IN THE WILD
In the Wild
the belayer can stop the fall of the climber with a successful Dexterity check (DC 5). Note that belaying is a full-round action and does provoke attacks of opportunity. If a belayer takes his hands off the belaying rope for any reason (i.e. if the belayer is climbing or disarmed of the rope) the climber loses the benefit of the belayer (i.e. the climber will fall as normal if he fails his Climb check be 5 or more), though the belayer may take a full-round action to regain control of the rope by making a Dexterity check (DC 5). If the climber is already falling than the belayer must also make a Strength check (DC 10 + 1 per 10 feet the character has fallen + 1 for each 10 lb. the climber weighs) in order to stop the falls progress.
T
hough often seen as the area of expertise for druids, rangers and barbarians, life in the wilderness is a cold, hard, and wet fact for most adventurers. However, when cut off from civilisation, adventurers must be careful to ensure they are equipped to survive without regular hot food and warm beds at night. Climate, terrain and wildlife can all combine to make survival a dim prospect in the wilderness and the wise adventurer will make sure he has exactly the right equipment for any long journey.
Bagged Shower
It can be very difficult to find potable water in the wild, even for a trained wilderness tracker. While drinking water can be gotten around through some tree saps and other juices, a ranger or scout knows that if he does not keep clean, his own scent will make his ability to hunt very dangerous. A bagged shower is a satchel, sometimes made of animal bladders, filled with water that may not be safe to drink but can be used to wash off grime and sweat three times. If a character does not clean himself in the wild, every three days he goes without doing so should apply a cumulative -2 penalty to Survival checks when trying to hunt for food.
Belayer’s Harness: 65 gp, 2 lb.
Campchair
Designed for the adventurer who looks for a little home comfort while abroad, the campchair is a simple folding wooden arrangement designed to keep rear ends dry in adverse conditions. Campchair: 20 gp, 15 lb.
Bagged Shower: 10 gp for the bag and one load of three showers’ worth of water, 6 lb.
Camp Stakes
An old ranger’s trick, these stakes are steeped in urine and used to mark the edges of a camp or settlement of small size in the wild. Normal animals, including dire versions, must make a Will save (DC 13) to cross into an area that has at least one camp stake every five feet along its border. Camp stakes are reusable, but after one month, the soaking they require rots the wood and they must be replaced. This can be done at minimal expense in the forest and requires no skill check or cost to accomplish. Other settings may require that wood stakes be purchased.
Belayer’s Harness
The belayer’s harness is specially created to keep a climber from falling too far while attached to the belayer. The belayer’s harness is especially designed to allow the belayer to use friction to stop a fellow climber from falling more than a few feet during their climb. While the climber is ascending the belayer remains stationary (on the ground or anchored in place with a climbing anchor) and slowly takes in (when climber ascends) or lets out (when climber needs slack for manoeuvring) rope. It takes a Climb check (DC 10) to put on the harness in the correct way. If successful than
Camp Stake: n/a gp, 1 cp per stake in an area without plentiful wood, 0 lb.
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