Environmental Effects: Difference between revisions
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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. | 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 | 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 often a constant, recurring source of damage, 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== | ||
Players have to suffer all these terrible effects...but what about monsters? | Players have to suffer all these terrible effects...but what about monsters? | ||
For simplicity, it is assumed that all monsters have enough resistance to Environmental | For simplicity, it is assumed that all monsters have enough resistance to Environmental damage that they never take effects from their usual environment. A tribe of orcs that lives atop the highest peak in the land just completely ignore the cold, thin air, constant scouring of icy needles, and all ill effects of the brutal winds. | ||
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. | Hazardous environments can inflict damage to characters attempting to pass through them. Environmental damage is treated like any other kind of damage, except that it is damage caused by some natural condition or effect of the world, and not caused by magic, or the intent and planning of an individual or group. If you possess some means of mitigating the damage type being inflicted (such as by having some ER or DR suitable for the damage type), environmental damage is reduced exactly like normal damage. In addition, 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 | 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. This means an accidental rockslide will have its damage reduced by the tent, but if a mountain troll throws a rock at the tent, the tent provides no protection at all. | ||
===Endurance Feat=== | ===Endurance Feat=== | ||