Environmental Effects: Difference between revisions

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[[Category:Epic Path]]
[[Category:Epic Path]]
 
[[Image:Sandstorm_1.jpg|500px|right|Lucky I bought that ivory comb. This is really going to mess up my hair.]]
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Outside the safety of city walls, the wilderness is a dangerous place, and many adventurers have gotten lost in its trackless wilds or fallen victim to deadly weather. The following rules give you guidelines on running adventures in a wilderness setting.  Any level of sturdy shelter is enough to halt environmental effects, no matter how crude.  A cave serves nicely, and even a simple overhang will serve. Many items and spell effects that provide shelter also stop all environmental effects. Portable shelter, such as camp fires and tents, are not nearly as good, but still far better than nothing, and a tent combined with sturdy clothes appropriate to heat or cold can make the wilderness...not cozy, but much less dangerous.  
Outside the safety of city walls, the wilderness is a dangerous place, and many adventurers have gotten lost in its trackless wilds or fallen victim to deadly weather. The following rules give you guidelines on running adventures in a wilderness setting.  Any level of sturdy shelter is enough to halt environmental effects, no matter how crude.  A cave serves nicely, and even a simple overhang will serve. Many items and spell effects that provide shelter also stop all environmental effects. Portable shelter, such as camp fires and tents, are not nearly as good, but still far better than nothing, and a tent combined with sturdy clothes appropriate to heat or cold can make the wilderness...not cozy, but much less dangerous.  


NOTE to GM's: The Environment rules are optional, but provide a great way of creating a real 'survival horror' experience if you're running a low-level, [[Campaign_Power_Level | low-power]] 'grime and guts' sort of a campaign. Indeed, the whole 'Grim World' power level pretty much cries out for the Environmental effects rules, to make it truly, perfectly awful. However, approach with caution! Even high-powered, well-equipped adventurers that are not prepared for environmental effects can find themselves in a lot of trouble very quickly if they aren't used to it. Since environmental damage is non-lethal (until it starts killing you), very few of the most common and potent defenses will work against it, and even extremely mighty parties can find themselves in trouble quickly.  This might be the effect you're after, but be careful! Also, be wary of the scaling of environment effects, especially the Falling Object rules. Giant toppling trees are extremely deadly, which is what you would expect from dropping a Redwood on somebody, and avalanches and tsunamis and pyroclastic flows are just utterly unfair. Use these things sparingly...unless your campaign is into such things, of course.
NOTE to GM's: The Environment rules are optional, but provide a great way of creating a real 'survival horror' experience if you're running a low-level, [[Campaign_Power_Level | low-power]] 'grime and guts' sort of a campaign. Indeed, the whole 'Grim World' power level pretty much cries out for the Environmental effects rules, to make it truly, perfectly awful. However, approach with caution! Even high-powered, well-equipped adventurers that are not prepared for environmental effects can find themselves in a lot of trouble very quickly if they aren't used to it. Since environmental damage is non-lethal (until it starts killing you), very few of the most common and potent defenses will work against it, and even extremely mighty parties can find themselves in trouble quickly.  This might be the effect you're after, but be careful! Also, be wary of the scaling of environment effects, especially the Falling Object rules. Giant toppling trees are extremely deadly, which is what you would expect from dropping a Redwood on somebody, and avalanches and tsunamis and pyroclastic flows are just utterly unfair. Use these things sparingly...unless your campaign is into such things, of course.


==Monsters and the Environment==
==Monsters and the Environment==
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This is totally unfair, but that's how it works. As a consolation, all the environmental effects that deal lethal damage, such as falling objects or avalanches, affect monsters just like they do characters.  
This is totally unfair, but that's how it works. As a consolation, all the environmental effects that deal lethal damage, such as falling objects or avalanches, affect monsters just like they do characters.  


== Environmental Damage ==
== Environmental Damage ==
Hazardous environments can inflict damage to characters attempting to pass through them.  In general, this damage is treated identically to normal damage, with the exception that some equipment specifically provides resistance to environmental damage, while providing no resistance to normal damage.  An example of this is a tent, which reduces environmental damage by 5 points. This is treated as ER 5/- and DR 5/-, but only for purposes of resisting damage caused by environmental effects.  If a mountain troll comes along and smashes the camper in the face with a rock, the tent won't help at all.
Hazardous environments can inflict damage to characters attempting to pass through them.  In general, this damage is treated identically to normal damage, with the exception that some equipment specifically provides resistance to environmental damage, while providing no resistance to normal damage.  An example of this is a tent, which reduces environmental damage by 5 points. This is treated as ER 5/- and DR 5/-, but only for purposes of resisting damage caused by environmental effects.  If a mountain troll comes along and smashes the camper in the face with a rock, the tent won't help at all.


==Endurance Feat==
===Endurance Feat===
 
Special mention must be made of the [[Endurance (Feat)]]. This feat gives you resistance to non-lethal damage, and that resistance applies to ALL forms of non-lethal environmental damage, even if you have fallen unconscious and would normally be taking lethal damage! Yes, Endurance lets you basically ignore the effects of environmental cold and heat once you get high enough level, and that is exactly how it is intended to work. Environmental damage, since it is usually Non-Lethal, is terribly insidious and can be EXTREMELY difficult to endure.  The Endurance feat is almost the only way to do so, and in harsh climate campaigns, it is amazingly useful.
Special mention must be made of the [[Endurance (Feat)]]. This feat gives you resistance to non-lethal damage, and that resistance applies to ALL forms of non-lethal environmental damage, even if you have fallen unconscious and would normally be taking lethal damage! Yes, Endurance lets you basically ignore the effects of environmental cold and heat once you get high enough level, and that is exactly how it is intended to work. Environmental damage, since it is usually Non-Lethal, is terribly insidious and can be EXTREMELY difficult to endure.  The Endurance feat is almost the only way to do so, and in harsh climate campaigns, it is amazingly useful.


Now against [[fire]] and [[cold]] damage, such as from a wildfire, or against [[falling]] damage, as from an avalanche or falling objects, the Endurance feat is less useful....
Now against [[fire]] and [[cold]] damage, such as from a wildfire, or against [[falling]] damage, as from an avalanche or falling objects, the Endurance feat is less useful....


==Firewood and Camp Fires==
==Firewood and Camp Fires==
[[Miscellaneous_Equipment#Firewood_.281_day.29 | Firewood]] is used to build a camp fire, which requires [[Flint and Steel]] or some other means of creating fire.  
[[Miscellaneous_Equipment#Firewood_.281_day.29 | Firewood]] is used to build a camp fire, which requires [[Flint and Steel]] or some other means of creating fire.  


A camp fire occupies one square, inflicts [[Singed]] doing fire damage to anyone who enters that square, and removes cold weather [[Environmental Effects]] in a 15 foot radius (a 7x7 square space), as well as allowing the ability to cook food and providing endless hours of entertainment to anyone who cares to watch.
A camp fire occupies one square, inflicts [[Singed]] doing fire damage to anyone who enters that square, and removes cold weather Environmental Effects in a 15 foot radius (a 7x7 square space), as well as allowing the ability to cook food and providing endless hours of entertainment to anyone who cares to watch.
 
 
==Tent==


==Tents==
A [[Equipment | tent]] of any size provides 5 points of resistance to non-lethal environment damage. Note that like Endurance, this applies even to characters who have fallen unconscious and are now taking lethal damage from the non-lethal environmental damage. Bundling your heat-stroked sorcerer into a tent to cool them down a bit is indeed a way to save their life.
A [[Equipment | tent]] of any size provides 5 points of resistance to non-lethal environment damage. Note that like Endurance, this applies even to characters who have fallen unconscious and are now taking lethal damage from the non-lethal environmental damage. Bundling your heat-stroked sorcerer into a tent to cool them down a bit is indeed a way to save their life.


==Stacking of Environment Effects==
==Stacking of Environment Effects==
These effects are described in a modular fashion, so that if the GM is feeling especially cruel, they may stack them up. A classic example is the top of an extremely high mountain.  If the maximum realism is desired, such an environment would offer Severe Cold or worse, High Altitude effects for higher than 15,000 feet, and almost certainly Windstorm conditions or worse, with a Sandstorm effect of needle-sharp ice crystals, to boot. To say that such an environment is extremely hostile is putting it mildly, and we haven't even left the nice soft, cozy confines of the Prime Material Plane yet!


These effects are described in a modular fashion, so that if the GM is feeling especially cruel, they may stack them up. A classic example is the top of an extremely high mountain.  If the maximum realism is desired, such an environment would offer Severe Cold or worse, High Altitude effects for higher than 15,000 feet, and almost certainly Windstorm conditions or worse, with a Sandstorm effect of needle-sharp ice crystals, to boot. To say that such an environment is extremely hostile is putting it mildly, and we haven't even left the nice soft, cozy confines of the Prime material Plane yet!
In general, GMs should stack environmental effects to any degree they wish and makes sense for their campaign. Heat and Cold effects would be hard to justify, but heat, hurricane winds, and heavy rain work just fine. The one rule to live by is that all applicable environment effects are applied separately, not additively.  The non-lethal effects of all effects are applied separately, so suffering from cold and high altitude means you suffer two doses of non-lethal environment damage, which can separately be resisted by any gear, feats, or effects. GM's should resist the urge to 'stack these up', unless they are running a nice, nasty survival horror type game. If that's what your table is after, then go for it!
 
In general, GMs should stack environmental effects to any degree they wish and makes sense for their campaign. Heat and Cold effects would be hard to justify, but heat, hurricane winds, and heavy rain work just fine. The one rule to live by is that all applicable environment effects are applied separately, not additively.  The non-lethal effects of all effects are applied separately, so suffering from cold and high altitude means you suffer two doses of non-lethal environment damage, which can separately be resisted by any gear, feats, or effects. GM's should resist the urge to 'stack these up', unless they are running a nice, nasty survival horror type game. If that's what your table is after, then go for it!  
 


==Altitude==
==Altitude==
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In all cases, if you are rendered [[unconscious]] by the non-lethal high altitude damage, you begin taking this non-lethal damage as lethal damage!  It's almost primal....
In all cases, if you are rendered [[unconscious]] by the non-lethal high altitude damage, you begin taking this non-lethal damage as lethal damage!  It's almost primal....


===Inimical Gases===
===Inimical Gases===
The High Altitude rules can easily be expanded to include all cases where the air is less than nice. This can be dense layers of swamp gas clinging heavily to the lungs of feckless explorers, it can be a bad case of 'mine damp' smothering those who wander into it, it can be a magical effect in an Alchemists' lab where the air around a bubbling cauldron is not longer exactly the right kind of air, it can be due to Planar effects leaking into the Prime material, or cloying shadowstuff clogging the lungs in a dark barrow, and many other things besides.


The High Altitude rules can easily be expanded to include all cases where the air is less than nice. This can be dense layers of swamp gas clinging heavily to the lungs of feckless explorers, it can be a bad case of 'mine damp' smothering those who wander into it, it can be a magical effect in a Alchemists' lab where the air around a bubbling cauldron is not longer exactly the right kind of air, or it can be due to Planar effects leaking into the Prime material, cloying shadowstuff clogging the lungs in a dark barrow, and many other things besides.
All such effects can be attributed to a similar High Altitude effect and run with the same rules.  For highly noxious environments, the amount of damage can be increased to 2d6 or even 3d6 per hour.  For places where the air is densely fouled, the frequency of the check can be increased to every half hour, or even every ten minutes.  If the GM is feeling particularly cruel, do both!  The inside of a volcano is a classic place where the noxious fumes choking the air may inflict 3d6 of non-lethal environmental damage every ten minutes, and that's on top of the Heat or Wildfire conditions. Yikes! Whether or not it is possible to have acclimated creatures to such effects is up to the GM, but it certainly works to have a tribe of specially adapted Fire Trolls living in the volcano....
 
All such effects can be attributed to a similar High Altitude effect and run with the same rules. Whether or not it is possible to have acclimated creatures to such effects is up to the GM, but it certainly works.


==Avalanche==
==Avalanche==
Avalanches are a deadly peril in many mountainous areas. While avalanches of snow and ice are common, it's also possible to have an avalanche of rock and soil, or bile and bone marrow, or tormented souls, or many other things, depending upon where exactly you are.
Avalanches are a deadly peril in many mountainous areas. While avalanches of snow and ice are common, it's also possible to have an avalanche of rock and soil, or bile and bone marrow, or tormented souls, or many other things, depending upon where exactly you are.


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An avalanche inflicts damage as a [[Collisions | collision]] to all creature caught in its path, but an avalanche does not have a given "speed", instead assumed to be moving 'really, REALLY, fast.'  You cannot outrun an avalanche, ever, although you can generally fly above one if you are quick and lucky. The GM adjudicates how 'tall' an avalanche is, but generally it's between 5 and 30 feet.  An avalanche, since it does not have a speed to measure the collision damage, does 1d6 of damage per CR of the area the avalanche is located within. Affected creatures are allowed either a Reflex or Fort save to reduce this damage by half.  The DC of this check is an Impossible Save versus the CR of the area. Those who fail their saves are buried.
An avalanche inflicts damage as a [[Collisions | collision]] to all creature caught in its path, but an avalanche does not have a given "speed", instead assumed to be moving 'really, REALLY, fast.'  You cannot outrun an avalanche, ever, although you can generally fly above one if you are quick and lucky. The GM adjudicates how 'tall' an avalanche is, but generally it's between 5 and 30 feet.  An avalanche, since it does not have a speed to measure the collision damage, does 1d6 of damage per CR of the area the avalanche is located within. Affected creatures are allowed either a Reflex or Fort save to reduce this damage by half.  The DC of this check is an Impossible Save versus the CR of the area. Those who fail their saves are buried.


Buried characters gain the [[pinned]] condition unless they have [[Burrow]], [[Earth Glide]] or some other way of moving, and take 1d6 points of [[Non-Lethal Damage]] per minute. If a buried character falls unconscious, their hit points are immediately set to negative 1 and they must begin making death saves. Yikes!
===Buried===
 
Buried characters gain the [[pinned]] condition unless they have [[Burrow]], [[Earth Glide]], Swim, or some other way of moving, and take 1d6 points of [[Non-Lethal Damage]] per minute. If a buried character falls unconscious, their hit points are immediately set to negative 1 and they must begin making death saves. Yikes! If you are buried by a Flash Flood, Lava Flow, or Tsunami, you don't even have that much time, and go straight to Suffocation.
 
===Rescue===
 
Creatures buried in an avalanche (or a tsunami, or a flash flood, or a collapse, or a pyroclastic flow, or a lava flow, see below) are generally helpless, because they are pinned or unconscious or worse. To dig a buried creature free, the best plan is to have someone with an appropriate Move speed simply go get them. Burrow is always usable on solid material, and Swim is always effective on liquids. Pyroclastic Flows or lava flows may be traversed with one or both, depending upon circumstance and the GM's decisions. Rescuers are subject to normal effects according to the type of event. Rescuing a friend from a lava flow by Swimming down to them is incredibly brave, but also extremely painful. See Lava for details.
 
If nobody has a usable Movement type, then [[Might]] skill rolls against a Hard DC for the CR of the event can clear a five foot space of solid material by enough to extract a victim. Exceeding the roll by five or more allows another five feet to be cleared for each five by which the roll was exceeded. [[Acrobatics]] is useful to extract victims from non-solid materials. In all cases, even a [[Pinned]] victim may attempt an [[Escape Artist]] roll against the same DC to get themselves loose, worming their way five feet closer to freedom by every five they make their Escape Artist roll.  If you are unconscious or worse, you have no recourse, sadly.  Hope that you have friends nearby. Note that a [[Sending (Spell)]] cast by a non-pinned person can be a life-saver!
 
==Earthquake==
 
Surprisingly enough, Earthquakes just aren't that bad if you are on reasonably level terrain without high trees. During the actual trembling of the earth, all surfaces are treated as difficult terrain. The shaking doesn't last very long, no more than 1 to 6 minutes, and then its over.
 
Now, if you are in some terrain besides level open ground, THEN it gets nasty.
 
Earthquakes generally cause trees or other tall things to fall over, at GM discretion. It's almost always at least one falling object, and can be more. See the Falling Objects rules for the joy of having a tree fall on you. Earthquakes also trigger avalanches. Luckily, in the mountains it's just a plain old avalanche. If you're near a body of water, there may be a tsunami, which is an avalanche of water and even worse than a regular avalanche. Earthquakes often presage the birth of a volcano, which is especially un-fun if it starts dropping lava bombs and pyroclastic flows at random intervals.
 
===Collapses===
 
If you are underground, in a building in a city, exploring the hollow bones of a Garuda Bird, or any other circumstance other than open terrain, then it is possible for there to be a collapse, with or without an earthquake.  A collapse is an avalanche, usually of the surrounding material, with a penalty to the saving throw of -1 to -4 or maybe even more depending on circumstances. If you're Squeezing your way down a six-inch wide crevice a mile underground and the crack suddenly slams shut, you're pretty much done for, although the GM who would put you in such a situation should get an Honorable Mention.  Just, like, wow.
 
It's also possible for there to be a Flash Flood in a cave after an Earthquake, or even a pyroclastic flow blasting along after the baby volcano next door introduces itself. Being in a city with collapsing buildings is also treated as a avalanche, with no modifier to the save if you're outside a building and modifiers as above if you're inside.


==Cold==
==Cold==
Environmental cold does not normally deal [[cold]] damage to a player.
Environmental cold does not normally deal [[cold]] damage to a player.


Instead, Environmental cold and exposure deal [[Non-Lethal Damage]] to the victim. A character cannot recover from the damage dealt by a cold environment until she gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has taken an amount of Non-Lethal Damage equal to her total [[hit point]]s, any further damage from a cold environment is lethal damage. This is not [[cold]] damage and may not be resisted in any way.  Almost primal....
Instead, Environmental cold and exposure deal [[Non-Lethal Damage]] to the victim. A character cannot recover from the damage dealt by a cold environment until they get out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has taken an amount of Non-Lethal Damage equal to their total [[hit point]]s, any further damage from a cold environment is lethal damage. This is not [[cold]] damage and may not be resisted in any way.  Almost primal....


An unprotected character in '''cold weather''' (a freezing day in a normally temperate clime) must make a fortitude save each hour (Average DC for the CR of the area, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of Non-Lethal Damage.  
An unprotected character in '''cold weather''' (a freezing day in a normally temperate clime) must make a fortitude save each hour (Average DC for the CR of the area, +1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of Non-Lethal Damage.  
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==Darkness==
==Darkness==
Darkness applies to visual senses. Non-visual senses pierce it completely, and may be used in darkness to provide normal function.
Darkness applies to visual senses. Non-visual senses pierce it completely, and may be used in darkness to provide normal function.


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==Wildfire==
==Wildfire==
Nothing will put some tension into a game like a raging prairie fire sweeping over the horizon! Wildfires can happen in many ways, such as vast forest fires, volcanoes huffing out pyroclastic flows, the dawning of Furnace, enemy actors setting blazes, and many other things beside. Once a large fire gets going, its nearly unstoppable and unbeatable, so the players just have to deal with it, rather than fight it.
Nothing will put some tension into a game like a raging prairie fire sweeping over the horizon! Wildfires can happen in many ways, such as vast forest fires, volcanoes huffing out pyroclastic flows, the dawning of Furnace, enemy actors setting blazes, and many other things beside. Once a large fire gets going, its nearly unstoppable and unbeatable, so the players just have to deal with it, rather than fight it.


The leading edge of a fire (the downwind side) can advance faster than a human can run (assume 120 feet per round for winds of moderate strength). The exact speed of any fire is left to the GM to determine, and can be fairly slow to incredibly fast.  Hey, at least Wildfire HAS a speed, unlike avalanches....  Note that it is not possible to fly over a Wildfire! Such large fire have heat and smoke that reach essentially so high that you will start suffering from altitude exposure (see above) before you get out of the wildfire effects. Nasty!
The leading edge of a fire (the downwind side) can advance faster than a human can run (assume 120 feet per round for winds of moderate strength). The exact speed of any fire is left to the GM to determine, and can be fairly slow to incredibly fast.  Hey, at least Wildfire HAS a speed, unlike avalanches....  Note that it is not possible to fly over a Wildfire! Such large fires have heat and smoke that reach essentially so high that you will start suffering from altitude exposure (see above) before you get out of the wildfire effects. Nasty!


Within the bounds of a wildfire, a character faces three dangers: heat damage, catching on fire, and smoke inhalation:
Within the bounds of a wildfire, a character faces three dangers: fire damage, burning, and smoke inhalation:


===Fire Damage===
===Fire Damage===
::Getting caught within a forest fire is even worse than being exposed to extreme heat. Breathing the air causes a character to take 1d6 points of [[fire]] damage per round (no save). Whether any ER is effective against this damage is left to the GM, and should be matched to the source of ER and the actions of the player.  A sturdy Fighter whose shield is enchanted against Fire would gain no protection...unless they hunkered down and covered their head and body against the heat as much as possible with the shield, thus filtering the air through its protections.
::Getting caught within a wildfire is even worse than being exposed to extreme heat. Breathing the air causes a character to take 1d6 points of [[fire]] damage per round (no save). Whether any ER is effective against this damage is left to the GM, and should be matched to the source of ER and the actions of the player.  A sturdy Fighter whose shield is enchanted against Fire would gain no protection...unless they hunkered down and covered their head and body against the heat as much as possible with the shield, thus filtering the air through its protections.


===Burning===
===Burning===
::Characters engulfed in a forest fire suffer the [[Burned]] condition, with the CR determined by the CR of the area being travelled through. This condition cannot be removed until they are out of the area of the wildfire. This damage can always be resisted, thankfully.
::Characters engulfed in a wildfire suffer the [[Burned]] condition, with the CR determined by the CR of the area being travelled through. This condition cannot be removed until they are out of the area of the wildfire. This damage can always be resisted, thankfully.


===Smoke Inhalation===
===Smoke Inhalation===
::Forest fires naturally produce a great deal of smoke. A character who breathes heavy smoke takes 1d6 per round of [[winded]] damage. Whether any DR resistances are effective, again, is up to the GM and the actions of the players.  Yes, a Wildfire inflicts both Energy and Physical damage. Try not to get caught in huge fires, or be very well-protected!
::Wildfires naturally produce a great deal of smoke. A character who breathes heavy smoke takes 1d6 per round of [[winded]] damage. Whether any DR resistances are effective, again, is up to the GM and the actions of the players.  Yes, a Wildfire inflicts both Energy and Physical damage. Try not to get caught in huge fires, or be very well-protected!


==Heat==
==Heat==
Environmental heat is not fire damage. No matter that you can fry an egg on the rocks outside, that's still not Fire damage.
Environmental heat is not fire damage. No matter that you can fry an egg on the rocks outside, that's still not Fire damage.


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Note that in most cases, environmental heat on a material plane ends when the sun goes down...although is many environments, that just means now you have to endure Environmental Cold.  It is possible to encounter extreme heat that lasts through the night, but such things are rarer on the Prime material.  
Note that in most cases, environmental heat on a material plane ends when the sun goes down...although in many environments, that just means you now have to endure Environmental Cold.  It is possible to encounter extreme heat that lasts through the night, but such things are rarer on the Prime Material Plane.


==Winds==
==Winds==
The wind can create a stinging spray of sand or dust, fan a large fire, keel over a small boat, and blow gases or vapors away. If powerful enough, it can even knock characters down (see Table: Wind Effects), interfere with ranged attacks, or impose penalties on some skill checks. Note that Wind includes light to moderate rain, but not heavy rain or nastier things being blown about, or the violent effects of a thunderstorm.  See below for such pleasantries. Beware the trees!
The wind can create a stinging spray of sand or dust, fan a large fire, keel over a small boat, and blow gases or vapors away. If powerful enough, it can even knock characters down (see Table: Wind Effects), interfere with ranged attacks, or impose penalties on some skill checks. Note that Wind includes light to moderate rain, but not heavy rain or nastier things being blown about, or the violent effects of a thunderstorm.  See below for such pleasantries. Beware the trees!


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==Dangerous Liquid==
==Dangerous Liquid==
Going for a swim in a vat of urine, or swimming through a pool of blood, or staying afloat in a lake of pus, are all thoroughly unpleasant things.  See the [[Movement]] skill for trying to swim around in such unpleasant surroundings.  
Going for a swim in a vat of urine, or swimming through a pool of blood, or staying afloat in a lake of pus, are all thoroughly unpleasant things.  See the [[Movement]] skill for trying to swim around in such unpleasant surroundings.  


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==Deadly Liquid==
==Deadly Liquid==
Being immersed in a deadly liquid is bad.  Going for a swim in boiling water, or swimming through a pool of acid, or staying afloat in a huge drum of molten liquid wax in a mad alchemist's Waxwork Factory, are all generally terrible things. Note that lava is a separate entry.  Lava is even WORSE.  See the [[Movement]] skill for trying to swim around in such unpleasant surroundings.  
Being immersed in a deadly liquid is bad.  Going for a swim in boiling water, or swimming through a pool of acid, or staying afloat in a huge drum of molten liquid wax in a mad alchemist's Waxwork Factory, are all generally terrible things. Note that lava is a separate entry.  Lava is even WORSE.  See the [[Movement]] skill for trying to swim around in such unpleasant surroundings.  


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==Catching on Fire==
==Catching on Fire==
Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, forest fires, and non-instantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don't normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash. Spells that specifically set you ablaze always include the effects in the spell description.
Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, forest fires, and non-instantaneous magic fires might find their clothes, hair, or equipment on fire. Spells with an instantaneous duration don't normally set a character on fire, since the heat and flame from these come and go in a flash. Spells that specifically set you ablaze always include the effects in the spell description.


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===Extinguish / Douse a Fire===
===Extinguish / Douse a Fire===
In general terms, a gallon of water, cool ash, sand, dirt, and similar substances can put out the flames on five square feet of surface. To extinguish the flames in a standard square thus requires five gallons of water, or a large pail. A Size Medium Character has roughly 25 square feet of surface, and thus requires five gallons to put out. Size Small requires only a gallon, size Large requires forty gallons, Size Huge requires 320 gallons, etc.
In general terms, a gallon of water, cool ash, sand, dirt, and similar substances can put out the flames on five square feet of surface. To extinguish the flames in a standard square thus requires five gallons of water, or a large pail. A Size Medium Character has roughly 25 square feet of surface, and thus requires five gallons to put out. Size Small requires only a gallon, size Large requires forty gallons, Size Huge requires 320 gallons, etc.


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==Starvation and Thirst==
==Starvation and Thirst==
See: [[Survival#Forage | Survival]] Skill
See: [[Survival#Forage | Survival]] Skill


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===Slow Suffocation:===
===Slow Suffocation:===
A Medium character can breathe easily for 6 hours in a sealed chamber measuring 10 feet on a side. After that time, the character takes 1d6 points of [[Non-Lethal Damage]] every 15 minutes. Each additional Medium character or significant fire source (a torch, for example) proportionally reduces the time the air will last. Once rendered unconscious through the accumulation of Non-Lethal Damage, the character begins to take lethal environmental damage (which is coded as non-lethal, thus, most resistance will not work) at the rate of 3d6 per 15 minutes. Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters, Large characters consume twice as much.
A Medium character can breathe easily for 6 hours in a sealed chamber measuring 10 feet on a side. After that time, the character takes 1d6 points of [[Non-Lethal Damage]] every 15 minutes. Each additional Medium character or significant fire source (a torch, for example) proportionally reduces the time the air will last. Once rendered unconscious through the accumulation of Non-Lethal Damage, the character begins to take lethal environmental damage (which is coded as non-lethal, thus, most resistance will not work) at the rate of 3d6 per 15 minutes. Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters, Large characters consume twice as much.


==Storm==
==Storms==


===Lightning Storm===
===Lightning Storm===
Despite the flash and thunder of a severe lightning storm, the danger from the lightning is very small. If a character is struck, the damage is 1d6+1 of {{dmg|electricity}} damage per CR of the area, or the character's CR, whichever is higher. A much larger danger is the risk of falling trees, which are defined as Falling Objects, typically size Gargantuan or bigger, falling a distance equal to their height (which can easily exceed 100 feet), with a -1 per die since they are brushy and 'soft'.  The GM adjudicates all effects, of course.
Despite the flash and thunder of a severe lightning storm, the danger from the lightning is very small. If a character is struck, the damage is 1d6+1 of {{dmg|electricity}} damage per CR of the area, or the character's CR, whichever is higher. A much larger danger is the risk of falling trees, which are defined as Falling Objects, typically size Gargantuan or bigger, falling a distance equal to their height (which can easily exceed 100 feet), with a -1 per die since they are brushy and 'soft'.  The GM adjudicates all effects, of course.


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==Tsunami==
==Tsunami==
A Tsunami is just unfair. A quiet, tropical paradise one moment, and the next, a wall of water tries to kill you.
A Tsunami is just unfair. A quiet, tropical paradise one moment, and the next, a wall of water tries to kill you.


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==Volcano==
==Volcano==
 
[[Image:Lava_Lake_1.jpg|500px|right|This looks inviting....]]




===Volcanic Climate===
===Volcanic Climate===
The area around a volcano, and especially in a volcano, are subject to environmental heat. The level of heat is left to the GM, but it generally starts as hot a good distance away and proceeds to the highest level of environmental heat on the outer slopes.  Inside a volcano is usually handled as being inside a Wildfire. Yuck.
The area around a volcano, and especially in a volcano, are subject to environmental heat. The level of heat is left to the GM, but it generally starts as hot a good distance away and proceeds to the highest level of environmental heat on the outer slopes.  Inside a volcano is usually handled as being inside a Wildfire. Yuck.


===Lava===
===Lava===
Lava or magma is a strange sort of terrain.  It can be very runny, or thicker than pitch.  As such, the GM adjudicates whether you can move with Walk, Burrow, Vaulting, Teleport, or other surface/material interacting movement types on lava.  In all cases, Lava counts as difficult terrain, as does all the air above it to the limit of Altitude Effects coming into play, due to savage up-blasts of heated air erratically pummeling flyers.
Lava or magma is a strange sort of terrain.  It can be very runny, or thicker than pitch.  As such, the GM adjudicates whether you can move with Walk, Burrow, Vaulting, Teleport, or other surface/material interacting movement types on lava.  In all cases, Lava counts as difficult terrain, as does all the air above it to the limit of Altitude Effects coming into play, due to savage up-blasts of heated air erratically pummeling flyers.


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Immunity or resistance to fire works against lava.  A creature immune or resistant to fire might still drown if completely immersed in lava (see Suffocation).
Immunity or resistance to fire works against lava.  A creature immune or resistant to fire might still drown if completely immersed in lava (see Suffocation).


Lava flows and that great classic, the lava lake, are usually associated with nonexplosive eruptions, and can be a permanent fixture of active volcanoes. Most lava flows are quite slow, moving at 15 feet per round. Hotter flows move faster, achieving speeds up to 60 feet per round. Lava in a channel such as a lava tube is especially dangerous, moving too fast to escape, and is treated as an Avalanche...of FIRE. Getting hit with a lava flow inflicts full Avalanche damage AND the Immolated condition.
Lava flows and that great classic, the lava lake, are usually associated with nonexplosive eruptions, and can be a permanent fixture of active volcanoes. Most lava flows are quite slow, moving at 15 feet per round. Hotter flows move faster, achieving speeds up to 60 feet per round. Lava in a channel such as a lava tube is especially dangerous, moving too fast to escape, and is treated as an Avalanche...of FIRE. Getting hit with a lava flow inflicts full Avalanche damage AND the Immolated condition. If you are buried by a lava flow, you take double Immolation damage AND immediately begin to Suffocate. Eeesh....


Creatures overrun by a lava flow must make a save as per the Avalanche rules or be engulfed in the lava, taking double Immolated damage. Success indicates that they are in contact with the lava (and thus Immolated) but not immersed.
Creatures overrun by a lava flow must make a save as per the Avalanche rules or be engulfed in the lava, taking double Immolated damage. Success indicates that they are in contact with the lava (and thus Immolated) but not immersed.
===Lava Crust===
It's very common for lava lakes and lava flows to have a solid crust. Walking on a lava crust is exactly the same as moving on ice, except that since you are within 15 feet of lava, you gain the Singed condition and of course, you are at risk from Heat, not Cold.


===Lava Bombs===
===Lava Bombs===
 
Blobs of molten rock may be hurled several miles from an erupting volcano, cooling into solid rock before they land. A typical lava bomb is treated as a spectacularly deadly Falling Object, typically being size Small and up, falling from 200 feet high, and gaining +2 points of damage per die with the caveat that the bonus damage is Fire damage. The minimum damage from a Lava Bomb is thus 21d6 of falling damage plus 42 points of fire damage, Reflex save for half, and a Titanic+ lava Bomb does 54 dice of Falling plus 108 of fire, to a huge area. To make things even worse, if a character is struck by a Lava Bomb size Huge or larger and they fail their saving throw, they are considered to be buried, and take merely the [[Burned]] condition in addition to being Pinned. This is sufficiently unpleasant to make ANY character wary around a busy volcano!
Blobs of molten rock may be hurled several miles from an erupting volcano, cooling into solid rock before they land. A typical lava bomb is treated as a spectacularly deadly Falling Object, typically being size Small and up, falling from 200 feet high, and gaining +2 points of damage per die with the caveat that the bonus damage is Fire damage. The minimum damage from a Lava Bomb is thus 21d6 of falling damage plus 42 points of fire damage, Reflex save for half, and a Titanic+ lava Bomb does 54 dice of Falling plus 108 of fire, to a huge area. This is sufficient damage to make ANY character wary around a busy volcano!
 


===Volcanic Gas===
===Volcanic Gas===
 
The area around a volcano is usually treated as High Altitude with the Inimical Gas option, although there may be pockets of Heavy Smoke from the Wildfire rules.  All these effects are detailed above.  Being inside a volcano is Heat at a minimum, and more likely the same as being trapped in a Wildfire.
The area around a volcano is usually treated as High Altitude with the Inimical Gas option, although there may be pockets of Heavy Smoke from the Wildfire rules.  All these effects are detailed above.
   


===Pyroclastic Flow===
===Pyroclastic Flow===
 
Some volcanic eruptions create a devastating wave of burning ash, hot gases, and volcanic debris called a pyroclastic flow that can travel for miles. Treat a pyroclastic flow as an avalanche combined with a wildfire, that also inflicts the [[Burned]] condition doing [[Fire]] damage to all those struck by or buried within it.  If you fail the save, the Burned damage is doubled until you can escape.  Note that because a pyroclastic flow is also a fire, you cannot fly above it to escape, taking heavy smoke damage.
Some volcanic eruptions create a devastating wave of burning ash, hot gases, and volcanic debris called a pyroclastic flow that can travel for miles. Treat a pyroclastic flow as an avalanche combined with a wildfire, that also inflicts the [[Burned]] condition doing [[Fire]] damage to all those struck by it.  If you fail the save, the Burned damage is doubled until you can escape.  Note that because a pyroclastic flow is also a fire, you cannot fly above it to escape, taking heavy smoke damage.
 


==Water==
==Water==
See the [[Movement]] skill for most interactions with fairly shallow (less than a hundred feet) water, or similar fluids.
See the [[Movement]] skill for most interactions with fairly shallow (less than a hundred feet) water, or similar fluids.


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===Drowning===
===Drowning===
If you don't bring a supply of air, or have some way of breathing in the water or other liquid you're swimming through, you start to Drown after one minute below the surface. Popping back up before a minute is up to take a breath is allowed and strongly encouraged. Note that a character with a Swim speed or lots of [[Movement]] skill can get REALLY deep in a minute of swimming, so see the rules above for the crushing effects of pressure damage, and be sure to bring a light.
If you don't bring a supply of air, or have some way of breathing in the water or other liquid you're swimming through, you start to Drown after one minute below the surface. Popping back up before a minute is up to take a breath is allowed and strongly encouraged. Note that a character with a Swim speed or lots of [[Movement]] skill can get REALLY deep in a minute of swimming, so see the rules above for the crushing effects of pressure damage, and be sure to bring a light.


Drowning in water is exactly like Suffocation. See above for those rules.
Drowning in water is exactly like Suffocation. See above for those rules.


Note that it is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, gigantic piles of gold and jewels, blood, acid, and silos full of grain, just to name a few possibilities.
Note that it is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, gigantic piles of gold and jewels, red-hot flaming volcanic ash, blood, acid, and silos full of grain, just to name a few possibilities.


===Fast-Flowing Water===
===Fast-Flowing Water===
Large, placid rivers move at only a few miles per hour, so they function as still water for most purposes. But some rivers and streams are swifter; anything floating in them moves downstream at a speed of 10 to 40 feet per round (typically set in advance by the GM, although eddies and rapids might have varying water speeds every few seconds). This is treated as a [[Push]] in the downstream direction that cannot be opposed by Forced Movement resistance, unless you can get your feet on a solid bottom.  The fastest rapids send swimmers bobbing downstream at 60 to 90 feet per round. See the [[Movement]] skill for swimming in rough water.
Large, placid rivers move at only a few miles per hour, so they function as still water for most purposes. But some rivers and streams are swifter; anything floating in them moves downstream at a speed of 10 to 40 feet per round (typically set in advance by the GM, although eddies and rapids might have varying water speeds every few seconds). This is treated as a [[Push]] in the downstream direction that cannot be opposed by Forced Movement resistance, unless you can get your feet on a solid bottom.  The fastest rapids send swimmers bobbing downstream at 60 to 90 feet per round. See the [[Movement]] skill for swimming in rough water.


Swept Away: Characters swept away by a river moving 60 feet per round or faster suffers according to the [[Collisions]] rules as they are bashed about in the water. A character may make a [[Might]] check as if trying to catch themselves while falling as they are swept away. The distance moved each round before the Might check is made is set each round by rolling a d8 times five feet, and that sets the difficulty of the Might check (this can be less than DC20 in this case).  When a Might check succeeds, they arrest their motion by catching a rock, tree limb, or bottom snag, and can escape the sudden flow.
===Swept Away===
Characters swept away by a river moving 60 feet per round or faster suffer according to the [[Collisions]] rules as they are bashed about in the water. A character may make a [[Might]] check as if trying to catch themselves while falling as they are swept away. The distance moved each round before the Might check is made is set each round by rolling a d8 times five feet, and that sets the difficulty of the Might check (this can be less than DC20 in this case).  When a Might check succeeds, they arrest their motion by catching a rock, tree limb, or bottom snag, and can escape the sudden flow.


===Flashflood===
===Flashflood===
A Flashflood is just like a Tsunami, except it can happen almost anywhere. Yay!  A horrible avalanche of water and debris that Suffocates anyone it catches!  Yay!
A Flashflood is just like a Tsunami, except it can happen almost anywhere. Yay!  A horrible avalanche of water and debris that Suffocates anyone it catches!  Yay!

Revision as of 21:22, 13 December 2018