Survival and Weather

Survival

Characters may find themselves in hostile environments: deserts, arctic landscapes, mountains, rain-lashed moorlands, and so on. In such environments characters may find themselves battling the elements and the three big killers: exporsure, starvation, and thirst.

Each danger has a specific onset time before a critical point is reached, after which debilitation occurs at a steady rate.

Exposure occurs when the body is inssuficiently protected against the a hostile environment. Assuming suitable clothing it usually starts to take effect after CON hours. The subsequent Exporue Rate can range from daily to mere minutes depending on the weather conditions (see below).

Starvation takes place after an extended period without food. Critical levels of starvation ebgin after a number of days equal to half CON. After this the Starvation Rate is daily.

Dehydration begins after CON x4 hours; although in arid or hot environments this might be CON x3 or even CON x2. The ensuing Dehydration Rate depends on the ambient aridity or humidity of the environment (see below).

Once any of the above conditions take hold characters start to accrue Fatigue levels. An Endurance roll is required at onset, which is then repeated every time the Exposure, Starvation, or Dehydration Rate cycles. If the roll is failed tehn a level of Fatigue is accrued.

Weather

Weather conditions can have a significant effect on the local environment. The main aspects of weather are precipitation, temperature, and wind. These are detailed for the purposes of modelling weather amgic, reduction of character skills, and calculating the effects of weather on Survival.

Precipitation

Precipitation relates to the amount of mousture which falls out of the sky. Depending on the temperature it can range between rain, sleet, and snow, with hail falling during storms. The base chance of it raining is equal to the relative humidity. The amount of rain per hour and the duration of the fall can be calculated by looking up the relevant entry on the Precipitation table below.

Normally precipitation has little effect on characters save to slow down travel if excessive rain causes flooding, or snow begins to drift, obscuring and blocking paths. Rain also makes chracters wet, which may increase their chance of suffering exposure if the ambient conditions are windy or cold.

Relative Humidity	Typical Cloud Cover	Amount per Hour	Duration	Dehydration Rate
0-12	None	None	None	Hourly
13-25	Scant Clouds	Very Light (0-1mm)	1d10 minutes	2 Hours
26-37	Scattered Clouds	Light (1-2.5mm)	1d6x10 minutes	3 Hours
38-50	Heavy Clouds	Moderate (2.5-10mm)	1d2 hours	4 Hours
51-62	Slight Overcast	Heavy (11-25mm)	1d3 hours	4 Hours
63-75	Moderately Overcast	Very Heavy (26-50mm)	1d6 hours	3 Hours
76-87	Completely Overcast	Monsoon (51-80mm)	1d8 hours	2 Hours
88-100	Storm Clouds	Deluge (81+mm)	1d12 hours	Hourly

Temperature

Temperature can vary dramatically due to climate, season, and elevation. The following table provides a guideline for the effects of extreme tempertaure on characters.

Wet chracters shift the Exposure Rate one step cooler. Light or Moderate ggale force winds also shift Exposure Rate one step cooler, whilst stronger gales and storms shift it two steps.

Temp (°C)	Climate	Risk of Exposure	Exposure Rate
Below -20	Glacial	Yes	Minutes
-19 to -10	Freezing	Yes	15 Minutes
-9 to 0	Cold	Yes	Hourly
1 to 10	Chill	Yes	Daily
11 to 20	Cool	No	None
21 to 30	Warm	No	None
31 to 40	Hot	Yes	Hourly

Wind

Wind, especially very strong winds, can have an adverse effect on activity. A wind's Strength (STR) is expressed in kilometers per hour of velocity. Its effect on physical skills -- those involving STR or DEX -- is detailed in the Movement Rate column.

Wind STR	Sample	Skill Grade	Movement Rate
0-15	Calm Day / Light Breeze	Standard	Normal
16-30	Moderate Breeze	Standard	Normal
31-45	Strong Breeze	Standard	Two Thirds
46-60	Light Gale	Hard	Two Thirds
61-75	Moderate Gale	Hard	Half
76-90	Strong Gale	Formidable	Half
91+	Storm/Hurricane	Formidable	One Third