Adventuring in Hostile Climates
Mountain Path by Reza Afshar The campaign I am currently writing takes place in the frozen fjords of the north-lands (I know, it doesn’t sound like a terribly original setting). When the players venture out into the mountains they’ll be walking through thick snow, howling winds and blizzards. But how do you represent this with in-game mechanics? I’m not fond of the “roll a constitution save vs the environment every hour” approach; a naked adventurer with a high constitution bonus shouldn’t be able to wander your world’s not-Antarctica just by luck of the dice. Going to the other extreme, I’d rather not stat every item of clothing the players are wearing and it’s relative insulation values. Hopefully this system also avoids the players feeling that “You’re now freezing and will take penalties to dexterity checks” is pure GM fiat (or spite). Since the area will be available as a hex map, should the players feel the need to strike out into the wilderness, I’d also like a system th...
