Environment

The two biggest dangers in the Weird West are heat and dehydration.

Dehydration: Most characters need 1 gallon of water in climates under 90 degrees. In hot climates this amount doubles, and it triples in temperatures above this. Darfellan need twice as much water as other races, and asherati need half.

In warm or cooler temperatures, a character can survive without water for 24 hours plus one hour per point of constitution score. For each temperature range above this, halve the base amount (12 + con in severe heat, 6 + con in extreme heat, etc). Darfellan treat each temperature band as 1 step hotter for this purpose.

After this time has passed a character must make constitution checks each hour (DC 10, +1 per hour) and takes 1d6 nonlethal damage on each failed save. Characters reduced to unconsciousness begin taking lethal damage.

Heat and Cold: Heat is the most present environmental danger in the Weird West. Temperatures in the Weird West can reach up to 140 degrees Farenheit, or 60 degrees Celsius. See the following table for regional climates. Keep in mind that these are climate norms only. In severe case there have been heat waves pushing the air temperature above 140, which is quite deadly. Certain locales will also have more extreme temperatures (such as the severe cold of mountaintops or the extreme heat of psychic spice deposits).

Area Average Day Temp Average Night Temp Max Temp (High Noon) Min Temp
Frontier/Dry Lands/Canyons 90 degrees F (Warm) 60 degrees F (Moderate) 110 degrees F (Hot) 50 degrees F (Moderate)
Waste 100 degrees F (Hot) 80 degrees F (Warm) 140 degrees F (Severe Heat) 70 degrees F (Warm)
Mountains 80 degrees F (Warm) 50 degrees F (Moderate) 100 degrees F (Hot) 20 degrees F (Cold)
Coast 60 degrees F (Moderate) 40 degrees F (Cold) 100 degrees F (Hot) 32 degrees F (Cold)

Severe Cold (peaks of mountains): Fortitude save every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per 10 minute interval) and takes 1d6 nonlethal damage on each failed save. Characters wearing appropriate cold-weather clothing need only make one check per hour. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from hypothermia.

Cold: Fortitude save every hour (DC 15, +1 per hour interval) and takes 1d6 nonlethal damage on each failed save. Characters wearing appropriate cold-weather clothing are not affected. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from hypothermia.

Moderate – Warm: No effect.

Hot: Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 per hour interval) and takes 1d4 nonlethal damage on each failed save. Characters wearing armor or any heavy clothing take a -4 penalty to the save. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from heatstroke.

Severe Heat: Fortitude save every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per 10 minute interval) and takes 1d4 nonlethal damage on each failed save. Characters wearing armor or any heavy clothing take a -4 penalty to the save. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from heatstroke.

Extreme Heat (rare locales in the Waste): 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). Fortitude save every 5 minutes (DC 15, +1 per 5 minute interval) and take 1d4 nonlethal damage on each failed save. Characters wearing armor or any heavy clothing take a -4 penalty to the save. Those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with metal take damage as if affected by a heat metal spell. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from heatstroke.

Unearthly Heat: These environments are normally fatal to life of all kind and are thankfully rare. Characters take 1d6 damage and 1d4 nonlethal damage per round (no save). Those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with metal take damage as if affected by a heat metal spell. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from heatstroke.

Burning Heat: Material objects spontaneously catch fire, liquids boil and evaporate, and combustibles combust. Nothing can live here without magical protection. There is only one such location in the Weird West, and it’s hard to get to. Characters take 3d10 fire damage plus 1d4 nonlethal damage per round. Those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with metal take damage as if affected by a heat metal spell. Any character that takes nonlethal damage is considered fatigued from heatstroke.

Fatigue from heatstroke disappears when the nonlethal damage is recovered, but this requires at least 10 minutes rest and a respite from the heat (shade, water, nightfall, endure elements, etc).

Characters reduced to unconsciousness take lethal damage instead of nonlethal.

Remember that a DC 15 Survival check grants you a +2 to saves versus environmental conditions (such as heat and cold) if you travel at half speed, or a +4 if you are not traveling at all.

Protection against heat and cold: There are measures you can take to protect yourself against the dangers of traveling in very hot or very cold climates.

  • Dress appropriately. Cold weather outfits (Player’s Handbook) protect you in very cold climates. In very hot climates you can be * protected by armorbright, desert outfits, heatsuit outfits, and hydration suits (Sandstorm p 101).
  • Seek shelter. By making a shelter and resting during extreme temperatures, a Survival check can boost your save by +4.
  • Special materials. Keepcool salve is an alchemical item (Sandstorm p 102) that can protect your skin from the heat. Thermix does the same for cold.
  • Magical protection. Endure Elements allows you to survive in environmental extremes, and resist energy or protection from energy let you better resist the damage from these environments.

Blindness – Another serious danger from being in the sun too long is blindness. Dusklings are naturally light-sensitive, but any race can become overexposed if left unprotected in the sun for too long. Every hour in the sun with unprotected eyes, characters make a Fortitude save (DC 10, +1 per hour) or become dazzled. A creature already dazzled instead becomes blinded.

Blindness from the sun can be removed with time (lasts a number of days per hour spent blinded in the sun). This time can be halved with a successful heal check for long-term care. Blindness can be removed magically.

There are several ways to protect yourself from blindness, all work by shielding your eyes. Covering your head with a hood to shade your eyes provides a +1 circumstance bonus, as does applying grease or mud underneath your eyes (these stack). A set of sun lenses is the best protection (Sandstorm p 101).

Getting Lost: Characters can get lost in reduced visibility, difficult terrain, or unfamiliar surroundings.

Circumstance Survival DC
Moor or hill, map 6
Mountain, map 8
Moor or hill, no map 10
Poor visibility 12
Mountain, no map 12
Forest 15

Mirages: These are illusions that occur mostly in the desert. They take the form of water, buildings, people, or just about anything else. They can be caused by heat exhaustion, optical illusion due to changes in the temperature of the ground, or an extraneous effect of psychic spice deposits. A DC 12 survival check or will save can identify a mirage as such.

Mirages caused by psychic spice deposits are particularly potent, and can persist in the mind of the viewer as an illusion even once they reach the location of the mirage, provided he fails the survival check. Such mirages are mind-affecting, requiring a DC 15 will save to negate. They can involve creatures with personalities, detailed cities in the middle of nowhere, or even whole narratives.

Another type of mirage in the desert are the Phantom Voices. These occur when the wind whistles across the terrain, appearing to be people yelling a greeting, calling your name, or asking for help.

Sand: Shallow sand (1 foot deep) costs 2 squares of movement for each square moved; in other words, creatures move at half speed. It also increases tumble DC by 2. Deep sand (up to 3 feet deep) is even worse, costing 3 squares of movement for every square moved, and making it impossible to tumble. It is impossible to run or charge in deep sand. Sand any deeper than this limits movement to 1 square or no squares at all.

Sandstorms: A sandstorm reduces visibility to 1d10×5 feet and provides a -4 penalty on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A sandstorm deals 1d3 points of nonlethal damage per hour to any creatures caught in the open, and leaves a thin coating of sand in its wake. Driving sand creeps in through all but the most secure seals and seams, to chafe skin and contaminate carried gear.

Severe sandstorms reduce visibility to 5 feet, deal 1d6 nonlethal damage per 10 minutes, and can bury a creature in hours (leaving behind 1d6 feet of sand). Extreme sandstorms deal 1d6 nonlethal damage per round and can bury a creature in minutes (leaving behind 4d6 feet of sand). In this case, see “Water Dangers” below for drowning rules. Many travelers in the waste carry sandtents and sandtubes for just this reason (Sandstorm p 101).

Duststorms are less severe types of sandstorms, imposing only a -2 penalty on listen, search, and spot checks. They may leave behind 1d6 inches of sand, covering tracks and markers.

Shadowsand: Shadowsand is infused with material from the Shadowlands. In the daytime it appears as normal but cooler and darker sand. At night however, the temperature of Shadowsand drops to below 0 degrees F and fires are extinguished. A DC 15 Survival check reveals that this is not a natural temperature fluctuation.

Shapesand: Shapesand is infused with material from the Etherworld. See page 102 of Sandstorm.

Softsand: As quicksand listed in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. See “Water Dangers” below for drowning rules.

Slipsand: Slipsand is different from softsand. Slipsand is a section of sand that appears solid, but actually conceals a deep hole underneath. Stepping on slipsand breaks the surface layer and forces a DC 15 reflex save to avoid falling in. The fall may be anywhere from 5 or 10 feet (1d6 damage) to 50 or more feet. Once inside the crevice, sand often begins falling on top of the creature (if it failed the reflex save by 5 or more), and it may suffocate if it doesn’t climb out or get pulled out quickly.

Starvation: It can be difficult to find sufficient food in the Weird West. A character can go without food for 3 days, in growing discomfort. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each day (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.

Characters who have taken nonlethal damage from lack of food or water are fatigued. Nonlethal damage from thirst or starvation cannot be recovered until the character gets food or water, as needed—not even magic that restores hit points heals this damage.

Characters reduced to unconsciousness take lethal damage instead of nonlethal.

Water Dangers: Any character can wade in relatively calm water that isn’t over his head, no check required (though asherati are uncomfortable with this idea). Similarly, swimming in calm water only requires skill checks with a DC of 10. Trained swimmers can just take 10. (Remember, however, that armor or heavy gear makes any attempt at swimming much more difficult.)

By contrast, fast-moving water is much more dangerous. On a successful DC 15 Swim check or a DC 15 Strength check, it deals 1d3 points of nonlethal damage per round (1d6 points of lethal damage if flowing over rocks and cascades). On a failed check, the character must make another check that round to avoid going under.

Very deep water is not only generally pitch black, posing a navigational hazard, but worse, it deals water pressure damage of 1d6 points per minute for every 100 feet the character is below the surface. A successful Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) means the diver takes no damage in that minute. Very cold water deals 1d6 points of nonlethal damage from hypothermia per minute of exposure.

Any character can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to twice her Constitution score. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check every round in order to continue holding her breath. Each round, the DC increases by 1.

When the character finally fails her Constitution check, she begins to drown. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hp) unless her hit points were below 0 when she started drowning, in which case they do not change. In the following round, she loses one hit point. In the third round, she drowns.

It is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, and silos full of grain.

Wind: See the section on Wind Effects in the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

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