D&D 5E [ToA] Heat & Heavy (armor)

[Saeviomagy]

You can certainly add a rule that would make the average commoner drop dead from something that wouldn't bother a modern tourism if that makes for a better, more exciting, game for the adventurers, whose massive resilience NEEDS a more hostile environment if they are going to even notice that the environment is hostile at all.

Except as soon as you play with someone who HAS experienced the scenario you cover, the game suddenly drops from heroic to comical. If a DM said to me that my character was going to keel over from strolling about in 30C weather because it's really hot, I'd laugh in his face. The concept is ludicrous without incredibly mitigating circumstances.
It'd be like if a DM tried to run some sort of commoner-versus housecat duel with a straight face. Making things far more deadly than real life just makes your heroes seem weak.

Herein the question remains: do you think ToA will address the issue with heat, humidity and armor?

What issue? That people who haven't experienced those things might make ridiculous rules that nobble classes and builds which are already far from optimal?

 

[CapnZapp]

We'll soon find out. Thank you all who answered my question.

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[Flamestrike]

Con save or level of Exhaustion seems fair.

 

[Mull Ponders]

Page 38, paraphrasing: Dehydration, drink 2 gallons of water a day or make a DC 15 con save for a level of exhaustion, save at disadvantage for heavy armor, medium armor or heavy clothes.

 

[Uchawi]

Excessive heat and humidity ruins spell books, spoils spell components, putrefies potions, and without appropriate skin coverage you will get sun burned, eaten by bugs, etc. In my own opinion, is not worth the effort.

 

[CapnZapp]

Page 38, paraphrasing: Dehydration, drink 2 gallons of water a day or make a DC 15 con save for a level of exhaustion, save at disadvantage for heavy armor, medium armor or heavy clothes.

This sounds like it's just the DMG rule reprinted.

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[CapnZapp]

Excessive heat and humidity ruins spell books, spoils spell components, putrefies potions, and without appropriate skin coverage you will get sun burned, eaten by bugs, etc. In my own opinion, is not worth the effort.

How do you mean?

Not worth the effort... to participate in the adventure...?

Or...?

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[Tony Vargas]

How do you mean?

Not worth the effort... to participate in the adventure...?

Quite possibly. ;P

Or...?

But, more likely: not worth it to detail all the inconveniences of hot/humid/jungle conditions to all adventurers, so better not to start.

 

[CapnZapp]

I see this subject has been brought up in the general What do you think? thread.

I'm in the position of teleporting my level 5 heroes to Chult, and I fully intend to make it a challenging hex-crawl.

One aspect is Heat & Heavy Armor, as is the subject of this entire thread. And I don't like how you can circumvent all the checks and penalties by simply drinking two gallons of (clean) water.

For my purposes, that's far too easy to fix.

My paladin player has just splurged on a brand new full plate and I know this player is completely unawares of any repercussions of that choice.

Yet I want to explain why NOONE ELSE will be wearing heavy armor.

My solution will probably be along the lines of what would a magic item granting the benefits of the d20 Endure Elements spell cost? (Or what would a case of EE scrolls cost?)

This is exactly the kind of items I imagine would be in high demand in the ToA situation.

It would let me eat the cake and have it too - it would explain why most NPCs avoid heavy armor while giving an out to the character builds that can't or won't live without metal armor.

They get the alternative to pay a considerable sum and/or reserve one of their attunement slots.

This is the Realms I know, and this is the Realms my players want to play in.

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[Mull Ponders]

Ok, so they need 2 gallons of clean water per person/per day. Medium/Heavy/people in winter coats have disadvantage. But there is another disadvantage, stealth. Wearing certain armor means you won't be making a lot of stealth checks, little chance of avoiding random encounters while doing the hex crawl. I think that is enough of a disadvantage.