Player 6:
I'd suggest lowering the difficulty by 3, and add a +1-3 depending on where a person is from, and have that drop the longer they spend here, as long as they are not lab-bound.
For example, Qais should be better adapted to these conditions than a Magi who just came off the Rhine. So Qais might have +1, or even +0, while the Rhine Magi might have +3.
Oh, Qais has spent the point to represent such. I would expect him to be one of the true survivors in these harsh lands. But if we (the GMs) are just going to hand-wave away the harshness of travel in these lands, I think that his point expenditure is diminished.
Player 8:
I agree with Player 6's suggestions. I would also suggest the following mitigating factors:
-Traveling with a caravan subtracts from the difficulty (variable depending on caravan size).
-A native guide subtracts his Area Lore from the difficulty, and/or
Area Lore of the traveler subtracts from the difficulty.
-Proper clothing subtracts 1-2 from the difficulty.
-Mode of travel subtracts from the difficulty. By appropriate riding animal -1, flight -2, at night in the desert -1 (considering appropriate place to rest during the heat of the day), other modes of travel considered in difficulty.
So traveling as natives do is arduous, but not impossible. Deciding to strike out on your own, or being trapped alone, is going to be difficult. Alone, unsupplied, in an area you don't know? Dead without magical aid, and even magic might not be enough.
I also see the value in 6's suggestions. My first thoughts are:
- this is just a guide I would use ... and if I find it too harsh, I'll simply mod the effects on the spot. But I don't want to, as I say above, hand-wave away an essential element of THIS game setting that we have chosen.
- I don't see want a LOT of modifiers. Like I say, I am willing to listen to PC suggestions and IC attempts to mitigate the effects of this hostile land.
- This 'Survival' guideline for travel will dictate how well a character can do things like find 'appropriate place to rest during the heat of the day', and wear 'proper clothing', etc. The PC's who've paid the points for high, Desert-spec'ed Survival skills ought to survive these treks much better than others.
- I do NOT intend to kill players during a downtime trek. What I want is to be able to say, "after several days journey, Qais is still in good health, but John is obviously struggling, and is going to need a few nights rest to overcome the Long-Term Fatigue of this arduous journey".
Player 7:
The magi of the Aerie can all shapeshift to birds. I'm assuming that if we stay in bird form, we only need to eat commensurate with a two pound bird, rather than a 160 pound adult male.
See, I don't see 'just being a bird' giving a PC immunity to heat stroke, and need for hydration, etc.
That said, I'd happily agree that a bird could fly in 'a few days' what it would take another PC 'a weeks journey' overland to do. And that would affect the roll. But birds die from this harsh land also.
And, as I've said, as a GM I don't mind of PCs come up with all kinds of strategies as a player: if their character doesn't have the skill to represent (including hunt, or survive) then the character shouldn't be allowed to just ignore a threat.
