This page contains selected (slightly edited) excerpts from the Reign of Winter Player's Guide. Please do not read the actual, "official" version of the Guide, as it contains both spoilers and misleading information (due to the differences between the Reign of Winter Adventure Path and Obormot's Reign of Winter).
Culture Shock
Throughout the course of the adventure, the PCs find themselves in many likely unfamiliar locations. Because of this, they will find that their social mores often do not fit those held by the NPCs they encounter. Being flexible and able to adapt (or blend into) different cultures would be very helpful in this campaign. Characters who are more interested in being obstinate individuals will likely have a difficult time in this campaign, however, and could become a burden for their fellow adventurers.
Lands of Winter
Skills in Obormot's Reign of Winter
The skill system in Worlds of Adventure is one of the most thoroughly overhauled parts of the system, relative to its Pathfinder origins, with many of the details of how each skill works changed, and new capabilities added. Give the Skills page a careful read, and take a look at each skill description. You'll find that skills are more worthwhile and meaningful than they are in Pathfinder, and your character will benefit greatly from taking ranks in them.
Winter is a major theme in the campaign, so you should be prepared to face cold temperatures and harsh conditions. Survival would be a very good skill to have, as would Stealth and Use Magic Device. Characters will also be traveling to new lands during the campaign, so Diplomacy, Gather Information, and Linguistics may be useful in dealing with natives and new surroundings. Being able to survive in cold terrain is a must, but the adventures will also take characters into forest, mountain, and urban environments as well.
Cold Weather Primer
Obormot's Reign of Winter deals with strong winter themes, and during the course of the campaign, the PCs encounter a great deal of snow, ice, and arctic weather. To help ensure your survivability in the campaign, take heed of some of the dangers this environment can impose.
Cold Dangers
Cold: Between 0° and 40° Fahrenheit during the day, 10 to 20 degrees colder at night. Cold and exposure deal nonlethal damage to their victims. A character cannot recover from the damage dealt by a cold environment until she gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has taken an amount of nonlethal damage equal to her total hit points, any further damage from a cold environment is lethal damage.
An unprotected character in cold weather (below 40° F) must succeed at a Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well (see the skill description).
In conditions of severe cold or exposure (below 0° F), an unprotected character must attempt a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. A character who has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and might be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. Characters wearing a cold weather outfit only need check once per hour for cold and exposure damage.
A character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite or hypothermia (treat her as fatigued). These penalties end when the character recovers from the nonlethal damage she took from the cold and exposure.
Extreme cold (below –20° F) deals 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must succeed at a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage.
Cold Snap: Lowers temperature by –10° F.
Ice Effects: Characters walking on ice can move at half speed with a DC 10 Acrobatics check. (Higher check results are needed to run or charge across ice; see the Acrobatics skill description for details.) Characters moving across a ice-covered surface lose their Dexterity bonus to AC unless they have 5 or more ranks in Acrobatics. Characters in prolonged contact with ice might run the risk of taking damage from severe cold.
Ice Sheet: The ground is covered with slippery ice.
Weather Effects
Snow: Falling snow has the same effects on visibility, ranged weapon attacks, and skill checks as rain (reduces visibility ranges by half, resulting in a –4 penalty on Spot checks), and it costs 2 squares of movement to enter a snow-covered square (i.e. it is considered difficult terrain). A day of snowfall leaves 1d6 inches of snow on the ground.
Heavy Snow: Heavy snow has the same effects as normal snowfall but also restricts visibility as fog does (obscures all sight beyond 5 feet, including darkvision; creatures 5 or more feet away have concealment). A day of heavy snow leaves 1d4 feet of snow on the ground, and it costs 4 squares of movement to enter a square covered with heavy snow. Heavy snow accompanied by strong or severe winds might result in snowdrifts 1d4 × 5 feet deep, especially in and around objects big enough to deflect the wind — a cabin or a large tent, for instance. Heavy snow has the same effect on flames as moderate wind.
Sleet: Essentially frozen rain, sleet has the same effect as rain while falling (except that its chance to extinguish protected flames is 75%), and it has the same effect as snow once on the ground.
Hail: Hail does not reduce visibility, but the sound of falling hail makes Listen checks more difficult (–4 penalty). Sometimes (5% chance) hail can become large enough to deal 1 point of lethal damage (per storm) to anything in the open. Once on the ground, hail has the same effect on movement as snow.
