A handy guide for surviving the harsh desert climate.
TRAVELLING THE DESERT
The sands are a harsh place; While travelling on foot in the desert the temperature is hot and your Character does not have Fire resistance they must make a DC10 Consitution save to bear the elements on a failure the character becomes dehydrated and must consume One gallon of water additionally to their daily requirement or suffer an exhaustion point.
Sometimes the temperature gets too hot for even the most well-adjusted individuals; if the weather is considered scorching hot all characters have to make a DC 13 Constitution Saving throw on a failure a character must consume Two gallons of water additionally to their daily requirement or suffer an exhaustion point
DESERT WATER REQUIREMENTS
A character needs two gallons of water per day because of the Extreme Temperatures of the desert environment. A character who drinks only half that much water must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or suffer one level of Exhaustion at the end of the day. A character with access to even less water automatically suffers one level of Exhaustion at the end of the day.
WEARING ARMOR
Wearing Medium or Heavy Armor in the extreme heat of the desert environment can raise an individual’s body temperature by as much as 20 °F/ 11°C, and puts a character at Disadvantage on CON Saves that are related to Extreme Temperatures.
TRAVEL AT NIGHT
Travel during the dark hours of the night may help the characters to avoid all of the risks mentioned above. Nighttime temperatures average around 25 °F/ -4°C, so CON Saving Throws against Extreme Cold Temperatures actually become necessary. For every 4 hours of travel in the Desert at night, a creature must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution Saving Throw to avoid taking a Level of Exhaustion due to the sub-freezing temperatures.
TRAVEL PACE IN THE DESERT
The exertion of travel can also increase the risk of Exhaustion from heat and dehydration. The following adjustments to the Travel Pace Table in 5th Edition manuals should be taken into account.
• A party moving at a Fast Travel Pace covers more distance per day and suffers a -5 penalty to Passive WIS (Perception) scores and all WIS (Perception) skill rolls. Furthermore, creatures make all CON Saving Throws for the purposes of avoiding Exhaustion at Disadvantage because of elevated body temperature and additional loss of hydration from the increased exertion.
• This Disadvantage on CON Saves also applies to any rolls required due to a Forced March beyond 8 hours of travel in a day.
FINDING WATER IN THE DESERT
Small quantities of water can be located in certain desert plants with a DC 20 WIS (Survival) roll. If successful, the character locates cacti or other hearty plants that hold 1 gallon of water. This type of roll can only be made once per day.
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