The Quintessential Barbarian

The Quintessential Barbarian cover

Author	Robert Schwalb
Series	Quintessential Series
Publisher	Mongoose Publishing
Publish date	2003
Pages	128
ISBN	1-903980-92-5
OGL Section 15	qbbn

The material below is designated as Open Game Content

---

Wilderness Survival Rules

Terrains

The Core Rulebooks present several different terrain types. Included among them are plains, scrub/rough, forest, jungle, swamp, hills, mountains and sandy desert. One imagines that plains are a flat expanse of countryside, marred only by the occasional stand of trees or mound that rises from the level ground. Scrublands and rough terrain are similar to plains except that the ground is uncertain due to the sharp and slippery rocks and twisted underbrush. Forests are comprised of temperate areas of coniferous or deciduous trees, while jungles are mostly deciduous benefiting from large amounts of rainfall and humidity, generally acting as a breeding ground for all sorts of strange contagions. Swamps are simple too, as they conjure a despicable and wasted land of standing pools of brackish water and low-lying branches and vines that seek to hamper all movement. Regardless of the terrain, each is a readily identifiable archetype that appeals to some unconscious image in all who behold the idea.

Despite the accessibility of these locales, these categories are insufficient definitions to describe any given instance of terrain type. They do not account fully for how climate can affect the flora and can turn mountains to hills or flatten shorelines with strong and frequent winds. Instead, the wilderness becomes a caricature of what it actually is. It is a featureless void that functions as a mechanic that determines the rate at which a group journeys from one locale to the next, suitable only for depleting the heroes' rations and presenting the odd random wandering encounters to fill the party's purses.

Wilderness regions are in fact macro dungeons in themselves, replete with features that rival the most complex of dungeon halls, rooms and traps. A sinkhole could prove to be a place where an ambush lies in wait for unwary travellers. A bend in the road blinds the party from impending disaster that awaits them there. Just as the creatures which inhabit the cloying darkness of the lightless world of caverns move, live and thrive, so too are the inhabitants of the wilderness. It is here that the barbarian thrives; he anticipates the actions of nature's own, surviving where others would surely perish and conquering the denizens who dwell in moist dark places, lying in wait for the tender morsel of flesh that just so happens to stumble into their lair.

Movement

The Core Rulebooks present three categories of movement: Tactical, Local and Overland. Tactical movement measures feet per round, while Local measures in feet per minute, and finally, miles per hour (or day) for Overland movement. In this section are rules governing how terrain and environmental conditions affect speed at the Tactical and Local scales. Furthermore, there is a discussion on how barbarians may take advantage of native terrain and their fast movement to overcome natural obstacles such as loose rocks, heavy underbrush and other irritating features that hamper movement.

Local and Tactical Movement

The three rates assume Tactical and sometimes Local are used in dungeon or underground settings, where Overland is designed for outdoor and wilderness travel. This assumption is generally true, but when moving outdoors, at the Tactical speed, the types of terrain change the speed at which a character travels. Essentially, the modifiers that affect Overland movement also affect Local and Tactical scale movement. Core Rulebook II simply attributes penalties based on the degree of undergrowth, the stability of the footing and ultimately the degree of visibility.

Characters familiar with moving through lands carpeted with heavy undergrowth, or functioning in low visibility have an easier time with moving through treacherous terrain. Those who have the greatest benefit are, of course, druids, who move through heavy undergrowth without penalty. The barbarian, having spent their formative years in similar locations, ought to have developed some advantage when moving through these regions. If a given character has taken advantage of the native terrain concept presented at the beginning of this book, he may have some extra advantage when moving through terrain similar to that of his heritage.

Instead of the generic modifiers to local movement, Games Masters can use the following table for local and tactical movement in wilderness terrain. In addition, there are terrain modifiers keyed to the native regional concepts described earlier in this book. When combat occurs in a wilderness setting, rarely does the battlefield incorporate just one environmental condition. In some situations, there may be an area of clear ground, along with a stand of trees, a small creek that bubbles over slippery rocks and finally, the shores of the creek may be muddy. Wilderness terrain is difficult to adjudicate. However, it is incumbent on the Games Master to manage the regions properly to convey a sense of realism and also to allow characters who benefit from natural abilities the full range of their powers.

Expanded Hampered Movement
Condition Types

Obstructions	Example	Movement Penalty
Light	Light forest	Running reduced from x4 to x3 or from x3 to x2
Moderate	Forest with undergrowth	x3/4
Heavy	Forest with heavy undergrowth	x1/2
Surfaces
Poor	Sand	x3/4
Bad	Mud, light snow	x1/2
Very bad	Deep snow or poor footing	x1/4
Extreme	Ice	x1/6*
Visibility
Moderate	Rain	x3/4
Poor	Fog (including effects)	x1/2
Dim	Moonlight	x1/2
Darkness	Total	x1/4
Elevation†
Moving to higher ground**	Ascending one elevation increment	x1/2
Moving to lower ground**	Descending one elevation increment	x3/4
Water
Shallow	A creek	x3/4
Moderate***	Coastlines, rivers or some lakes	x1/2
Deep****	Big lakes, ocean beyond coastal shelf	x1/4

* Faster movement requires a balance check.
** Not steep enough to warrant a climb check.
*** Small or smaller creatures must swim at these depths.
**** Medium or smaller creatures must swim at these depths

† Elevation changes: An elevation level, for game purposes, is a gradual ascent or descent from ‘sea level’. As they are graduated, they are not severe to the point where characters must pass Climb checks to move up or down a gently sloping hill. Any elevation changes qualifying as more severe than these gradual elevation changes (those in excess of 5 feet higher or lower), use the standard rules for climbing as discussed in Core Rulebook I. Characters with a Climb speed or having 8 or more ranks in the Climb skill find that their Speed scores are unaffected by elevation levels.

Native Terrain: Players making use of native terrain concepts find that they are able to move more freely through terrain with which they are familiar. Characters originating from these regions find that their movement rates are unimpeded when moving through unfavourable terrain. Use the following chart as a guide for bonuses to speed when moving through favoured terrain types.

Native Terrain	Unrestricted movement
Coastal	Shallow waters
Cold	Light snow and deep snow at x1/2
Desert	Sand
Forest	Light and moderate obstructions and heavy obstruction at x3/4
Hills	Elevation changes
Marsh	Shallow water and light obstructions
Mountain	Elevation changes
Plains/Steppe	No benefit
Underground	Moderate and poor visibility

Tips for incorporating these rules in your game

Adding further detail to wilderness combat encounters in the form of terrain and movement restrictions may appear as an unnecessary encumbrance to already beleaguered Games Masters. Yet, consider the impact on game play when player characters employ the protective covering of a line of trees or the narrow gulch that provides cover. In addition, monsters, otherwise weak in comparison to powerful characters, gain an unprecedented edge in combat when their invaders occupy their territory.

Introducing more advanced terrain modifiers into wilderness combat is relatively easy if the group employs the grid system presented in Core Rulebook II. When the Games Master establishes the context of the setting, he merely needs to use varied coloured markers to delineate the locations of elevation changes, tree lines, pools of water and so on. After sketching each area, the Games Master should include the adjustments to movement in the key areas, thus presenting the modifiers to movement to the players prior to the start of combat. For areas they do not see, the Games Master ought to leave these sections empty with perhaps a verbal hint about what may be visible, such a continuation of the forest, perhaps a clearing or a strange, leaning tree with heavy underbrush that prevents or limits line of sight. When employing terrain modifiers to the encounter, beware that extreme cases may increase the effective EL, especially if the foes are well entrenched and protected. Regardless, the wilderness is the clearest example of nature's violence and unpredictability. Encounters in these locales should reflect the impersonal regard for life that nature exhibits to her creations.

Trails and Footpaths

In a world populated with societies that dwell on the fringes of civilisation, where roads are the only symbol of progress's feeble attempt to seize mastery over nature, it seems strange that barbarian cultures seem to have little or no impact on the wilderness themselves. The standing rules force barbarians to slog through inhospitable regions, lacking the fundamental ability to even create a narrow path or exploit game trails. However, barbarians do move throughout the wilderness along with their ranger and druid brethren. They travel narrow paths that criss-cross the grand highways of the nation-states' hubris. These trails allow barbarians improved travel, without disrupting nature's order.

Enter trails and footpaths. Formed from natural game trails, barbarians follow these paths for hunting, easier transportation of goods and mobilising forces for raids against merchants, caravans and outposts. Trails do not serve as well as roads for the purposes of speed, however they do offer concealment for those wishing to move quickly and yet maintain a degree of anonymity. Many trails become roads after merchants and travellers discover them, eventually widening them as the weight of traffic demands. Others form from the natural energies generated by the earth, called ley lines. Regardless of their origins and the eventual outcomes, trails are not always easy to find. Finding a trail requires passing a Search check, for those without the Track feat (characters with this feat may use their Wilderness Lore abilities instead) against a DC 10. Every hour the character follows the trail, the character must pass another search check; failure indicates he has lost the trail.

Trail Overland Movement

Terrain	Trail or Footpath
Plains	x1
Scrub, rough	x1
Forest	x3/4
Jungle	x1/2
Swamp	x1/2
Hills	x2/3
Mountains	x1/3
Desert	–

Note: In the case of fractional movement, as with any other fraction, always round down. In this case round down to the nearest 5 feet.

Getting Lost

In most fantasy settings, compasses and other navigational equipment are not really available to characters. Instead, they must rely upon innate wisdom such as the Intuit Direction skill, spells such as know direction or find the path. Spells are extremely common in most adventuring groups, but not in every instance. Even the mentioned lower level spell or the skill only provide true north, not an exact location. True, higher level spells can present a direct route to a destination, but by the time adventurers have access to such powers, they are likely to avoid overland travel anyway.

Characters venturing into the wilderness, without the crutch of a road or path, can readily lose a sense of direction especially in certain types of terrain. Some classes excel at finding their way through the trackless wilds. Each day characters venture into the wilderness away from a discernable path or having lost the path, they may make an Intuit Direction check to reorient themselves, and ensure they can return to their starting point. DCs for these checks are based upon the standard DC described under features of the skill. Games Masters make these rolls in secret against the modified DCs, using the modifiers in the below table.

If the character loses his way, check the table below. Consider all characters to be moving to the north. One step to the east or west indicates a move to north east or northwest. Two steps indicate they are now moving east or west. A result of any indicates a random die roll. Roll 1d8. The result is the starting position.

You should use a square grid in conjunction with this table, but the chart may easily be adapted to a hexagon system through simple adaptation.

Learning that the party is lost is not inevitable. The character continues to make Intuit Direction checks each day of travel, adjusting his direction based upon the success or failure. Getting lost once, however, can throw off an entire journey. An Intuit Direction check made after the party has failed an initial attempt that succeed by 5 or more indicates that the character realises his predicament and may use the Track feat to trace his steps to the point where he originally lost his sense of direction. If the party has inadvertently moved to an area they have seen or recognised, they may make an immediate Intuit Direction check to reorient their position.

Characters from native regions have an easier time of trekking through wilderness with which they are familiar. These characters receive a +4 competence bonus to all Intuit Direction checks to avoid becoming lost while in familiar terrain. If they are within their native lands, they never become lost there.

Intuit Direction Modifiers for Getting Lost

Terrain Types	Modifier	Failed Result
Plains	–	One step to the east or west (50% chance of either)
Scrub, rough	+2	One step to the east or west (50% chance of either)
Forest	+8	Any (Games Master choice)
Jungle	+10	Any (Games Master choice)
Swamp	+5	Any (Games Master choice)
Hills	+1	One step to the east or west (50% chance of either)
Mountains	+4	Two steps to the east or west (50% chance of either)

Fast Movement and Overland Travel

By dint of the Fast Movement class ability barbarians enjoy a heightened ability to cover large distances at an unbelievable speed. While the standard rules presented in the Core Rulebooks discuss overland movement for speeds greater than 30 feet, barbarians may make use of their heightened speed in other ways, sacrificing speed to move for longer periods of time.

Characters with the Fast Movement ability may exchange the extra 10 feet they would otherwise gain and devote it instead to marching for 12 hours with no penalty. As parties of adventurers are rarely comprised of members of just one class, this ability is especially useful when parties need to cover more ground, but do not want to exhaust themselves in the process. This exchange maintains the barbarian's pace with the rest of his party, but allows him to remain fresh for a longer period of time before beginning to make Constitution checks.

Special Climbing Rules

Any time that a character fails a Climb check by 5 or more, the character falls from the currently attained height. The same is true when a character fails a Climb check after being damaged. Falling from great heights can often prove to be fatal for most characters. Those able to survive usually have some other means to ascend or descend and so the issue of falling from a mountainside ceases to be really relevant. Unfortunately, this reality is not true for every climber, especially those not accustomed to the rigours of vertical ascents.

Barbarians, for the most part, are great climbers, by dint of the skill's status as a class skill. While fighters, too, enjoy access to this skill, heavier armour types encumber them, which bars from them the most difficult ascents. Second only to rogues, barbarians, especially those hailing from mountainous regions, have a few techniques to assist large groups on scaling enterprises.

Halting Falls

Normally, characters skilled in tumbling can eliminate or ignore damage from falls. Monks, in particular, are skilled beyond even those with the Tumble skill alone. These instances rely upon intensive training to use the terrain to slow or stall descent thereby reducing or eliminating the damage completely. If characters not of this class or without this skill lose their grip, death is almost guaranteed.

The d20 rules suggest anyone can attempt to halt a fall by passing an extremely difficult DC (wall's DC+20 or slope's DC+10). However, characters native to mountainous regions enjoy a greater possibility of success if they devote a suitable number of skill points to climbing. Any barbarian who comes from a mountainous region (having chosen Mountain for his native terrain) and has the maximum number of skill ranks devoted to Climb checks for his level, may make the stop fall check with a +6 competence bonus, thanks to the character's continued dedication and training in climbing. If the character does not have the maximum possible ranks in Climb for his level, the bonus reduces to +3. If the character has 5 ranks of Tumble, he gains a +2 synergy bonus to these checks.

Slowing a fall is a defensive action characters can take having fallen from a great height to reduce the number of damage dice resulting from the impact. Slowing and Halting actions may not be used in conjunction unless the character is hasted or has some other means of gaining extra actions in a round, for halting a fall functions as a partial action, while slowing a fall is a full-round action as the character grasps, bounces and clings to a near-vertical surface for the entirety of the fall.

Slowing a fall, mechanically, requires a climb check for every 20 feet of falling against the Wall's DC +10 or Slope's DC +5. Each success reduces the fall's height by 5 feet but inflicts 1d4 points of subdual damage. A failed attempt inflicts 1d6 points of subdual damage but does nothing for the fall itself. Add the total adjustments, and for every 10 feet the character suffers 1d6 damage.

For example, Krothian is bull-rushed over the edge of a cliff and begins to fall to the river some 100 feet below. In no mood to die, Krothian tries to slow his descent. His Climb skill is +18. Krothian can make five Climb checks against a DC of 30 (wall's DC is 20 +10). Krothian succeeds at three attempts, so he suffers 3d4+2d6 points of subdual damage and reduces the fall's height by 15 to only suffer 8d6 points of falling damage. While not a significant improvement, he is able to convert two dice of actual damage for a greater amount of subdual damage, thereby heightening his chances to survive.

Mechanics of Climbing Equipment

Much of the standard equipment in Core Rulebook I is useful to climbers. Hammers and pitons, grappling hooks and a variety of ropes are all invaluable tools for any barbarian making a difficult ascent to reach a dragon's lair. Below are several rules to provide further advantage when making any climb.

Hammer and Pitons: Two of the most basic tools of any climber's pack are the hammer and piton. Functionally, a piton is a spike with a looped end which the climber hammers into a normally unyielding surface. Once fixed, the climber may then thread the rope through the loop, thereby creating a safety line against falling. Different materials require varied amounts of time to hammer the spikes (pitons) into place, and once installed, they offer variable bonuses depending upon the material into which the climber hammered them.

To install a piton, the character must inflict damage onto the material he desires to climb. All attempts are automatic, but the spike inflicts 1d6 points of damage and ignores hardness. Characters add their Strength adjustment to these damage rolls. Installing the spike properly requires its hammering four to six inches deep into the material lest it gives out upon the placement of pressure on it.

An example of how installing pitons works is as follows. The barbarian climber holds his position some 150 feett up. He leads his fellow adventurers who are slowly ascending, their forms dim in the swirling snow. He needs to place another piton before he goes any higher. The surface is ice-rimed stone. The Games Master suggests that the ice is not thick enough to affect the piton's installation in any significant manner, so the character begins. Stone has 15 hit points per inch of thickness. Thus, the character must inflict at least 60 hit points of damage before the piton is secure. If the character has an 18 strength, the piton should be installed in about 8 combat rounds (or 48 seconds, assuming each combat round is 6 seconds). Games Masters should assume pitons can be installed with no effort if the character has all the time in the world. If a character has established a secure line of pitons and rope, only failed Climb checks of 10 or more result in falling.

Daggers: Unfortunately, not all characters have the presence of mind to have hammer and pitons with them at all times. It seems whenever one needs a vital piece of equipment, there is either not enough or it just is not on his character sheet. In these all too common cases, improvisation is necessary. Daggers may function as climbing tools as they have slender enough blades to slip between the natural cracks present on most vertical surfaces. Using daggers confers a +2 circumstance bonus to Climb checks. However, using weapons in this manner is unreliable at best. Each round, there is a 10% chance one of the daggers snaps under the pressure of the climber's weight. If this occurs, the climber must attempt to catch himself as described in Core Rulebook I.

Grappling Hook: A grappling hook is a three or four metal-pronged hook, which when tied to a rope and thrown, can catch a lip or branch to assist in climbing. Grappling hooks have a range increment of 20 feet, and as with any other thrown weapon, they have a maximum range of five increments. Therefore, without the aid of feats, a grappling hook has a maximum range of about 100 feet.

Affixing a grappling hook to an object is a ranged touch attack against an AC of 10. Certain modifiers apply such as cover and concealment (see Core Rulebook I for details). A score of a hit means the grapple is fixed. A miss means the grapple failed to catch anything. A miss by 5 or more implies the throw was so bad it might land back on the character's head.

Ropes: Ropes have many uses. Rope is a staple on any character sheet through any incarnation of the d20 system. Aside from the obvious function, climbers can make use of ropes to aid in preventing falls and also to make quick descents.

Roping individuals together requires a Use Rope check against a DC of 15 for each person in the chain, made by the person doing the tying. The Games Master makes the check in secret, so no one truly knows if he is safe or not. Characters so tied may not run or perform any movement beyond the limits of the slack between other companions. If a character attempts to move beyond the slack, he effectively attempts to drag his companions, so he must make an opposed strength check against his companions.

Tying off is most effective when climbing and there is a threat of falling. When a character is roped to his companions and fails a climb check, his allies may immediately make Climb checks to see if they can maintain their grip. Characters to either side of the faller must pass a Climb check against the wall's DC. If they fail, then the next characters in line may make an attempt, but at a -5 to their check. Each successive failure subtracts -5 from the check. Cutting one's-self free of a chain requires an attack role against the rope (AC 10) and inflicting normal damage.

Another technique of rope use is rappelling. Rappelling is a process in which characters may make a rapid descent by using the friction of the rope as a means to slow the rate of descent. Characters descending in this manner fall at a rate of 60 feet per round (as the feather fall spell). To successfully rappel, the character must have a firmly-secured rope at the top of the surface of the cliff, slope or whatever. He must then pass a Climb check against a DC 10 each round of descent. Failure indicates he has slipped and hangs suspended until rescued.

Swimming

The ability to swim is available to all characters as an untrained skill. The basic features of this skill allow for characters to move at a fraction of their normal speed provided they can meet the DCs for the conditions of the water. This section expands upon swimming movement for characters having access to this skill as a class skill to make full use of this ability.

Treading Water: Characters may tread water each round in lieu of swimming. Doing so requires a Swim check every round against a DC in accordance with the standard difficulty table. Success indicates the character stays above water. Failure indicates the character slips beneath the surface and begins to drown. For every hour of treading water, the character suffers 1d6 points of subdual damage. Barbarians from coastal regions may make take a 10 even if fighting or otherwise distracted.

Surfacing from Blind Dives: According to Core Rulebook II, characters that intentionally dive into water may do so without risk of subdual damage if they pass a Swim or Tumble check against a DC 15 (+5 for every 50 feet of the dive). Normally a character can surface with little problem. However, in lightless locations or particularly murky water, the character must make an additional Swim check against a DC 15 to ascertain which direction is up. Characters may retry these checks each round suffering the standard cumulative -1 penalty to Swim checks for being underwater. Barbarian characters hailing from coastal regions receive a +5 competence bonus to all Swim checks to dive and to resurface.

Temperature

The environment of the wilderness influences combat more so than the thickness of walls or door types in any dungeon environment. Core Rulebook II offer detailed rules governing the effects of extreme temperatures on unprotected and unprepared characters. Most ill-equipped characters suffer greatly in extremes of heat or cold. The bulk of heavy armour or the minimal protection offered by scholarly robes in the face of a blizzard are threats equal to some of the direst opponents. Barbarians have an uncanny ability to survive where other would fail.

Hot Native regions: Characters hailing from hot regional concepts are accustomed to extreme heat. These characters receive a +5 regional bonus to all saving throws against the effects of extreme heat. Thus, the Fortitude save base DC is 10 +1 for each previous check. Characters hailing from cold regions suffer a -5 regional penalty to all saving throws against the effects of extremes heat, thereby facing a base Fortitude DC of 20 +1 for each previous check.

Cold Native regions: Just as desert characters have the ability to withstand extreme heat, so cold regional concepts enjoy the ability to withstand extreme cold. Characters hailing from cold regions enjoy a +5 regional bonus to saves against the effects of cold weather, where heat-based characters suffer a -5 regional penalty.

Environment and equipment

Most players do not consider the effects of swimming on their gear, or the icy blast of a winter storm on exposed equipment. Not gauging the effects of environmental conditions on equipment can prove to be a fatal error, for excessive heat can boil and alter the properties of potions, cold can freeze them, water can ruin scrolls and blowing sand can damage and interfere with armour's protective abilities.

Water: Total immersion into water thoroughly soaks a character unless the character takes certain precautions. Water does not penetrate sealed containers, sealed wax coverings for scrolls and so on. If the character is unprotected, water inflicts damage on many of his articles of equipment.

Exposure to water inflicts 1d6 points of damage to paper, thereby ruining it. Magical papers take damage as any other papers without save. Vellum or other similar materials only suffer 1d2 damage.

If rope is immersed it ceases to provide any circumstance bonus while wet, although it continues to perform its function. The water makes the rope slippery and thereby difficulty to use. When specially treated with hydrophobic agents, such as tar, rope can resist the effects of water. These ropes usually cost 10% more than the standard hemp and silk varieties.

Glass containers are usually safe unless they have an unreliable method of containment. If for some reason this is the case, the contents of the vial or container are usually ruined. In the case of magical materials, such as potions, the water dilutes them, giving them only half potency, reducing duration or effectiveness according to the Games Master.

Wood, unless treated with a hydrophobic agent such as tar, will eventually rot if exposed to water, taking 1 point of damage per week of exposure. This damage bypasses the natural hardness of the wood, thus, eventually the wood will be unusable. Metal weapons, on the other hand, begin to rust after exposure to water. Unless the character takes some precautions, metal objects deteriorate quickly, losing their hardness at a rate of 1 point per hour and suffering 1 point of damage per hour.

Cold: Extreme cold can rapidly freeze potions, causing them to burst their containers. Characters can insulate their potions from the cold by placing them close to the body. Unattended or unprotected potions freeze in 1 hour in extreme cold conditions (0° or less). Frozen potions burst their containers and are thereafter useless.

Sand: Travelling through a desert or on the shore of an ocean are not the only places where characters can get sand in their armour. Venturing into any natural water source such as a lake or ocean causes sand or silt to accumulate in the joints of the armour. The same is true for extended treks through desert terrain or on beaches. The effects of this irritant grow serious over time. For every day the problem is not resolved, the armour's armour check penalty increases by +1. Removing the grit and resulting wear requires a Craft (armoursmithing) check against a DC of 10.

Food and Water

Player characters are not the only ones who require daily food and water. As Core Rulebook I suggests, animals, horses in particular, may sustain themselves on grass, but require oats and other grains to maintain their health. Smaller mounts, such as dogs or other unusual steeds, require differing quantities of feed. Dogs require meat as their diet's staple. For an active dog, the ‘hunk of meat’ equipment per day will suffice.

Animals require water based upon size for game mechanics. A Medium size character requires one gallon of water per day to remain healthy, based upon moderate levels of exercise. Small characters need half as much. Smaller characters need half of what Small characters need. Large characters need twice what a Medium-size character needs. Animals, deprived of food or water, require the same checks as standard characters as described in Core Rulebook II.

Foraging

From time to time, characters find themselves without foodstuffs while making extended overland journeys. While most clerics can compensate for this by manufacturing food through divine will, many adventurers are without this benefit. Discovering food in the wilderness is commonly seen as the forte of rangers, druids and barbarians. While druids can readily identify safe plants and drinkable water, barbarians rely on their training in wilderness lore to discover safe food.

Success in foraging depends on the climate and the season. Clearly, on the heights of a mountain in an arctic zone while in the depths of winter one will likely not find much in the way of edible food. To determine the likelihood of finding edible plants in the wilderness consult the following table for Wilderness Lore or Knowledge (nature) checks.

The degree of success indicates the level of success in the foraging attempt. Foragers who beat the DC by 5 or more find enough to feed four people. Beating the DC by 10 or more results in finding enough food to feed eight people. There is no limit to the number of foragers searching, however, for every increment of four searchers, the range of the search must increase by 1 mile. A standard search assumes one mile of searching. Characters hailing from native lands enjoy a +4 bonus to their Wilderness Lore checks made to forage. Characters with 5 ranks in Profession (herbalism) or Knowledge (nature) receive a +2 synergy bonus to these checks.

Foraging DCs

Terrain Types	Cold Autumn	Winter	Spring	Summer
Coastal	26	23	20	23
Desert	None	29	27	29
Forest	16	13	10	15
Hill	26	24	22	25
Marsh	27	26	24	26
Mountains	30	27	26	27
Plains	26	24	20	24
Temperate
Coastal	20	17	14	17
Desert	28	29	29	29
Forest	14	12	10	12
Hill	17	15	12	14
Marsh	24	23	22	23
Mountains	26	24	22	24
Plains	20	18	14	18
Underground*	20	18	14	18
Warm
Coastal	14	12	10	11
Desert	30	30	None	29
Forest	12	10	10	10
Hill	14	12	10	11
Marsh	24	20	20	20
Mountains	22	19	15	18
Plains	14	12	10	10

• Underground has a mean temperature of about 50 or so degrees depending on the campaign world. For the purposes of foraging, all underground attempts are made regardless of season as temperate. There are equal chances to find water underground as there are chances to find food.

Searching while travelling: Characters may search while travelling overland, but suffer a -8 circumstance penalty to their checks if travelling along a highway, -6 while on a road, or -4 while on a path or trail.

Dowsing

Finding water can be as simple as a keen ear catching the sound of a nearby brook or as complicated as seeking out low elevations and excavating 1 to 2 feet of earth. Discovering water sources in the wilderness can mean the difference between life and death. The chance to discover water in uncharted territory varies depending on the terrain and climate of the area searched. Consult the table below for the appropriate DCs. Characters native to a particular region receive a +2 regional modifier to all Wilderness Lore checks in these areas. Characters with 5 ranks of Knowledge (nature) receive a +2 synergy bonus to these checks.

Dowsing DCs

Terrain Types	Cold Autumn	Winter	Spring	Summer
Desert	30	28	28	29
Forest	28	26	26	28
Hill	30	26	27	28
Marsh	22	15	20	20
Mountains	30	26	27	28
Plains	28	26	26	27
Temperate
Desert	30	30	30	30
Forest	24	22	24	24
Hill	24	22	22	24
Marsh	18	16	14	18
Mountains	26	26	27	26
Plains	26	22	22	24
Warm
Desert	30	30	30	30
Forest	18	16	16	18
Hill	24	20	20	22
Marsh	16	14	12	16
Mountains	22	18	20	22
Plains	26	22	24	26

Inedible Plants and Tainted Water

On a result failed by five or more when searching for food or water, the character has accidentally ingested something harmful. While most plants are really not lethally poisonous, there are a few that are deadly. Water, on the other hand, is usually obvious if something is amiss. However, if an individual consumes foul water the results are often severe. Characters having drunk bad water must roll a d% on the following table to determine the effects of the inedible food. Characters immune to poison are immune to the effects of inedible plants. Disease flourishes in damp and warm environments. The Games Master may impose a disease in lieu of a poisoning effect. The possibility of this occurrence is entirely at the Games Master's discretion. Characters with Nature Lore are immune to the effects of a failed roll.

Inedible Plant and Tainted Water Results

Roll and description	Mechanical effects
1	The plant or water is clearly poisonous. Effects include random ability damage on a failed Fortitude save, sweating and cramps. (See other table.)
2-4 Cramps and sweating.	Onset 1d10 rounds; lasts 1d10 minutes; 1d2 damage per minute for as long as the cramps and sweating persist
5-8 No nourishing value.	As if had not eaten

Poisonous Plant or Water Results

Fortitude DC	Primary/Secondary Damage
15	0/Unconsciousness
14	1d4 Int/2d6 Int
11	1 Wis/2d6 Wis+1d4 Int
13	1 Con/1d8 Con
17	2d6 Str/1d6 Str
18	2d6 Con/1d6 Con+1d6 Str

Hunting

More than any other class, the barbarian relies upon hunting as his means of survival. Barbarians come from societies oriented towards the hunter-gatherer. Where rangers are the consummate trackers, they focus more upon stalking their favoured enemies. Barbarians, must learn the art of tracking in order to survive in the violent lands of the fantasy wilds.

While foraging for plants, random encounters are not required and Games Masters may add them as flavour. In the case of hunting, characters seek out other creatures capable of locomotion for their flesh. Thus, the rules for hunting, while using some of the mechanics already used for foraging and dowsing, include an actual stalk, an actual combat and a present threat of danger to both the hunted and the hunter.

The below table reflects the chance that the hunter will encounter a creature fit to eat. Assuming the character undertakes the hunt at an appropriate time (early morning or late at night), the following DCs are acceptable. If the character attempts to hunt at any other time, the DCs increase by +5. Each outing takes 1 hour. For every additional hour, the DC increases by +2, as most of the native fauna recognise the intrusion. Prospective hunters make a Wilderness Lore check against the listed DC. Success indicates that they have spotted the animal and begin the ‘Stalking’ rules.

Hunting DCs to wound prey

Cold	Winter	Spring	Summer	Autumn
Coastal	30	27	26	26
Desert	30	28	28	30
Forest	30	28	28	30
Hill	30	28	27	27
Marsh	30	28	27	28
Mountains	30	30	28	30
Plains	30	27	27	27
Temperate
Coastal	26	22	20	20
Desert	28	30	30	28
Forest	24	20	20	20
Hill	25	22	22	22
Marsh	26	23	20	20
Mountains	27	24	24	24
Plains	25	22	20	20
Underground	27	24	24	24
Warm
Coastal	20	20	20	20
Desert	28	30	30	30
Forest	20	20	20	20
Hill	20	20	20	20
Marsh	22	20	20	20
Mountains	23	23	23	23
Plains	20	20	20	20

Many animal types may be spotted. Only those listed below are suitable ones from /Core Rulebook III/ and plus new ones. These animals are sorted by their climate and terrain for ease of use.

Suitable prey by Climate/Terrain

Cold
Coastal	Polar Bear, Whales, Large grazers
Desert	Games Master's choice
Forest	Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Large grazers
Hill	Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Large grazers
Marsh	Polar Bear, Large grazers
Mountains	Brown Bear, Polar Bear, Large grazers
Plains	Polar Bear, Large grazers
Temperate
Coastal	Octopus, Snakes, Whales, Large grazers
Desert	Snakes
Forest	Black Bear, Brown Bear, Boar, Snakes, Large grazers
Hill	Black Bear, Brown Bear, Snakes, Large grazers
Marsh	Snakes, Large grazers
Mountains	Black Bear, Brown Bear, Snakes, Large grazers
Plains	Medium grazers, Bison, Snakes, Large grazers
Underground	Brown Bear, Snakes, Large grazers
Warm
Coastal	Crocodile, Giant Lizard, Octopus, Snakes, Whales, Large grazers
Desert	Giant Lizard, Snakes
Forest
Hill	Black Bear, Brown Bear, Giant Lizard, Snakes, Large grazers
Marsh	Crocodile, Giant Lizard, Snakes, Large grazers
Mountains	Black Bear, Brown Bear, Giant Lizard, Snakes, Large grazers
Plains	Medium grazers, Elephant, Lion, Giant Lizard, Snakes, Large grazers

Stalking

A successful Wilderness Lore check locates the prey. Games Masters ought to determine how many creatures and of what type. Characters can determine whether they wish to pursue their prey or to abandon the kill depending on what creature type they locate. Spotting the prey follows the standard rules for spotting distance, except the character automatically spots the prey, and the prey has not spotted the hunter.

The hunter may act once each round doing as he wishes. Each round the prey receives a Listen and a Spot check against the hunter's Move Silently and Hide checks. A successful roll on behalf of the prey means the prey has located the hunter and may now roll Initiative. The prey is aware of the hunter automatically if the hunter attacks it. It may then roll Initiative normally. Once both sides are aware, combat begins as normal.

Most animals flee combat as the survival instinct is more powerful than anything else. If the hunter has targeted a carnivore, the creature responds to aggression at least until reduced to 50% hit points or less. Herbivores will flee upon injury unless protecting young.

If the prey flees the combat, hunters may stalk their injured prey following the normal tracking rules or search rules. For as long as the hunter pursues the animal, it cannot heal as it does not gain the rest required to restore lost hit points. The animal, if injured, must pass a Constitution check against a DC equal to 10 + 1 for each hour of flight. Failure indicates that the animal suffers 1d6 points of subdual damage. This gradual accumulation of subdual damage eventually causes the animal to tire, thus allowing the hunter to usually find it if he has any skill whatsoever.

When, and if, the animal is found and killed, it may be dressed to supply a number of food units for the hunter. To prepare the meat properly for consumption, the hunter must pass a Wilderness Lore check against a DC 10. A successful roll means the hunter has accumulated about 50% of the possible food units for consumption. The percentage of useable meat increases based upon the success of the roll. For every 5 points above the DC, the character can gain an additional 10% food units. Barbarians hunting in native terrain receive a +5 regional bonus to all associated wilderness checks. Potential food an animal can produce varies upon its size. Consult the following table for details on the number of food units provided based upon animal size.

Animals Expanded

	Large Grazer (Elk and similar) Large Animal	Medium Grazer (Antelope, gazelles, deer, etc) Medium Animal	Tiny Grazer (rabbits, squirrel, etc) Tiny Animal
Hit Dice:	4d8+12 (30hp)	2d8+2 (11 hp)	¼ d8 (1 hp)
Initiative:	+0	+3 (Dex)	+4 (Dex)
Speed:	40 ft.	60 ft.	40 ft.
AC:	13 (+4 natural, -1 size)	13 (+3 Dex)	16 (+4 Dex, +2 size)
Attacks:	Head butt +7 melee	Head butt +1 melee	Bite -2
Damage:	Head butt 1d8+4	Head butt 1d6	Bite 1d2-4
Face/Reach:	5 ft. by 10 ft./5 ft.	5 ft. by 5 ft./5 ft.	2 ½ ft. x 2 ½ ft./0ft.
Special Attacks:	Stampede	Stampede	–
Special Qualities:	Low-light vision	Low-light vision	Low-light vision
Saves:	Fort +7, Ref +1, Will +1	Fort +2, Ref +7, Will +1	Fort +0, Ref +6, Will +0
Abilities:	Str 18, Dex 10, Con 16, Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 4	Str 11, Dex 16, Con 12, Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 4	Str 2, Dex 19, Con 10, Int 1, Wis 11, Cha 2
Skills:	Listen +5, Spot +5	Listen +10, Spot +5	Hide +12, Listen +7, Spot +7
Feats:	–	–	Alertness*
Climate/Terrain:	Any Land	Any Land	Any Land
Organisation:	Solitary, Pair, Herd (20-200)	Solitary, Pair, Herd (4d6)	Solitary, Pair, Clutch (3-6)
Treasure:	None	None	None
Alignment:	Always Neutral	Always Neutral	Always Neutral
Advancement:	5-6 HD (Large)	3-5 HD (Medium), 6-8 HD (Large)	–

The Large grazer category includes Large grazers of all sorts and types, and anything else falling into a similar species. The Medium grazer includes gazelles and deer. Tiny grazers include everything small from squirrels to rabbits.

Stampede (Ex): A frightened herd flees as a group in a random direction (always away from the source of danger). They run over anything their size or smaller inflicting 1d12 points of damage for every 5 members. Those affected by the herd may make Reflex saves against a DC 16 to halve the damage.

*Small grazers receive the Alertness feat for free.

Food Units and Size

Size	Maximum food units
Fine	No appreciable amount of food
Diminutive	1 unit
Tiny	2 units
Small	8 units
Medium	32 units
Large	64 units
Huge	128 units
Gargantuan	256 units
Colossal	512 units

Fishing

Essentially, there are three basic types of fishing. One type makes use of a line, another employs a spear, while the last requires a net. For barbarians and other characters trapped in the wilderness without supplies, it is extremely unlikely that net fishing will be an issue or an option. Net fishing reflects masses of fishing boats rowing or sailing into open water, where they drop nets and drag the water to catch their prey. If characters have access to these resources, materials and the time to do so, they are likely not starving.

Spear fishing is another matter. The character stands over or in the water with a spear ready to throw into the water to impale the unfortunate creature. Characters employing such methods to gain fish require a significant presence of the animals in the water (see below for line fishing) and also a good aim. For the standard sized (1 food unit) fish, the character must successfully hit an AC 18. Success indicates he has struck and killed the fish. Usually one such throw is all that the fisherman will accumulate as the disturbance in the water will frighten off most other denizens in the stream or pond. For each additional attempt, the target AC increases by +2. Characters may continue to fish in this manner until the AC is impossible to hit.

The consumption needs of a standard Medium sized creature are the default for food units. For Small creatures, double the food units. For Large, halve them. A final note: The scent of the kill will likely attract other predators. Hunting in dangerous terrain harbouring larger predators may be more trouble than it is worth. Games Master should be prepared to have other potential combat encounters occur for sloppy hunts, or poor dressing of the meat.

Food Units per Hour

Quantity				Time (applied to quantity)
Availability	DC	Skilled	Unskilled	Day	Night	Dawn/Dusk
Poor	30	1d2	None	-2	-1	+0
Fair	20	1d4	1d2	-2	-1	+1
Good	10	1d6	1d4	-1	+1	+2

Line fishing is the most common means to accumulate any quantity of fish. Unfortunately, it reflects nature's fickle bounty the most. Fish (in regard to any style of fishing) will not manifest simply because there is someone who wishes to eat them. Three things affect line-fishing: time, availability and skill.

Time: The best time to catch fish is when the sun is either setting or rising. Night is second best, while daylight is worst.

Availability: Games Masters ultimately determine the fishing quality of any given area. For the sake of simplicity, there are three levels of availability: poor, fair and good. Consider real-world examples when determining the quality of a fishing spot. A muddy temperate lake is good for catfish, while trout dwell in clear streams and deep water is home to bass. Most shorelines will not offer good fishing, nor will swamps, bogs or any other place of stagnant water.

Skill: There are fishermen and then there are real fishermen. Characters with ranks devoted to Profession (fisher) have a better time of things if working the right conditions. However, if there are no fish in under the lake, no fish are caught. Characters lacking in this skill, may make an untrained Wisdom check against the listed DCs. Characters native to coastal regions receive a +2 regional bonus to all fishing checks.

Example of Fishing: Vignar has Profession (fisher) at a total of +8. He has prepared a rod and some string, and spent the early morning rooting around for worms. He sets up at around 9 in the morning on the shore of a clean lake and casts his lure out into the water. The Games Master considers the location fair and so the DC is 20. Vignar rolls a 13 +8 equalling 21. He succeeds. As Vignar is skilled, he rolls 1d4 and subtracts 2 from the result. He rolls a 3, subtracts 2 and results in catching 1 fish. If he had rolled a 1 or 2, he would not have caught anything, even though he rolled successfully. The fish provides him with one meal unit, and so he is okay for one day. Nevertheless, tomorrow brings back the pangs of hunger again.

Resting

Everyone needs rest. Characters that function on no or little sleep, gradually tire and weaken as they are over-exerting themselves. This section establishes the amount of sleep needed and the effects of sleep deprivation. As elves have no real need to sleep, they are immune to the effects of sleep deprivation. This immunity extends to half-elves as well.

Characters ought to rest 8 hours a day. Hence, no character should be engaged in strenuous fighting, running or spell-casting in excess of 16 hours in any given day. While occasionally exceeding this number is acceptable, prolonged deprivation of rest can exhaust even the fiercest barbarian.

Each day beyond the first a character goes without sleep, he must make a Constitution check against a DC equal to 10 + 1 for every 4 hours beyond 24 the character has gone without sleep. Therefore, if Vignar has been active and awake for 48 hours total, he must pass a Constitution check against a DC 16 (24 hours beyond the first 24, at +1 for every 4 hours). Failure indicates results on the following table. Add an additional +2 to the DC for every previous failed check. Characters spending 8 hours + 1 hour of rest for every four-hour increment that has passed beyond the first 24 hours can eliminate all of the effects of sleep deprivation. Thus, if Vignar, from the previous example, sleeps for 14 hours, he will eliminate the effects of deprivation. Characters may restore their lost sleep over a period of days gradually repairing the damage from deprivation. Therefore, Vignar could sleep 9 hours each day for 6 days and then be fully rested and free from the effects of deprivation. For characters with the Endurance feat, they may ignore the first 48 hours without sleep to avoid the effects of deprivation.

Sleep deprivation

Failed Constitution Checks	Effects
1	Effects All Dexterity-based checks made at -1, 1d6 points of subdual damage.
2	All Strength and Dexterity -based checks made at -2, 2d6 points of subdual damage.
3	Character must pass a Concentration check DC 20 to perform any trained skill. All Strength based checks are made at -3, all Dexterity-based checks at -4 and all Wisdom based checks at -1.
4	May no longer run, Concentration check required as above, but at a DC 24. All Strength-based checks are at -4, Dexterity at -5, Wisdom at -2 and Charisma at -1.
5	Exhausted, plus as above.

---

Editing ©2008 Alex Schröder