DnD Desert Raiders Campaign Cold Dangers

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COLD DANGERS

For game purposes, air temperature falls into one of the nine temperature bands described on Table 1-1.

TABLE 1-1: TEMPERATURE BANDS

Temperatures in the cold band or lower can be hazardous to unprepared characters. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on his saving throws against cold and exposure damage, and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. For more information on the Survival skill, see page 83 of the Player's Handbook. The levels of protection described here refer to a character's protective measures against cold (see Protection Against Cold, below).

Cold: Unprotected characters must make a Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take ld6 points of nonlethal damage. Characters whose protection against cold is at least level 1 or higher (cold weather outfit, Cold Endurance feat) are safe at this temperature range.

Severe Cold: Unprotected characters must make a Fortitude save every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), taking ld6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. A partially protected character need only check once per hour. For complete protection against severe cold, a character must have a level of protection of 2 or higher (for example, wearing a cold weather outfit and fur clothing). A character whose level of protection is only 1 is considered partially protected.

Frostbite

Frostbitten extremities become numb and pale as the supply of blood decreases due to cold temperatures. As stated in Chapter 8 of the Dungeon Masters Guide, a character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite and suffers a -2 penalty to his Dexterity score. Touching metal with bare skin can cause the moisture on your skin to freeze to the metal. When you pull away, you may leave a layer of skin behind.

Treating Frostbite

A successful DC 15 Heal check can cure frostbite, eliminating the fatigue. The DC is modified by the conditions listed in the table below.

TABLE 1-5: Frostbite conditions

Condition……………………………………..Heal DC Modifier
Cold environment………………………..+3
Immersion in warm water……………-5
Dry heat from flame…………………….-2*

• Healing frostbite using dry heat causes the victim to take ld4 points of fire damage.

Protection Against Cold

Few people venture into the frostfell without some form of protection against cold. By far the most common means of protection is dressing appropriately in cold weather clothing or heavy furs. Characters with access to magical protection often rely on spells or magic items to further improve their ability to survive cold climates. A character's protection against cold dangers is described by his level of protection, which ranges from 0 to 5 or more. Levels of protection are described below. To determine your protective level, begin with your base protective level, and then add any of the equipment modifiers that apply. Protection against cold does not confer any resistance to cold—a character dressed in cold weather clothing with an endure elements spell still takes damage normally from a cone of cold spell or a white dragon's breath. However, equipment that provides a bonus on saving throws against cold dangers contributes its bonus whether it is complete, partial, or ineffective protection. For example, even though a cold weather outfit is not sufficient to offer even partial protection against extreme cold, a character in a cold weather outfit still adds the item's +5 circumstance bonus on his saves against the nonlethal damage of the extreme cold environment.

TABLE 1-6: Base Level of Protection

0…. Character or creature with no cold adaptations
1 …. Cold Endurance feat Nonarctic animal with fur Monsters native to cold terrain
2…. Cold-tolerant character (glacier dwarf or neanderthal) Arctic animal with fur Monsters native to frostfell terrain
3…. Endure elements spell or effect Resistance to cold 5 or more

Cold Endurance Feat: Creatures or characters with the Cold Endurance feat.

Nonarctic Animal with Fur: Animals native to temperate or cold climates that have heavy fur coats (badgers, bears, wolves, and other such creatures).

Monsters Native to Cold Terrain: Creatures whose Environment entry includes a cold terrain. Arctic Animal with Fur: Animals with special adaptation to cold environments (polar bears, seals, arctic foxes, and other such animals).

Monsters Native to Frostfell Terrain: Monsters that are normally found in regions of extreme cold belong in this group. For a sample list, see page 165.

Endure Elements: Characters currently protected by an endure elements spell or similar effect.

Resistance to Cold: A character with a spell or effect granting cold resistance applies his resistance to both lethal and nonlethal damage from cold temperatures. For example, a creature with resistance to cold 5 subtracts 5 points from the ld6 points of cold damage dealt per 10 minutes by extreme cold (and therefore might take 1 point of cold damage, if a 6 is rolled) and 5 points from the ld4 points of nonlethal damage dealt. Since the character never takes any nonlethal damage from the cold, he will not suffer hypothermia or frostbite (see below).

TABLE 1-7 Equipment modifier

0 …….. No special clothing
+1 …… Armor insulation / Cold weather outfit / Fur clothing
+2……. Cold weather outfit + fur clothing / Armor insulation + fur clothing
+3……. Improvised shelter

Armor Insulation: This special alchemical item is described in Chapter 4 of this book. Cold Weather Outfit: A cold weather outfit includes a wool coat, linen shirt, wool cap, heavy cloak, thick pants or skirt, and boots. This outfit grants a +5 circumstance bonus on Fortitude saving throws against exposure to cold weather.

Fur Clothing: Heavy furs are very good at protection against cold (see page 78). Fur clothing can be worn over a cold weather outfit or armor insulation in order to provide protection against even more severe weather.

Improvised Shelter: Characters or creatures that are not attempting to travel, but instead stop and seek shelter in a snow cave, den, or similar shelter, can gain a bonus to their level of protection. Example: A neanderthal hunter wearing fur clothing has a protective level of 3 (2 for his race, +1 for his equipment). He can survive conditions of extreme cold indefinitely without harm.

Hypothermia

In any situation in which freezing temperatures are present, hypothermia is a potentially lethal risk. Hypothermia is a condition that results from the lowering of the body's core temperature (whether caused quickly by immersion in freezing waters or over a long period of time by exposure to cold temperatures) and is marked by pale skin, rigid muscles, and loss of consciousness. The three stages of hypothermia are mild, moderate, and severe. As stated in Chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master's Guide, a character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by mild hypothermia and therefore treated as fatigued. Immersion in chilled waters calls for an immediate check to resist the effects of cold or exposure and increases the DC of all Fortitude saves to avoid taking damage from cold or resisting cold-based spells and effects by 10 until the character and his clothes become dry. Once a character succumbs to mild hypothermia, he becomes susceptible to moderate and severe levels of hypothermia. Any character with mild hypothermia who fails a Fortitude save to avoid the effects of cold or exposure is beset by moderate hypothermia and is treated as exhausted. Any character with moderate hypothermia who fails a Fortitude save to avoid the effects of cold or exposure is beset by severe hypothermia and is treated as disabled.

Treating Hypothermia

A successful DC 15 Heal check can lower the level of hypothermia of the victim by one level (severe to moderate, moderate to mild, mild to none). The DC is modified by the conditions listed in the table below.

TABLE 1-7: Hypothermia modifier

Condition…………………………………….. Heal DC Modifier
Wet clothing………………………………… +2
Cold environment……………………….. +3
Heat from fire……………………………… -5
Body contact……………………………….. 1