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Message: <blockquote data-quote="N'raac" data-source="post: 5797180" data-attributes="member: 6681948">So does that mean there should be a reduced DC for survivial in the Georgia woods in early autumn, rather than a penalty for Death Valley in mid-summer?  We always seem to think in terms of penalty for tougher tasks rather than bonuses for easier ones.   The base skill level for survival is a pretty well-trained wilderness survivor, since he can get along in the wild with no supplies.  That autumn in a temperate climate doesn't require you to deal with temperature extremes, and there's tons of plant and animal life - maybe you should get a significant bonus, since you only needed a 10 to survive in Death Valley in the height of summer, or the Arctic in the dead of winter.  Seems to me that, if you need a fire and/or shelter, that's part of "getting along in the wilderness".  Perhaps the character should not be able to take 10 on survival checks, as there is always a threat, so the consequences for failure are too significant.  Maybe we set the first tier of penalty that harsher environments preclude taking 10. Then again, the Inuit seem to do all right in arctic conditions - do they really have to roll once a day to survive?  A lot of modifiers affect a lot of other skills.  If we gathered 100 gamers, how many could climb a rough wall?  Anyone with no ranks and no penalty can Take 10 and do so by the game rules.  Maybe trained adventurers are a bit more skilled than average couch potatoes. I also prefer heroic characters, and characters who can't make the journey to the average adventure site don't strike me as particularly heroic.  Seems the Fellowship of the Ring managed some pretty harsh terrain, for example - and there were a lot of them, so adding 2 for each extra person makes for a high DC.  What should the bonuses for making preparations be?  Presumably, enough to offset much or all of that penalty - so extremely high, if the DC is increased a lot.  That would mean the same advance preparation that gives you a decent shot in extreme conditions makes less extreme conditions trivial. "Perfect tools" grant a +2 bonus, so those advance preparations provide a limited bonus, don't they?  I could certainly see a penalty for lacking "appropriate tools", such as appropriate clothing for the environment, and a bonus for having clothing specifically suited for the environment. A skilled PC with Survivial wouldn't be wandering Death Valley at high noon - he would know to kep under cover at the heat of the day and travel when the temperatures are cooler.</blockquote>

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