Post/Author/DateTime	Post
ArcWF 03-06-06, 06:58 PM	I'm running a campaign where the PC's are basically lost in Xen'drik, which is mainly Jungle and Forest Terrain (at least where they currently are). I know that the DMG says that such terrain can have either Light Undergrowth (Concealment w/20% miss chance) or Heavy Undergrowth (Concealment w/30% miss chance and +5 to Hide checks). What I'm wondering is if players, and NPC's, can do certain things to increase the effectiveness of that Concealment. What about wearing clothes and/or painting skin to match the undergrowth (camouflage)? I would think that that should increase amount of bonus to miss chance and Hide checks. Even more exotic, what about a Changeling or spellcaster using Disguise Self to change his appearance so as to blend in with the specific bush or shrub he is hiding in? I know the Ranger has the "Camouflage" ability, but that specifically lets him hide where there isn't already Concealment. That doesn't really apply in this case. My question is whether anyone has written or seen rules for this. I haven't been able to find any, so I've come up with "Camouflage Levels". Camouflage Level 1 is Basic Concealment. 20% miss chance and no bonus to Hide. You get this from being in light undergrowth. Camouflage Level 2 is Improved Concealment. 25% miss chance and a +2 bonus to Hide. You get this from "augmenting" Basic Concealment (see below). Camouflage Level 3 is Greater Concealment. 30% miss chance and a +5 bonus to Hide. You get this from being in heavy undergrowth or "augmenting" Improved Concealment (see below). Camouflage Level 4 is Exceptional Concealment. 35% miss chance and a +7 bonus to Hide. You get this from "augmenting" Greater Concealment (see below). Camouflage Level 5 is Supreme Concealment. 40% miss chance and a +10 bonus to Hide. You get this from "augmenting" Exceptional Concealment (see below). Augmenting: You can augment your Camouflage Level (assuming it is already at least Basic) by using the Disguise skill in one of 2 ways. In either case, you take a -4 penalty on the check since you are effectively trying to disguise yourself as a different race which does not exist (a humanoid that blends in with the terrain). 1) Use the Disguise skill to create camouflaged clothing/paint. Because you are designing clothing to match overall terrain, and not a specific bush or shrub, the most you can augment is 1 Camouflage Level. The DC to make effective camouflage is 10. 2) Use the Disguise Self spell to make yourself match a specific bush, shrub or other specific piece of terrain you are using for Concealment. The DC to augment 1 Camouflage Level is still 10. However, for every additional 10 that you achieve on your Disguise check, you are able to augment 1 additional Concealment Level by tailoring your disguise to your specific location. If you move 5 feet or more, you lose these additional Concealment Levels, since you no longer blend in with your specific location; but, you can keep the first augmented Camouflage Level, since you still blend in with the general terrain. You do receive the +10 to Disguise granted by the Disguise Self spell. Example: Hennet the Sorcerer is in a jungle which has light undergrowth, which grants him Basic Concealment (Camouflage Level 1). He picks a small clump of bushes to hide amongst and then casts Disguise Self to try and match those bushes. He rolls a 24. This causes his Camouflage Level to increase by 2. He now has Greater Concealment, granting him the protection of a 30% miss chance and giving him a +5 bonus to Hide checks. Later, Hennet moves 10 feet to a different grove of bushes. His Camouflage Level drops down by 1 to Level 2 (Improved Concealment), since he no longer matches the specific bushes where he cast Disguise Self. However, he still blends with the jungle as much as anyone wearing camouflaged clothing. He now is protected by a 25% miss chance and only gets a +2 bonus to Hide checks. These rules get a little funky when used by a Changeling. A naked changling functions just like a caster using the Disguise Self spell (since the Changeling can alter his entire appearance). However, if he has clothes, a Changeling must make two Disguise checks: one to camouflage his clothes (using mundane materials like paint and debris) and one to use his Minor Shapechange ability. Only the second check gets the +10 bonus from the Minor Shapechange ability. The amount of augmentation to concealment that the Changeling receives is based on the average of these two checks. However, because of the limited extent to which clothes can be camouflaged, the maximum number that check can contribute to the average is 10. The augmentation from these two checks never stack. Always determining the augmentation from the average. For example, Sam is in a jungle with heavy undergrowth, granting him Greater Concealment (30% miss chance, +5 to Hide checks). He sticks leaves and twigs to his clothes in order to camouflage them. He makes a Disguise check of 15--that's above 10, so it's good enough to succeed. This automatically grants him an augmentation of 1 Camouflage Level, up to Exceptional Concealment (35% miss chance, +7 to Hide checks). Now he uses his Minor Shapechange ability to blend in with the specific bush he is sitting in. He rolls a Disguise check of 32. The average of his two checks is 21, which is enough to get him an augmentation of 2 Camouflage Levels. He is now protected by Supreme Concealment (40% miss chance, +10 to Hide checks). What do you all think of these rules? I think they help the Disguise skill and the Disguise Self spell remain useful even in a wilderness setting. I also think they make forest/jungle combat a bit more interesting and strategic. I know Supreme Concealment may seem very powerful, but to get to that point you'd have to be in heavy undergrowth and you'd have to use Disguise Self with a Disguise check of 20+ (or 30+ if you are a Changeling with clothes). And you couldn't move if you wanted to keep that level of Concealment.
The Necromancer King 03-06-06, 07:28 PM	Honestly, I think it's a bit clunky. But I like my rules fast and loose, so my suggestion might be a bit too streamlined for more detailed play. Camouflage When in light undergrowth, roll three checks at DC 15: Hide, Move Silently and Disguise. If all three checks are successful, you gain concealment equal to a 20% miss chance. If you pass all three checks with a 25 or more, you gain a 30% miss chance. When in heavy undergrowth, roll three checks at DC 15: Hide, Move Silently and Disguise. If all three checks are successful, you gain a concealment equal to a 30% miss chance. If you pass all three checks with 25% or more, you gain a 40% miss chance. Camouflage only applies to ranged attacks. Melee attacks take no penalty from the benefits of camouflage.