Request for help: If your PC had to spend 2 years in the wild, how would he survive?

[Buttercup]

I also wonder why your DM is doing this. If I were going to test a character, I certainly wouldn't make it for 2 years!

Anyway, I don't think it's likely that your character will survive, but if you mean to try, rather than tearing up your character sheet as BlackMoria said, then here are some suggestions.

First, go to your local library and get a copy of the children's novel My Side of the Moountain by Jean Craighead George. It's the story of how a 12 year old boy lived in the wild for a year. You'll get some good ideas for your character, and you can read it in an evening. For example, this kid burns out the insides of a rotten tree and uses the hole as shelter.

Anyway, here are some other thoughts.

1. Can you call a familiar? If you can, you want one of two sorts. Either you want one that can fight for you (how about a badger?) or you want one that can scout for you, such as a hawk. It will be essential for you to have warning of 'visitors' so you can climb a tree and hide.

2. Have more than one shelter. Build a platform in a tree and weave some wind screens out of boughs. This will be a good hiding place from most wild animals, but it will be cold and uncomfortable. I don't think you can manage to dig a complete tunnel, but surely you could dig a substantial hole which could be concealed with leaves, branches, slabs of stone, snow or what have you. Then, by all means do the hollow tree thing I mentioned above. Put some dried nuts, berries and a water container in each place, so you can survive there for a day or two.

3. Set snares and build traps. You need to catch a deer so you can use the antlers & bone to make implements, the hide for blankets, clothing & shoes, dry the meat, use the bladder and stomach for waterskins, and so forth. I think I read somewhere that an animals brains, if rubbed into the hide, will result in a supple, waterproof piece of tanned leather. Actually, you need to catch several deer. And waste nothing. If you don't need all of the bones right away, scrape them clean and put them on a tree platform to store them.

4. I agree that Herbalism is Herbalism. Your character should look for, collect and dry herbs to fight pain & infection, as well as to season food, repell insects, perhaps even poison arrowheads.

5. Is there a clay deposit beside the stream? If there is, make a few pots in your fire. They won't be beautiful, or even watertight, but they'll suffice to boil things in.

6. Here's a list of the implements your character should make from deer bone & antlers: Arrowheads and spearpoints, choppers, scrapers, eating utensils, a plate from the pelvis, a fish hook and a sewing needle, and then carve the rest into beads which you can decorate and use as trade goods if you run into any humanoids who don't kill you faster than you can strike up a conversation.

7. Your character could also try to make the glade seem haunted. Judicious use of ghost sound, dancing lights, mage hand and prestidigitation should go a long way toward scaring away stupid orcs. Also, once your character is raggedy looking and dressed in skins, he or she can use the herbalist skill to the benefit of any friendly humanoids.

The odds aren't that good, but who knows, you just might make it!

 

[Edena_of_Neith]

Comments and a survival (?) plan

My DM is actually a good DM.
My character is on a Quest. I admit that a Quest is unusual for a character of 1st level, but there it is.
If my character succeeds in surviving the 2 years, he will win a very major reward.

And he is a first level character ... just a newly created first level character.
Why not give it a try?
The worst that can happen is that he dies and I create a new first level character.

The character can leave the glade.
He can even be away from the glade for 2 or 3 days.
He can probably range as far afield as 40 miles or so, during the time he is away from the glade.
What he cannot do is simply walk away, heading off where he pleases and not returning.

- - -

I, personally, know nothing about wilderness survival.
I have never been in the Boy Scouts, never been in any kind of wilderness club or the like, and I have never even taken a one-time expedition into any of the local parks.
I could not tell you which berry is safe and which is poisonous.
I do not know which fruits grow wild, or where they grow.
I do not even know what kind of animals are native to a given climate, although I know that wolves, bears, and wolverines once lived in the southeastern Michigan Area.
In other words, folks, I'm a suburbanite. All of my survival skills are related to suburbs.

I can tell you which roads to drive to avoid rush-hour traffic, anytime and anywhere.
I can tell you exactly how many people live in this city and that city, which township is growing the fastest, how many power lines run up and down the various streets ...

But I cannot identify poison ivy. Not when it is staring me in the face.

Unfortunately, my long gaming experience of 25 years has been of remarkably little help.
Why is this, you might ask?

The problem is that I have been in groups.
With groups, there is always someone else to take care of the problem ... and, to be honest, there is always that aggressive player (it does not matter what class of character he is playing) who insists on being first on every project, first into danger, first in battle ... and that aggressive player was never me.
With a group, the party cleric takes care of wounds with healing magic.
With a group, the party ranger makes rolls (most DMs seem to only require rolls ...) and when he or she succeeds, automatically makes that Wilderness Lore (or Herbal Lore, or Flora Lore, etc.) check.
There are always the big bully boys (fighters, barbarians) to take care of enemies.

It is the rare adventure where the DM actually comes to me and says: how are you going to do this thing? And in most of those cases, it has to do with combat, or escaping from a place, or breaking into a place, or the like.

- - -

For the record, here is what I've cooked up so far, as ideas for how my character could survive.

He could go to a small, fast flowing river.
Here is a source of reasonably safe water (assuming, of course, that it is not flowing over limestone, as in the Appalachian Mountains.)
The risk of dysentary is minimalized, and in any case nobody can survive long without water.

At this point the character looks for a place where there is a steep bank rising up from the river.
I myself have seen such steep banks, especially where trees grow at the river's edge.
My experience is that soil here is rather soft, except for where tree roots make it practically rock hard.

The character could dig a hole in the bank.
It would take some time, but we are assuming an industrious character with a lot of motivation.
The hand axe could be used to chop at the soil to loosen it, then he could dig with his hands.
Also, the hand axe could chop through small roots.

The idea is to build a small cave here.
The cave must be above the level of the river when it floods.
The floor, sides, and ceiling can be hardened by water brought from the river, pounded into hard mud.
Small rocks can be pounded into the sides of the cave, to reinforce the walls.

The ceiling cannot be reinforced, so the cave must be dug through an area festooned with tree roots (which will make for difficult digging, but it must be done.)
Tree roots would make for a very stable ceiling, after all the loose dirt was knocked away and the remainder hardened with water from the river.

Why the cave, before I even mention food?

First of all, the character has two weeks of iron rations.
He can eat those, while he digs.

The area may well be the habitat of orcs or other humanoids.
The character simply cannot afford a battle.
Even if he wins, he is likely to be wounded in the battle.
There is no medicine available, and no help.
A wound could be cauterized, but the character might well die anyway from the burn injury and/or the shock.
Otherwise, there is a good chance of infection, then gangrene, and thus a dead character.
And any wound could lead to tetanus, which at best means the character is incapacitated - totally - for several days, and mostly incapacitated for over a week.

This assumes only one opponent - and even one orc has a good chance of killing a 1st level mage in one on one combat if that orc manages to reach the mage to engage in hand to hand combat.
More likely than not, more than one orc is going to appear (or, more than one goblin, hobgoblin, gnoll, kobold, or whatever.)

Giant versions of the normal animals (giant badgers, giant wolverines, dire wolves, and even giant ants) are just as much a danger as the humanoids, not to mention normal animals such as bears, wolves, hyenas, and the like.

So it is imperative that the character have a place to hide.
The cave has some advantages.

If the cave is directly next to the river, the character can go right out into the river from it, then walk up or down the river some distance, and then leave the river.
Thus, the character can forage for food (or do anything else) without being tracked back to his cave, for the river blocks tracking.
Also, the river blocks scent, since the scent ends at the river. I suppose a clever orc could sniff up and down the river, but a normal animal would be baffled.
Thus, the character has a way of safely foraging without fear of being tracked or scented out.

Secondly - and this is an absolute must - the cave provides protection from the cold.
There is no way the character could keep a fire going constantly (even if it did not attract the attention of everything for 10 miles) in the winter.
Yes, there is flint and steel, and plenty of deadwood, but eventually a person must sleep, and then you have a dead or at least frostbitten character.

I do not know exactly how much protection the cave I have described would afford.
I am guessing it would be cold and miserable in there.
But it would be better than the sub-freezing (or sub-zero) temperatures outside, not to mention the windchill. And there is no snow in the cave.
The character does have good boots and a heavy travel cloak, so he has some protection from chilly weather, and could wear these items while in the cave.

I was thinking that the character could go after and down a deer, during the winter.
I do not know how difficult it would be to kill a deer - I have never been deer hunting (I admit, watching Bambi when I was a kid didn't help matters ...)
But I would think it easier to down a deer than, say, a squirrel (you see those clever little things walking down the telephone lines every day like they were highways) or a chipmunk, and certainly there is a lot more meat attached to the deer.

In the winter, the carcass could be hauled back to a place near the cave (I realize deer are heavy ... perhaps it could be cut up and hauled in pieces? The character has a sword.)
Then, the deer (or pieces of) could be buried in a deep snow drift.
This would preserve the meat, and also it would stop any odor that would attract other predators.
And if a thaw came, the snow would insulate the meat, keeping it from thawing (and thus killing the character with food poisoning.)

I have heard that a human can live on only red meat, if he has to.
The matter of scurvy is a very serious one, and frankly I do not know if lemons, limes, or whatever else is needed (I don't even know what else IS needed) to stop scurvy, grow in the part of Faerun the character is in.
But I think a diet of red meat will stop scurvy. I think that, at least.

The character can come out (avoiding the dangerously cold river), tromp up to the snow bank, and carve pieces out of the meat, then seal the whole thing back up.
He can then erase his tracks in the snow, backtracking along his own trail to the cave.

I admit that the idea of eating raw meat unfrozen by holding it in one's hands is not palatable, but a fire is out of the question.
A fire will only attract the attention of every intelligent or semi-intelligent thing for 10 miles, and once they're in the area, they're likely to do some searching to see what caused the fire even if they don't see anything initially - and then we have a dead character, once more.

Spring is a problem, for the river floods in the spring. The cave must be above the waterline - but since the character started in this mess during the summertime, he doesn't know how high the river goes during floods.
He has to guess, based on the waterline (if any) on the trees, or perhaps the shape of the river valley gives clues.
I do know that creeks and small rivers rise far more in floods than large rivers (a point that some bridge builders do not seem to realize, as there is a local bridge in the area - for a major road, at that - which can be swamped by the tiny, several inches high creek that flows under it. A creek that turns 100 feet wide and about 10 feet deep in major floods.)

Obviously, there is no snowbank in the spring, so the only meat available is meat that is freshly killed.
I am informed Daniel Boone cured meat into beef jerky by cooking it slowly over a heated stone, but Daniel Boone did not have to deal with orcs and assorted monsters drawn to the smoke and scent of such an endeavor.
This means scurvy is going to be a problem for the character during the warm months. I can only hope that he makes the flora lore and wilderness survival checks needed to find the appropriate fruits (if any are available) to keep himself alive, and avoid the monsters while doing so.

Incidentally ... in early spring ... WHAT fruits and vegetables??? There aren't any: all the fruit bearing plants are in flower.
It makes one wonder what medieval people ate during the spring ... grass? Not a joke; many of them starved in the spring, from what I read.

If this character was an elf, I could get away with saying he eats leaves, or even photosynthesizes, but no such luck - this guy is human (and the DM probably wouldn't let me get away with that anyways ...)

So, here is the strategy:

Find a very small river or large creek.
Dig a cave above the flood line.
Reinforce the cave walls with small rocks.
Make sure the cave ceiling is held by tree roots.
Harden the floor with water and pounding.
Conceal the cave opening with vines and brush.

Use the stream for fresh water.
Use the stream to avoid being tracked, by wading down it to a distant point and leaving it.
Use the stream to avoid being smelled out, by wading down it to a distant point and leaving it.
In the winter, always backtrack up one's own trail, covering one's tracks in the snow.
If the stream freezes over sufficiently, always walk up the ice some distance from the cave before leaving the stream (assuming no snow on the ice.)

Hunt down a deer in the winter.
Carve it up into pieces that can be carried.
Bury all the pieces but the one to be carried.
Carry each piece back to a place near the cave (but not that near) then bury it in a deep snowdrift.
Repeat this procedure with each piece of deer.
Erase your backtrack through the snow.
Eat the deer, piece by piece, raw.

In the spring, hunt (there is no choice) for fresh meat, and hope you get it without being hunted yourself.

In the summer and autumn, forage for fruits, vegetables, nuts, and edible roots.

Is this a viable survival tactic?

 

[Desdichado]

Of course not! We're would he even plug in?

Oh, and since this is a pathetic joke post anyway and I've noticed hong posted before me, he won the Leprechaun Waltz of Beating me by a Long Shot with a Joke Post Award (Lwobmbalswajp Award for short.) Here ya go, hong, this one's for you!

 

[apsuman]

I am going against the grain here.

I think your character would be fine.

First secure the basics, basic shelter. Water seems to be taken care of. Food, use MM.

If you are human, take toughness as one of your feats.

Presdidigitaion and mending are good for cleaning and repairing your spell book.

I thought that Prestidigitation would start a fire (isn't that how elmister lights his pipe?)

My solution, adventure. That's right, adventure. Earn 1000 XP, gain a level in ... wizard! You get two free spells every time you level. Basically, you discover them in your spellbook as if you had been working on them the whole time.

The spells you get should be good ones. True strike and jump might be all you need. Climb your tree, find a big bear, cast TRUE STrike(round1), hit it with your bow, as it comes at you again, cast True Strike, shoot (this is round 4), as the bear is climbing the tree, cast jump and jump to another tree. Rinse repeat.

continue to advance, level 3, 4, 5, etc.

g!

 

[Suldulin]

You may be able to use prestidigitation to heat a rock as a makeshift grill, no smoke from a fire.

Also if Relics and Rituals is allowed, You can use the 0th level spell Chill/Warmth to keep warm in the winter.

 

[Jack Haggerty]

I thought that Prestidigitation would start a fire (isn't that how elmister lights his pipe?)

Yes, it will...

Check T&B for a list of things Prestidigitation can do. It's an awfully handy spell.

 

[Maldur]

You could probably use fre , youll have to make sure the wood is dry, and if you have a cave. that you have a chimney with a good draft. Your there for two years you will want to have a hot drink or meal. esp in wintertime. Also if you rcave is deep enough, a small fire will heat it up very fast.

With sleep and MM, you will be able to take down game animals. Make sure you (try) to get their skins. Even a small dried (not cured) skin will keep you warm. Just make sure they dont get wet or they will mold. If the autumns are warm, you can try to wind dry jerky, but I dont know if it will work without a large amout of salt.

Try to keep the iron rations for a time when you cant go out to forage. (when ill)

Simple traps can be made by someone who is smart, but hiding them from others can be difficult.

Find a place to hide, if needed.
Try avoiding ( semi) intelligent foes ( killing them , when possible, can attracked search parties).
get to know your surroundings. Avoid walking on the same patch, as a path will be very obvious.

 

[hong]

Of course not! We're would he even plug in?

Oh, and since this is a pathetic joke post anyway and I've noticed hong posted before me, he won the Leprechaun Waltz of Beating me by a Long Shot with a Joke Post Award (Lwobmbalswajp Award for short.) Here ya go, hong, this one's for you!

Indeed, I could watch dancing fairies all day long!


Hong "let me rephrase that" Ooi

 

[Ashtal]

I have to echo others, here.

What is the purpose of this?

You called it a quest ... a quest of what? Is your character protecting something or someone? Is your character being punished? Without the details, it sounds very punitive, even pointless.

Whether or not your character survives depends on the GM completely at this point. I think if a 1st level Wizard, in a regular, non-monster populated wilderness with survival skills that you says he has (even if you do not have them personally, that should not impact your character - and if it does, your GM is being even more malicious) would do fine I think. Small critters enough to live on, skills enough to build what shelter was needed. Winter is not so bad - people survived it all the time and in the area it wouldn't be too extreme, especially with many months to prepare for it.

Throw in any sort of wandering monster or humanoid, however, even with the most minimal of HPs, and your wizard would likely be dead after the first magic missle or sleep spell. The odds are stacked against you in this scenario. 50/50 with another ECL 1 monster, one on one, and drop that to zero if you come up against more, or something more powerful.

 

[Reno]

Throw in any sort of wandering monster or humanoid, however, even with the most minimal of HPs, and your wizard would likely be dead after the first magic missle or sleep spell. The odds are stacked against you in this scenario. 50/50 with another ECL 1 monster, one on one, and drop that to zero if you come up against more, or something more powerful.

*cough cough*
If the odds are AGAINST him, why are they fifty-fifty? Just a thought.