D&D 5E How do you adventure in an extremely cold environment?

[Scott Christian]

Turn the thermostat down real low, and if it is winter weather, open all the windows. Then, once the game starts, heat the place up. Serve hot tea, coffee, or cocoa (spiked if needed) for extra points.

I can only add two things to the great advice above:

• If you create extra rules, do not have the rules remove the character from play. Exhaustion and disadvantage are enough. And most players, at least in their head, feel that if a yeti was boring down on them, their fingers would work normally because of adrenaline. (They wouldn't, but the thought is there.)
• Describe small events with great detail. Wide spaces sparsely. Jack London is good for this. To Build a Fire is superb. The harsh landscape gets a paragraph. Trying to strike a match gets four paragraphs. The point is, make little events that keep the PCs warm or gets them cold, little stories. You won't need a lot to get your point across.

On a side note: I was hit with a freak winter storm in Denali during the summer. Brutal. Rain for days, then everything turned to ice. I was solo, and it froze me solid. I swear, it even pissed off the animals. It wasn't experience either, as I had camped in the Upper Peninsula in winter, Sierra's in winter, Rocky Mountains, etc. But Denali cold, to this day, makes me shiver.

 

[MarkB]

My rule would be: Don't apply all these rules in detail all the time.

First session, emphasise everything about the conditions. Make sure they understand the need to get the right gear, take shelter when it's actively blowing a blizzard, keep themselves warm at night, etc. Have them make checks to do it right.

But after they've done that on a trip or two, just work under the assumption that they know the precautions to take under 'normal' conditions, and so long as they've got the right gear and are taking reasonable precautions, just leave it in the background - except when conditions worsen for some reason, such as them losing gear, or having to press on through the night due to time constraints, or being hit by really bad weather.

Where you should consistently play up the conditions is during combat. Add a few terrain or weather effects to most outdoor encounters - deep snow that counts as difficult terrain, driving snow that limits visibility, ice patches that replicate the effects of the grease spell.

 

[Shades of Eternity]

Miquelon Commune - Lair of Garter Folk
Decided to flesh out my Garter Folk Commune and how it would work in winter.

Does it work?

 

[dmgorgon]

1E wilderness survival guide.