
Forested areas have a base DC of 14. Tundras have a DC of 18. Ice fields have a base DC of 25.
A slow pace covers 30% less ground than normal and grants a +2 to Survival checks to forage and find shelter, as well as Perception checks to detect an ambush and Stealth checks to go undetected.
A standard pace covers the normal amount of ground and offers no modifiers to Survival, Perception or Stealth.
A quick pace covers 30% more ground than normal and levies a -2 to Survival, Perception and Stealth.