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Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
The temperature band system presented in the Frostburn and Sandstorm supplements works well for most extreme climates. However, under this system, the threat posed by -300°F temperatures is the same as that from -60°F, which doesn’t seem entirely accurate. Therefore, a new temperature band was devised, preternatural cold.
Preternatural Cold:
Temperatures below -180°F are considered preternatural cold. Unprotected characters exposed to preternatural cold take 2d6 points of cold damage and 2d4 points on nonlethal damage per minute (no save). For every 20 degrees below -180°F (rounded up), the cold damage increases by 1d6 and the nonlethal damage increases by 1d4. Therefore, an unprotected character in -230°F weather would take 4d6 points of cold damage and 4d4 points on nonlethal damage per minute. Partially protected characters take damage once per 10 minutes instead of once per minute.
A level of protection of 5 or 6 provides partial protection against preternatural cold. Nothing outside of total immunity to cold can provide complete protection against the vicious bite of preternatural cold.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
At -300 F, I'd be more concerned about the oxygen in the atmosphere liquefying than about the cold. It's literally physically impossible to breathe because there isn't anything to breathe.
At -109 F, carbon dioxide will solidify. This gas is vital for breathing, because the presence of CO2 is required to trigger the breathing reflex. Without it, you literally would have to consciously think about breathing as a specific action.
Basically, at extreme cold temperatures, the physical composition of what you're breathing begins to break down into an unbreathable form, which has a far more significant effect on human activity than mere coldness.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ashtagon
At -300 F, I'd be more concerned about the oxygen in the atmosphere liquefying than about the cold. It's literally physically impossible to breathe because there isn't anything to breathe.
At -109 F, carbon dioxide will solidify. This gas is vital for breathing, because the presence of CO2 is required to trigger the breathing reflex. Without it, you literally would have to consciously think about breathing as a specific action.
Basically, at extreme cold temperatures, the physical composition of what you're breathing begins to break down into an unbreathable form, which has a far more significant effect on human activity than mere coldness.
This assumes the human hasn't found another way to breathe (Mt Everest head gear or magic).
Anyway, good rule OP. It isn't entirely out of the question to have adventures in very cold environs as it is in constant firestorm ones.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
As an engineer this thread give me teh happy... and it managed to do it without killing any catgirls in the main post, and only a few in Ashtagon's reply.
As an engineer I also approve of the occasional dead catgirl.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DracoDei
As an engineer I also approve of the occasional dead catgirl.
I guess a few dead catgirls are within the specs. As long as they pass the safety tolerances. The QA process is always a bear when you involve those. :smallwink:
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ashtagon
At -300 F, I'd be more concerned about the oxygen in the atmosphere liquefying than about the cold. It's literally physically impossible to breathe because there isn't anything to breathe
Anyone posting on this forum should well aware of the fact that D&D has many creatures without the need to breathe.:wink: Off the top of my head, there's elementals, earth gensai, undead, and constructs. I'm sure I'm missing some, but you get the idea.
I could say that suffocation rules begin to apply at a certain point, or increase the nonlethal damage. How do you suggest I remedy this?
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DracoDei
As an engineer this thread give me teh happy...
Glad to be of service.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DracoDei
As an engineer I also approve of the occasional dead catgirl.
Dead catgirl? That's a new one.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TabletopNuke
Dead catgirl? That's a new one.
They're the best kind. :smallamused:
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Zeta Kai
They're the best kind. :smallamused:
What about Undead Catgirls?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tackyhillbillu
What about Undead Catgirls?
Are they dead first?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Pfft... if you are going to ask such questions, why are you stopping at the easy ones?
What about four-state Schrodinger's Cat-girls (who are simultaneously alive, dead, undead, and deathless until observed)?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
What about cat-girls that... actually, I can't really top DracoDei. Good job.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Come on, we can find more states of existence! How about catgirls that are alive, dead, undead, deathless, solid, liquid, gaseous, plasma, Boze-Einstein Condensates, baryonic, non-baryonic and ketchup until observed?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Being an HVAC student this thread makes me smile.
Of course I would like to know what happens at -460F? Save vs death every round?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
TheLash
Being an HVAC student this thread makes me smile.
Of course I would like to know what happens at -460F? Save vs death every round?
Punchings. Punchings for being 0.4 degrees cooler than absolute zero.
This idea does add extra verisimilitude, but how necessary is it in a heroic fantasy game? How often will this come up?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
The lich hides his phylactery in space? :smalltongue:
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
My campaign setting is so cool, it goes below absolute zero!
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
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Originally Posted by
Eldan
My campaign setting is so cool, it goes below absolute zero!
That's just...
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Probably. Perhaps with size and type modifiers, though.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Glimbur
YEEAAAHHH!!!
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
*Shamelessly steals template from the Sleight of Hand thread*
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
That's a decent sleight of hand check you just made, I've got to say.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Why does he have two pairs of sunglasses?
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Glimbur
This idea does add extra verisimilitude, but how necessary is it in a heroic fantasy game? How often will this come up?
I'm in the brigade that touts itself as the "Arctic Wolves" and I once (accidentally) used the weather to TPK stupid southlander players three days into the adventure, two days before the first combat encounter was slated to take place. How often do you think it'll come up?
I'd put the start line at -80, not -180, though. -80 is about the coldest you'll find on Earth.
As an aside, I apparently come with cold protection 5 or a permanent endure elements effect 'cause I can go out in -30 for several hours wearing street clothes and be fine. These rules could definitely go with some nod towards acclimatization - say a +2 bonus to the Fort save if you've spent a week in that temperature band.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
I would start the Preternatural Cold at -120, simply so that the lowest band (Supernatural? I don't have the book handy) has a temperature range of at least 30 degrees.
Regardless of how you set it up, though, you'll run into the odd situation where a character can wander around in a sub-absolute zero environment and survive, either from high cold resistance or cold immunity. At some point, you'll want to consider more than just damage.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Solaris
As an aside, I apparently come with cold protection 5 or a permanent endure elements effect 'cause I can go out in -30 for several hours wearing street clothes and be fine.
Negative thirty degrees?! As in, thirty celcius/sixty fahrenheit below freezing? I can wander around outside in a t-shirt and a light jacket in twenty fahrenheit without much problem - assuming no wind - but either you can't feel cold or your definition of "street clothes" is a bit different than mine.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Players Guide to Faerun has some planar regions being cold enough that you take 3d10 cold damage per round.
Or even 3d12 damage, in one case.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erikun
I would start the Preternatural Cold at -120, simply so that the lowest band (Supernatural? I don't have the book handy) has a temperature range of at least 30 degrees.
Regardless of how you set it up, though, you'll run into the odd situation where a character can wander around in a sub-absolute zero environment and survive, either from high cold resistance or cold immunity. At some point, you'll want to consider more than just damage.
The lowest band starts at -50. It's Unearthly Cold, -50 F or less.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erikun
Negative thirty degrees?! As in, thirty celcius/sixty fahrenheit below freezing? I can wander around outside in a t-shirt and a light jacket in twenty fahrenheit without much problem - assuming no wind - but either you can't feel cold or your definition of "street clothes" is a bit different than mine.
Minus thirty Fahrenheit. I'm American, I assume everyone uses the same system I do even though nobody else does. At minus sixty I put on a jacket over my long-sleeved shirt and blue jeans. I wear a hat and gloves at -20/-30ish, too.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
I don't know you people, but it's currently about -5°C around here during the day, and I don't have a problem going outside in a t-shirt. True, that's only for twenty minutes or so at a time, but it's really not that cold.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
DragoonWraith
Why does he have two pairs of sunglasses?
You're not allowed to see his eyes.
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Re: Preternatural Cold (3.5 Frostburn Temperature Band, PEACH)
Quote:
Originally Posted by
erikun
Negative thirty degrees?! As in, thirty celcius/sixty fahrenheit below freezing? I can wander around outside in a t-shirt and a light jacket in twenty fahrenheit without much problem - assuming no wind - but either you can't feel cold or your definition of "street clothes" is a bit different than mine.
Temperatures in D&D are always given in Fahrenheit.