D&D Clothing for Extreme Heat
With the UK baking under record temperatures and indeed, most of Europe experiencing a heatwave, today the ShopDND team are going to follow on from a recent piece on extreme cold and take a look at extreme heat in D&D 5E: how it works, how to cope with it, and how we can help you beat the heat IRL.
01 Extreme Weather in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition
Extreme weather conditions in Dungeons and Dragons are not as common as they are in real life. However, there are still a few examples of extreme weather in the game that can cause problems for players.
Extreme Heat
It can be hard to come by water sources in a dungeon, unless you have access to some special items or other ways to beat the heat - spells or similar technologies, for example. However, if you do find yourself trapped under such conditions and cannot find any sort of shelter from the sun's rays, then your character will begin taking 1d4 fire damage at the start of each turn until they pass out due to exhaustion or dehydration (whichever comes first). This also means that any flammable clothing or items on your person may also catch fire!
Extreme Cold
Likewise, if your character is subjected to extreme cold temperatures then they will take 1d4 cold damage at the start of each turn until either passing out from exhaustion or hypothermia sets in (whichever comes first). Again make sure you wear warm clothing when exploring areas of extreme cold to mitigate this danger!
Extreme Wind
Harsh winds might be common during the winter in a fantasy realm, and players will need to find clothing styles which help their characters to deal with them. Lower class characters might not have the money to buy the fashion that might keep them safe in such conditions, like the fur items that noblepersons might afford.
02 Roll Modifiers in Extreme Heat
The heat can be intense and challenging, particularly for those wearing heavy armour or clothing. You'll need to roll at disadvantage on Constitution checks to avoid exposure and heat exhaustion.
If you do suffer from exposure, you'll need to rest for 1 hour before you can start moving again; the recovery period is doubled if the weather is hot enough that it imposes disadvantage on Constitution checks made due to thirst.
However, because extreme heat takes its toll by dealing fire damage, depending on your race or the items you have, certain features of your character's genetic makeup or gear may also grant you positive roll modifiers in extreme heat too. As examples, a Tiefling's 'Hellish Resistance' means they take half fire damage (and will likely cope better in extreme heat than most characters as a result), and Red, Gold or Brass Dragonborn are also immune completely to fire damage - meaning they'll be fine no matter what fashion choices they make.
03 Apparel in Extreme Heat
The first thing to keep in mind is that medium or heavy armour is a bad idea. Not only will it cause you to overheat, but the extra weight will slow your movement speed and make it harder to avoid attacks. Also be wary of wearing too many layers of clothes or thick fabrics like leather: as in real life they'll trap heat inside your body, making you even hotter, and possibly causing you to take extra damage (depending on how nasty your DM wants to be 😉 ). In short though, your character will need to be mindful in their fashion choices in the heat, opting for cloth and thinner fabrics if they can.
04 Magic, Apparel & Items That Will Help You Beat The Heat
There are also a few items designed for use in hot weather, or to shield against the effects of extreme heat. There are many more options and solutions than the few that we're listing below, but these are some of our favourites:
Cooling Vest
This vest has two pockets containing ice packs which can be activated as an action by removing them from their pockets and pressing them against your skin for 1 minute each turn; this cooling effect lasts until either one of the ice packs is depleted (4 hours) or until both ice packs have been used consecutively for 2 days straight.
Ring of Fire Resistance
Extreme heat deals fire damage. A ring of fire resistance makes the wearer immune to fire damage. Simple, but effective.
Ise Rune Shard
This relic covers the user in a layer of ice, insulating them against extreme heat and the effects of the fire damage it deals. It essentially lets you stay cool by turning you into a magically regenerating popsicle - we just think it's a shame that prestidigitation can't be cast on living beings to give the user the flavour of their choice!
Beads of Refreshment
As in real life, you need to stay hydrated when subject to extreme heat in D&D, and beads of refreshment are just the ticket for doing that. Drop a bead of refreshment into any non-magical liquid that isn't poison and hey presto - you instantly have a tall glass of chilled water to enjoy.
05 How ShopDND Can Help You Beat the Heat IRL
We don’t have any magical spells or potions to offer. Sorry! If we did, we would have used them ourselves! If you're nice we might let you share the office air-con for a while, but wherever you may find yourself out there in the real world in this hot and sunny weather, D&D clothing from ShopDND can help you stay cool.
For example, why not grab yourself a ShopDND tee or vest so you can rep your fandom while out and about, and stay cool at the same time, wile a snapback cap will be great for helping to keep the sun at bay (and quite literally taking the IRL equivalent of fire damage).
How can you become a ShopDND customer get some awesome D&D clothing today? It's simple, just open your browser of choice, (or search for us using a search engine, then navigate to our account creation page, create your account, then log into it and start shopping! If you sign up for our Email newsletter too then you'll get access to exclusive advertising and deals as well!
06 Conclusion
I hope you’ve learned a thing or two about how to deal with extreme heat in Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition. If you’re interested in reading more about the subject and sharing your own tips and tricks for dealing with extreme weather, feel free to get in touch with us on Social Media - we're on Instagram, TikTok and other sites too - and we look forward to seeing what other players have to say!
