Surviving Winter

skI grew up in a little town called Coal Creek Canyon in the Colorado Rockies. All this snow in Missouri lately has made me homesick for the unending blizzard that winter represented sometimes I was growing up. Here's an actual picture of winter in Coal Creek, it's a pretty standard winter view.

Which leads to today's skill challenge, Surviving Winter. This skill challenge represents a large amount of time, which may be different than how you are used to running skill challenges.

Surviving the Winter in the Wilderness

For whatever reason, you've been stranded in a wilderness location that has frequent blizzards and snow does not melt until spring. Perhaps you are in a high mountain range, or a tundra, an island in polar waters, or coastal area of a large lake that is extremely north or south. 

This is a hostile environment and failure can mean certain and frigid death. The cold is overwhelming, brutal, and merciless and it takes a certain resolve to survive.

Level: Any

Complexity: 5 (requires 12 successes before 3 failures)

Primary: Diplomacy, Nature, Athletics, Perception

Secondary: Endurance, Stealth, 

Athletics (Hard DC by level) 

Success means you use physical strength to overcome some of the icy elements. 3 successes possible. Some descriptive language can include:

• You clear an area of snow that is sheltered from the winds. This caused the snows to drift and collect, but now it makes a well sheltered campsite.
• You are able to move an enormous log for the fire pit.

Nature (Easy DC by level)

Success realizes the ability to find food, build shelter, make a fire, locate fuel for a fire, and keep hidden from predators. No limit to the number of successes. Some descriptive language can include:

• You find a bark that, when stewed, is edible. You collect several days worth, but the deer have gotten much of it already.
• Using boughs of coniferous trees or bushes, you construct a lean-to that keeps the snow off you. 
• You dig a few snow caves for the party. When shared with another person, each cave is reasonably warm, but no one wants to draw the straw to share with (insert name of lowest Charisma PC here)
• You discover a pile of dead timber in a permafrost bank. It takes some doing the extract, but the wood under the top layer is surprisingly dry and burns easily enough.
• You make a number of snares using some of your rope to catch the rabbits whose tracks you find in the snow.

Perception (moderate DC by level)

Success indicates seeing details that will help you survive. 3 successes possible. Some descriptive language can include:

• You spot the tracks of a mountain lion, which you follow to where you find the remains of a kill. While the big cat is away you take a haunch and leave the rest, lest the beast follow you to get it back. 
• You notice that the snowbirds flock on the hill in the early morning, making it a prime time to shoot one for food.
• You see a curious lump in the snow, and find the remains of someone who died in cold long ago. In his possessions a flint and steel remains intact, along with some frayed rope and other simple supplies that are useful.

Diplomacy (moderate DC by level)

The stress and close conditions of survival in winter have taken a toll on everyone's nerves. Tempers flare and arguments break out easily. A successful diplomacy roll prevents an argument from breaking out. 1 success possible. Have fun roleplaying this one.

Endurance (Hard DC by level)

An Endurance check can remove a failure. A single player can only roll once for this. 

Sthealth (Hard DC by level)  

When either hunting or evading animals stealth is useful. A successful check gives a +2 bonus to Nature checks.

Failure:

First failure: All the PCs go down one/quarter of their hit points and lose 1d4 healing surges.

Second failure: All the PCs go down to their bloodied level and lost 1d6 healing surges.

Third failure: All PCs are dying and must make death saving throws. 

Each subsequent failure: Don't stop the challenge until there are twelves successes or everyone is dead. Each new failure means players must make death saving throws with an additional -1 penalty for the number over three failures. E.G. At five failures, the players have to make saving throws at -2 (5-3=2).

Ways to eliminate failures:

If all players spend a healing surge they may eliminate a failure.  

If you play a wandering monster encounter in which the players defeat the monster, and the monster can possibly be eaten, you can remove a failure.

An endurance check can remove a failure (as per above), but each PC can only roll once.

Finally, if a PC dies and the other players eat the corpse, they can remove a failure. The DM can rule no good aligned player can participate, or that any player who does cannibalize another PC becomes evil. This is called the "Alferd Packer" option. 

The deteriorating condition of the PCs as failures increase affect them constantly, they do not "reset" after an extended rest so long as they are in harsh, winter conditions. The DM should feel free to throw wandering monster encounters at them to keep them on their toes.