Equipment Descriptions
Cold-Weather Clothing
Travel Furs
Cost: 25 gp
Bulky layered hides and wool suitable for cold forests, sheltered roads, and short winter trips. Prevents mild cold penalties but offers poor wind resistance. Insufficient for open tundra, prolonged exposure, or storms.
Arctic Furs (Expedition Grade)
Cost: 90 gp
Sealskin or thick caribou furs with hood and wind layers. Required for multi-day winter travel beyond settled routes. Without expedition-grade furs, exposure checks increase in frequency and severity.
Extreme Cold Gear (Northern Outfit)
Cost: 180 gp
Heavy layered furs, insulated boots, face coverings, and wind cloaks designed for deep winter and exposed terrain. Mandatory for glacier travel, whiteout conditions, and severe storms. Availability is limited to specialist traders.
Snow Goggles
Cost: 5 gp
Bone or leather frames with narrow slits. Prevent snow blindness during prolonged travel in snow glare. Without goggles, characters risk temporary blindness after extended daylight exposure in snowfields.
Insulated Arctic Boots
Cost: 25 gp
Fur-lined, waterproofed boots required for extended snow travel. Without insulated boots, exposure and frost injury checks are more likely, regardless of other clothing. Can be worn with snowshoes.
Snowshoes (Pair)
Cost: 10 gp
Snowshoes are broad wood-and-hide frames strapped over boots. They distribute weight across loose snow and ice, preventing deep sinking and reducing exhaustion during winter travel. Snowshoes do not increase speed beyond normal winter movement, but they significantly reduce penalties imposed by deep snow and similar terrain.
Snowshoes are common in Velkari lands and other northern regions. Travelers without them are quickly at the mercy of native creatures (without movement penalties) and the terrain itself.
Snowshoe Movement Reference
| Normal Movement | In Snow (No Snowshoes) | In Snow (With Snowshoes) |
|---|
| Exploration MV 120’, Encounter MV 40’ | Exploration MV 60’, Encounter MV 20’ | Exploration MV 90’, Encounter MV 30’ |
| Exploration MV 90’, Encounter MV 30’ | Exploration MV 45’, Encounter MV 15’ | Exploration MV 60’, Encounter MV 20’ |
| Exploration MV 60’, Encounter MV 20’ | Exploration MV 30’, Encounter MV 10’ | Exploration MV 45’, Encounter MV 15’ |
Notes
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Snowshoes reduce movement penalties imposed by deep snow by one step.
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Snowshoes do not increase speed beyond normal movement.
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Creatures native to snow terrain sometimes ignore snow penalties.
Skis (Pair)
Cost: 40 gp
Long wooden skis for fast travel over open snow. Require training to use safely. Effective on tundra and frozen lakes, dangerous in forests, hills, or broken terrain.
Crampons
Cost: 15 gp
Iron spikes strapped to boots. Required for ice, glaciers, and steep frozen slopes. Without crampons, movement on ice is hazardous or impossible.
Ice Axe
Cost: 10 gp
Used for climbing, anchoring, cutting steps, and emergency braking on slopes. Essential for glacier or alpine travel.
Cold-Weather Tent (4-person)
Cost: 50 gp
Double-layered hide tent with snow skirts and reinforced poles. Allows safe rest in sub-zero temperatures when combined with a fire or heat source. Standard tents are insufficient in severe cold.
Expedition Sleeping Roll
Cost: 15 gp
Thick furs wrapped in oilcloth. Required for safe rest in winter conditions. Without one, characters cannot fully recover fatigue outdoors, even with a fire.
Oil Heat Lantern
Cost: 12 gp
Enclosed oil lamp designed to provide sustained heat and light inside a tent or shelter. Burns one flask of oil per night. Prevents exposure during rest but provides no benefit outdoors.
Cold-Weather Equipment Table
| Category | Item | Cost (gp) | Primary Function |
|---|
| Clothing | Travel Furs | 25 | Prevents mild cold penalties |
| Clothing | Arctic Furs (Expedition) | 90 | Required for extended winter travel |
| Clothing | Extreme Cold Gear | 180 | Mandatory for severe cold and storms |
| Clothing | Snow Goggles | 5 | Prevents snow blindness |
| Footwear | Insulated Arctic Boots | 25 | Prevents frost injury and exposure |
| Movement | Snowshoes (pair) | 10 | Negates deep-snow penalties |
| Movement | Skis (pair) | 40 | Fast travel over open snow |
| Movement | Crampons | 15 | Safe movement on ice and slopes |
| Tools | Ice Axe | 10 | Climbing and slope control |
| Shelter | Cold-Weather Tent (4p) | 50 | Safe rest in sub-zero conditions |
| Bedding | Expedition Sleeping Roll | 15 | Enables recovery in winter camps |
| Heat | Oil Heat Lantern | 12 | Prevents exposure during rest |
Sleds and Transport
Cargo Sled
Cost: 40 gp
Heavy wooden runners with reinforced leather lashings. Designed for hauling supplies, armor, and trade goods. May be pulled by people or animals. Slow, stable, and durable. Favored for freight and camp relocation rather than travel speed.
Dog Sled
Cost: 75 gp
Lightweight, flexible frame built for long-distance winter travel. Requires trained dogs and a handler to operate effectively. Unsuitable for heavy cargo but ideal for scouting, courier work, and expedition movement across open snow.
Sled Dogs and Teams
Snowtracker (Sled-Suitable Hound)
Cost: 30 gp
Lean, cold-bred hounds commonly used for sled work. Must be trained for harness and team travel before use.
Sled Training (per dog)
Cost: 15 gp
Conditioning, harness training, and voice-command discipline. Untrained dogs cannot operate safely in a sled team.
Standard Sled Dog Team (6 dogs)
Cost: 270 gp
Six Snowtrackers with full sled training. The minimum reliable team for long-distance winter travel. Requires careful handling and steady provisioning.
Heavy Cargo Team
Cost: 290 gp
A mixed team designed for hauling weight rather than speed. Typically composed of four Snowtrackers and two Ironjaws, all fully sled-trained. Slower than a standard travel team but far more stable on broken terrain, steep descents, and overloaded runs. Favored by merchants, fortress resupply crews, and expeditions moving camps rather than racing distances.
Heavy cargo teams reduce the risk of sled damage or loss on poor terrain and are less likely to panic under strain.
Elite Whiteveil Team
Cost: 510 gp
A rare and highly visible sled team composed entirely of Whiteveil Dogs, fully trained for coordinated travel. These teams are fast, disciplined, and eerily quiet, capable of sustained movement in whiteout conditions that would halt lesser dogs.
Elite teams are seldom sold openly. Ownership attracts attention from wardens, traders, and the Church alike. Losing such a team is a notable event, often remembered locally for years.
Feed and Maintenance
Winter Dog Feed
Cost: 1 gp per dog per day
Dried fish, fat, and grain supplements. Dogs consume full rations even when idle. Shorting feed causes fatigue, reduced speed, and morale loss within days.
A standard six-dog team requires 42 gp per week in feed alone.
Travel Services
Musher or Dog Handler (Hireling)
Wage: 3 gp per day
Knows routes, weather signs, and dog care. Refuses suicidal orders.
Winter Guide
Wage: 5 gp per day
Rare. Knows safe passes, shelter sites, and storm behavior. Often superstitious and cautious.
Referee Notes for Use in Reisa
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Arctic gear is bulky. Encumbrance matters.
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Availability is limited. Fort Stonejaw is likely the last place to acquire most of this.
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Dogs are not vehicles. They are living creatures with morale, fatigue, and fear.
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Losing gear in the wild is often worse than losing hit points.
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Extreme cold does not care about heroism.
| Team | Daily Rate | Speed | Capacity |
|---|
| Light Scout Sled (4 dogs, 1 retainer) | 3 gp/day | 30 mi | 300 lb safe |
| Standard Sled Team (6 dogs, 2 retainers) | 6 gp/day | 24 mi | 600 lb safe |
| Heavy Cargo Sled (8 dogs, 3 retainers) | 9 gp/day | 18 mi | 1,200 lb safe |
| Elite Whiteveil (8–10 dogs, 4 retainers) | 12 gp/day | 36 mi | 800 lb safe |
| Reindeer Pack (4 reindeer, 2 retainers) | 6 gp/day | 18 mi | 400 lb safe |
| Reindeer Haul (6 reindeer, 3 retainers) | 9 gp/day | 18 mi | 900 lb safe |
Word count: 1,096
