A Brutal World
Simply surviving on Athas into old age is a heroic accomplishment. For adventures and the dangers they face, this is doubly true.
Slow Healing
When in the wilderness without shelter that shields one from the heat and sun, it is more difficult to rest. There are two types of shelters that have varying means of protection and resting. Permanent shelters are buildings, caves, hollows, and other immobile structures that completely block the sun and most of the heat. The second type of shelter is temporary shelters such as tents, rock overhangs, ruins or any partially cover from sun and heat. Characters without permanent shelter do not regain hit points on a long rest, instead, they may use hit dice as if they were short resting. Without any shelter (temporary or permanent), hit dice cannot be used during a short rest.
Food and Water
At the end of each day, the party must determine how much food and water was consumed. Water needs are doubled if the weather is hot for at least 1 hour of the travel day (100+ degrees Fahrenheit) which is most days in the desert. Each character has a specific requirement of food and water based on their size according to the following table:
Food and Water per Day
| Character Size | Food per Day | Water per Day |
|---|
| Tiny | 1/4 pound | 1/4 gallon |
| Small | 1 pound | 1 gallon |
| Medium | 2 pounds | 1 gallon |
| Large | 4 pounds | 4 gallons |
At the end of the day, a character who did not consume the daily requirement of water gains one level of exhaustion, or two levels if the character has one or more levels of exhaustion from any source already.
A character who drinks at least half the water amount can make a DC 15 Constitution save to avoid exhaustion.
Each day without food is tracked, eating half rations counts as half a day. A character can go 3 + their Constitution modifier in days without enough food before they begin to starve. At the end of each day beyond that limit, they suffer 1 level of exhaustion. Each day a starving character eats their full daily requirement for food, they reduce their days without food count by two. Until your days without food count is back to zero, a starving character will have at least one level of exhaustion that cannot be removed by any means except eating.
One level of exhaustion can be removed with a long rest, but the character must consume at least half a day's rations and half a day's water in addition to the rest for this to occur.
Scavenging
Characters moving at a normal or slow travel pace may attempt to forage by making a Wisdom (Survival) check: DC 12 for abundant food sources, DC 16 for limited, and DC 20 for very little. Those who succeed find 1d4 + Wisdom modifier pounds of food. For water, this is similar, but more difficult: DC 14 for abundant water sources, DC 18 for limited, and DC 22 for very little; Those who succeed find 1d4 + Wisdom modifier gallons of water. Many areas of Athas have no resources to be found and at times no check will be possible. Food or water scavenged from an area that has been
defiled has a small chance to poison anyone who consumes it. A character can transport any amount of rations, but water is limited in the number of canteens a character has in their posession.
Lifting and Carrying
Carrying Capacity
Your carrying capacity is your Strength score multiplied by 10. If you carry weight in excess of 5 times your Strength score, you are encumbered, which means your speed drops by 10 feet. If you carry weight greater than your maximum carrying capacity, you are instead heavily encumbered, which means your speed drops by 20 feet and you have disadvantage on ability checks, attack rolls, and saving throws that use Strength, Dexterity, or Constitution.
Push, Drag, or Lift
You can push, drag, or lift a weight in pounds up to twice your carrying capacity (or 20 times your Strength score). While pushing or dragging weight in excess of your carrying capacity, your speed drops to 5 feet.
Size and Strength
Larger creatures can bear more weight, whereas Tiny creatures can carry less. For each size category above Medium, double your carrying capacity and the amount you can push, drag, or lift. For a Tiny creature, halve these values.
Common Weights
Many items will have weights associated with them. For small items, such as parchment, potions, knick-knacks, and jewelry, the weight is negligible and does not need to be tracked. Common adventuring equipment needs to be tracked following the weights listed in the PHB. Weights for weapons and armor are in the
Armaments of Athas section.
Common Weights
| Item | Weight (lbs.) |
|---|
| 1 gallon of water | 10 |
| 1 day rations | 2 |
| 50 ceramic pieces | 1 |
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