D&D 5E [ToA] Heat & Heavy (armor)

CapnZapp

Legend
100 F is not a high threshold. We just had an entire week above 100 (and an entire month straight of above 90, with index about 100), and it's supposed to be over 100 this next week here in Oregon. OREGON! In September! Arizona is always above 100 from late spring to early fall pretty much every day. Arizona, Nevada, California, etc all have reached over 100 just today. Jungles, in September as of right now, are in the upper 80s and 90s, and with humidity, the heat index is well over 100.

So no, it's not a high threshold. It's pretty much guaranteed in deserts and jungles during the warm seasons.
Somebody just argued temperatures rarely get that high in the rainforest... *shrug*

Also, did you read the part where you need 3 gallons a day? That's a lot of water. 24 pounds of water per person per day.

So again, no. This won't happen only "where the DM wants heat exhaustion to be a thing." It should happen any time the DM follows the already existing rules when the PCs are in an area that reaches those temperatures during the summer. Which, as I noted, is not just desert or jungle. They'd be applicable for pretty much the whole summer even here in the pacific northwest.
I'd think many groups just create food and water, or make a Survival check or something, and then ignore the rule.

I'd rather there be a blanket rule "wear heavy armor, get this penalty" than having to bother tracking supplies myself.
 

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CapnZapp

Legend
I thought it would be interesting to do a quick google search for "armor in the desert". Because, as always seems to be the case, people make a lot of assumptions.
To be fair, one assumption is that we're in a jungle, not a desert. To my untrained eye, it has merit :)
 

CapnZapp

Legend
I think it's an attitude that for ingrained back in the day when being able to wear armor was a potent class feature. You got your full DEX bonus in plate back then, and not only did magic armor and shields stack, magic armor weighed nothing.
Plus it was just SOP to fix something too powerful by heaping arbitrary consequences it, or just making it go away. Thus beholder central eyes, rust monsters and disenchanters, to name just a few...
I am pretty sure I had none of that in mind when I put the question out :)
 

CapnZapp

Legend
It's also important to point out that most, if not all of the responses, were regarding chain/ringmail armour and a surcoat, rather than full plate - and excellent physical conditioning is something I hope we can assume on those knight's behalf!

Simply standing under a blazing sun shouldn't pose much of a threat to a heavily armoured adventure. Strenuous physical activity should prove to be harder, though as a character can, at least according to the rules without DM arbitration, perform a back-flip in something like plate armour as readily as if they were naked, perhaps this is a moot point. Combating the stress of marching/fighting hot environments seems to be a common theme with the articles scattered around good 'ole Google Scholar, and common sense tells us that its going to present more of a challenge to march/operate in such conditions when encased in metal plates than otherwise.

In the Sandstorm desert adventure guide, things really (incoming pun) heat up (pun deployed) around the 111 Fahrenheit/44 Celsius mark, and for our games at least, such environments are very rare outside of an actual Hollywood-inspired blazing desert. And here, dealing with the heat, the need for water and the night is all part of the fun.

So, with all these things considered, and heavily ripping of the Sandstorm book, I'd hand-wave any checks outside the extreme heat conditions. Sandstorm introduced a level of granularity by imposing subdual damage on those that failed a Con save after a time, and eventually, in the unearthly high temperature conditions, lethal damage.

Lacking subual damage and with 5E favouring simple though sometimes chunky mechanical systems, I'd set a straight Con save depending on the temperature, with heavy armour users making the check at disadvantage unless they were dressed/outfitted in 'Desert Clothing'. Those in other armours can make the check as per normal, with advantage if they have 'Desert Clothing'. Desert Clothing being a catch-all term for the various techniques employed by folks investing some resources into combating high temperatures. Seems simple enough.
Actually, I'd prefer something even simpler:

"Each day or part of day you wear (heavy) armor in the steamy jungles of chult, you gain one level of exhaustion"

No rolls, no checks or DCs or temperature thresholds to remember, no nothing. Yet, anyone can strap on their armor for the odd day of combat without much of a convenience.
 



aco175

Legend
I might expect some items to combat wearing armor. A potion applied to the armor to keep it cool or a ring of warmth changed to protect from heat. Armor with 'air conditioning' quality. Even new armor types like plant fiber armor, or shell armor that helps protect you.

Depending on how many encounters there are PCs may wear the armor just before they go into a dungeon or cave instead of all day walking through the jungle. If you are expecting trouble, you suit up otherwise you leave your pro-mask at home with no NBC threat.
 

Saeviomagy

Adventurer
I'd be tempted to say that wearing any armor provokes a Con save per hour or gain a level of exhaustion.

Then you might need to read the exhaustion rules again. I can't see wearing armor for a day making you die.

Everyone repeat after me: using the exhaustion track for anything except simulating death by dehydration or starvation is stupid, because the effects are irrelevant and overly harsh.

Why not just say "characters in armor need to drink more water in Chult". Done. Minor inconvenience without having people die just because they got slightly warm.
 


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