Water
| Effects of Water on Combat | |
| Land-based creatures can have considerable difficulty when trying to fight in the water. Water affects a creature’s attacks rolls, damage, dodge, and movement. In some cases, a creature’s opponents may get a bonus to attack the creature. Creatures without a swim speed (or a freedom of movement spell or similar effect) suffer a -2 penalty on attacks and damage underwater. Further any melee weapon also deals half damage. Water modifiers apply when wading in water at least waist deep, swimming, or walking along the bottom. Off balance creatures lose DEX bonuses and give opponents a +2 attack bonus against them. Characters can swim at STR x3 metres per melee, and can maintain this for CON x 1 minute. | |
| Attacks from Land | Characters swimming, floating or treading water on the surface, or wading in water at least chest deep, have one quarter cover against melee or ranged attacks form land bound opponents. A completely submerged creature has one half cover against land bound opponents. |
| Fire | Non magical fire (including alchemist’s fire) does not burn underwater. Fire spells or with spell like effects are ineffective underwater unless the caster makes a successful Spell Strength check. If successful, the spell creates a bubble of steam instead of its usual fiery effect. Supernatural fire effects are ineffective underwater unless their descriptions state otherwise. The surface of a body of water blocks line of effect for any spell. |
| Footing | Creatures have firm footing when walking along the bottom, braced against a wall, or the like. You can walk along the bottom only if you carry enough to weigh you down. The amount of weight required depends on your size. The items you carry to weigh yourself down must be non-bulky and non-buoyant. |
| Holding Your Breath | Any character can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to twice his CON. After this period of time, the character must make a CON check every round in order to continue holding his breath. Each round, the penalty to his roll increases by -1. When the character finally fails his CON check he begins to drown. In the first round he falls unconscious (0 HPs). In the following round he drops to negative hit points and is dying. In the third round he drowns. Vigorous activity such as fighting (but not swimming) strains the character, reducing the time a character can hold his breath. |
| Ranged Attacks Underwater | Thrown weapons are ineffective underwater even when launched from land. Other ranged weapons apart from crossbows, suffer a –2 to strike penalty for each 1.5 metres of water they pass through (in addition to the normal penalties for range). |
| Underwater Visibility | Submerged or swimming
creatures may also again concealment from the water, depending on how
clear it is. Even perfectly clear water obscures vision (all Vision types
except Penetra) beyond 60 metres.
All creatures have one quarter concealment at 15 meters (-1 to hit), one half concealment at 30 metres (-2 to hit), three quarters concealment at 45 metres (-3 to hit), and nine-tenths concealment at 60 metres (-4 to hit). Beyond 60 metres creatures have total concealment (-6 to hit), and opponents cannot use sight to locate the creature. Murkier water allows less sighting distance, and creatures become completely concealed more quickly. The maximum sighting distance in murky water is 30 metres. At half the listed distance creatures have one half concealment, at the listed distance creatures have nine tenths concealment, and they have total concealment beyond the listed distance. For example, if murky water allows vision to 12 metres, creatures have one half concealment at 6 meters, nine tenths concealment at 12 metres, and total concealment beyond 12 metres. Water can be so murky that it allows vision to 1.5mtrs or none at all. Aquatic creatures can see twice as far through the water as other creatures (but twice nothing is still nothing). Invisible creatures displace water and leave a visible bubble though such creatures still have half concealment (-2 to hit). |
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Obtaining Water |
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| All trails lead to water. You should follow the direction in which trails converge. Signs of camp, animal droppings and trampled terrain may mark trails. Flocks of birds will circle over water holes. Some birds fly to water holes at dawn or sunset, their flight at these times is generally fast and close to the ground. Bird tracks or chirping sounds in the evening or early morning sometimes indicate that water is nearby. | ||
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Beach |
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| Water Source | Means | Notes |
| Ground | Dig a hole deep enough to allow water to seep in. Obtain rocks, build a fire, then heat the rocks. Drop the heated rocks into the water, hold a cloth over the hole to absorb the steam. Wring water from the cloth. | If a container is available fill it with seawater. Then build a fire and boil the water until steam is produced. Hold a cloth over the container to absorb the steam, then wring water from the cloth. |
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Desert |
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| Water Source | Means | Notes |
| In valleys and low areas, banks or dry river beds, dry lakes, foot of cliffs or rock outcrops, damp surface sand or anywhere with green vegetation. | Dig a hole deep enough to allow water to seep in. | In a sand dune area any available water will be found beneath the original valley floor at the edge of the dunes. |
| Cacti | Cut off the top of a cactus and mash or squeeze the pulp. | Without a machete cutting a cactus is difficult and takes time since you must get past the long, strong spines and cut the through the tough rind. |
| Condensation on metal | Use cloth to absorb water, then wring water from cloth. | Extreme temperature variations between night and day may cause condensation on metal surfaces. |
| Depressions in rocks | Periodic rainfall may collect in pools, seep into fissures or collect in holes in rocks. | |
| Fissures in rocks or Porous rock | Insert flexible tubing and siphon water. If fissure is large enough you can lower a container into it. | |
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Ocean |
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| Water Source | Means | Notes |
| Rain | Catch rain in tarps or other water holding material. | If material has become encrusted with salt, wash it in the sea before using. |
| Sea | Use Desalter kit. | Don't drink seawater without desalting. |
| Sea Ice | See Tundra | |
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Tundra |
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| Water Source | Means | Notes |
| Snow and Ice | Melt and Purify | Don't drink without melting. Doing so can reduce body temperature and lead to dehydration. Snow and Ice are no purer than the water from which they come. Sea ice which is grey or opaque is salty. Any which is bluish has little salt in it. |
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Water Purification |
| Rainwater collected in
clean containers or in plants is usually safe for drinking. However
purify water from lakes, ponds, swamps, springs, or streams, especially
the water near human settlements or in the tropics. When possible,
purify all water you got from vegetation or from the ground by using
iodine or chlorine, or by boiling. Purify water by using water
purification tablets. (Follow the directions provided). Placing 5 drops
of 2 percent tincture of iodine in a canteen full of clear water. If the
canteen is full of cloudy or cold water, use 10 drops. (Let the canteen
of water stand for 30 minutes before drinking). Boiling water for 1
minute at sea level, adding 1 minute for each additional 300 meters
above sea level, or boil for 10 minutes no matter where you are. By
drinking nonportable water you may contract diseases or swallow organisms
that can harm you.
Examples of such diseases or organisms are: Dysentery; Severe, prolonged diarrhoea with bloody stools, fever and weakness. Cholera and typhoid; You may be susceptible to these diseases regardless of inoculations. Flukes; Stagnant, polluted water especially in tropical areas often contains blood flukes. If you swallow flukes they will bore into the bloodstream, live as parasites, and cause disease. Leeches; If you swallow a leech it can hook onto the throat passage or inside the nose. It will suck blood, create a wound and move to another area. Each bleeding wound may become infected. If the water you find is also muddy, stagnant and foul smelling you can clear the water by placing it in a container and letting it stand for 12 hours or by pouring it through a filtering system. To make a filtering system place several centimetres or layers of filtering material such as sand, crushed rock, charcoal, or cloth in bamboo, a hollow log, or an article of clothing. Remove the odour from water by adding charcoal from your fire. Let the water stand for 45 minutes before drinking it. |
| Desert | Jungle | Mountain |
| Ocean | Tundra | Water |
| Weather | Wilderness Survival | |