Friday, November 4, 2011

Wilderness Fatigue

This is the relatively simple mechanics I use for when the PCs are sleeping on rounds, or under trees any sleep that is not in a tent. Each morning when they wake they have to take a Survival Check or Fortitude Save (whichever is higher) of DC5  + 1 for each day in a row they haven't slept int a proper bed


Then they get modifiers to their roll based on circumstances and equipment (others of these could be added at whim or depending on exactly that, circumstance)

+2 for bedrolls
+2 for lighting a fire

-2 for the temperature in spring or autumn
-4 in winter
-6 in extreme cold
(note my campaign generally takes place in the far north of the game world so if the PCs were in the southlands, which they are now i would change this table, to only taking penalties in winter at -2, if they are further south i would start to shift the penalties based on humidity and rainfall etc)

+2 for tents
+1 per manservant to make or break camp (this is only for each player - so if one player has one manservant then they get a +1 bonus, if another player has two then that other player gets +2)
+2 for being able to wash and PC specifying that they wash (cause PCs are generally a constipated and smelly bunch)
+2 for winter blankets
-2 for light precipitation (this would count from the days travel not just the overnight stay)
-4 for heavy precipitation (same as above)

Failing the saving throw indicates that PC is at -1 to ALL checks and attacks etc until they the rest an extra hour for each penalty point they have accrued in a common quality or better inn, or twice as long in a poor quality in, or 4 times as long in the wilds (-1 penalty restored from 9 hours rest in a decent inn,  10 hours rest in a poor inn, 12 hours rest in the wilds).


I haven't needed to adjudicate this for a long wilderness expedition yet, but if the party were to go wilderness adventuring until the point at which characters are at risk of getting into the -10s on their checks I would probably rule that if a character takes more than their constitution score that they suffer fatigue as per the 3.5 rulebook (something along the lines of not being able to run, forced march or charge). 

After that every additional point a character takes I would impose 1 point of damage in addition to another penalty point and I would start forcing spellcraft checks to determine whether or not casters can prepare spells (DC10+spell level with a -1 for each damage past there con score) though I kind of want to make that a rule for any roughing it, but we'll see.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Illusory Pleasures

In the biggest cities of the world that have access to marvels of arcane magic and the brilliant sciences of alchemists a strange drug is favoured by nobles, aristocrats, arcanists and kings alike.  Known simply as Arcanist's Haze, it is whispered amongst the people to be the beauteous after-life in a bottle.

Arcanist's Haze is however one of the most expensive and rarest drugs, and can only be brewed by those who can wield the arcane arts.  Unlike other illicit substances it is normally made only on commission, wealthy addicts seeking out mages in the dark of night to make transactions.  Whilst some mages may sell pre-concocted vials of Haze, these pale by comparison to doses especially concocted.  Heavily addictive and with no physical side effects its only effects are on the mind. It is so sought after because it literally makes it as if one was in a harem full of sensuous males or females, king or empress for a day,even a god or living out your most desired fantasies, depending on the quality of the infusion.

One must always be careful though with Haze, for its strengths can vary, and unlike most substances where the strength is the intensity of the effect of the drug, the strength of Haze is in its duration.  Unwise nobles have been known to fall into comas whilst experiencing the effects their Haze for days on end, or simply waste away and die, not being able to take sustenance, caught up as they are in their fantasies.

Among mages Haze is referred to as Illusionists Triumph, for it is Shadowmancers and Illusonists that make the best quality Haze. Haze itself is nothing more than pleasant and fantastic Illusions, of the strongest types, distilled into a potion.

Haze users never get on the bad side of their suppliers for long. For those that do, they assured that "Money is a fickle concept" and "Not to worry, you can pay your debts later" before being offered a 'goodwill' dose.  Those users who fall this far, generally never return from the nightmare illusions of their 'debtors Haze.'