Travel and Survival[]
The ever-present ash clouds limit visibility to about 100 yards in the best conditions. At night, the visibility drops to about 20-30 yards. The maximum travel distance is 20 miles per day by foot and 35 miles per day mounted. The ash clouds increase difficulty numbers of Navigation and Mapmaking tests by 3.
Foraging tests have a Difficulty of 13 and Hunting tests have a Difficulty of 11. Most of what is edible is covered in ash and tastes revolting. Subsisting on this may result in a mild illness, as if eating bad food.
Finding water is a Difficulty of 13. Water in the Wastes tastes awful, tainted by ash.
Building shelters is a Difficulty of 10.
The ash by itself is a hazard. Characters must make Toughness tests each week (assuming they take precautions. 3 days without precautions) against a difficulty of 5, and increases by 1 each week. If the test fails, the character becomes sick and the Toughness attribute is reduced by 1. When affected by the ash and trying to use a Magic ability, roll a Step 4 (+ any cumulative Toughness penalty) versus the Character's Spell Defense. On a success, the Magic backfires.
When monsters cause a wound in the wastes, the Toughness test is modified by -2 penalty.
Also, all spellcasting is at -4 Steps in the Wastes.