An idea I've been entertaining is to introduce weather as a potential difficulty for the adventurers of my games. It's easy enough to make a table for weather effects, sunny, cloudy, gentle rain/snow, storm, etc. You can make adjustments based on location, desert, forest, coastal, plains, and so forth. Introduce major effects such as tornadoes, hurricanes, dust storms, blizzards, and the likes if you want to have some really nasty weather at times. The one thing I'm trying to figure out is how it may be possible to make travel, combat, and other scenarios affected by these weather based situations.
Have any of you used weather as part of your games for more than just a meteorological report, and if so, how did you make it affect your game?
I use weather in a mild degree. Currently they're in an area where occasional heavy downpours occur, a small tornado whipping by. I'm using the setup of having a d20 table that basically lists 1 day per number. It details on daily traveling events broken down into 4 segments of 6 hours. Each day has a theme where the group either experiences a great day with the wind in their back. Increasing the distance traveled.
Another day can explain how clouds gather during the noon, how they then make choices to react to that as the weather worses. During the night the heavy downpour occurs. Limited sight for perception checks, but also them having to get out their tents a few times during the night to secure the herrings. Meaning they're only getting a the benefit of a short rest and not a full rest.
Yet another day can detail how they find an idol alongside the road. Depending on what they do can result into running into extra "luck" such as a merchant convoy to do trades. Or something else they really need.
Small tornado whipping by providing its challenges. Later during the day the group can run into a druid that talks about an experiment gone wrong, or whatever you want. Or I had them being pushed back as they rested on top of some old ruins. Where parts crumbled and revealed mysterious passages that led somewhere.
Depending on the roll for that in-game day... There could be searing heat. Cause for some exhaustion checks every part of the day, especially from those in heavy armors.
I use weather, and I also do next to no work for it!
I use an amazing website called Fantasy Calendar, which allows me to set up the calendar for my world. Above that, it also lets me set up the climate for the area my players are in, and it automatically generates weather for me.
My players even recently went to a place in my world which is desecrated by a God tied to fire and brimstone, so I was able to very quickly set up a new climate to represent the oppressive heat there.
I then use what the calendar provides as a jumping off point. If it's a rainy night, maybe stealthing becomes easier outside-- But when they enter the noble's house their sopping wet clothes make it harder. In this overly hot area they need more water, which they're quickly running out of, or else gain levels of exhaustion from heat and dehydration. It also influences what other people in the area want. Weather can be a fun tool, for sure. Though I wouldn't use it quite as much as I do if it weren't for Fantasy Calendar.
I use weather, and I also do next to no work for it! Wait ... that sounds familiar ....
Anyway - my current campaign is set in The Forgotten Realms. Currently the Party is travelling the Triboar Trail, north of the Sword Mountains, and it's the 29th day of Leaffal, 1492 DR.
That maps to October 29th in our calendar, and I've guesstimated that the northern Sword Coast will have weather roughly analogous to Norway, in our world.
Since the Triboar Trail is inland, and Lillehammer is an inland Norwegian city, I've called up the historical weather for Lillehammer, in October 2012 ( as 2012 gives me a lot of historical data to work forward from, as game time flows faster than real calendar time ).
This tells me that for the day, it's going to chilly, between -2 and -5 Celsius with mild winds blowing in from the Neverwinter Woods. Of course, if they don't make to Longsaddle by the 31st, it's going to be a lot nastier travelling as the seasonal temperatures starts dropping fast.
It's just a question of finding a location in our world that you think matches the climate in your setting where the Players are, and letting nature and history do all the work for you ;)
It might not be 100% accurate - but it's close enough.
I tend to adjust travel a bit based on weather. They might be slowed by 1-3 hexes of travel for stow or rain storms. Tracking and survival rolls are also affected: it's easier to track, and harder to throw off a tail when you're leaving a muddy trail. Extreme cold, and I may roll for exhaustion. etc.
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I use weather, and I also do next to no work for it!
I use an amazing website called Fantasy Calendar, which allows me to set up the calendar for my world. Above that, it also lets me set up the climate for the area my players are in, and it automatically generates weather for me.
I tried to sign up...still waiting on the activation email... It looks like a fun tool, I may find uses for it.
It's just a question of finding a location in our world that you think matches the climate in your setting where the Players are, and letting nature and history do all the work for you ;)
I'll have to play around with that and see if I can make it work for me. I'm really leaning toward making weather as natural as making relationships with NPCs, something that just is part of the daily life of an adventurer.
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So what about the mechanical benefits/tribulations of weather?
Would it be prudent to have the weather affect things in combat, such as imposing penalties on melee and ranged attacks? I can see heavy winds making ranged weapons more difficult or fogs and heavy rains impairing line of sight. Would it be too much to say that heavy rains or sleet could affect grip on weapons and shields, making them difficult to handle?
Strong winds making spells like Fog or Stinking Cloud significantly less effective. Lowered visibility reducing the range of spells simply due to line of sight, a heavy rain reducing vision greatly so a 120' ranged spell could only be cast at a maximum of 30-40 feet. Concentration being affected by bitter cold, extreme heat, hail storms. Verbal spells, such as Vicious Mockery being messed with during a thunder storm.
I don't, and wouldn't, go overboard with meteorology having too much effect of combat ( weapon and shield handling ).
Remember, the more mechanics you introduce, the more you have to keep track of.
I might impose a -2 penalty on ranged attacks over 100' in very windy conditions, if I really wanted to emphasize the winds ( although, imagine your Ranger character with the Sharpshooter feat being able to brag that she made the longbow shot at 600' in a heavy crosswind :D ).
Things I would/do factor weather and environmental conditions into: Stealth, Perception, Survival/Tracking, travel distance, chance of getting lost, and Exposure checks. Most of these apply to overland travel and scouting.
Beyond that ... I have to remind myself that D&D 5E is not Advanced Squad Leader or Starfleet Battles - there's bounded depth of simulation, as well as bounded accuracy.
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I'd only do big battle impacts in case you're in an actual tornado or gigantic storm. Plenty of 3.5 rules to draw inspiration from in that case. However more of them are aimed towards impacting movement. Such as people failing a DC and being pushed back x feet. And when moving into the wind will do so at a heavily reduced movement speed. Howling winds would impact perceiving sound and such things.
I mostly use weather to enhance a mood, or background. The day of a big battle it's pouring rain and thunder and lightning fill the sky. The princesses wedding day is bright and sunshine filled, with a few puffy white clouds in the sky. The bandit camp is dreary and cold, every one is huddled in cloaks to keep the mist like rain off them so the pcs can sneak in.
When you read a novel they don't tell you the weather everyday, but normaly to help you remember a pivotal scene the author details everything, I use the same idea, to accentuate a scene.
For mechanical purposes I find that the general rule for 5e is it gives them disadvantage. So shooting into the wind , being in a rain storm and makeing a perception check to see the shelter of a cave mouth, is all at disadvantage. As said its d&d not a more hardcore reality bases rpg.
I use effects similar to the XGtE rules on sleeping in armour, going without a long rest, and exhaustion.
24 hours of extreme environment (hot, cold, altitude, etc) or irresponsibly ignoring borderline environment (think below freezing in a metal bikini) without mitigating (DM discretion, but anything reasonable the players come up with) reduces long rest effectiveness as if resting in medium+ armor (recover 1/4 HD only and don’t recover exhaustion). If you also sleep in medium+ armor, you don’t recover any HD at all.
You must also succeed on a DC 10 every 24 hours without mitigation or suffer one level of exhaustion.
Creatures acclimatized to the weather are treated as having mitigated the effects. DM’s discretion on how long this takes and how it is done.
It's so easy for D&D sessions to devolve into a war of hit point attrition. At some point the players and the DM are both just going through the motions. That's no fun. I feel that it is absolutely essential to maintaining a sense of depth in the campaign world to provide dimensions like weather, local stories, rumors, etc. More dimensions lead to more immersion, more believability.
As a player, it provides an interesting challenge to have to face an enemy or obstacle that can't simply be solved by swinging a specified weapon a specified number of times to cause a predetermined number of hit points of damage.
And as the DM, it allows you to soften up those superheros before they get to the boss fight. It allows you the chance to impose certain disadvantages on them that can turn a simple goblin ambush into an absolute clusterf-nightmare. Many players have memorized the Monster Manual, so being able to throw something at them that's not listed in a stat block is helpful.
Granted, this doesn't mean that you have to spend five hours a week tracking the AccuWeather 6000 Faerun Forecast Radar! But have a general idea at least. And give the players a gist of the weather at the start of each day outdoors. And when you're planning possibilities for random encounters, remember - not every encounter needs to be with violent humanoid bandits or undead badger-zombies. Maybe it rains so hard that the party seeks shelter and loses half a day of travel time. Maybe a lightning bolt hits nearby and spooks the horses during a rest stop and one of your horses takes off running. Maybe high winds turn a simple rope bridge crossing into a tense nail-biter!
It's all about adding dimensions to the game world. Texture. Weather can give different regions their own flair. And who knows... maybe a player asks to roll a Nature check... maybe they notice that those thunderstorms are becoming more frequent... maybe their becoming a localized phenomenon... maybe it's a sign that there's a storm giant party happening... maybe it's blue dragon mating season... maybe a circle of druids are summoning storms of vengeance to wipe out nearby cities...
Ideas...
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
It's so easy for D&D sessions to devolve into a war of hit point attrition. At some point the players and the DM are both just going through the motions. That's no fun. I feel that it is absolutely essential to maintaining a sense of depth in the campaign world to provide dimensions like weather, local stories, rumors, etc. More dimensions lead to more immersion, more believability.
That's pretty much where I was taking the idea, the world is real. 65 and sunny all day, every day, is beneficial, but what about the off chance that your plate wearing tankadin turns into a lightning rod due to the thunderstorm. Mind you, I probably wouldn't go that far but it could provide some amusement once in a while.
I use effects similar to the XGtE rules on sleeping in armour, going without a long rest, and exhaustion.
I already keep an eye on how the players choose to rest so that armor and poor sleeping conditions may affect them. I don't adhere to it strictly, mostly because I have an aversion to breaking down menial tasks into logic problems, but there is something to be said about spending three nights sleeping in half-plate and never taking it off. I wholly agree that inclement weather can affect long/short rests if the party doesn't do anything to mitigate the effects.
I think there are 2 ways to handle weather from reading this.
1) More atmosphere for the game. Seasons, rain, etc... don't really mechanically change the game, but just make it feel more alive. If it's winter in Neverwinter, then did you buy weather appropriate clothing? Yes, because it's not expensive. Then you can describe being cold, but it's not going to mechanically effect you. You might choose to have that happen if someone falls in water, and so you need to warm up or risk hypothermia (exhaustion). That exhaustion would probably go away by warming them up instead of a long rest. The concern of a lot of ad-hoc house ruling in the middle of gameplay becomes a concern... but that also depends on the group.
2) The weather itself is an adversary. The only published module in 5e where I've seen this is Tomb of Annihilation. Chult is a hostile land and the players have to work to overcome it just like any obstacle. Light Rain/Clear skies are fine. Heavy rain makes canoe travel impossible and automatically causes 1 exhaustion for land travel with the possibility of 2, and checks to not get lost are at disadvantage. That's ontop of the heat, the bugs, and trying to keep a supply of potable water. Oddly the heat rules really aren't a big deal, they only kick in if you already don't have enough water. The bugs are just a gold cost reduction to explore with ointment, and the others you get if you don't have potable water. potable water/fresh food is pretty easy if you have a Cleric and a Druid or Ranger. That said it's a constant drain on a couple of lvl 1 spells every day to survive, so it's not without a cost!
I played an awesome (horror) campaign (it was Savage Worlds) where the game was set around weather being the main adversary. The GM had a big chart of weather condition effects. Basically every 2 hours we spent outside we had to roll Con, DC was based on the temperature and wind, and a failure would be a lvl of exhaustion, but they exhaustion would go away with a short/long rest in a warm place. So we had to get shelter, build a fire, and get warm to lose it. The snow, rain, and cold was an enemy we couldn't defeat merely manage.
That said this sort of setting works best in extreme conditions either very hot or very cold.
I played an awesome (horror) campaign (it was Savage Worlds) where the game was set around weather being the main adversary. The GM had a big chart of weather condition effects. Basically every 2 hours we spent outside we had to roll Con, DC was based on the temperature and wind, and a failure would be a lvl of exhaustion, but they exhaustion would go away with a short/long rest in a warm place. So we had to get shelter, build a fire, and get warm to lose it. The snow, rain, and cold was an enemy we couldn't defeat merely manage.
That said this sort of setting works best in extreme conditions either very hot or very cold.
I think a survival story/arc would be fantastic using this approach. Stranded, teleported, or otherwise finding yourself in a location where the weather is, as you put it, the adversary. I have a Kraken in one of the games my players are in, it's sleeping now, but having the Kraken affect weather is something I've already worked in. I am also considering rifts to the elemental planes making extreme weather conditions as well. In another game, the players are in an Egyptian themed setting, so sandstorms and extreme heat are a very real thing.
I use weather extensively, though mainly as a backdrop. It's very helpful for making the world feel more immersive and for conveying a certain mood. If the weather conditions are typical and comparatively mild, then I don't usually quibble much about the mechanical effects if the PCs are well-prepared.
On the flipside, I also enjoy using weather as a fixture of a single encounter or session (or even a longer adventure). My approach when considering the related mechanics is to keep things relatively simple and to lean as much as you can on existing rules. I use Exhaustion and gradual damage over time as the main way to represent PCs being worn down by the elements; Exhaustion is a very sticky condition, so damage works better as a way to directly tax the party's resources. For encounters, I primarily use advantage/disadvantage whenever possible, rather than trying to track a variety of small penalties or bonuses. I focus more on the broad effects of inclement weather, and particularly how it might transform terrain.
I've run a couple different skill challenges related to weather. I had one particularly memorable one where the PCs were trying to drive several wagons pulled by oxen through a storm. They ultimately turned back, which led to an interesting encounter when the only shelter they could find was an herbalist's cottage occupied by blights.
I will note that D&D makes it pretty difficult to use weather as an adversary, as survival-based challenges tend to become pretty trivial after the first few levels or so. Though that changes if the weather events are magical in nature or lead to natural disasters. In the same campaign as the one above, the much higher level PCs later used an artifact to unleash an out-of-season thunderstorm in hopes of slowing down the advance of an army. Their plan succeeded, but the storm got out of control, and the torrential rain ultimately led to flooding and mudslides that devastated the area, endangering local villagers, and generally complicating matters.
I will note that D&D makes it pretty difficult to use weather as an adversary, as survival-based challenges tend to become pretty trivial after the first few levels or so. Though that changes if the weather events are magical in nature or lead to natural disasters. In the same campaign as the one above, the much higher level PCs later used an artifact to unleash an out-of-season thunderstorm in hopes of slowing down the advance of an army. Their plan succeeded, but the storm got out of control, and the torrential rain ultimately led to flooding and mudslides that devastated the area, endangering local villagers, and generally complicating matters.
Yea, I've skimmed over the weather related material in the books and it really doesn't get in depth with that either. Players may make it trivial using spells and abilities, but I feel that if the weather persists it could start to tax their resources. Damage is a good tool, dis/advantage based on the situation is one of the things I'd considered, I was even toying with the idea of a morale type mechanic. Long days in the cold, or grey dreary skies, it takes a mental toll on people...I live in a state that gets 8 months of winter (or so it feels) and depression is a real consequence.
In my current campaign, I have a sorcerer with this:
Storm Guide (Special)
You gain the ability to subtly control the weather around you. If it is raining, you can use an action to cause the rain to stop falling in a 20-ft.-radius (end as a bonus action). If it is windy, you can use a bonus action each round to choose the direction that the wind blows in a 100-ft.-radius sphere centered on you. The wind blows in that direction until the end of your next turn.
It makes the fall dreary rains a little less of an obstacle for the party :)
It still makes them easier to track ( of course, the Party members with +7 and +9 to Stealth really helps with that, as does the Drow Shadow Monk casting Pass Without Trace ).
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Spells can make survival "trivial", but it's also a resource tax. For a Chult game I went through every spell that could reasonably be used in survival.
I made a list of all spells by level that would effect a survival situation. The main one I think is breaking is Tiny Hut, which is why as a player it's my FAVORITE spell ever. It also doesn't cost a spell slot, just the memorization slot because it's a Ritual. Not even that if you're a Wizard.
Lvl 1 Create/Destroy Water generates up to 10gal/lvl of water into a container. The issue is that it's into a container, so you need a large enough container or you're using multiple castings. Purify Food/Drink, makes all food/water within 5' potable removing poison/disease. It can purify more water then Create will, but it's range limited. Also, it doesn't desalinate water. Goodberry, feeds up to 10 creatures per day per casting. A key thing is it also isn't size dependent, so it can feed your steeds on a single berry.
Lvl 2 Lesser Restoration: cures a disease or poison, or another condition. Rope Trick: lets the party short rest in an extra dimenstional space. It doesn't say if the space is effected by weather so it's probably just as hot/cold inside it as it is outside.
Lvl 3 Create Food & Water: creates 45 lbs of food and 30 gal of water. It autofills all containers within range, which is nice. Feeds 15 humanoids (steeds count as 3). Tiny Hut: 10' radius invulnerable dome. Attacks/spells can't go through it, dome is dry and comfortable regardless of outside.
Side note. I also think the requirement that if you get attacked at night you have to RESTART your 8 hour rest all over to be one of their stupidest @#%*@ rules ever. I feel like the designers have never met a human in their lives. I just add an extra hour of sleep tax.
Lvl 1 Create/Destroy Water generates up to 10gal/lvl of water into a container. The issue is that it's into a container, so you need a large enough container or you're using multiple castings. Purify Food/Drink, makes all food/water within 5' potable removing poison/disease. It can purify more water then Create will, but it's range limited. Also, it doesn't desalinate water. Goodberry, feeds up to 10 creatures per day per casting. A key thing is it also isn't size dependent, so it can feed your steeds on a single berry.
Lvl 2 Lesser Restoration: cures a disease or poison, or another condition. Rope Trick: lets the party short rest in an extra dimenstional space. It doesn't say if the space is effected by weather so it's probably just as hot/cold inside it as it is outside.
Lvl 3 Create Food & Water: creates 45 lbs of food and 30 gal of water. It autofills all containers within range, which is nice. Feeds 15 humanoids (steeds count as 3). Tiny Hut: 10' radius invulnerable dome. Attacks/spells can't go through it, dome is dry and comfortable regardless of outside.
Side note. I also think the requirement that if you get attacked at night you have to RESTART your 8 hour rest all over to be one of their stupidest @#%*@ rules ever. I feel like the designers have never met a human in their lives. I just add an extra hour of sleep tax.
Depends on how long the disruption of the encounter is. If the party can keep it under an hour, the Long Rest is not interrupted. Since combat is, generally, under 5 rounds (varies with CR), and each round is 6 seconds.....
Side note. I also think the requirement that if you get attacked at night you have to RESTART your 8 hour rest all over to be one of their stupidest @#%*@ rules ever. I feel like the designers have never met a human in their lives. I just add an extra hour of sleep tax.
Yea, I break up the watches into 2 hr increments which, according to RAW, would not allow my players to get a full rest. I've done my fair share of sleep cycle research and can be quite the insomniac at times, the constraints on rest are silly at times.
That list of spells is handy, fortunately there aren't too many that adjust weather itself. The ability to make travel a bit easier with food/drink being more accessible is nice. It does take the foraging necessity away from the game, but for those who don't want to bean count, it's helpful.
An idea I've been entertaining is to introduce weather as a potential difficulty for the adventurers of my games. It's easy enough to make a table for weather effects, sunny, cloudy, gentle rain/snow, storm, etc. You can make adjustments based on location, desert, forest, coastal, plains, and so forth. Introduce major effects such as tornadoes, hurricanes, dust storms, blizzards, and the likes if you want to have some really nasty weather at times. The one thing I'm trying to figure out is how it may be possible to make travel, combat, and other scenarios affected by these weather based situations.
Have any of you used weather as part of your games for more than just a meteorological report, and if so, how did you make it affect your game?
I use weather in a mild degree. Currently they're in an area where occasional heavy downpours occur, a small tornado whipping by. I'm using the setup of having a d20 table that basically lists 1 day per number. It details on daily traveling events broken down into 4 segments of 6 hours. Each day has a theme where the group either experiences a great day with the wind in their back. Increasing the distance traveled.
Another day can explain how clouds gather during the noon, how they then make choices to react to that as the weather worses. During the night the heavy downpour occurs. Limited sight for perception checks, but also them having to get out their tents a few times during the night to secure the herrings. Meaning they're only getting a the benefit of a short rest and not a full rest.
Yet another day can detail how they find an idol alongside the road. Depending on what they do can result into running into extra "luck" such as a merchant convoy to do trades. Or something else they really need.
Small tornado whipping by providing its challenges. Later during the day the group can run into a druid that talks about an experiment gone wrong, or whatever you want. Or I had them being pushed back as they rested on top of some old ruins. Where parts crumbled and revealed mysterious passages that led somewhere.
Depending on the roll for that in-game day... There could be searing heat. Cause for some exhaustion checks every part of the day, especially from those in heavy armors.
I use weather, and I also do next to no work for it!
I use an amazing website called Fantasy Calendar, which allows me to set up the calendar for my world. Above that, it also lets me set up the climate for the area my players are in, and it automatically generates weather for me.
My players even recently went to a place in my world which is desecrated by a God tied to fire and brimstone, so I was able to very quickly set up a new climate to represent the oppressive heat there.
I then use what the calendar provides as a jumping off point. If it's a rainy night, maybe stealthing becomes easier outside-- But when they enter the noble's house their sopping wet clothes make it harder. In this overly hot area they need more water, which they're quickly running out of, or else gain levels of exhaustion from heat and dehydration. It also influences what other people in the area want. Weather can be a fun tool, for sure. Though I wouldn't use it quite as much as I do if it weren't for Fantasy Calendar.
I use weather, and I also do next to no work for it! Wait ... that sounds familiar ....
Anyway - my current campaign is set in The Forgotten Realms. Currently the Party is travelling the Triboar Trail, north of the Sword Mountains, and it's the 29th day of Leaffal, 1492 DR.
That maps to October 29th in our calendar, and I've guesstimated that the northern Sword Coast will have weather roughly analogous to Norway, in our world.
So, I turn to https://www.timeanddate.com/
Since the Triboar Trail is inland, and Lillehammer is an inland Norwegian city, I've called up the historical weather for Lillehammer, in October 2012 ( as 2012 gives me a lot of historical data to work forward from, as game time flows faster than real calendar time ).
This tells me that for the day, it's going to chilly, between -2 and -5 Celsius with mild winds blowing in from the Neverwinter Woods. Of course, if they don't make to Longsaddle by the 31st, it's going to be a lot nastier travelling as the seasonal temperatures starts dropping fast.
It's just a question of finding a location in our world that you think matches the climate in your setting where the Players are, and letting nature and history do all the work for you ;)
It might not be 100% accurate - but it's close enough.
I tend to adjust travel a bit based on weather. They might be slowed by 1-3 hexes of travel for stow or rain storms. Tracking and survival rolls are also affected: it's easier to track, and harder to throw off a tail when you're leaving a muddy trail. Extreme cold, and I may roll for exhaustion. etc.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
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I tried to sign up...still waiting on the activation email... It looks like a fun tool, I may find uses for it.
I'll have to play around with that and see if I can make it work for me. I'm really leaning toward making weather as natural as making relationships with NPCs, something that just is part of the daily life of an adventurer.
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So what about the mechanical benefits/tribulations of weather?
Would it be prudent to have the weather affect things in combat, such as imposing penalties on melee and ranged attacks? I can see heavy winds making ranged weapons more difficult or fogs and heavy rains impairing line of sight. Would it be too much to say that heavy rains or sleet could affect grip on weapons and shields, making them difficult to handle?
Strong winds making spells like Fog or Stinking Cloud significantly less effective. Lowered visibility reducing the range of spells simply due to line of sight, a heavy rain reducing vision greatly so a 120' ranged spell could only be cast at a maximum of 30-40 feet. Concentration being affected by bitter cold, extreme heat, hail storms. Verbal spells, such as Vicious Mockery being messed with during a thunder storm.
I don't, and wouldn't, go overboard with meteorology having too much effect of combat ( weapon and shield handling ).
Remember, the more mechanics you introduce, the more you have to keep track of.
I might impose a -2 penalty on ranged attacks over 100' in very windy conditions, if I really wanted to emphasize the winds ( although, imagine your Ranger character with the Sharpshooter feat being able to brag that she made the longbow shot at 600' in a heavy crosswind :D ).
Things I would/do factor weather and environmental conditions into: Stealth, Perception, Survival/Tracking, travel distance, chance of getting lost, and Exposure checks. Most of these apply to overland travel and scouting.
Beyond that ... I have to remind myself that D&D 5E is not Advanced Squad Leader or Starfleet Battles - there's bounded depth of simulation, as well as bounded accuracy.
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
Disclaimer: This signature is a badge of membership in the Forum Loudmouth Club. We are all friends. We are not attacking each other. We are engaging in spirited, friendly debate with one another. We may get snarky, but these are not attacks. Thank you for not reporting us.
I'd only do big battle impacts in case you're in an actual tornado or gigantic storm. Plenty of 3.5 rules to draw inspiration from in that case. However more of them are aimed towards impacting movement. Such as people failing a DC and being pushed back x feet. And when moving into the wind will do so at a heavily reduced movement speed. Howling winds would impact perceiving sound and such things.
I mostly use weather to enhance a mood, or background. The day of a big battle it's pouring rain and thunder and lightning fill the sky. The princesses wedding day is bright and sunshine filled, with a few puffy white clouds in the sky. The bandit camp is dreary and cold, every one is huddled in cloaks to keep the mist like rain off them so the pcs can sneak in.
When you read a novel they don't tell you the weather everyday, but normaly to help you remember a pivotal scene the author details everything, I use the same idea, to accentuate a scene.
For mechanical purposes I find that the general rule for 5e is it gives them disadvantage. So shooting into the wind , being in a rain storm and makeing a perception check to see the shelter of a cave mouth, is all at disadvantage. As said its d&d not a more hardcore reality bases rpg.
I use effects similar to the XGtE rules on sleeping in armour, going without a long rest, and exhaustion.
24 hours of extreme environment (hot, cold, altitude, etc) or irresponsibly ignoring borderline environment (think below freezing in a metal bikini) without mitigating (DM discretion, but anything reasonable the players come up with) reduces long rest effectiveness as if resting in medium+ armor (recover 1/4 HD only and don’t recover exhaustion). If you also sleep in medium+ armor, you don’t recover any HD at all.
You must also succeed on a DC 10 every 24 hours without mitigation or suffer one level of exhaustion.
Creatures acclimatized to the weather are treated as having mitigated the effects. DM’s discretion on how long this takes and how it is done.
Absolutely do weather!
It's so easy for D&D sessions to devolve into a war of hit point attrition. At some point the players and the DM are both just going through the motions. That's no fun. I feel that it is absolutely essential to maintaining a sense of depth in the campaign world to provide dimensions like weather, local stories, rumors, etc. More dimensions lead to more immersion, more believability.
As a player, it provides an interesting challenge to have to face an enemy or obstacle that can't simply be solved by swinging a specified weapon a specified number of times to cause a predetermined number of hit points of damage.
And as the DM, it allows you to soften up those superheros before they get to the boss fight. It allows you the chance to impose certain disadvantages on them that can turn a simple goblin ambush into an absolute clusterf-nightmare. Many players have memorized the Monster Manual, so being able to throw something at them that's not listed in a stat block is helpful.
Granted, this doesn't mean that you have to spend five hours a week tracking the AccuWeather 6000 Faerun Forecast Radar! But have a general idea at least. And give the players a gist of the weather at the start of each day outdoors. And when you're planning possibilities for random encounters, remember - not every encounter needs to be with violent humanoid bandits or undead badger-zombies. Maybe it rains so hard that the party seeks shelter and loses half a day of travel time. Maybe a lightning bolt hits nearby and spooks the horses during a rest stop and one of your horses takes off running. Maybe high winds turn a simple rope bridge crossing into a tense nail-biter!
It's all about adding dimensions to the game world. Texture. Weather can give different regions their own flair. And who knows... maybe a player asks to roll a Nature check... maybe they notice that those thunderstorms are becoming more frequent... maybe their becoming a localized phenomenon... maybe it's a sign that there's a storm giant party happening... maybe it's blue dragon mating season... maybe a circle of druids are summoning storms of vengeance to wipe out nearby cities...
Ideas...
Tayn of Darkwood. Lvl 10 human Life Cleric of Lathander. Retired.
Ikram Sahir ibn Malik al-Sayyid Ra'ad, Second Son of the House of Ra'ad, Defender of the Burning Sands. Lvl 9 Brass Dragonborn Sorcerer + Greater Fire Elemental Devil.
Viktor Gavriil. Lvl 20 White Dragonborn Grave Cleric, of Kurgan the God of Death.
Anzio Faro. Lvl 5 Prot. Aasimar Light Cleric.
That's pretty much where I was taking the idea, the world is real. 65 and sunny all day, every day, is beneficial, but what about the off chance that your plate wearing tankadin turns into a lightning rod due to the thunderstorm. Mind you, I probably wouldn't go that far but it could provide some amusement once in a while.
I already keep an eye on how the players choose to rest so that armor and poor sleeping conditions may affect them. I don't adhere to it strictly, mostly because I have an aversion to breaking down menial tasks into logic problems, but there is something to be said about spending three nights sleeping in half-plate and never taking it off. I wholly agree that inclement weather can affect long/short rests if the party doesn't do anything to mitigate the effects.
I think there are 2 ways to handle weather from reading this.
1) More atmosphere for the game.
Seasons, rain, etc... don't really mechanically change the game, but just make it feel more alive. If it's winter in Neverwinter, then did you buy weather appropriate clothing? Yes, because it's not expensive. Then you can describe being cold, but it's not going to mechanically effect you. You might choose to have that happen if someone falls in water, and so you need to warm up or risk hypothermia (exhaustion). That exhaustion would probably go away by warming them up instead of a long rest. The concern of a lot of ad-hoc house ruling in the middle of gameplay becomes a concern... but that also depends on the group.
2) The weather itself is an adversary.
The only published module in 5e where I've seen this is Tomb of Annihilation. Chult is a hostile land and the players have to work to overcome it just like any obstacle. Light Rain/Clear skies are fine. Heavy rain makes canoe travel impossible and automatically causes 1 exhaustion for land travel with the possibility of 2, and checks to not get lost are at disadvantage. That's ontop of the heat, the bugs, and trying to keep a supply of potable water.
Oddly the heat rules really aren't a big deal, they only kick in if you already don't have enough water.
The bugs are just a gold cost reduction to explore with ointment, and the others you get if you don't have potable water.
potable water/fresh food is pretty easy if you have a Cleric and a Druid or Ranger. That said it's a constant drain on a couple of lvl 1 spells every day to survive, so it's not without a cost!
I played an awesome (horror) campaign (it was Savage Worlds) where the game was set around weather being the main adversary. The GM had a big chart of weather condition effects. Basically every 2 hours we spent outside we had to roll Con, DC was based on the temperature and wind, and a failure would be a lvl of exhaustion, but they exhaustion would go away with a short/long rest in a warm place. So we had to get shelter, build a fire, and get warm to lose it. The snow, rain, and cold was an enemy we couldn't defeat merely manage.
That said this sort of setting works best in extreme conditions either very hot or very cold.
I think a survival story/arc would be fantastic using this approach. Stranded, teleported, or otherwise finding yourself in a location where the weather is, as you put it, the adversary. I have a Kraken in one of the games my players are in, it's sleeping now, but having the Kraken affect weather is something I've already worked in. I am also considering rifts to the elemental planes making extreme weather conditions as well. In another game, the players are in an Egyptian themed setting, so sandstorms and extreme heat are a very real thing.
I use weather extensively, though mainly as a backdrop. It's very helpful for making the world feel more immersive and for conveying a certain mood. If the weather conditions are typical and comparatively mild, then I don't usually quibble much about the mechanical effects if the PCs are well-prepared.
On the flipside, I also enjoy using weather as a fixture of a single encounter or session (or even a longer adventure). My approach when considering the related mechanics is to keep things relatively simple and to lean as much as you can on existing rules. I use Exhaustion and gradual damage over time as the main way to represent PCs being worn down by the elements; Exhaustion is a very sticky condition, so damage works better as a way to directly tax the party's resources. For encounters, I primarily use advantage/disadvantage whenever possible, rather than trying to track a variety of small penalties or bonuses. I focus more on the broad effects of inclement weather, and particularly how it might transform terrain.
I've run a couple different skill challenges related to weather. I had one particularly memorable one where the PCs were trying to drive several wagons pulled by oxen through a storm. They ultimately turned back, which led to an interesting encounter when the only shelter they could find was an herbalist's cottage occupied by blights.
I will note that D&D makes it pretty difficult to use weather as an adversary, as survival-based challenges tend to become pretty trivial after the first few levels or so. Though that changes if the weather events are magical in nature or lead to natural disasters. In the same campaign as the one above, the much higher level PCs later used an artifact to unleash an out-of-season thunderstorm in hopes of slowing down the advance of an army. Their plan succeeded, but the storm got out of control, and the torrential rain ultimately led to flooding and mudslides that devastated the area, endangering local villagers, and generally complicating matters.
Yea, I've skimmed over the weather related material in the books and it really doesn't get in depth with that either. Players may make it trivial using spells and abilities, but I feel that if the weather persists it could start to tax their resources. Damage is a good tool, dis/advantage based on the situation is one of the things I'd considered, I was even toying with the idea of a morale type mechanic. Long days in the cold, or grey dreary skies, it takes a mental toll on people...I live in a state that gets 8 months of winter (or so it feels) and depression is a real consequence.
In my current campaign, I have a sorcerer with this:
My DM Philosophy, as summed up by other people: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rN5w4-azTq3Kbn0Yvk9nfqQhwQ1R5by1/view
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Spells can make survival "trivial", but it's also a resource tax.
For a Chult game I went through every spell that could reasonably be used in survival.
I made a list of all spells by level that would effect a survival situation. The main one I think is breaking is Tiny Hut, which is why as a player it's my FAVORITE spell ever. It also doesn't cost a spell slot, just the memorization slot because it's a Ritual. Not even that if you're a Wizard.
Lvl 1
Create/Destroy Water generates up to 10gal/lvl of water into a container. The issue is that it's into a container, so you need a large enough container or you're using multiple castings.
Purify Food/Drink, makes all food/water within 5' potable removing poison/disease. It can purify more water then Create will, but it's range limited. Also, it doesn't desalinate water.
Goodberry, feeds up to 10 creatures per day per casting. A key thing is it also isn't size dependent, so it can feed your steeds on a single berry.
Lvl 2
Lesser Restoration: cures a disease or poison, or another condition.
Rope Trick: lets the party short rest in an extra dimenstional space. It doesn't say if the space is effected by weather so it's probably just as hot/cold inside it as it is outside.
Lvl 3
Create Food & Water: creates 45 lbs of food and 30 gal of water. It autofills all containers within range, which is nice. Feeds 15 humanoids (steeds count as 3).
Tiny Hut: 10' radius invulnerable dome. Attacks/spells can't go through it, dome is dry and comfortable regardless of outside.
Side note. I also think the requirement that if you get attacked at night you have to RESTART your 8 hour rest all over to be one of their stupidest @#%*@ rules ever. I feel like the designers have never met a human in their lives. I just add an extra hour of sleep tax.
Depends on how long the disruption of the encounter is. If the party can keep it under an hour, the Long Rest is not interrupted. Since combat is, generally, under 5 rounds (varies with CR), and each round is 6 seconds.....
Yea, I break up the watches into 2 hr increments which, according to RAW, would not allow my players to get a full rest. I've done my fair share of sleep cycle research and can be quite the insomniac at times, the constraints on rest are silly at times.
That list of spells is handy, fortunately there aren't too many that adjust weather itself. The ability to make travel a bit easier with food/drink being more accessible is nice. It does take the foraging necessity away from the game, but for those who don't want to bean count, it's helpful.