Random Weather Generation

First, Roll D100 to determine the Basic Weather Conditions based on the season and table below.

	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Clear/Sunny	01-35	01-40	01-30	01-20
Partly Cloudy	36-55	41-60	31-50	21-40
Cloudy	56-75	61-80	51-75	41-60
Overcast	76-100	81-100	76-100	61-100

Secondly, select the Terrain the Party is in from the table below. If the the party is in a City or in City surroundings, select the surrounding terrain. If Aerial, select based on the terrain below. For Upper or Lower World terrain, the terrain may vary depending on the region. It is up to the Referee to decide. One notable addition on the table is Vulcano, which can create a weather system of its own.

Basic Temperature
Terrain	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Aerial	TT*	TT*	TT*	TT*
Desert	50-100	60-120	50-110	40-100
Badlands	40-90	60-110	50-100	40-90
Jungle	60-90	70-110	60-100	60-90
Forest	60-80	70-90	60-80	50-70
Mountain	30-80*	60-100*	30-90*	20-80*
Hills	40-80	60-90	40-80	30-70
Swamp	50-80	70-100	60-90	50-80
Plains	40-80	60-100	50-90	40-80
Underground	30-80	60-110*	50-90	30-80
Waterways	50-70*	60-90*	60-80*	50-70*
Ocean	30-70*	60-100*	60-80	30-70*
Tundra/Glacier	0-60	10-70	0-60	-20-50
Volcano	60-110	70-130	60-120	60-110

These are only Base Range figures, they could be less or more. Modifiers to basic temperature include Wind and Weather conditions (for example sleet and rain can decrease temperature slightly overall).

Aerial

Use terrain under the air directly but for every 500 feet going up decrease temperature by 1 degree.

Mountain

Same system for Aerial as the mountain climbs up in height temperature would decrease.

Waterways

Wind can affect the temperature here. A good rule o thumb is for Wind / 10 mph is minus 1 to overall temperature.

Ocean

Same for Waterways but no terrain adjustments like nearby mountains or such to affect the wind so its flat sun and wind effects.

Time of day can determine the temperature. At noon the hottest temperature should be given but at sunrise or sunset near the lowest and midnight could be the coldest if need be. This varies however by how far north or south a nation is. This high and low point in temperature can vary. In some places the hottest is 2 hours after noon and lowest 2 hours after midnight. So the hot and low ranges can vary and should be determined by the Referee.

EXAMPLE - Party is in the mountain during Winter. They are 5000 feet up (-10 to average temperature). At noon the temperature could be as hot as 80-10=70 ro as cold as 20-10=10 near midnight. This is a 60 degree range so at sunrise or sunset the median o (60/2=30) 20+30=50 degrees at that time period.

Using time can determine the base temperature or you can roll using the range in dice. In the above example its a range of 60 degrees so a D60 (D100-40, where negatives are 0 or 1). So on a D60 a roll o 33 would be 20+33=53 degrees at that time.

NOTE - Where the party is in terms of the globe can determine base temperatures as well. Further south near the equator the hotter it will tend to be but further north near the arctic areas it'll be more cooler. A good rule of thumb is per 20 hexes (or whatever Referee chooses) -5 to basic climate temperature.

Determine Specific Weather

Roll D100 to determine the specific weather conditions. The number of rolls and when to make them is up to the Referee. But it would depend on how long the party is going to be in the terrain. If they are moving through it then only 1 roll may be needed for that day otherwise they are camping maybe 1 every few hours. A good rule of thumb is 1 roll per stragetic turn (12 hours).

NOTE - Where a chart lists Sunny/Clear yet the chart shows non-clear effects like Rain this means that at that time there is enough clouds roll in to create rain then become clear again. The Sunny/Clear chart tends to be (unless stated otherwise) the basic default chart.

Aerial Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-40	01-30	01-30
Low Winds	31-50	41-50	31-40	21-30
Medium Winds	51-69	51-60	41-69	31-40
High Winds	70-80	61-70	70-80	41-60
Extreme Winds	81-100	71-100	81-100	61-100

Partly Cloudy, Cloudy, Overcast
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-20
Fog	31-40	31-35	31-40	21-30
Hail	41-50	36-45	41-50	31-40
Sleet	51-60	46-49	51-60	41-50
Rain	61-69	50-69	61-70	51-60
Storm	70-97	70-100	71-80	61-70
Snow	98-100	-	81-100	71-100

Modifiers - Per 500 feet elevation a +1 can be added to the roll to reflect more ice/snow effects.

Optional Modifiers	#E
Sunny/Clear	None
Partly Cloudy	+10
Cloudy	+20
Overcast	+30

This reflects that as the cloud cover increases the likelihood of more severe weather is apparent (like snow or storms).

EXAMPLE - Wizard flies in the sky over forest during summer while it is partly cloudy. The base temperature range is 70-90. The wizard is flying at 2000 feet through his eagle shape changing ability. This gives a -4 to base temperature thus 66-86 is the new range. First hour the Referee rolls a 47 which is Sleet. The eagle enters a fast sleet storm with hail and minor rain. The Referee could have added +10 modifier to make it 57 making it only a Rain storm.

Desert Weather

Deserts tend to have different basic weather conditions due to their heat. If you feel you need to change it a suggested new chart would be:

	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Clear/Sunny	01-69	01-69	01-69	01-69
Partly Cloudy	70-89	70-89	70-89	70-89
Cloudy	90-97	90-99	90-97	90-96
Overcast	98-100	99-100	98-100	97-100

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-40	01-30	01-30
Fog	31-32	41	31-32	31-33
Haze	33-85	42-62	33-74	34-85
Dust Storm	86-91	63-75	75-85	86-91
Drizzle	92-96	76-86	86-93	92-96
Rain	97-99	87-94	94-97	97-99
Storm	100	95-100	98-100	100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear +10 to Roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear +20 to Roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear +30 to roll

OPTIONAL - Drought Conditions in the desert increase as the heat increases. Local riverbeds and animal drinking spots will shrink up to almost nothingness.

	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Drought Chance	30%	60%	50%	40%

If there is a drought in the area the amount of decrease of a water source is as follows:

	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Water Decrease	15%	80%	60%	30%

To this figure you add 2D10 and add to the percentage above then roll D100. This determines the level of shrinkage.

EXAMPLE - Its summer in the great desert. There is a 60% chance o a drought, the GM rolls 54 so a drought will exist in that hex. He rolls 2D10 and gets 7. So the riverbed they are near has shrunk by 87%. The river once 15 feet wide in winter times from the mountain ice melting is now only 2 feet wide.

Badlands Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-40	01-30	01-30
Fog	31-36	41-45	31-39	31-38
Haze	37-43	46-55	40-49	39-42
Wind Storm	44-54	56-65	50-64	43-69
Dust Storm	55-63	66-75	64-74	70-73
Drizzle	64-73	76-80	75-84	74-84
Hail	74-83	81-85	85-89	85-89
Rain	84-94	86-94	90-94	90-94
Storm	95-100	95-100	95-100	95-100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear +5 to Roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear +10 to Roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear +15 to roll

OPTIONAL - Badlands that have alot of cliffs and ledges can cause unpredictable situations. To simulate these effects you can use the following table (d100, every 5 miles in badlands):

No Surprises	01-59
Quicksand	60-69
Unexpected Ravine	70-79
Rockslide	80-89
Heavy Avalanche	90-99
Earthquake	100

Jungle Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-40
Fog	31-32	31-33	31-35	41-50
Haze	33-35	34-35	36-40	51-55
Drizzle	36-64	36-59	41-64	56-74
Hail	65-69	60-64	65-69	75-79
Rain	70-84	65-79	70-84	80-89
Storm	85-89	80-94	85-95	90-97
Flood	90-98	95-96	96-97	98
Fire	98-100	97-100	98-100	99-100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +30 to roll

OPTIONAL - If a Thunderstorm exists over a jungle the chance of a fire increases. Per 10 lightning strikes there is a 1% chance of fire. This is a cumlative effect. These strikes must hit the ground not be aerial to be included in this factor.

OPTIONAL - If there is a Thunderstorm and it lasts for hours (or longer) there is a good chance of mudslides in flood like conditions. For every hour the storm remains in the area +10% (cumulative).

EXAMPLE - a storm that lasts 4 hours has a 40% chance of mudslides. Keep in mind a flat jungle has less chance of mud slides but creates insense mud on the ground compared to jungles that are elevated like on side of mountains.

EXAMPLE - The party is camping in a dense jungle that is over 400 square miles. It is cloudy though the party barely notices over the tree canopy. It is spring and the GM rolls 47 and gets a +20 Modifier to 67 which makes Hail get on the scene and bombard the jungle. Luckily in this case the canopy blocks most of the hail.

Forest Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-40
Fog	31-33	31-32	31-35	41-50
Haze	34-37	33-35	36-37	51-53
Drizzle	38-48	36-50	38-50	54-60
Hail	49-59	51-64	51-63	61-69
Rain	60-71	65-79	64-76	70-78
Storm	72-83	80-92	77-89	79-84
Sleet	84-89	93-95	90-92	85-90
Flood	90-94	95-96	93-94	91
Fire	95-97	97-100	95-96	92
Snow	98-99	-	97-100	93-96
Blizzard	100	-	-	97-100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +30 to roll

OPTIONAL - If the forest is elevated like on ridges, mountains or cliffs then there is a slight chance the party can encounter hollows in the forest. These are hidden (hard to see) pits of various sizes hidden by the undergrowth. It is possible those finding such a hollow can fall in. If it is a flat forest then there is no chance of such a hollow. Per 5 miles of forest traveled in such elevated conditions there is a 10% chance of encountering a hollow. Such a pit could be quite dangerous. The size, depth and width of the hollow is up to the Referee. But a good rule of thumb might be 2D10 feet for all 3. Falls could occur. If there is a hollow there is a 10% chance it is already occupied by some animal or animal remains.

Mountain Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-40	01-30	01-30
Wind Storm	31-37	41-50	31-40	31-37
Fog	38-44	51-53	41-45	38-42
Haze	45-49	54-60	46-50	43-45
Drizzle	50-64	61-70	51-60	45-59
Hail	65-69	71-80	61-70	60-69
Rain	70-79	81-90	71-80	70-79
Storm	80-85	91-97	81-90	80-85
Sleet	85-91	98-99	91-95	85-94
Flood	92-97	100	96	94
Snow	98-99	-	97-100	85-98
Blizzard	100	-	-	99-100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +5 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

This reflects the higher the mountain the higher the chance of snow (cold) like conditions.

OPTIONAL - Per 3000 feet the chance of snow increases by 5% and is cumulative. During winter this chance could even be increased. For example a mountain that is 12,400 feet high has a 20% chance of snow at that height already. Season would affect this. Summer may mean no snow but winter would definitely improve chance of snow. This decision is up to the Referee.

OPTIONAL - Mountains can be dangerous places to roam around and to reflect this you can add other effects to the mountain using the below chart. Roll D100.

No Surprises	01-59
Cave/Cavern found	60-70
{Unexpected	Ravine	}70-80
Rockslide	81-94
Avalanche	95-99
Earthquake	100

Avalanche in winter would be a snow avalanche but in summer it would be boulders and sand. In spring with the melting snow it could be mudslides.

Hills Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-30
Wind Storm	31-40	31-35	31-37	31-40
Fog	41-45	36-37	38-42	41-50
Haze	46-50	38-40	43-45	51-53
Drizzle	51-60	41-53	46-58	54-61
Hail	61-70	54-66	59-70	61-68
Rain	71-82	67-84	71-82	69-77
Storm	83-89	85-96	83-94	78-84
Sleet	90-92	97-98	95-97	85-90
Flood	93-98	99-100	98-99	91-93
Snow	99-100	-	100	93-99
Blizzard	-	-	-	100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +5 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

OPTIONAL - Hills can be dangerous places to roam around and to reflect this you can add other effects to the hills using the below chart. Roll D100.

No Surprises	01-59
Cave/Cavern found	60-70
Unexpected Ravine	70-80
Rockslide	81-96
Avalanche	97-99
Earthquake	100

Avalanche in winter would be a snow avalanche but in summer it would be boulders and sand. In spring with the melting snow it could be mudslides.

Swamp Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-30
Fog	31-37	31-33	31-35	31-40
Haze	38-45	34-40	37-40	41-43
Drizzle	46-55	41-50	41-53	44-55
Hail	56-65	51-60	54-65	56-67
Rain	66-75	61-70	66-78	68-85
Storm	76-84	71-80	79-89	86-91
Sleet	85-89	81-90	90-94	92-99
Flood	90-100	91-100	95-100	99-100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +5 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

OPTIONAL - Swamps have a diverse terrain and other things could exist in the area. Many swamps must be crossed with a boat. For every 3 miles of swamp crossed roll on the table below (D100).

No Surprises	01-70
Quicksand	71-80
Swamp Gas	81-90
Hot Springs	91-100

Plains Weather

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-30
Fog	31-36	31-33	31-35	31-40
Haze	37-40	34-40	36-40	41-43
Wind Storm	41-45	41-45	41-47	44-50
Dust Storm	46-48	46-50	48-50	51-52
Drizzle	49-60	51-62	59-68	53-61
Hail	61-71	63-74	69-78	62-70
Rain	72-83	75-90	78-87	71-79
Storm	84-95	91-97	88-96	80-84
Sleet	96-97	98	97-98	85-89
Flood	98-99	99-100	99	90-98
Snow	100	-	100	99-100
Blizzard	-	-	-

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +30 to roll

OPTIONAL - To reflect position o the plains the following rules can apply. For floods - for every hill, waterway or irrigted area around the plain hex there Is a increase of a possible flood situation. For Snow the chance of snow increases if the plains are near mountains. For Dust Storms the chance increases if the plains hex is greater away from other terrain.

	3+ Hexes	2 Hexes	1 Hex
	Away	Away	Away
Flood	+5%	+10%	+20%
Snow	+5%	+10%	+20%
Dust	+20%	+10%	+5%

EXAMPLE - A Zen'da plains hex is 8 hexes away from any other terrain source. This gives a bonus of +5% to floods, +5% to snow and +20% for dust storms. Another Plain hex is one hex away from a Mountain and a Forest hex. This gives a +0% to flood (not a waterway type hex or such), a +20% to snow (due to mountains) and a +5% chance of dust storms.

Underground Weather

Basic Weather conditions do not matter to underground areas. But underground systems can have a form of their own climate conditions. Per hour in a underground section a roll should be made in the following charts. Seasons only affect some form of this terrain by their surrounding climate of the underground areas.

Caves and Caverns are near the entrance to the outside. Deep Caves would be over 100 feet away from the entrance Mines are man-made structures.

[For below make a roll every 5 hours in this area]

Caves, Caverns
#E-	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-40	01-40	01-30
Fog	31-35	41-45	41-48	31-40
Haze	36-40	46-47	49-50	41-45
Wind Storm	41-56	48-59	51-55	46-55
Rain	57-69	60-79	56-84	56-70
Flood	70-79	80-89	85-89	71-80
Rockslide	80-89	90-94	90-92	81-85
Avalanche	90-94	95-99	93-97	86-89
Snow	95-98	-	98-99	90-97
Blizzard	99	-	-	98-99
Earthquake	100	100	100	100

[For below make a roll every 1 hour in this area]

Deep Caves
	Any Season
Normal	01-30
Gas	31-38
Cold	39-45
Heat	46-52
Fog	53-59
Breeze	60-67
Flood	68-74
Rockslide	75-79
Avalanche/Cave In	80-84
Tight Spot	85-92
Unexpected Ravine	93-95
Dead End	96-98
Earthquake	99-100

[For below make a roll every 1 hour in this area]

Mines
	Any Season
Normal	01-30
Gas	31-40
Cold	41-53
Heat	54-64
Fog	65-67
Breeze	68-74
Flood	75-84
Rockslide	85-89
Avalanche/Cave In	90-96
Earthquake	97-100

OPTIONAL - The deeper the underground areas tend to go the more chance of a disaster or effect (cold, heat, gas, rockslide or cave-in). For every 50 feet below ground add 1 to the above dice roll.

EXAMPLE - A party escapes a army by entering an abandoned Dwarf Mine. It goes down 615 feet deep. They decide to elude the enemy by going about 420 feet deep. The chance of a problem has now increased by +8%. The party stays 3 hours in the mine. First hour Referee rolls 11+8=19 Nothing, Second hour 63+8=71 from deep down or from the entrance a Breeze rolls in for some time and cools the party down. Finally in the last hour 44+8=52 a Cold Wave hits the party from deep within the cave climate system. The temperature decreases by 5-8 degrees in minutes.

Waterways Weather

This area includes Rivers, Streams, Small Seas, lagoons, Ponds, Lakes or dammed up areas. If the waterway is significant in size this chart can be used for weather otherwise the nearby terrain could be used. The size should be up to the Referee. For example Lake Sivas is large enough it could have different weather effects.

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-30	01-30	01-30	01-30
Fog	31-40	31-36	31-38	31-42
Haze	41-45	37-40	39-40	43-45
Drizzle	46-52	41-60	41-60	46-55
Hail	53-55	61-65	61-63	56-59
Rain	56-70	66-80	64-75	60-70
Storm	71-80	81-90	76-85	71-80
Sleet	81-85	91-93	86-98	81-85
Winds	86-99	94-97	89-98	86-99
Spouts	100	98-100	99-100	100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +30 to roll

NOTE - Spouts would not occur on waterways smaller than a river that is only a few hundred feet wide. If a river is wide enough spouts could occur. If a stream is used in the above and spout is rolled re-roll for a new effect.

Ocean Weather

Ocean is full hex of Ocean. However a small piece of land (like a island can occur in the same hex if need to use this terrain. The ocean should have at least 51% of the hex space.

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-40	01-30	01-40	01-40
Fog	41-45	31-35	41-45	41-50
Haze	46-49	36-42	46-50	51-53
Drizzle	50-57	43-60	51-58	54-61
Hail	58-65	61-65	59-65	62-69
Rain	66-73	66-74	66-73	70-77
Storm	74-81	75-82	74-81	78-85
Sleet	82-89	83-84	81-88	86-93
Winds	90-96	85-94	89-96	94-97
Spouts	97-99	95-99	97-99	98-99
Whirlpool	100	100	100	100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +30 to roll

Tundra/Glacier Weather

This terrain can include mountain glaciers and sheets o Glacier ice as well as Arctic Tundra regions.

Sunny/Clear
	Spring	Summer	Fall	Winter
Normal	01-45	01-60	01-45	01-30
Fog	46-48	61-62	46-48	31-32
Drizzle	49-50	63-64	49-50	33
Hail	51-53	65	51	34
Rain	54-55	66	52	35
Storm	56	67	53	36
Sleet	57-60	68-69	54-56	37
Winds	61-97	70-99	57-97	38
Snow	98-99	100	98-99	39-79
Blizzard	-	-	100	80-100

Partly Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +10 to roll

Cloudy

Use Sunny/Clear but +20 to roll

Overcast

Use Sunny/Clear but +30 to roll

Volcano Weather

This includes the actual Volcano and Volcanic Islands. This terrain can actually create its own weather systems due to the gases and heat from the volcano. This roll should be made every 30 minutes while on the Volcano Terrain.

All Conditions
	All Seasons
Normal	01-30
Fog	31-33
Drizzle	34-40
Hail	41-45
Rain	46-55
Storm	56-70
Gas	71-80
Lava Ejecta	81-90
Lava	91-93
Earthquake	94
Land Shift	95-100

Modifiers depend on the level of activity the volcano is currently at.

Dormant	+0
Low Activity	+10
High Activity	+20
Active Explosion	+30

Dormant volcanic mountains may be inactive but may still have lava movement, hot springs and steam which can still create some weather conditions. Low activity would include slight tremors, internal lava movement and gas ejecta. High Activity would be same as Low but include earthquakes, many tremors and active lava rolling out. Active Explosion Volcanic mountains would be where it actively explodes steam, gas and lava rocks.

NOTE - Temperatures on a Volcano (especially active ones) can increase as much as 30-50 degrees in a matter o seconds or a few minutes. Players will have to be careful while on a Volcanic area.

Weather Consequence Explanations

Avalanche

Avalanches are a more dangerous form of rockslide. Whereas rockslides tend to only do a short distance of the overall mountain or cliff a avalanche can cause a chain reaction to slide material the entire length of the cliff or mountain. As more and more material fall it builds up in speed and mass. The same information as rockslide are used here but more fist sized, head sized and boulder rocks tend to fall with sand. The percentages would be pebble 10%, fist sized 10%, head sized rocks 20% and boulders 50% of the distribution. The referee should roll 3D100 for the number of material that falls. The same damage of the stones apply for Rockslides. There are two forms of Avalanches that can occur.

A dry avalanche is one where just rocks and boulders occur which is from a chain reaction. Earthquakes and and people can cause this to happen.

A wet avalanche tends to be from mud (see mudslide) or from snow or ice.

If a person is in the path of the avalanche he has little chance to dodge it. He must plan his moves carefully or find shelter. Some options might be to hide under a cliff hanging or a boulder in hopes that boulder doesn't move. If he can't move out of the path he will likely be in its wake and taken with it. He could also be buried in the avalanche. Snow avalanches are more dangerous in trapping people under the snow where unless a pocket exists they will die soon without help.

A common cause of avalanches is also loud noises.

Terrain notes

Badlands

Avalanches here are always mostly dry and have more boulders than most terrain.

Mountain/Hills

Dry and Wet Avalanches can occur here.

Underground

Should see Cave In.

Volcano

A avalanche here can occur from a shift from the volcanic dome. Avalanches of this could be very bad as it could bring gas, lava and dust with it which is sure death in most cases.

Blizzard

Blizzards are walls of snow and ice that are intense and dangerous. Blizzards can last for hours and can build up snow as high as 30 feet in some rare situations. For simplicity the Referee can roll D10 for the duration in hours the blizzard lasts. He can then roll D3 for the amount of inches of snow that falls and packs up. The referee can also use the Glacier spike spell during the blizzard. The base chance of 30% is given for frostbite and adds up each hour of the duration. So by 4 hours any person still left out in the open is going to have frostbite. Visibility at best is a full arm's reach and maybe 5 feet in most blizzard or white out conditions. Frostbite depends more on temperature than snow or even ice.

Terrain notes

Tundra/Glacier

A blizzard in this area lasts usually an additional D3 hours and adds at least 1 inch of snow more added to the basic roll above. Also since temperatures in this region can go well below zero the frostbite is 40% per hour instead of 30.

EXAMPLE - In winter a hunter finds himself in a wide forest and a major snow front approaches from the east. The hunter has time to react and seek a cave. But he finds the blizzard lasts 9 hours through the night. The snow slowly builds up 2+2+2+2+2+3+3+1+2=19 feet which is a rare event in these parts. Most of it is on the nearby mountain but now blocks the entrance to the cave.

The Referee should use his judgement on the amount of snow that falls. Typically its no more than 6 feet. However there are some strong and rare storms that go 7-30 feet in some cases. These tend to be once in a hundred year old storms.

Cloudy

In this condition the sky is 26-75% full o clouds. This typically means the sky may be brewing some storm or rain eventually.

Cold

In underground areas a sudden burst of cold air can sneak up on players. At the very least it can lower the temperature of the underground area or at the most a Cold spell effect could be done by the Referee.

Drizzle

This light precipitation effect is a mist or a light drizzle of few rain drops spread out. Drizzle does nothing to party members aside from cooling them down. Drizzle rains can even occur when the sun is out and are short lived only lasting 1-3 minutes at bast.

Dust Storms

Dust storms are created by high winds that pick up the dust and sand to create dangerous situations for a party they encounter. To determine the type of Dust storm roll on the table below (Roll D100):

Roll	Dust Storm Type	Winds
01-40	Tumbleweed	1-5
41-60	Dust Devil	10-20
61-80	Whirlwind	21-50
81-90	Sand Storm - Low	51-89
91-100	Sand Storm - High	90+

Wind is the required wind to form this type o storm. It can be a constant wind or a gale short enough to form the dust storm. An explanation of each storm is below:

Tumbleweed

Common in deserts, badlands and plains this type of event is when brush (tumbleweeds) roll by but no other effects. No interference by players.

Dust Devil

This is a baby dust tornado. It is usually some material like dust, sand and/or plant material that swirls around from the winds and moves ever so slightly. These tend only to move only about 30 feet before they die down. They last up to 30 turns, They may scratch the party and annoy them but only do max of 1 point of damage to a person in it (due to sand). The funnel is as small as 2 feet to as large as 10 feet.

Whirlwind

This type of dust storm picks up more sand from the ground and forms a vortex of wind that travels around in random erratic directions depending on the wind. If there is little ground dust or sand then the default is EL0 but if there are dunes and plenty of sand you can determine the size of the whirlwind below:

Wind	EL	Duration	Distance	Damage	Funnel
21-25	0	10	4"	2D6	1"
26-30	1	20	8"	2D6+3	1"
31-35	2	30	12"	2D6+6	1"
36-40	3	40	16"	2D6+9	2"
41-45	4	50	20"	2D6+12	2"
46-50	5	60	24"	2D6+15	2"

This info is the same as the Whirlwind spell. EL is the EL or level of whirlwind. The duration is in turns. The distance is per phase and Funnel is how large the funnel is (Radius).

Sand Storm - Low

This storm is a wall of sand that moves with the wind. It causes sand blasting typeis effects on anything it hits. If no dunes exist then the wall of sand may be thin enough to avoid (EL0). To determine some typical storms based on the wind then use the table:

Wind	EL	Duration	Distance	Damage	Wall
21-60	0	10	4"	1D6+3	1"
61-70	1	20	8"	1D6+6	1"
71-80	2	30	10"	1D6+9	1"
81-89	3	40	12"	1D6+12	2"

The duration the sand wave lasts in turns. The distance is how far from where it picks up to where it lands and travels. The damage is slightly less than whirlwinds due to once they hit a target they move on rather than possibly standing there hurting the player. The Wall is how wide the wall o sand is in width and height. The Referee is free to add Desciation effects if he wishes.

Sand Storm - High

This storm is the most deadly of the sand storms in desert like terrain. These storms ONLY occur where sand dunes exist and there is plenty of sand for the storm to pickup. If none exist re-roll the effect or there is no storm but an attempted one that fails. To determine the effect of the storm use the formula below. The table assumes a default speed of 90 mph or higher.

Duration	(Wind Speed/10)+1 turns
Distance	((Wind Speed/10)-9)x5" per phase
Damage	3D6+((Wind Speed/10)-9)x3
Wall Length	(Wind Speed/10)"
Height	(Wind Speed/10)/2 feet RU
Thickness	(Wind Speed/10) feet
Sand Leftover: (Wind Speed/10)-8 inches.

EXAMPLE - The party of 3 is in a desert of sand dunes and encounter a sand storm. The winds are gusting at 110 and cause a chain reaction in the sand which forms a wall o sand. The duration is 12 turns, distance it moves per phase is 10" per phase (faster than most can run), if it hits the characters it will do 3D6+2 points. The wall of sand is 11" wide, 5.5 feet high and 11 feet thick with sand (which would cover any hex). When the storm leaves the hex where the party is it leaves 3 inches of sand all over them.

It is possible to avoid dust storms if there is plenty of time to react. But sand storms are known to occur without any notice at all. A Desert Survival roll could be made to detect the conditions for such storms to avoid them.

Terrain notes

Desert

This terrain has all the above forms of storms commonly but if no dunes this limits the Sand Storms to Low only at best. A Dune Sea is prone to many sand storms each day. The wind from nearby mountains or water bodies can pick up and coast over the dunes and increase in intensity.

Badlands

This terrain typically has all but the High Sand storms. Because this terrain has ridges, cliffs and other obstructions storms can be stopped once they hit these obstacles.

Plains

Plains get all but the high sand storms even when winds gust over 90. The worst plains can get in dust storms is a Dust Bowl like effect where the topsoil is destroyed and flies for miles and miles by the wind like the Dust Bowl of the America in the '30s.

Earthquake

Earthquakes are movements of earth that are rare most of the time. The Referee can use the Scale that already exists or come up with his own system. For simplicity the Referee can roll for localized earthquakes by using a D20 for the EL and use the Earthquake spell. Most of the time however most quakes are just tremors that do little or no damage.

Fire

This is fire from lightning or some other source. Fire is typically found in Jungle and Forest more than other terrains. Depending on the size of the fire the player can likely see a fire in the distance from the light or smoke. There are many factors that drive fire including material (trees, grass) for the consumption of fire, wind and rain. They are too complicated to put into rules here so a GM should determine the level of fire and how it spreads. A good rule of thumb is to maybe use a D20 as a EL and use the combustion spell as a general rule of thumb. Keep in mind fire can kill players not only from the fire but the smoke as well.

Terrain notes

Jungle/Forest

These two terrains can have large and vast forest fires that spread over miles quickly. If a party is caught in a forest or jungle fire they could be trapped.

Underground

Fire could occur here but tends to be from gas, human error or volcanic situations.

Volcano

Fire is obvious here.

Flood

Floods occur when there is too much water for the terrain to handle at one time. It may be as little as a few inches of water to a overflow of a river. The amount of water spread and water height is up to the Referee but should reflect the terrain type itself.

Terrain notes

Jungle

Floods here generally occur in monsoon type weather where there is constant long rain. It can create generally knee up depth of water at times since the trees tend not to compensate by soaking it up.

Forest

Forest flooding typically occurs from nearby terrain like river or swamps where the forest gets some of the overflow from that terrain.

Mountain

Floods here are typically mudslides or from melting snow up the mountain. This can create streams and waterfalls that are fast moving as the water gets to the bottom.

Hills

Typically are mudslides

Swamp

Swamp is mostly water already so floods here tend to occur when the water rises above its normal height. This can send the water to other nearby land areas. When swamps flood there is little or no land usually leftover.

Plains

Plains are so flat that most floods are from strong storms but tend to be soaked up fast. In some cases they can form rivers of water down gullies or canyons however.

Underground

Underground floods typically occur when the cave is ALREADY full of water when found or from cave ins which cause water to flow into the underground area from a underground water shed or source.

Waterways

Rivers can flood easily as their banks are surpassed by water. This can cause problems with farmlands or other areas. Floods in this area can cause torrents of water and cause normally calm rivers to be mad rivers which takes anything with it.

Fog

Fog works best in cool temperatures near coastal territories. However some fog can still exist deep inland. The best conditions for Fog is at sunrise and sunset when the overall climate is changing due to the shift in day and night. Noon day fog is an extreme rare condition. The Referee can determine the type of fog on the Fog Table below (Roll D100):

Fog Type	Visibility
Fog Mist	1 Mile
Light Fog	Half Mile to 1 Mile
Moderate Fog	10-100 Feet
Heavy Fog	5-10 Feet
Fog Blanket	12-60 Inches

Missile fire through Fog can be affected by the visibility and obscure rules. Wind can affect Fog by moving the fog away or toward characters.

Conditions to form

Conditions to form Fog is generally cool and humid temperatures. Natural bodies of water like waterways or ocean help. Ground fog can also form of the moisture in the air. Cloud fog forms when clouds settle to the ground (but usually is a higher elevation). Hot climates tend not to have fog.

Terrain notes

Desert Fog

Only tends to occur at night or before sunrise when the desert is in cold temperatures. It quickly evaporates when the sun comes up so does not exist during the day so if Desert Fog is rolled during day you should re-roll.

Badlands

Some day fog can exist here but only when its colder when sun rises.

Jungle

Jungle fog can be very mystical to those not used to it. The way it surrounds trees and mingles with them seem almost magical. Since jungle is thick already the Referee should decrease visibility more.

Forest

Forest Fog tends to stay low on the ground but can be as high as the tree tops itself.

Mountain Fog

This fog will grow in size and strength as the elevation increases. Once the height is such that clouds exist below that line fog is common.

Swamp

Swamp fog is fast moving and ever shifting due to the amount of standing water in the area.

Underground Fog

This type of fog is created by the dampness and coolness in the air.

Waterway

Fog in this terrain can cause "ghost" ships to be seen and decreases ship movement.

Ocean Fog

Same as Waterway. Ship movement can be reduced to as much as 25% of its full speed in some fog.

Gas

Volcano and Underground terrains can create gas that can be harmful to characters.

Underground Gas

Treat as Swamp Gas but there should not be any Light Gas.

Volcanic Gas

This gas can be very fast moving that can overtake the fastest of players. It can suffocate the player. The Referee should treat it as Swamp Gas but with Bursts and fast dispersion with Toxic effects.

In underground areas there are situations where some gas can be detected like the bird in the bird cage but in volcanic situations it can be immediate and very unpredictable.

Hail

Hail are hard atmospheric objects made of ice and crystal of various sizes that are formed high in the atmosphere and fall to the ground. Because the stones are hard they can damage items and people. The size of the hail storm is up to the Referee but a good typical size is 2 square miles around the party. Hail stones can be as little as dime size pebbles or as big as fists. To determine the amount of hail that drops the Referee can roll on the table below:

Hail Size	Concentration	Damage per stone	Roll
Small	2D30	1	01-30
Medium	D30	D3	31-60
Large	D20	D6	61-90
Extreme	D10	D10	91-100

Concentration is the amount of possible stones in the every hex of the party. Each tactical hex the party is a new concentration should be rolled. The listed damage is done per stone to people and items.

Terrain notes

Aerial

Hail while in the air tends to be far bigger since it has not melted on the way down. To reflect this per 1000 feet up increase the size by one factor. Thus Large would be Extreme.

Volcano

Hail around active volcano areas are possible but rare. In some cases they can be larger in some cases due to the dust in the air thus GM can add a point or two of damage if Referee desires.

Duration

Hail Storms only last typically 1-3 minutes max (D3). Hail storms can be in virtually any condition including little if no clouds since they are from high up. But typically they would occur during a rain storm most of the time. For each stone the Referee would roll on the +4 line on the combat table giving a basic 58% chance of the stone hitting. The players can dodge the stones if they see them coming and know the stones are falling. The Referee is free to modify the combat line but this reflects the Base Line for Throwing Objects.

EXAMPLE - A party is camped out in a 20 foot circle. A hail storm suddenly bursts during a light rain drizzle. So two hexes are covered the GM rolls 90 which has the hail stones as large as a small ball that can be held in the hand. The GM rolls 2 D20s and get 2 and 7. So in one hex only 2 stones fall while in another 7 hit in that particular hex. If any hit he would roll d6 for each stone.

Haze

Haze is a collection of smoke and fog or other particle pollution like dust. It generally does not inteefere with the players except distortions of vision and distance slightly.

Terrain notes

Desert

Haze in Desert can actually lead to Mirages. Mirages can confuse and mislead party members. Badlands - Like Desert.

Jungle

Jungle haze is typically over the jungle as if looking at it over the tree tops from high up and generally is only seen in this position.

Forest

Like Jungle but its possible to see some of the haze from the ground.

Mountain

Haze from here can be seen at a distance to see the blue and gray haze that typically is found at mountains that distort views of the mountains.

Plains

Desert but mirages are less intense.

Waterways/Ocean

Haze here is seen at the horizon or far distance and can mislead to navigation errors if the navigators aren't too skilled.

Heat

This is the same as Cold above but works through heat. This may be a pocket of hot air trapped for some time or volcanic type heat from some deep underground source. It may just increase temperatures or do heat like spell effects.

Hot Springs

Hot springs are typically found in swamp areas but could be found in others in some cases. These springs of super heated water is said to help in the healing process. Players can soak in them to help tired bones and relax the body. They may not heal physical damage but they do seem to uplift the spirit.

OPTIONAL - To reflect this boost in energy by the springs the Referee could add D3 Energy points back to a person who soaks in the springs for more than 6 hours. These springs can also help to fight of infection as it burns off virii and other things on the skin and in open wounds.

Hurricane

Hurricanes are strong oceanic storms of wind and energy. They only tend to form from the Summer and Fall seasons. The table below gives the data on each storm and their category.

Category	Wind	Knots	Storm Surge	Damages
One	74-95	64-82	4-5 ft.	Trees, Mobile homes
Two	96-110	83-95	6-8 ft.	Trees, minor house damage
Three	111-130	96-113	9-12 ft.	Minor structural home damage
Four	131-155	114-135	13-18 ft.	Can blow houses down
Five	155+	135-149	18+ ft.	Massive damage area wide

The Referee can determine the type of hurricane that is forming by rolling on the table below or choose:

Roll	Hurricane Type/Category
01-30	Tropical Storm
31-50	One
51-84	Two
85-92	Three
93-96	Four
97-100	Five

Size of a hurricane can vary but as little as 100 miles or as big as 1000 miles in diameter (a rare one can be as big as 1000 miles). Referee can roll a D100 x the Category of the storm (if tropical then x0.5). Ships caught in the hurricane will have a hard time battling themselves out of it. Once a hurricane hits land it will slowly decrease in power and strength.

Land Shift

This volcanic effect occurs when the mountain is about to burst it will shift its land mass in dramatic ways before it explodes. The lava dome may collapse or may slide in a rockslide. Usually this event is deadly if the players are right on it.

Lava

Lava is molten rock that can melt lead. As a result anyone touched by lava will burn and die. Even the supernaturally high Fire Resistance or immunity may not stop this effect. Usually however lava is slow moving and shifting so players can avoid lava with plenty of time if they have the chance to. Temperatures can be as high as 200 degrees or hotter and as cold as only 120 in lava depending on its state of cooling down. So one could treat this as 12D10 to 20D10 points o damage. Players should not approach near lava as well and tend to only get within 10 feet o lava before they have to back away.

Lava Ejecta

This is active lava rocks that eject from a volcano that tend to go up in the air rather than roll down the volcano like normal lava. these rocks can go as high as 1500 feet before coming down and hitting the ground. These may not be as critically damaging as lava since they cool down so if one hits a player the damage is about 6D10 to 10D10. Fire can occur if the rock hits clothing and other material. The character can dodge it like falling objects with their dodge ability.

Mud Slides

Mud slides occur from melting snow or heavy intense constant rains on hills or mountains. Once it occurs its like a rockslide or avalanche. These slides can be dramatic and fast as 80 mph down the hill. Some mud slides have been known to cover a town or village with 6 feet o mud virtually destroying the town. For simplicity the Referee can roll D10 for the number of feet of mud he determines will end up on the ground in a area he chooses.

Overcast

In this condition the sky is 76-100% clouded over with gray and black clouds. Seeing the sun or stars in this condition is very difficult. It generally means a storm is approaching, already there or brewing somewhere out in the skies in the distance.

Partly Cloudy

The sky has a scattering o clouds that is from 1-25% of the sky. At this state it is hard to see if a storm is brewing in this condition.

Quicksand

Quicksand typically occur in badland and swamp terrain but could occur in other terrain Referee so desires. These areas are where the sand is so loose that anyone sinking in will sink with it. No one knows if there is a bottom or not. Those that enter it and move sink faster. Unless helped out the person who steps in quicksand will drown in sand and die. Some versions of this sand have a bit of water but others do not need it to be quicksand. There is a 20% chance that the quicksand encounters is Lightning Quicksand. If this is the case the person who steps on it and is physically able (ie over the hole most of his body) he will immediately fall into the sand and sink down to over his head. He will just be below the surface and can be saved if the players act quickly. but he will have D3 phases to be saved or he will sink further and no help is possible.

Terrain Notes

Badlands

Quicksand here is typically near ridges where the earth is ever shifting and creates air pockets in the soft soil. They can be in the open but there is less of a chance.

Swamps

Swamp quicksand is common and can have water in it that leads to some underground areas. So if the person doesn't drown from sand he will water.

Rain

Rain is the simple event of normal raindrops but the amount of rain would depend on the type of storm and cloud cover.

Basic Condition	Rain Amount	Duration (in minutes)
Sunny/Clear	Drizzle	1-3
Partly Cloudy	Light	3-5
Cloudy	Moderate	5-10
Overcast	Heavy	15-20

Duration is only a base factor the Referee is free to modify it in any way. For Drizzle rain see Drizzle section. It can be sunny and still drizzle. Light and Moderate rain can be enough to completely get players wet. For Heavy Rains the GM should roll D100 on a 01-50 it is Heavy Rains on 51-100 it is Sheets o rain. If sheets of rain fall it can do damage to items and players since it is a virtual blanket of rain that falls and slams against the players. Player should seek shelter during Sheets of rain. It can cause stun like damage to the player that is hit by it. For every 5 minutes in the open during sheets 1 point of stun damage is done. It is not physical but can slow down a person or confuse players since its hard to see in this form of rain. For every point of stun damage -1 to MR is done as the character becomes tired moving through the heavy rain pour.

Sleet

Sleet is a mixture of frozen or partially frozen ice. It is generally a mix of rain, snow and hail or any combination thereof. This type of condition occurs when its cold enough to snow and thus would not occur in hot climates or with hot temperatures. The GM can determine the type of sleet below:

Roll	Sleet Type
01-25	Snow, Rain
26-50	Snow, Hail
51-75	Snow, Hail, Rain
76-100	Rain, Hail

Sleet of Snow can be actual snow or ice or both. Sleet can interfere with visibility and lower temperatures. For other effects see Rain, Snow and Hail sections.

Terrain Notes

Tundra

Sleet in Tundra/Arctic areas would be more intense and should reflect the amount of ice and snow (little rain in this area). To reflect this the Referee can add damage to the Hail Damage listed.

Rockslide

Rockslides only occur where there is enough material for the loose rocks to slide. There are 2 reasons the rocks will slide either by player interactions (ie climbing the side of the cliff) or naturally through wind or minor earth tremors. The effect of this slide is up to the Referee as it is based on many factors. A good rule of thumb though might be that D100 stones would fall down the cliff (or mountain, hill). If it is a rocky surface that could be D100x2. There could be as little as pebbles falling or rocks the size of a person's head falling down. The larger the stone the more damage they could occur. The Referee could use the table below to help him determine at a glance the effect.

D100 Roll	Pebble	Fist Sized	Head Sized	Boulder
01-25	50%	30%	18%	2%
26-50	26%	50%	20%	4%
51-75	14%	30%	50%	6%
76-100	30%	30%	30%	10%

EXAMPLE - Two players trying to climb a cliff. The GM determines there is a rockslide. He rolls D100 and determines 43 objects will slip. He then rolls for severity on the above table and rolls 92 which means higher chance of boulders slipping than pebbles. He determines that 13 pebbles will fall (30% of 43), 13 fist and 13 head sized stones (both 30% of 43) and 4 boulder sized rocks will fall. If those boulders fall they could cause severe damage.

Rockslide Damage

Pebble	0-1 per
Head Sized Stones	D6
Fist Sized Rocks	D3 per
Boulders	D10

To determine if the rocks hit the party the Referee can use the +4 Base Line on the combat table. This is if the person is directly under the falling rocks. If the party is away from the cliff there is no chance of being hit. Finally there is a 1% chance (Roll D100) that the rockslide causes the entire side of the cliff/mountain to fall creating a large avalanche of rock. if this is the case you can modify the above to include sand or improve damage or see Avalanche.

Terrain notes

Mountain/Hills

Rockslides are common here. More so on mountains than hills. Usually if the soil is loose from rain or wind conditions are ripe for rockslides.

Badlands

These arid locations can have rockslides but tend to be unpredictable until they occur.

Underground

Treat rockslides as a minor roof cave in or slide from tall cavern walls.

Tundra/Glacier

Rockslides here tend to be pure ice or snow blocks.

Snow

Snow is a collection of frozen rain or ice. For conditions of snow it must cold enough for rain to freeze in some manner. To determine the type of snow roll on the table below (D100):

Roll	Snow Type	Amount	Duration	Frostbite
01-25	Flakes/Crystals	0-1	5 min	3%
26-50	Light	12-24	15 min	5%
51-75	Moderate	12-36	30 min	10%
76-94	Heavy	36-60	1 hour	20%
95-100	Blizzard	60-120	1-3 hours	30%

Flakes once they hit the ground tend to melt so its just a fine dust of snow on the ground. For Blizzard see the Blizzard section. Amount is the amount of snow that builds up during the duration in inches. The duration is the amount of time MAX the storm can occur.

Snow can cause Frostbite to open skin if a person is left out in snow. The listed frostbite is the percentage chance per hour left out in the snow. This percentage is a cumulative effect.

EXAMPLE - Two characters are in the Tundra when a snow cell occurs. One character is found in a moderate snow drift and has no shelter. First hour he has a 10% chance of frostbite and second hour 20%. A character in a blizzard 20 miles away has 30%, 60%, 90% and by the 4th hour if he is left in the open he going to HAVE frostbite.

Snow can disrupt visibility as well.

Snow Type	Visibility
Flakes/Crystals	Normal
Light	1 mile
Moderate	1000 feet
Heavy	50 feet
Blizzard	Arm's length

This table is only a base and can be modified to suit the amount of snow.

Snow can also blind characters if they find themselves in a field of it for extended periods of time if they do not take precautions. This blindness effect only disrupts movement and vision slightly but the longer the exposure to the snowfield the more dangerous it can become.

Storm

This is a more severe form of Rain the Thunderstorm. Like Rain storms can be seen in the distance and avoided if the players act quickly. Roll D100 on the table below to determine the type of storm:

Roll	Storm Type	Hail%	Tornado%	Lightning	Duration
01-25	Light	5%	1%	500-750	5-10 min
26-50	Moderate	10%	3%	750-1000	15 min
51-94	Heavy/Severe	15%	5%	1500-2500	30 min
95-100	Super Storm	30%	10%	3000-5000	45 min

Hail is the percentage that hail will occur in that storm cell. Tornado is the percentage chance that a tornado will occur from the storm. If hail exists see hail above. If conditions are good for a tornado then roll D3 for the number of tornadoes that can form from this one cell. To determine the chance the tornado hits the ground use the below chart:

Storm Type	Land Chance	Amount of Rain
Light	5%	1-2 Inches
Moderate	10%	1-3 Inches
Heavy/Severe	15%	1-4 Inches
Super Storm	30%	5+ Inches

This reflects that the larger the storm front the better chance of such conditions.

Lightning above reflects the number of actual flashes of lightning during the duration of the storm. A good rule of thumb for the amount of strikes that hit the ground is 10% of the total number of flashes. The chance that a strike hits within 100 feet of the party is 5%. The chance that it occurs within one hex of the party is 1% per ground strike. The chance that a party is hit within that hex is 10%. If the person is holding metal items or metal items exist around the player the chance goes up by 5% to 15%. If a character or item is hit by lightning it will take 4D10 points of damage. There is also a 30% chance the character will die from the electricity (stroke, etc.). Lightning can travel great distances even without a storm in the area. It is shown that lightning can strike a person up to 5 miles away where there exists no storm and its virtually clear (documented fact).

Duration is the amount of time in minutes the storm typically stands in the area before moving on or ending completely.

EXAMPLE - A party is in a Severe Thunderstorm during the storm up to 2500 flashes can occur. The party is camped. There is likely 250 ground strikes. The storm is about 5 miles wide. The GM could roll all strikes or judge himself. In this case the GM determines there are 250/5 miles=50 strikes within 1 mile of the party location. This rounds it down to lower odds. Referee can randomize each strike or use some quick formula of his own. In this case the GM figures there is a possible 10 strikes within 100 feet of the party. He rolls 10 times but closest he gets is 2 6s so none hit close enough to harm the party.

This information is only a rough sketch the Referee is free to modify any of the above. An optional form might be to use a size factor of the storm. Don't forget that Storms create high amounts of wind.

There is a 10% chance that a fire can occur from a ground strike per strike itself. Thus a storm with 200 ground strikes is likely to have up to 20 strikes that can cause fire if it hits a tree or grass. But the amount of rain can quickly stop the fire. To determine the chance the fire is stopped use the table below:

Storm Type	Chance Fire ends
Light	50%
Moderate	60%
Heavy/Severe	70%
Super Storm	90%
Rain Sheets	100%

A quick way to figure out if a fire occurs from a storm is to determine the amount of ground strikes then roll the base chance above for the entire group of strikes. For example a storm of 200 ground strikes (Heavy storm) has a 90% chance no fire would occur.

Terrain notes

Aerial

Aerial storms can be more intense as the player may be actually IN the storm itself. Thus chance of being hit by lightning increases.

Desert

Desert Thunderstorms can be more dangerous since storms are rare in the desert. Thus when they do occur they can be quick, so quick that players may not have time to avoid it.

Smoke

See Fire, See Fog (Same Conditions). Smoke can cause Players to cough, tear up and even die. Smoke can also be used in a tactical battle situation as cover.

Spouts

These are water spouts that act like tornadoes on the waterways or ocean areas. They are not as strong as tornadoes but act like F0 or F1 on the tornado scale in terms of their wind. At most these may cause players to lose footing or a small boat to rock or submerge but in most cases these are harmless.

Swamp Gas

Swamp gas is gas that seeps up from underground sources (springs, holes, hot springs, etc.). The gas can be as harmless as sparkling lights that ignite when hit the oxygen or can be toxic and deadly to players. The Referee can determine the type of gas by rolling on the table below (D100):

Roll	Gas Type
01-25	Lights
26-50	Other
51-84	Smell
85-94	Knockout
95-100	Toxic

Lights are gases that emit sparkles or make odd things above the swamp that some mistake for magic or supernatural forces. These lights are harmless to players but are a pretty light show. Other gas may be gases like helium, natural gas (that doesn't smell), petroleum fumes or other gases the Referee can determine. These gases may or may not be harmful. Smell gases are gases like sulfur that are smelly and drive animal and people away from the source. They may cause gagging, choking, coughing and tearing but should not be harmful once the person leaves the area. Knockout gas is gas that can slowly knock out a person or do it in one full speed action. Toxic gases can kill once breathed by the players.

The amount of gas that leaks from the ground can be determined by the below table. The other table determines how the gas leaves.

Roll	Gas Exposure	Time	Roll	How Gas Leaks
01-25	Existing	-	01-25	Natural
26-50	Seeping	D20x3p	26-50	Bursts, Random
51-75	Fast Leak	D6p	51-75	Bursts, Scheduled
76-100	Burst	D3p	76-100	Creature

Existing gas is gas that is already in the area when the party encounters. It is already in the air and can affect the party immediately. Seeping gas is gas that slowly leaks out and takes time. This gives the party (if they know it) time to flee the area. Fast leak are leaks that are fast acting usually in seconds compared to minutes for seeping leaks. Bursts are leaks that burst out and are on the scene almost immediately. The time is in phases the leak takes to expose. For the other table natural gas leaks are leaks from the ground, water or holes. Bursts are natural leaks but Random determines they burst out in random intervals while scheduled leaks that occur on some set time frame like once every hour (as gas builds up). Creature leaks occur when animals or humanoids uncover some hole where the gas can leak from.

Knockout and Toxic gas may or may not be smelt. The Referee will have to determine this. The type of gas exposure determines how long the gas may need before acting on players.

Knockout gases though will take D3 turns of exposure before the player may be knocked out. The player should roll his will to try to stay awake. Each phase he will add 10 from his roll as the gas is starting to take over. The person will remain knocked out for D6-CB hours. If the result is 0 at least 1 hour.

Toxic gas can be handled like Fog of Death or Choking Moisture but for simplicity the Referee can allow D3 phases for dead using a BL5 Slow Death roll. Optionally the Referee can use Immediate Death, Slow Death or paraylytic death rolls depending on the gas that is toxic.

EXAMPLE - A warrior rides into a swamp after a felon. The referee determines its a creature event. So the horse uncovers a rock where a hole leaks out gas. The referee determines its a knockout gas. It is a fast leak taking only 2 phases. It the rider and horse stay in the area he may be affected. If he does his will is 50. He will roll and need 1-50 to stay awake. On second phase he adds 10 to his roll. He rolls 44 first time and second time a 43. The 43 is now a 53 and he is knocked out.

Dispersion of the gas is up to the Referee or he can roll on the table below (D100):

Roll	Dispersion
01-25	Cloud
26-50	Ground
51-75	Air
76-100	Whiffs

A cloud is everywhere in the area and can be as wide as D3" in diameter. Ground dispersion means the gas tends to settle to the ground no more than D3 feet high. So in most gases there is a chance the players won't be affected unless they are sleeping on the ground. These tend to be heavy gases. For air dispersion this is where the gas will float higher and tend to be D10+3 feet high as they float higher up. They can range from 1-13 feet or all in between. Whiffs are gases that float in bits and pieces. A single hex may have 5 gas areas where gas is but then 10 areas where gas isn't. It depends on the wind and other conditions.

A Swamp Survival roll can be made to detect possible Swamp Gas dangers and avoid them.

Tornado

A single tornado that comes from a thunderstorm. There are 5 classes of Tornado and each builds on itself. The Referee can determine the type of tornado as below:

Roll	Tornado class	Winds
01-37	F0 - Gale Tornado	40-72
38-74	F1 - Moderate	73-112
75-86	F2 - Significant	113-157
87-97	F3 - Severe	158-206
98	F4 - Devastating	207-260
99	F5 - Incredible	261-318
100	F6 - Inconceivable	319-370

Most tornadoes are weak enough they do little if any damage but the stronger ones should be devastating to homes and people.

Unexpected Ravine

This event means that an expected break in the earth or ravine is found. The Referee is free to determine the dimensions but a good rule o thumb to use is:

Length	1D10x2 feet
Width	2D10x2 feet}
Depth	2D10x2 Feet}

There is a 10% chance the ravine is not spotted by the player and they may fall in unless conditions state otherwise (like plenty o light, etc.).

Whirlpool

These rare events occur on waterways or in the ocean. On waterways like a lake or river they tend to be rare (20% chance) but on oceans they are more likely to exist (80%). The bigger the body of water the higher the chance they can exist. This is a vortex of water that swirls and sucks water and anything else in its path down. Once under the vortex may go for hundreds of feed or be pushed down to the bottom to be swept out into the water by a strong current. For simplicity the Referee can determine the values of the whirlpool by the below.

Size	D10+1 (Radius) in feet (Size of whirlpool side to side
Force	D6+2
Duration	D10x5 Turns
Depth	D100 Feet [or until bottom is hit]

The size is the whirlpool from the left arm or side to the right arm or side. On average they are twice as big as a man's full length. The force is the current strength and power of the whirlpool. A person's MR or ship's MR must be greater than the listed force to escape its pull. The duration is how long the whirlpool keeps its pull and stays intact. The depth is how far the funnel goes down before it lets you loose of its grip. The Referee can determine some factor that every X feet the force will go down by 1.

If a boat is caught in the whirlpool the size of the craft is its only chance. The larger the better. For simplicity the chance of a ship overturning and thus going under is 100-(Craft Length (Feet))%. A ship that is strong enough through magic to overcome the Whirlpool Force can escape the whirlpool.

EXAMPLE - A whirlpool forms in a harbor by a evil sea wizard. Two boats are in the area. The size is 12 feet in diameter, the force is 2 (a light whirlpool), the duration is 25 turns and the depth is 82 feet down. So it is using strong under currents to form its funnel and may build up in strength. A large freighter is 82 feet long and comes in the area of the whirlpool but its rowers make the ship speed at 8 which is well over the force so it glides over with no problem. But the chance it can still be overturned is 100-82=18%. GM rolls a 59 so in just seconds it passes over the whirlpool. Then a one man rowboat enters the area and is only 4 feet long. The man tries to overtake the side but can only get a speed of 2 at best. A struggle ensues. The chance it is going to be pulled in and overturned is 100-4=96% The GM rolls a 84 and the rowboat overturns and goes down the whirlpool. The man's swimming is fast but is sucked in likely to his doom.

OPTIONAL - Referee can have some whirlpools grow as they gain more underwater energy and current. Per turn it exists the Size can grow by D3 feet (both sides), the force goes up by 1 and the depth increases by D10 feet.

Winds

This is any mild breeze to extreme gale force winds. This can cause problems with movement and problems with nearby terrain (like trees falling, etc.). If you wish to further define the winds you can roll on the following Wind Table:

Wind Type	Roll	Speed
Low Winds	01-25	1-5
Medium Winds	26-50	10-20
High Winds	51-75	21-50
Extreme Winds	76-97	51-89
Hurricane Force	98-100	90+

If there is no hurricane in the area subtract 3 from the roll. You an determine if the wind is steady or a gust that lasts for a short while. Roll D100:

Steady Wind	01-50
Gusts	51-100

Duration of Steady Winds is constant while Gusts could last as short as 5 seconds or as long as 3 minutes.

Wind Terrain Notes

Aerial Winds

Tend to be cooler winds as the elevation increases. This can drop the temperature down in addition to the normal factors. Aerial Winds can also help through Thermals that allow drifting on air currents without little physical energy to keep in the air. However a player could find himself in a Jet Stream type air current and lose all ability to move against the wind as its the strongest wind that is around (that isn't storm related).

Mountain/Hills

Winds that sweep down the side of mountains can speed up speed thus increasing their basic speed above. The higher the mountain the faster and stronger the winds.

Plains

Winds on the open plains have no physical areas to obstruct it so Plain Winds tend to be more constant wind. Referee can -20 to the roll above to determine Wind Gust or Steady.

Tundra/Glacier

These winds are chilling to characters as they are bursts of extreme cold. This will decrease temperature in addition to other factors.

Volcano

Like tundra but are Hot winds.

Wind Temperature Effects

The faster the wind the harder the temperature variance. For every 10 mph of the wind the temperature will change by 1 degree. This change will go down for Cold Winds and up warmer for Hot winds.

EXAMPLE - The party is on the plains travelling and have a Wind occurrence. Referee Rolls 60 for high Winds (21-50 mph). This is a range of 30 which works with a D30. The Referee rolls 12 so the wind speed is 21+12=33 mph a very strong wind indeed. He rolls a 68 and determines this wind is a Gust which only lasts a minute.

Winds help to create tornadoes, spouts and even hurricanes. Winds can act like a Wind Spell to slow down movement.

Other Notes and Information

Allergy

Another common consequence of weather is Allergy season which can cause players to sniff, cough, gag, breath hard or give sinus problems. the referee is free to use Allergy as a normal everyday occurrence depending on his needs and adds spice to everyday character limitations.

Cold

Cold or Flus should be given to characters who suffer from long periods of rain or cold temperatures. This will add spice to player interaction and role playing. For simplicity the basic chance of getting a cold could be determined on the below table if exposed to more than 10 minutes of being rained on. Roll a D100:

Roll	Cold Type	Duration	Symptoms
01-50	Common Cold	1-3 days	Sniffle, Sneezing, cough
51-60	Intense Cold	5-9 days	Cold + Drainage, Fever
61-75	Sinus Infection	10-12 days	Cold + Fever, Headaches
76-80	Cold and Sinus	10-16 days	All above
81-90	Flu	6-10 days	Coughing, fever, exhaustion
91-100	Bronchitis	10-30 days	Flu but usually bedridden

Of course a Cure Disease spell may help here.

Monsoon

Monsoon season tends to be Summer but sometimes fall in certain equatorial coastal climates. In these regions it may rain constantly and heavily for weeks on end creating floods of immense size that displaces thousands. The charts above do not include this but Referee is free to use Monsoon in certain cases if need be.

Tsunami

This is not covered in the charts above but this tidal wave can be used in the game by Referee if they wish to. They are caused by underground earthquakes deep at sea or by shifts of land masses at sea. I the Referee chooses to include a tidal way he can pick one or generate it randomly below.

Tidal Wave Height	D10x5 feet
Tidal Wave Length	D100 Feet
Tidal Wave Pause	D100 feet
Tidal Wave Inflow	Height x 2 feet
Tidal Wave Speed	5"+(Height/10) per phase

Height is the height of the wave from the top of the normal sea to the top of the wave (5-50 feet). The length is the length of the wave in feet from one crest to another crest thus creating a trough or pause of wave o D100 feet before the next wave hits. The Inflow is how far the wave will go inland when it hits from the tip of the beach. The speed is how fast the wave is travelling.

Final Notes

Weather and society should work hand and hand with everyday life. Weather can make life thrive by increasing crops and even births (cold nights). But weather can also cause deaths by famine, drought and damage from weather itself. The Referee should balance the game with weather and use it as he sees fit. A campaign might get boring if its sunny and clear all day everyday for months.

Magic can even enhance or hinder weather. We already have spells to create weather (Storm Powers) and protect against things from weather (crop protection, etc.). Doing magic to prevent or help weather could even be a whole new class of full time jobs for wizards. Magic should enhance or improve on the damage done by weather. A evil chaotic wizard may wish to create a F3 Tornado but by its magic it suddenly becomes a F4. While a Lawful wizard may make a desert area rain for 3 hours by creating clouds. The sky is endless in the area of magic and weather.

City life is critical to weather compared to wilderness life. City life can go indoors when it gets bad. But farms may depend on weather for crops but hate it during floods. Market and even economic structures can depend on weather. A marketplace may find items not going to market due to snow or washed out roads from rain. These are all factors society should consider for a campaign.

The Sea of Tears article also has more details on Ocean Storms that might be of benefit to this article.

While some of this data is purely guesswork some of it is factual based on observations and web research to collect data on the charts and weather systems.

Scott Adams