The greatest physical
danger in a sandstorm || dust storm (hereafter referred to as a
sandstorm) is the chance of damage to the eyes, with respiratory
damage a close second.

    Any character who does not take precautions to shield or cover
his eyes during a sandstorm may be blinded (roll of 1 on 1d6) or
partially blinded (roll of 2 or 3 on 1d6). This check is made once
every three rounds for as long as the eyes remain unshielded. A
partially blinded character will automatically become blinded
three rounds later if his eyes remain unprotected and he does not
receive aid from someone else. An opponent attacking a character
blinded from a sandstorm does so at +4 "to hit" and damage
with a melee weapon, or +4 "to hit" only with a missile weapon.
An opponent attacking a character partially blinded from a sandstorm
does so at +2 "to hit," regardless of the weapon or attack
mode, but receives no bonus to damage.

    A blinded character, in this context, in not necessarily sightless;
he can distinguish light && movement, but not with any
great degree of acuity or accuracy. A blinded character cannot
attack (or, at the DM's option, he may be allowed to wield his
weapon at a substantial penalty to hit and damage), and can
move no more than 1/2 SPEED unless he is being led by another
character. A partially blinded character cannot successfully attack
in missile combat, attacks with a -2 penalty on all other attack
rolls, and can MOVE at no more than 2/3 SPEED unless he is
being led by another character.

    A character whose nose and mouth are unprotected during a
sandstorm has a 1 in 6 chance per round of going into a choking
fit. This does no damage initially, but for anyone who suffers a
choking fit there is a 3 in 6 chance that it will continue and worsen
in the following round, this time causing 1d3 points of damage
and forcing the character to take a -2 penalty on all attack rolls
and saving throws during this round. On the third round, there is a
4 in 6 chance that the character will become fully disabled. He
must make a STR Check to remain on his feet, and if this
check succeeds he still suffers a -4 penalty on all attack rolls
and saving throws during this round. On the fourth round he will
fall to the ground, go into convulsions, and begin to suffocate unless
he receives aid.

Several means are available to assist the victim of a sandstorm,
including spells that can alleviate or cure blindness or suffocation.
Nonmagical means are covered here. Any character,
including the victim himself, can aid a blinded or partially blinded
victim by splashing water into the victim’s eyes; this will wash the
foreign substance out of the eyes, and in 2-7 hours (ld6+1)
thereafter the victim will be recovered. If the eyes are not washed
out, a partially blinded victim will recover naturally in 12 hours. A
blinded victim whose eyes are not washed out will recover to the
point of partial blindness in 24 hours, but will require the aid of
magic or a character with healing proficiency before his full vision
is restored. In all of these cases, whether water is used or not, the
victim’s eyes must be kept closed and tightly covered for the duration
of the healing period. Any treatment will be totally ineffective
if this requirement is not met.

Fallen snow that is whipped up by a strong wind and driven
against characters can cause partial blindness. When such conditions
exist, any character whose eyes are not shielded from the
driving snow has a 1 in 6 chance of suffering partial blindness
(this check should be made every 3-5 rounds, depending on the
wind velocity). This partial blindness is much less severe than
that caused by a sandstorm: a victim will recover naturally in 1d6
turns, provided that the eyes are kept shielded (but not necessarily
closed) for that length of time. Nonmagical healing efforts will
not hasten this recovery process.