Most of the time, characters who are properly mindful of the
need for good shelter in the wilderness will carry the appropriate
materials with them. If even a single mount or size M pack animal
is in the group, it can easily transport all the gear needed for
many types of shelters with plenty of carrying capacity left over.
In the absence of an animal to do the work, a single character of
average strength can usu. haul on his back enough shelter
materials to keep himself and a small group of companions comfortable
during their REST stops. <too many words!>

In its simplest form, a portable shelter consists of a single
wooden pole of 6-10 feet in length +plus+ a fairly large expanse of
heavy, waterproofed cloth or some similarly pliable material. (The
DM may decide that a pole used for the framework
of a portable shelter need not be a single piece, but may
instead be a two- or three-piece apparatus, with the parts held together
by lashings or pegs when they are assembled. Obviously,
this will make the poles easier to transport.) To pitch a simple
tent, a character anchors the pole at an angle of 30° to 40°
by bracing one end on the ground and the other end a few feet in
the air and then drapes the covering material over the pole. The
edges of the covering material should touch the ground or come
close enough to the ground that they can be tied down with ropes
&& stakes. Of course, the tent should be pitched so that the
opening in front faces the opposite direction the wind is coming from.
This kind of simple shelter provides enough space for one
human or a pair of smaller characters, and in a pinch two men
can USE it w/ no appreciable loss of protection || comfort.

    More elaborate and larger shelters are possible to obtain or
manufacture, and will be necessary if the weather is especially vicious
or if all of the characters in a decent-sized group intend to
huddle inside the same tent. For game purposes, portable shelters
come in a variety of categories related to the quality of protection
they provide and the number of man-sized characters
they can comfortably contain.
 

TABLE 36: PORTABLE SHELTER CHARACTERISTICS

 

-	Enc. Value	Cost	Setup Time	Moisture  Res.	Wind  Res.	Life  Span
Poor	-	-	-	-	-	-
Small	350	10	1d2 + 1	Light	20	40
Medium	450	20	1d2 + 2	Light	20	40
Large	600	30	1d2 + 3	Light	20	40
Adequate
Small	500	30	1d3 + 1	Moderate	30	80
Medium	600	50	1d3 + 2	Moderate	30	80
Large	750	75	1d3 + 3	Moderate	30	80
Good
Small	600	75	1d3 + 1	Heavy	40	120
Medium	800	120	1d3 + 2	Heavy	40	120
Large	1000	180	1d4 + 2	Heavy	40	120
Superior
Small	750	200	1d4 + 1	Downpour	50	180
Medium	1000	300	1d4 + 2	Downpour	50	180
Large	1500	400	1d4 + 3	Downpour	50	180

A poor shelter is one of the simplest sort, as described in
the text preceding the table. The gear consists of a single pole and a
single piece of covering material in the appropriate size and
shape. However, this “single piece” is actually made up of several
pieces of material (cloth, animal skins, etc.) that have been
loosely stitched together with rawhide || cord that is nor particularly
strong or durable. Wind can easily find its way in through the
seams in the covering, and, although the individual pieces of material
making up the covering are waterproof, the covering does
not completely keep out rain or snow because of its loose construction.
The edges of the covering must be anchored with.rocks
or other weights at hand, or perhaps handmade stakes whittled
from branches; no special anchoring equipment is provided with
the shelter. The “kit” also does not include rope, which is usually
necessary to lash the pole to its support and to keep the cover in
place when it is draped over the pole. Characters probably will
not want to purchase a shelter of this quality, unless it’s all that’s
available. If a character without special skill in a pertinent area attempts
to manufacture a portable shelter, this is what he will end
up with.

An adequate shelter is noticeably improved in appearance and
performance over a poor one. The gear includes at least two
poles (one for a “backbone,” or ridgepole, and one for a crossbrace),
covering material of the right size and shape, and a collection
of wooden or metal stakes that are driven through the
edges of the covering and into the ground to hold it in place. (As
with a poor shelter, characters must provide their own rope.) The
covering is made of multiple sections of cloth, skin, etc., just as
for a poor shelter; however, the edges of the pieces are more
closely matched and the stitching is tighter and stronger. The
covering does not let in wind or precipitation as easily as that of a
poor shelter.

A good shelter is quite satisfactory in any conditions except extremely
inclement weather. The gear includes at least four poles
(a ridgepole, a cross-brace, and two side poles for added
strength and stability), appropriate covering material, and stakes
such as those provided with an adequate shelter. The package
also contains cord or rope cut to lengths ideally suited for lashing
down the poles and the cover. There are two major differences in
the covering material that set it apart from an adequate shelter:
    * The pieces it is made from are not only stitched tightly together,
    they are overlapped (similar to the way shingles are laid) so that
    no seams are directly exposed on the outer surface.
    *Also, the edges of the covering contain reinforced holes through which a
    stake can be driven or a rope strung, making it possible to anchor
    the edges without damaging the covering material in the process.

A superior shelter is just that: the next best thing to finding a
miner’s shack || a log cabin along the way. The gear includes at
least six poles -- enough to actually make a simple but strong
frame for the cover -- plus the appropriate # of stakes (and
a few extra, to allow for loss or breakage), specially cut cord and
rope for lashing the poles and anchoring the cover, and a specially
tailored piece of covering material. The covering material is
extremely well waterproofed and is made out of as few separate
pieces as possible. Where two pieces must be joined (to form a
sharp angle between ceiling panel and wall panel, for instance),
the seam is reinforced with another thickness of covering material.
The result is a true structure that can keep out all but the
strongest wind and heaviest precipitation - perhaps even better
than the miner’s shack can.

A small shelter will hold one human-sized character || two
smaller characters (dwarves, gnomes, or halflings) comfortably,
plus all their personal gear (backpacks, sacks, etc.). It can be
used to shelter up to twice as many occupants in close quarters.

A medium shelter will easily accommodate two human-sized <M-sized>
characters (or the equivalent in smaller characters), or up to twice
as many in close quarters.

A large shelter is designed to hold four human-sized characters,
and can sleepfive or six men if the group can store some of
its gear outside the shelter. It will hold seven or eight men in close
quarters, but no more than eight can sleep inside it without some
of the occupants being literally on top of others - very close
quarters indeed.

The figures for Encumbrance Value and Cost are in g.p...

Setup Time is a variable number of turns representing how
long it takes for a single character to break out the gear, set up
the pole(s), drape the covering material, and anchor the edges of
the cover. In the case of a poor or adequate shelter, this assumes
that characters have rope (and, for a poor shelter, some objects
with which to anchor the cover). A second character can assist,
reducing the time by 1 turn. If a character with proficiency in rope
use does the job, with or without help, he can set up the shelter in
half the time (rounded up) indicated by the die roll. In any case, it
takes at least 1 turn to set up a small shelter, 2 turns for a medium
one, and 3 turns for a large one.

Taking down the shelter and re-packing it can be done in 1 turn
less than it took to put it up (regardless of how many characters
assist). A character with proficiency in rope use can dismantle
and properly pack a shelter in half the time that it takes a nonproficient
character. In any case, it takes at least five rounds to dismantle
and pack a small shelter, 1 turn for a medium one, and 2
turns for a large one.

Moisture Resistance refers to the greatest intensity of precipitation that
a shelter can keep out. If the rain or snow is heavier
than the indicated value, some of it gets through the shelter and
falls down on the occupants as though they were in a storm of one
step lighter in intensity. For instance, a poor shelter will protect
those inside from a light rainfall or snowfall. But if the precipitation
is of moderate intensity, those inside will be doused as if they
were in the open during a light storm (and so on up the scale of intensity).
A superior shelter will protect those inside from even a
downpour, as long as the wind is not too strong (see Wind Resistance,
below) and as long as the force of the storm does not separate
the shelter from its moorings.

Wind Resistance is a number representing the greatest velocity
of wind that the shelter can withstand without “leaking.” For
every 10 mph of actual wind velocity greater than the indicated
number, those inside the tent will feel a wind of 5 mph (and the effective
temperature inside the shelter will change accordingly). If
the wind velocity exceeds twice the indicated number, there is a
25% chance for each 10 mph of additional velocity (checked
each hour) that the shelter will be damaged by the wind, and useless
until it is repaired. For example: A poor shelter provides complete
protection from the wind at speeds of up to 20 mph. If the
wind is blowing at 30 mph, those inside the shelter will feel a
breeze of 5 mph. At 40 rnph, the breeze inside is 10 mph. At 50
mph, the breeze inside is 15 mph and there is a 25% chance per
hour that the shelter will suffer wind damage. At 60 rnph, the
“breeze” inside has reached a hefty 20 rnph, and the chance of
wind damage is 50% per hour.

Life Span may be thought of as a shelter’s “hit points,” reflecting
the fact that nothing lasts forever. A new or freshly repaired
shelter has the indicated number of “life span points,” which are
deducted at the following rates:

<
Moisture Res. : Hi, sorry, Light, Moderate, Heavy, and Downpour should have been defined.
See WSG.110 for the definitions.
>

<
Note: make links to the precise definitions, for ease of ref.
>

<
Wind Res.  : Keep in mind that WIND VELOCITY is the worst (the gusts) that it can get during a day. WSG.110 explains this.
As a baseline, use WV(Wind Velocity) / 2, and then reference that number to the above table (Table 36), in theory.
For example, if the WV = 50, then reference 25 on the Wind Res. column, above.
>

<check wsg.table.htm for additional notes>
 

REST AND COMFORT