One of life’s fundamental needs, whether you are a wanderingeven for wandering hunter-gatherers, is protection from the elements. While most dwellings were stationary (for architecture, see GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3), travelers often needed to arrange shelter quickly.

Shelter – particularly for nomads – wasn’t necessarily carried. It was sometimes built on the spot from available materials.

Igloo (TL0). An igloo requires deep, well-compacted snow. After digging an entrance trench, the builder cuts slightly trapezoidal blocks of snow 6“-8” thick and roughly a foot wide and tall. He then stacks the blocks into a dome, which he covers with loose snow. Snow is a good insulator; an inhabited igloo attains a cool but survivable temperature above freezing. It can even survive a small fire, if an exhaust hole is poked through the roof.

Building a 6' igloo takes 4 hours and a roll against Survival (Arctic). A completed igloo provides +2 to subsequent Survival (Arctic) rolls, and offers cover DR 1. The igloo itself has DR 0, HP 44. Blocks are generally carved using a wooden snow saw ($28, 2 lbs.) – but any reasonably long, flat object would work.

Lean-To (TL0). This is a series of leafy branches propped up against a fallen tree or a steep slope to form a triangular sheltered area. Building a lean-to requires a Survival roll and 3 minutes with a metal axe or 8 minutes with a stone axe; without tools, it takes 15 minutes and an additional Survival roll to scrounge fallen branches. A lean-to affords no cover DR and can be swept away with a single swinging attack. It gives +1 to Survival and must be rebuilt daily (another Survival roll).

Semi-Prepared Shelter (TL0). Nomadic hunter-gatherers in cooler climates couldn’t afford permanent homes but still desired shelter along established migration routes. They sometimes stacked durable materials (most often stones, but some used mammoth bones) into low walls. When passing through the area again, they could make a temporary roof from hides or branches in about an hour. Building such a shelter with a 6' diameter takes about a day and provides +1 to subsequent Survival rolls for someone staying there. The walls of a semi-prepared shelter provide cover DR, which varies greatly depending on locally available materials. Unremarkable walls include a 6“ thickness of piled stone (DR 78, HP 74; cover DR 48) or a foot of piled bone and branches (DR 12, HP 54; cover DR 6-12).

Nomads, pilgrims, soldiers, and traveling merchants commonly carry shelter with them. Portable items include both complete shelters and parts for sprucing up temporary dwellings.

Tents appear as early as TL0. Many, like those on p. B288, are simply large pieces of hide or fabric separating inhabitants from the elements. However, specialized tents were developed to provide superior protection in particular environments.

A tent offers concealment but not cover DR – it’s fragile, and destroying a pole will usually collapse it, trapping anyone who fails to escape (roll vs. DX) as though tangled in a large cloak. It takes one minute per 20 lbs. to put up or take down a tent. Large tents can be broken up into smaller bundles (as light as 20-30 lbs. each) for distribution among bearers for transport.

Bedouin Tent (TL1). A large residential tent made from breathable woolen cloth. Side walls are 5’-6’ tall. The roof is flat or slightly peaked. Gives +1 to Survival (Desert) rolls. A 15’ x 15’ tent (DR 0, HP 20): $340, 200 lbs.

Yurt (TL1). This is a round, collapsible wooden lattice framework, including a domed top, covered by a heavy felt shell. Yurts are more durable than other tents (offering cover DR 1) and cannot be knocked down by a single blow to a support. Yurts insulated with tapestries and rugs, or additional layers of felt, grant +1 to Survival (Plains) – or to any Survival specialty, in a cold climate – but have double cost and 1.5 times weight. A 10’ diameter yurt (DR 1, HP 20): $480, 200 lbs. A 15’ diameter yurt (DR 1, HP 28): $1,200, 500 lbs.

Legionary Tent (TL2). Made from treated leather panels, this tent is more water and wind resistant than a cloth one. It covers a 10’ x 10’ area (sleeps six to eight comfortably) and, at 6’ in height, is tall enough for standing in the center. A legionary-style tent gives +1 to any Survival specialty. DR 1, HP 14. $225, 45 lbs.

Better tents (particularly yurts) and many less-expensive permanent structures (e.g., mud-brick buildings) may be equipped with a few elegant durable features. These are often reused as the owners move or rebuild their homes.

Door (TL0). A framed door that can be placed in an opening in a tent or a temporary building. As focal points for visitors, portable doors are often elaborately decorated. Provides cover DR 1. DR 1, HP 23. $210, 70 lbs.

Partition (TL0). A long cloth or straw panel hung from ceiling beams or tent poles, turning a large space into individual rooms. Has no DR or cover DR, and can take 12 HP before being slashed to ribbons. A 6' x 10' partition: $80, 33 lbs.

Beaded Curtain (TL1). A series of cords on which objects such as beads, bamboo segments, or shells are strung. Provides no cover DR, but visually divides an area into subareas, and offers light concealment (-2 to hit; see p. B408). Passing through it makes noise (see Alarms, p. 123). Also acts as a deterrent to flying insects. DR 0, HP 5. $30, 2 lbs.

Carpet (TL1). Carpets, produced by tightly tying knots together on a loom in a thick, durable weave, can be used as portable floors. A typical rug: $45, 1 lb. per square foot.

Folding Screen (TL1). A set of hinged panels, made from wood or a frame filled with paper or wicker, providing a freestanding barrier. Provides no cover DR, and any attack knocks it over. A 6’¥6’ partition (DR 0, HP 14): $400, 55 lbs.

Wicker Fence (TL1). Wandering herdsmen sometimes carry lightweight wicker panels for creating temporary corrals. These are planted in the ground with wooden spikes protruding from the bottom. They provide no protection other than concealment, but domesticated animals won’t try to push past them unless driven by panic. A 3’ x 3’ panel takes 10 seconds to set up in most ground; it can be knocked over by winning a Quick Contest of ST vs. ST 9. DR 0, HP 9. $20, 13 lbs.