Surroundings affect characters?

[Dr.Maul]

Anybody thought of a cold place where maybe a penalty to movement in snowy areas, areas where a snowstorm happens (+2 DC to spot checks), i always wanted weather penalties... on the other hand, makes me feel something funny bout Demon Sands, desert's hot and all but you move without a stamina meter or something.

Suggestions?

[Rasczak]

hell no

Takes 5mins to run to a quest some times and now you want us to have rests inbetween as well?

You have to remember this is a MMORPG....this isn't pnp where you can roleplay a campfire while resting up.
As for certain conditions, you do risk making the mechanics way to complicated.
Harried with DA is already a big issue because of slowed movement so making it slow for conditions is probably going to be met badly as well. Myself personally, I don't feel the game needs any of those type of mechanics as it's instance based and unless intended to be part of the challenge of the instance I don't feel it adds to the game. It does add to the annoyance of players though.

In pen n paper I would have it most definitely because it adds to the atmosphere of the roleplaying but in a game it doesn't have the same effect.
Taking breaks because you run for to long past endurance checks, moving at 25% speed due to snow, penalties for ambience conditions are all things that would make the game tedious to play.

I'll let others speak their thoughts on the matter though before I start posting essays :p

[Brahmina]

Well said, Rasczak. Who needs to have our characters getting sunburned and thirsty out in the desert or frostbitten toes running through snow. Heck, even swallowing gobs of water when swimming or getting sick by the stench of all the dungeon sewage crawls in Water Works. Not I say me.

[chaos_master]

There already is something like that in effect ... somewhat. In Amrath you are constantly under the effects of Greater Heroism, which is something to be taken advantage of!

[Kralgnax]

Lava affects you. Quite violently.

[Ybbald]

You sneak better in darker areas. You can be seen more easily areas.

[Red_Knight]

Of course the sneaking boost from shadows isn't anywhere near as severe as in AoC. In AoC you pretty much can't sneak up from behind an enemy near your level during the daytime. Even if you have your sneaking skills capped. Somehow they see your shadow or feel your presence when facing the wrong way, and your shadow is trailing behind you.

[Talon_Moonshadow]

Movement penalties are not fun.

I had asked for Hell to do small amounts of fire damage before....with hot spots.

And dangerous areas that worked like traps, but that had Spot DCs under 20.

I'm all for environmental effects. Just not movement ones.