Altitude Sickness

Altitude Sickness is a pathological effect of high altitude on sentient races.
As an alternate rule, it helps create realistic combat and adventure in high altitude environments, as are typical on The Southern Continent around Mount Malawi near the Haverstad Range. Altitude sickness can effect characters from all of the air-breathing races, except aasimars descended from the Astra Deva, and high Elves, who process air more effectively than other races. These races gain a bonus to resisting air sickness. Halflings and Dwarves, on the other hand, suffer particularly hard from the effects of rarefied air.
==Modifiers==
All characters are resistant to altitude up to one thousand feet times their Constitution score. Therefore, the average human with Con 10 should be able to resist air sickness up to 10,000 feet above sea level. Elves can resist air sickness as if their Con were 2 points higher. Aasimars of astral blood can resist as if their Con were 4 points higher. Halflings, who are used to the humid conditions of a swamp, resist air sickness as if their Con were 2 points lower. Dwarves, being used to the dense polluted air of the mines, resist air sickness as if their Con were 4 points lower. Characters who have spent more than a year of their lives breathing thin air gain a +2 bonus. Creatures who have spent more than a year of their lives in the Underdark suffer a -2 penalty.
==How it Works==
If ever the altitude exceeds a character's ability to resist it by 1 to 7,000 feet, at the beginning of each day under these conditions (and when the character enters these conditions) the character must roll 1d12 on the following chart. If the altitude exceeds the character's ability to resist it by 7,000 or more feet, then characters must roll every hour. All characters must roll hourly, regardless of resistance, at altitudes over 26,000 feet (the death zone). These effects last 1d4 days even if the altitude condition is resolved, and cannot be removed by magical means nor, in the case of fatigue and exhaustion, by rest. If a character suffering Fatigue rolls that symptom again while suffering the sickness, they become Exhausted. If an Exhausted character rolls the Fatigue symptom, they die (no save). If The only known method of prevention is the constant use of a Bottle of Air.
==The Symptom Chart==
On a one: the character becomes Fatigued, suffers a massive headache (1 permanent Int damage), and is Nauseated.
On a two through nine: No ill effects.
On a ten: Character is Sickened.
On an eleven: Character suffers a headache (1d4 temporary Int damage).
On a twelve: Character is Fatigued.
Category:Game Mechanics