On horrible travel conditions

[logan9a]

I'd found this somewhere but thought I'd use it for really hot places (desert, jungles)


Hot as fuck. Anyone dumb enough to be wearing armor or doing heavy work like carrying someone else in the jungle roll Willpower x2. No armor means willpower x5. Failure means lose d4 temp HP that won't come back till you've had a day of rest (without the armor on). Fumble doubles the damage. If the character runs out of HP, they are in a semi delirious state and are pretty much useless until they've had a day of rest.


This will allow the players the ability to 'push on' with actual ramifications for not resting. I'm thinking that if they don't have sufficient food or water - what - lower the willpower roll? I mean it could be a different roll?

What do you guys think?


Oh - also the source (a random weather generator) continues:

"Nonlethal damage from heat exposure cannot be recovered until the character gets cooled off (reaches shade, survives until nightfall, gets doused in water, is targeted by endure elements, and so forth). Once rendered unconscious through the accumulation of nonlethal damage, the character begins to take lethal damage at the same rate."


Also, I'm thinking that something like this might work for mellow country. Although the temperatures might not be as extreme, lack of food/water/shelter even on the plains (where it is possible to die of thirst and starvation as tons of settlers have discovered) it could be 'bad times for the characters'.

[Fantômas]

DnD 5e does it with exhaustion levels. You gain a level under various conditions (eg no water for a day, no food for two days, some poisons, lack of sleep etc). For some things you get a con saving throw. For others it's automatic.

Exhaustion Effects
Level Effect
1 Disadvantage on Ability Checks
2 Speed halved
3 Disadvantage on Attack rolls and saving throws
4 Hit point maximum halved
5 Speed reduced to 0
6 Death

[logan9a]

Thinking that looks a bit more complex. More realistic - but more complex.

The way I'd put up has the 'unrealism' of you walk at full speed till you drop into a light coma. And it won't kill you. Unless you can't be moved - then something may come along eventually to eat you.

But it's simple.

[bentpaperclip]

Logan - you keep layering on additional rules. You aren't going to remember them all.

[bentpaperclip]

I'd use the Constitution equivalent rather than Willpower.

[logan9a]

I agree with constitution. Forgot that is going to be a new skill con/endurance thingee.

But the main time I would use this is when "PC's are fighting the environment".

I'd just plotted out what could be a couple months in the jungle. Which I personally don't think the PC's would survive. However, they might try it anyway. Because they're PC's.

I know in real life - even with all modern gear, MRE's and such it would be a rough go for the more healthy players.

[bentpaperclip]

And we all play RPGs to simulate reality? If you don't want us mucking around in the jungle, then just don't put if there or don't make it interesting. If you're creating a jungle that you don't anticipate the PCs adventuring in then why are you wasting your time? Focus on stuff the PCs will experience and enjoy. If you're creating a jungle just to kill players - you're being a dick. And there are easier ways that don't involve a shit ton of planning. (i.e. You can just put a portal to instant death in the basement like you did in the KBC last time).

[logan9a]

Jan 23, 2017 16:55:09 GMT bentpaperclip said:

And we all play RPGs to simulate reality? If you don't want us mucking around in the jungle, then just don't put if there or don't make it interesting. If you're creating a jungle that you don't anticipate the PCs adventuring in then why are you wasting your time? Focus on stuff the PCs will experience and enjoy. If you're creating a jungle just to kill players - you're being a dick. And there are easier ways that don't involve a shit ton of planning. (i.e. You can just put a portal to instant death in the basement like you did in the KBC last time).

Like I had said earlier, the jungle is just a different kind of monster - to be fought with different kinds of weapons. While I don't think I'm getting anywhere close to simulating reality, going into the jungle is not just 'traveling through somewhere that is greener and slower'.

[bentpaperclip]

I'd just plotted out what could be a couple months in the jungle. Which I personally don't think the PC's would survive. However, they might try it anyway. Because they're PC's.

Do you want us to go in the jungle or not? Refer to sentences 2-5 of my previous post.

[logan9a]

I'd call it a 'high risk high reward' kind of thing.

Plus, there are ways of getting the jungle to bend to one's will rather than just tromping through it with just the party. I'm confident the players are smart enough to come up with nifty ways of defeating the environmental stuff. That way, they just have things like Hollywood style quicksand, angry cannibals, sneaky vines, etc.

I figure if I can come up with ways to defeat the jungle, the players should come up with something a lot better.

[bentpaperclip]

Jan 23, 2017 18:23:49 GMT logan9a said:

Plus, there are ways of getting the jungle to bend to one's will rather than just tromping through it with just the party. I'm confident the players are smart enough to come up with nifty ways of defeating the environmental stuff. That way, they just have things like Hollywood style quicksand, angry cannibals, sneaky vines, etc.

I figure if I can come up with ways to defeat the jungle, the players should come up with something a lot better.

It's called napalm.

[logan9a]

See? You're already coming up with ways to defeat the jungle menace!

Nothing to worry about.

If a group of PC's without say 'survival: jungle' and sufficient food/water/etc went into the jungle, I would expect them to probably die - maybe come out dragging each other, probably not in great shape.

But thinking PC's. Hell yeah. That's what the whole campaign is based on.

So yes - I would consider any terrain that the characters are improperly ready for (plains are easy - you can survive decently there. And light forest. But the hard ones are generally arctic, mountain, swamp (inc moors and pretty much any that have too much water but some land) and...brain fail.

[logan9a]

Fun fact - both in fiction and real life.

Where did everyone believe monsters lived?
In the mountains!
Why?
Because nobody regularly traveled in the mountains!
Why?
Because it is fucking dangerous! (And there might be monsters!)