Come rain or shine
Another oft underutilised aspect of the current editions game is that of Weather.
The DMG has several helpful random tables for determining its current state, however they are tucked away under a section labelled: [WILDERNESS SURVIVAL].
Which, in my experience, is not an aspect of the current game most people use. Polling consistently shows that of the three Core pillars (Combat, Social, Exploration), it is the Exploration pillar that gets the least attention.
With some YT creators lamenting how trivially it can be bypassed.
While others, mostly Tourists, curse those darn Outlander Rangers in their Favoured Terrain.
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Allow me a moments diversion as I touch upon some of the other aspects of surviving in the wilderness.
Now back to the main ramble.
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This is a Feature not a bug, as smart players will play to their strengths.
"Amateurs talk about tactics, but Professionals study logistics"
The Roots of the Hobby well understood the effects different biomes might have on the Player Characters, the OG DMG's tables for Parasitic infections or contracting Diseases hinge on knowing if the region you've been frequenting is:
"FILTHY CONDITIONS AND WARM TEMPERATURE HOT, MOIST WEATHER
VERY HOT WEATHER OR HOT, MOIST WEATHER
FILTHY, CROWDED CONDITIONS IN WARM WEATHER"
Heck there is a CANTRIP that allows you more accurate predictions then even the most advanced Meteorological model.
"Druidcraft: You create a tiny, harmless sensory effect that predicts what the weather will be at your location for the next 24 hours. The effect might manifest as a golden orb for clear skies, a cloud for rain, falling snowflakes for snow, and so on. This effect persists for 1 round."
I take "your location" to mean the area of the current Hex scale you are in, and assume it could be scaled up using the guidance in the DMG regarding Mapping Your Campaign.
Tying it in to the Normal Pace travel rules.
So where am I going with all this, well Waterdeep: Dragon Heist normally takes place during a specific season and applies set weather effects that the city is swept up in during the time the players scour it for treasure.
As you’ll notice the Calendar is broken down into the seasons, and the module gives guidance on what the normal weather is like for the city during the season.
- Spring has Heavy Rains and Thick Fogs that roll in off the sea.
- Summer brings sweltering Heat Waves that grinds the city to a halt.
- Autumn brings brisk Autumn Winds that swirl through the tight streets.
- Winter has Blizzards and Extreme Cold full of sea ice and heavy snows.
But what does this mean Mechanically for the Players and Patrons.
- Heavy Rain - Disadvantage on Perception checks, visibility reduced to 60ft, and open flames are extinguished.
- Thick Fog - Disadvantage on Perception checks, visibility reduced to 30ft.
- Heat Wave - You will be making DC10 Con save after encounters or gain one level of Exhaustion. Fire resistance/immunity is an auto success, and Medium or Heavy armour grants disadvantage on the save.
- Autumn Wind - Disadvantage on Ranged weapon attacks and Perception checks, while open fires smaller than a torch flame are extinguished.
- Blizzard - Disadvantage on Perception checks, open flames are extinguished, visibility is reduced to 60ft. Snow drifts create difficult terrain.
- Extreme Cold - You will be making DC10 Con save after encounters or gain one level of Exhaustion. Cold resistance/immunity/winter clothing is an auto success.
And I will be modifying this base with the use of the Weather Tables from the DMG, but I will be sure to put the full mechanics for the Players/Patrons in the [Waterdeep Weather Report] in the Discords Calendar channel.
Though they mostly only affect the character when they are exposed to such conditions.
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