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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

Rules Index | GM Screen | Player's Guide
Chapter 3: Weather

Stolen Lands Weather

Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 121
It's easy to dismiss the impact of weather from the comfort of one's own home, but to wilderness explorers, severe weather can be life-threatening.

Predicting the Weather

Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 121
If you wish to include more robust weather in your game, consider introducing the following skill feat: Predict Weather.

Precipitation

Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 121
Precipitation in the Stolen Lands comes largely in the form of rainfall, although snow does occur during the winter. The chance of light precipitation on any given day in the Stolen Lands varies according to the season. As the PCs make their daily preparations, check to see if light precipitation will occur that day by attempting a flat check. The DC of this check is 20 during summer, 15 during spring or autumn, and 8 during winter. On a success, the bulk of the day is rainy (or snowy if it's cold enough; see Temperature below). Light precipitation reduces the time it takes for characters to become fatigued from overland travel to only 4 hours and imposes a –1 circumstance penalty to visual Perception checks. (This flat check determines only whether there's light rain or snow. Heavier precipitation, including heavy downpours, blizzards, and hailstorms, occurs as weather events)

Temperature

Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 121
Temperatures in the Stolen Lands tend to be mild in the spring and autumn. Summer days can be hot, but only very rarely fall into Mild Heat as detailed on Table 10–13. For most of these seasons, temperatures remain in the Normal category and don't particularly impact game play. Winter days, on the other hand, can get cold, and snowfall isn't unheard of (although full-on blizzards are rare). As the PCs make their daily preparations, check to see if the day falls into the category of Mild Cold by attempting a DC 18 flat check (during the months of Kuthona or Calistril) or a DC 16 flat check (during the month of Abadius). On a success, the day ahead is particularly chilly, resulting in characters growing fatigued after only 4 hours of daily activity rather than the normal 8 hours, and if there's light precipitation (see Precipitation above), it includes snow.

Weather Events

Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 122
When determining the weather as the PCs make their daily preparations, attempt a DC 17 flat check to determine if a weather event will occur. On a success, determine the event that occurs by rolling a d20 on the Random Weather Events table below, then decide when during the day the event will occur.

If you roll a natural 20 on the flat check to determine if a weather event occurs, there's a chance a secondary event takes place as well—roll the DC 17 flat check again to find out if the day's going to bring a double event. If it does, don't roll on the table for the secondary event—instead, choose one that's thematically linked to the first event. Likewise, it's best to choose the timing for the secondary event so that it plays out as either foreshadowing to the primary event, a simultaneous complication to it, or an “aftershock” to keep the players on their toes.

Each weather event has a hazard level associated with it. If you roll a hazard that's more than 4 levels higher than the party's level, reroll the event.

Random Weather Events

d20 RollWeather EventLevel
1–3Fog0
4–7Heavy downpour0
8–9Cold snap1
10–12Windstorm1
13Hailstorm, severe2
14Blizzard6
15Supernatural storm6+
16Flash flood7
17Wildfire4 or 10
18Subsidence5 or 12
19Thunderstorm7 or 13
20Tornado12 or 17

Weather Experience

Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 122
Characters usually gain Experience Points for experiencing a weather event in the course of their regular adventures, whether they prepare for it, avoid it, or simply endure its effects. A character who shelters in a structure that provides total protection from a weather event gains no experience from it, though. The XP values for weather events are equal to those earned for overcoming simple hazards.

Weather Event Name Hazard [Level]

Traits
Survival This entry lists the Survival DC for a character in the zone to realize the weather event is starting within an hour or less. Any character who meets the proficiency rank listed in parentheses can automatically attempt this Survival check to receive this warning about the upcoming event. Characters who fail to meet this requirement can attempt this Survival check before the event begins only if they're performing the Investigate or Scout exploration activities or are on watch during resting periods. Success on the check allows the character to warn the rest of the party in time for everyone to attempt to prepare for the event. A critical success on the check grants everyone a +4 circumstance bonus to their checks to prepare. Failure indicates that the event takes place without the PCs having a chance to prepare—in this case, proceed immediately with the weather's effects.
Requirements This entry lists any conditions, such as terrain or season, that are required for the event to take place. If you roll an event that doesn't meet the requirements, then no weather event occurs instead. This entry is omitted if the event can take place anywhere in the Stolen Lands at any time.
Description This explains what the event looks like and might include special rules.
Prepare The party can only attempt to prepare for the weather if they realize the upcoming danger. The DCs of any skill checks required to prepare for the hazard are here. In some cases, preparation allows the PCs to avoid the event entirely, while in others, it merely reduces the event's effects. With success on the check, the party has time to seek shelter from the event. Shelter grants full protection from the event unless otherwise detailed in the text of the weather event itself. Just as PCs earn experience points for hazards detected and disarmed, they earn full experience points for weather events that they manage to shelter from while traveling in the wild. If no shelter is immediately apparent, the party can attempt a Survival check (using the same DC as the previous Survival check in this entry) to quickly build a shelter capable of protecting against the event. At the GM's option, the PCs can avoid the event through powerful magic capable of altering weather or by quickly traveling out of the zone via flight, teleportation, or other forms of exceptionally swift travel. This entry is omitted when preparation offers no advantage against the weather event.
Routine This section describes what the weather event does, how long it lasts, and what the PCs can do to deal with the event. The duration of the event is listed in parentheses. A duration with a “+” listed indicates the event can continue; once its duration ends, attempt a DC 11 flat check. On a success, the event's duration continues, repeating its routine for the same period of time. Continue attempting the DC 11 flat check at the end of each interval until you roll a failure and the event ends.
Action If the event takes any actions during its routine, they are detailed here.
Escalation Some weather events can escalate to a higher level, in which case adjustments to the baseline hazard for those higher level versions are given here. The hazard level of the escalation is listed in parentheses.