Vision and Light

Limits of Vision

All of the conditions presented on the Visibility Ranges table in the Player's Handbook exist on Athas. However, there are a number of conditions unique to Athas that should be added.

Dark Sun Visibility Ranges

Condition | Movement | Spotted | Type | ID | Detail
Sand, blowing | 100 | 50 | 25 | 15 | 10
Sandstorm, mild | 50 | 25 | 15 | 10 | 5
Sandstorm, driving | 10 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 3
Night, both moons | 200 | 100 | 50 | 25 | 15
Silt Sea, calm | 500 | 200 | 100 | 50 | 25
Silt Sea, rolling | 100 | 50 | 25 | 10 | 5

Time and Movement

The Athasian Calendar

Every city state has its own calendar, but that most commonly used and considered the Calendar of Tyr. In the calendar of Tyr, years are counted off using a pair of concurrently running cycles; one of eleven parts, the other of seven. The eleven-part, or endlean cycle, is counted and spoken first, in the order presented below. The seven-part, or seofean cycle, is counted and spoken second. The endlean cycle is complete when Athas, two moons, Ral and Guthay, meet in the heavens - a major eclipse that occurs once every 11 years. The seofean cycle is more abstract, meeting when agitation in the cosmos leads to fury. Every 77 years the cycle repeats itself, ending with a year of Guthay's Agitation and starting again with a new year of Ral's Fury. Each 77-year cycle is called a king's age; there have been 189 complete king's ages since Tyr adopted this calendar (more than 14,500 years). So, the first year of each king's age is a year of Ral's Fury. The next year is a year of Friend's Contemplation, followed by a year of Desert's Vengeance, etc. The 76th year of each king's age is a year of Enemy's Reverence, followed by the 77th year, a year of Guthay's Agitation.

The Endlean Cycle

Ral

Friend

Desert

Priest

Wind

Dragon

Mountain

Enemy

Guthay

The Seofean

Cycle

Fury

Contemplation

Vengeance

Slumber

Defiance

Reverence

Agitation

Superstition and folklore surrounds each of the years of the king's age. Storms during a year of Wind's Vengeance are believed to be more powerful and dangerous, so many overland trips are avoided. Sacrifices and prayers are called for to ward off the great beast during years of Dragon's Agitation. Years of Enemy's Contemplation are supposed to enliven treaties and alliances - the list goes on. Each year is made up of exactly 375 days: the exact time between highest suns.

Athasians have no seasons that govern their thinking of time - there is no marked difference in temperature or weather patterns. However, the year is divided into three equal phases: high sun, sun descending, and sun ascending. Highest sun is the first day of the year in the calendar of Tyr and lowest sun indicates the midpoint of the year (which, incidentally, occurs at midnight, and is generally observed in nighttime ceremonies). Days are kept track of in a variety of ways. Merchants tend to identify days with phrases such as "thirty five days past the high sun." Other schemes divide the year into 25 weeks of 15 days each, the names of those days associated with important personages of a particular royal house. In DARK SUN™ campaigns, DMs may stick to seven day weeks with the standard Gregorian calendar names for simplicity.

Year of the Messenger

Every 45 years, a brilliant comet visits Athas. By night one can read by the messenger's light, and it can be seen clearly in the full light of day. Folklore holds that the messenger visits the dragon every 45 years to deliver to him important information - reconnaissance that the stars have observed since its last visit.

Starting the Campaign

For campaign purposes, the calendar starts on High Sun (the first day of the year) of the Year of Priest's Defiance, in the 190th King's Age. The next Year of the Messenger will be the Year of Enemy's Slumber, six years away.

Time and Movement:

Dehydration

As PCs adventure, one overriding consideration will almost certainly be the supply of water. Quite often in DARK SUN™ campaigns, characters will be in situations where the supply of water has no impact on the adventure. These dehydration rules are intended for extreme situations only and should only be enforced when a lack of water could be lifethreatening.

Water Consumption

How much water a character needs depends upon his level of activity and his race. An active character (hard exertion, walking, riding, etc.) needs 1 gallon of water per day. An inactive character (sitting, resting, or sleeping, etc.), needs 1/2 gallon of water per day. If the character is in the shade during the entire day, he only needs half the amount of water dictated by his activity. A character wearing a full suit of metal armor requires twice as much water each day to avoid dehydration. Thus, a character in metal armor who undertakes only light activity but is unable to remain in shaded areas would require 1 gallon of water. A character who does not drink enough water will suffer the effects of dehydration.

Unusual Races

Thri-kreen and half-giants suffer from dehydration differently than humans and normal demi-humans.

Thri-kreen: Thri-kreen can go for one week on the amount of water it takes to sustain a human for one day. Thus, thri-kreen characters only roll for dehydration once per week without water.

Half-giants: Due to their great size, half-giants need four gallons of water per day when active or two gallons when inactive.

Substituting Other Liquids

Many common beverages such as wine, beer, ale, and fruit juices can supplement a character's water intake - the quantities per day remain the same. In times of desperation, players may suggest more outlandish liquids to stave off dehydration: honey, tree sap, even the blood of fallen monsters. Generally, none of these are suitable substitutes.

Effects of Dehydration

A lack of water is reflected in the game by a reduction in Constitution. Beginning with the first day a character does not receive his required allotment of water, consult the dehydration table at midnight and immediately apply the result.

Dehydration Effects Table

Amount of Water | Constitution Loss
Full requirement | None
Half or more of requirement | 1d4
Less than half of requirement | 1d6

Constitution losses are cumulative over consecutive days of dehydration; a character's hit point adjustment, system shock, resurrection survival, poison save, and regeneration rate all drop accordingly. Every point drop in the character's hit point adjustment (from + 1 down to 0, or from ~ 1 down to - 2, etc.) will reduce the character's hit points by a number equal to the character's level (highest level for dual-or multi-classed characters). A character whose constitution reaches 0 is dead - such characters leave a resurrection survival number of 25%.

Rehydratation

A character can rehydrate by drinking his full allotment of water through the course of one day. At the end of that day, his Constitution score goes back up 1d8 points. Each consecutive day that the character's water needs are met restores another 1d8 points until the character is fully recovered. Lost hit points are regained at a character's normal recovery rate.

Example of Dehydration

Thyasius, a human third son of a noble family, is captured by elven nomads. When his family fails to pay the ransom, the elves turn him loose in the desert without food or water. His Constitution score is 15. After the first day without any water, he rolls a 3 on 1d6 bringing his Constitution temporarily down to 12. Since Thyasius is a 5th-level fighter, five of his hit points were due to his original Constitution of 15, so these are temporarily lost, as well. After a second day without water, Thyasius rolls 6 on 1d6, bringing his Constitution down to 6. Since the hit point adjustment for a character with a Constitution score of 6 is -1, he will temporarily lose another five hit points. After the third day, he rolls a 1, bringing his Constitution down to 5. Since the hit point modifier is still 1, Thyasius loses no more hit points on the third day. On the fourth day, he is found by a half-elven trader who gives him a full gallon of water - Thyasius, rolls 1d8 and regains 6 of his lost Constitution points. His lost hit points will return more slowly, in accordance with his normal healing rate.

Transporting

Water

Water must be carried in skins or barrels. The wineskin listed in the Equipment Lists carries one gallon of liquid. The small barrel listed carries 30 gallons. Every gallon of water (with its container) weighs 9 pounds.

Animals and Dehydration

Animals also suffer Dehydration.

Tiny animals need 1/8 gallon;

Small animals need 1/2 gallon;

Man-sized animals need 1 gallon;

Larger than man-sized animals need 4 gallons;

Huge animals need 8 gallons;

Gargantuan animals need 16 gallons of water per day.

Animal water intake can be cut by half for shade or inactivity, or quartered for both. At the end of a day that an animal doesn't get its full allotment of water, there is a 10% chance it will die, that chance increasing by 10% for each additional day without water. Animals fully rehydrate after one day in which they drink their full allotment of water.

Movement by Night

At night, the temperatures in all types of terrain drop significantly, though moisture is still at a premium. If characters decide to travel by night, they gain the benefit of working in shade (half water consumption). The draw back to such plans is that good rest under the blistering sun of the day is difficult. Characters who are travelling by night must seek shelter during their daytime rest periods. Rock outcroppings or caves will suffice, as will tents or other make-shift buildings. If such shelter cannot be located, each character must make a save vs. Poison in order to rest well. Those who fail will sleep fitfully and can not memorize spells or recover hit points. Thri-kreen obviously are not subject to this rule.

Overland Movement

The rules presented for overland travel in the Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide still govern movement on Athas. It is important to note, however, that those suffering from Dehydration cannot undertake a forced march. The races of Dark Sun also have different movement rates than those in traditional AD&D campaigns. The following table details these differences.

Race | Movement Points | Force March
Human | 24 | 30
Dwarf | 12 | 15
Elf* | 24 | 30
Half-elf | 24 | 30
Half-giant | 30 | 37
Mul** | 12 | 15
Thri-kreen*** | 36 | 45

* For overland movement, an elf may add his Constitution score to 24 (his normal movement rate) or 30 (his forced march rate) to determine his actual movement in miles (or points) per day.

** This is for a normal 10-hour marching day. A mul can move for 20 hours per day on each of three consecutive days. The fourth day, however, must be one of rest in which the character only travels for 10 hours. A "resting" mul can still force march.

*** This is for a normal 10-hour marching day. A thri-kreen can always move for 20 hours per day.

Terrain Modifiers in Overland Movement

Athas challenges its characters with a variety of new terrain types, each of which affects movement in different ways. The following table lists the cost (in movement points) to pass through one mile of the given terrain.

Terrain Costs For Overland Movement

Terrain Type Movement Cost

Stony Barrens 2

Sandy Wastes 3

Rocky Badlands 3

Mountains 8

Scrub Plains 2

Forest 3

Salt Flats 1

Boulder Fields 4

The movement cost listed is movement points needed to cross one mile of the listed terrain. Terrain obstacles and hindrances apply as listed on the Terrain Modifiers table in the DMG.

Mounted Overland Movement

As usual, Athasian mounts can move a number of miles per day equal to their movement rate under normal conditions. The following chart details the movement rates of Athas' most common mounts.

Mount Movement Points

Kank 15

Inix 15

Mekillot 9

These overland movement rates can be doubled or tripled, but the animal may become lame or exhausted, as per the AD&D rules. dehydrated animals cannot move at greater than their base movement rate.

Half-giants and Thri-kreen

Half-giants are extremely large, and so need an equally large mount to carry them. Half-giants can ride an inix (so long as the beast is not called upon to carry any extra cargo).

Thri-kreen never ride animals. They look upon it in the same way that a human might view a child "playing with his food"

Care of Animals

Athas, beasts of burden are hardy animals, acclimated to their world's harsh conditions; they are generally self-reliant, if somewhat savage creatures. Many beasts are more intelligent and deadly than those used on other AD&D campaign worlds. A Dark Sun character has a more uneasy peace with his animal, and experience warns him that the rider may become the hunted.

Kank

A kank is a large, docile insect used mainly as an individual mount. Each can carry either a 200 pound rider and 200 pounds of extra cargo or two 200 pound riders with no extra cargo. A kank can find food in any terrain other than salt flats if allowed to graze for a few hours each day. Otherwise, it must have five pounds of plants or vegetables per day. Each kank needs only two gallons of water per day to avoid dehydration. All kank mounts are of the food-producer variety, creating large globules of green honey on the abdomen every other day; it can be eaten by all the player character races and counts as one gallon of water. Characters on a strict diet of kank honey can survive on it alone for a period of days equal to their Constitution score; after that, the character's diet must be supplemented with other foodstuffs or he will become weakened and ill. A kank that is dehydrated or not getting enough food does not produce honey. A kank pushed to double or triple its normal movement rate receives a + 1 bonus to its saving throw to avoid exhaustion. Inix An inix is a large lizard that can be tamed for use as a beast of burden. Each can carry up to 2,000 pounds of cargo or passengers. Each inix needs 150 pounds of food and eight gallons of water per day. If allowed to graze every day in scrub plain, forest, or verdant belt terrain, an inix will forage enough food for itself. Every day that an inix doesn't receive its fill of water or food, it must save vs. death or go berserk. The animal's basic saving throw is 10, but there is a cumulative - 2 penalty on the save imposed with each passing day. The berserk inix's aim is not to eat its masters, but to escape to forage elsewhere. However, it will attack those who try to stop it - once berserk, an inix must be either set free, magically or psionically charmed, or killed. The chance to go berserk is in addition to dehydration. An inix can be pushed to double or triple its normal movement, like any other mount.

Mekillot

This is a huge animal that can carry or pull up to 8,000 pounds on its back or up to 40,000 pounds on a wagon. A mekillot needs 300 pounds of food and 16 gallons of water per day. When in use as a pack animal, a mekillot may decide to stop working or to move in a random direction. Each day, roll 1d20. On a roll of one, the mekillot stops where it is and won't move further that day. On a roll of two, the mekillot takes a new direction, not given to it. Exactly when the mekillot becomes stubborn is determined randomly (roll 1d10 for the ten-hour march day). A stubborn mekillot can sometimes be controlled through magic or psionics. Any physical effort to change a mekillot's mind (a beating, attempting to lure it with food* etc.) enrages it and causes it to attack. A mekillot cannot be pushed to double or triple its normal movement.

Use of Vehicles

Wagons, carts, and similar conveyances must be pulled by kanks, mekillots, or the like. A cart is any wagon of less than 1,000 pounds capacity; carts generally have two wheels and can be drawn by one kank. Open, enclosed, and armored caravan wagons that require multiple draft animals also require a teamster to drive them - a teamster is any character with the animal handling proficiency. Wagons can be easily broken, especially when in difficult terrain. For every day of travel, a wagon has a 1%o chance of breaking down (broken axle or wheel, the floor gives way, etc.). For every day of travel in rocky badlands, stony barrens, or mountain terrain, there is a 3% chance of breaking down. These chances are not cumulative with the passage of time. Broken wagons can be repaired by someone with the carpentry or engineering proficiency. A wagon moves at the speed of its beasts of burden The animals cannot be pushed to double or triple their normal speed while pulling a wagon. Chariots are just as described in the DMG, except that on Athas they are pulled by kanks. Kank teams of one, two, or four may be used that carry chariots holding no more than one, two, or three warriors, respectively. Chariots are more fragile and tend to break down during times of high speed and stress (such as combat). Use the wagon break down rates for day to day movement. However, in combat these same percentage chances apply per round, and are doubled if the chariot is turned more than 45 degrees while at high speeds.

Howdahs are small structures built for the backs of mekillots and inix. Having a howdah does not reduce the animal's carrying capacity, and it can still move at double or triple rate, subject to the lameness and exhaustion rules in the DMG.