I did a big write-up on my blog, so just going to link to that. Basically, I want players to voluntarily put themselves in jeopardy (for the benefit), and then experience the downfall... and possibly spiritual oblivion: https://vengersatanis.blogspot.com/2023/03/thirsty-for-chaalt.html
Thanks for any feedback received!
VS
KICK.
I think it's interesting, but if desert conditions are integral to the setting a la Dune, then I would suggest it should get even more fleshed out. If you don't mind me asking, exactly what genres do you consider Cha'alt to include? Is it pure medievalist fantasy? Low magic? High magic? Science fantasy leaning towards medievalism? What are we looking at here?
First thought? I immediately feel constrained by that single in-game hour restriction. The timeline is so short it discourages having an active water buff in favor of having water in the canteen. Also, dehydration isn't exactly something you control; it happens to you whether you choose to take risks or not.
Parties I've been in would immediately look to maximize their water dice benefits by roleplaying passing around a pee cup and making a distilling apparatus or a druidic spell or make a stillsuit out of dried kombucha SCOBYs. I see this being a party-wide mechanic with a duration measured in days, not hours, and the entire party has to watch as their water dice go negative over the course of several days of travel in the desert. I would probably prefer a step die mechanic, but ATM I will model this as a roll and keep pool.
Once per day, the GM rolls for the entire party's effort to recycle water. Say 1d10. On a 10, the party doesn't step their water dice down, but on all other rolls, they lose water and progress one day forward on the trackway below.
When you leave town, you start off fully hydrated. On that day, you may choose a roll, roll 3d6, and add the highest die to that roll. On the second day, you roll 3d6 and add the middle die. On the third day, you roll 3d6 and keep the lowest die.
On the fourth day, you cannot add any dice to your rolls.
From this point forward, the GM may impose a thirst penalty on any number of rolls per day. On the fifth day, you roll 3d6 and the lowest die from your roll. On the sixth day, you subtract the middle die. On the seventh day, you subtract the highest die.
After the seventh day, the GM stops rolling for the party's effort to recycle water and instead rolls to see if party members become delirious from dehydration.
Not the quick and dirty mechanic you currently have, but more atmospheric. There's definitely a turning point on day 5, when you abruptly go from no rolls being benefited or penalized to all of your rolls being up for a thirst penalty.
That wasn't the kind of Thirst I was expecting from Venger.