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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Schmoe" data-source="post: 6903160" data-attributes="member: 913">Great thread.  I think including weather, even mundane weather such as "slightly chilly, with a nip in the air and some high wispy clouds", can help set the mood and bring more presence to the environment.  It doesn't have to be tracked extensively, and it doesn't have to be comprehensive, but just periodically acknowledged.  A series of drizzly days can become a thread in the story all its own and has its own impact on a campaign, for example, by making a chase through the alley ways vastly different as the characters deal with puddles, slick cobblestones, and poor visibility.  I usually avoid trying to tie weather to set-piece encounters.  In fact, I usually avoid set-piece encounters entirely, as I prefer it when encounters evolve on their own from the setting, and weather is an important part of the setting.The great thing about weather is that it doesn't take much preparation to bring it into the game, but it has a big impact on how immersive the campaign world is.  As someone noted earlier, just the simple mention of falling snow when you enter a dungeon, followed by sunny skies and melting drifts when you exit the dungeon, can bring a sense of satisfaction or closure.  It allows you to more easily picture your character moving through the world and being a part of the world.  I recommend that DMs use it liberally with creative license for a wide variety of purposes: to set the mood, to breathe life into the world, to present environmental challenges to the party, and to pace the story.</blockquote>

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