Environmental hazards specific to one kind of terrain (such as an avalanche, which occurs in the mountains) are described in Wilderness, above. Environmental hazards common to more than one setting are detailed below.
ACID EFFECTS
Corrosive acids deals 1d6 points of damage per round of exposure except in the case of total immersion (such as into a vat of acid), which deals 10d6 points of damage per round.
The fumes from most acids are inhaled poisons. Those who come close enough to a large body of acid to dunk a creature in it must make a TR 13 Endurance save or take 1d4 points of damage. All such characters must make a second save 1 minute later or take another 1d4 points of damage. Creatures immune to acid’s caustic properties might still drown in it if they are totally immersed.
COLD DANGERS
Cold and exposure deal nonlethal damage to the victim. This nonlethal damage cannot be recovered until the character gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character is rendered unconscious through the accumulation of nonlethal damage, the cold and exposure begins to deal lethal damage at the same rate.
An unprotected character in cold weather (below 40° F) must make a Endurance check each hour (TR 15, + 1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character that has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well.
In conditions of severe cold or exposure (below 0° F), an unprotected character must make a Endurance check once every 10 minutes (TR 15, +1 per previous check), taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. A character that has the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. Characters wearing winter clothing only need check once per hour for cold and exposure damage.
A character who takes any nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by frostbite or hypothermia (treat her as fatigued). These penalties end when the character recovers the nonlethal damage she took from the cold and exposure.
Extreme cold (below -20° F) deals 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Physical save (TR 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Those wearing metal armour or coming into contact with very cold metal are affected as if by a chill metal spell.
ICE EFFECTS
Characters walking on ice must spend 2 squares of movement to enter a square covered by ice, and the TR for Balance and Tumble checks increases by +5. Characters in prolonged contact with ice may run the risk of taking damage from severe cold (see above).
DARKNESS
Darkvision allows many characters and monsters to see perfectly well without any light at all, but characters with normal vision (or low-light vision, for that matter) can be rendered completely blind by putting out the lights. Torches or lanterns can be blown out by sudden gusts of subterranean wind, magical light sources can be dispelled or countered, or magical traps might create fields of impenetrable darkness.
In many cases, some characters or monsters might be able to see, while others are blinded. For purposes of the following points, a blinded creature is one who simply can’t see through the surrounding darkness.
Creatures blinded by darkness lose the ability to deal extra damage due to precision (for example, a sneak attack).
Blinded creatures are hampered in their movement, and pay 2 squares of movement per square moved into (double normal cost). Blinded creatures can’t run or charge.
All opponents have total concealment from a blinded creature, so the blinded creature has a 50% miss chance in combat. A blinded creature must first pinpoint the location of an opponent in order to attack the right square; if the blinded creature launches an attack without pinpointing its foe, it attacks a random square within its reach. For ranged attacks or spells against a foe whose location is not pinpointed, roll to determine which adjacent square the blinded creature is facing; its attack is directed at the closest target that lies in that direction.
A blinded creature takes a -2 penalty to Reflex defence. A blinded creature takes a -4 penalty on Awareness checks. A creature blinded by darkness automatically fails any skill check relying on vision.
A creature blinded by darkness can make a Listen check as a free action each round in order to locate foes (TR equal to opponents’ Move Silently checks). A successful check lets a blinded character hear an unseen creature “over there somewhere.” It’s almost impossible to pinpoint the location of an unseen creature. A Listen check that beats the TR by 20 reveals the unseen creature’s square (but the unseen creature still has total concealment from the blinded creature).
A blinded creature can grope about to find unseen creatures. A character can make a touch attack with his hands or a weapon into two adjacent squares using a standard action. If an unseen target is in the designated square, there is a 50% miss chance on the touch attack. If successful, the groping character deals no damage but has pinpointed the unseen creature’s current location. (If the unseen creature moves, its location is once again unknown.)
If a blinded creature is struck by an unseen foe, the blinded character pinpoints the location of the creature that struck him (until the unseen creature moves, of course). The only exception is if the unseen creature has a reach greater than 5 feet (in which case the blinded character knows the location of the unseen opponent, but has not pinpointed him) or uses a ranged attack (in which case, the blinded character knows the general direction of the foe, but not his location).
A creature with the scent ability automatically pinpoints unseen creatures within 5 feet of its location.
VISION & LIGHT
Unless a creature has Darkvision, it needs light to see by.
In an area of bright light, all characters can see clearly. A creature can’t hide in an area of bright light unless it is invisible or has cover.
In an area of shadowy illumination, a character can see dimly. Creatures within this area have concealment relative to that character. A creature in an area of shadowy illumination can make a Hide check to conceal itself.
In areas of darkness, creatures without Darkvision are effectively blinded (see Condition Summary for details).
Characters with Low-Light Vision can see objects twice as far away as the given radius of a light source. Double the effective radius of bright light and of shadowy illumination for such characters.
Characters with Darkvision can see lit areas normally as well as dark areas within the range of the Power. A character can’t hide within the range of a creature with the Power unless it is invisible or has cover.
FALLING
FALLING DAMAGE
The basic rule is simple: 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet fallen, to a maximum of 20d6.
If a character deliberately jumps instead of merely slipping or falling, the damage is the same but the first 1d6 is nonlethal damage. A TR 15 Jump check or TR 15 Tumble check allows the character to avoid any damage from the first 10 feet fallen and converts any damage from the second 10 feet to nonlethal damage. Thus, a character who slips from a ledge 30 feet up takes 3d6 points of damage. If the same character deliberately jumped, he takes 1 d 6 points of nonlethal damage and 2d6 points of lethal damage.
If the character leaps down with a successful Jump or Tumble check, he takes only 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and 1d6 points of lethal damage from the plunge.
Falls onto yielding surfaces (soft ground, mud) also convert the first 1d6 of damage to nonlethal damage. This reduction is cumulative with reduced damage due to deliberate jumps and the Jump skill.
FALLING INTO WATER
Falls into water are handled somewhat differently. If the water is at least 10 feet deep, the first 20 feet of falling do no damage. The next 20 feet do nonlethal damage (1d3 per 10-foot increment). Beyond that, falling damage is lethal damage (1d6 per additional 10-foot increment).
Characters who deliberately dive into water take no damage on a successful TR 15 Swim check or TR 15 Tumble check, so long as the water is at least 10 feet deep for every 30 feet fallen. However, the TR of the check increases by 5 for every 50 feet of the dive.
FALLING OBJECTS
Just as characters take damage when they fall more than 10 feet, so too do they take damage when they are hit by falling objects.
Objects that fall upon characters deal damage based on their weight and the distance they have fallen.
For each 200 pounds of an object’s weight, the object deals 1d6 points of damage provided it falls at least 10 feet. Distance also comes into play, adding an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 10-foot increment it falls beyond the first (to a maximum of 20d6 points of damage).
Objects smaller than 200 pounds also deal damage when dropped, but they must fall farther to deal the same damage. Use Table: Damage from Falling Objects to see how far an object of a given weight must drop to deal 1d6 points of damage.
For each additional increment an object falls, it deals an additional 1d6 points of damage.
Objects weighing less than 1 pound do not deal damage to those they land upon, no matter how far they have fallen.
| Object Weight |
Falling Distance |
| 200-101 lb. |
20 ft. |
| 100-51 lb. |
30 ft. |
| 50-31 lb. |
40 ft. |
| 30-11 lb. |
50 ft. |
| 10-6 lb. |
60 ft. |
| 5-1 lb. |
70 ft. |
| < 1 lb. |
100 ft. |
HEAT DANGERS
Heat deals nonlethal damage that cannot be recovered until the character gets cooled off (reaches shade, survives until nightfall, gets doused in water, is targeted by endure elements, and so forth). Once rendered unconscious through the accumulation of nonlethal damage, the character begins to take lethal damage at the same rate.
A character in very hot conditions (above 90° F) must make an Endurance check each hour (TR 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Characters wearing heavy clothing or armour of any sort take a -4 penalty on their saves. A character with the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. Characters reduced to unconsciousness begin taking lethal damage (1d4 points per hour).
In severe heat (above 110° F), a character must make a Endurance check once every 10 minutes (TR 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Characters wearing heavy clothing or armour of any sort take a -4 penalty on their saves. A character with the Survival skill may receive a bonus on this saving throw and may be able to apply this bonus to other characters as well. Characters reduced to unconsciousness begin taking lethal damage (1d4 points per each 10-minute period).
A character who takes any nonlethal damage from heat exposure now suffers from heatstroke and is fatigued.
These penalties end when the character recovers the nonlethal damage she took from the heat.
Extreme heat (air temperature over 140° F, fire, boiling water, lava) deals lethal damage. Breathing air in these temperatures deals 1d6 points of damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Physical save every 5 minutes (TR 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Those wearing heavy clothing or any sort of armour take a -4 penalty on their saves. In addition, those wearing metal armour or coming into contact with very hot metal are affected as if by a heat metal spell.
Boiling water deals 1d6 points of scalding damage, unless the character is fully immersed, in which case it deals 10d6 points of damage per round of exposure.
CATCHING ON FIRE
Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, 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.
Characters at risk of catching fire are allowed a TR 15 Reflex defence to avoid this fate. If a character’s clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, the burning character must make another Reflex saving throw. Failure means he takes another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out. (That is, once he succeeds on his saving throw, he’s no longer on fire.)
A character on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse himself. If no body of water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or the like permits the character another save with a +4 bonus. Those unlucky enough to have their clothes or equipment catch fire must make TR 15 Reflex defences for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.
LAVA EFFECTS
Lava or magma deals 2d6 points of damage per round of exposure, except in the case of total immersion (such as when a character falls into the crater of an active volcano), which deals 20d6 points of damage per round.
Damage from magma continues for 1d3 rounds after exposure ceases, but this additional damage is only half of that dealt during actual contact (that is, 1d6 or 10d6 points per round).
Immunity or resistance to fire serves as immunity to lava or magma. However, a creature immune to fire might still drown if completely immersed in lava.
SMOKE EFFECTS
A character who breathes heavy smoke must make a Endurance check each round (TR 15, +1 per previous check) or spend that round choking and coughing. A character who chokes for 2 consecutive rounds takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage.
Smoke obscures vision, giving concealment (20% miss chance) to characters within it.
STARVATION AND THIRST
Characters might find themselves without food or water and with no means to obtain them. In normal climates, Medium characters need at least a gallon of fluids and about a pound of decent food per day to avoid starvation. (Small characters need half as much.) In very hot climates, characters need two or three times as much water to avoid dehydration.
A character can go without water for 1 day plus a number of hours equal to his Physical skill. After this time, the character must make a Physical defence each hour (TR 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of non-lethal damage.
A character can go without food for 3 days, in growing discomfort. After this time, the character must make a Physical defence each day (TR 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d6 points of non-lethal damage.
Characters who have taken non-lethal damage from lack of food or water are fatigued. Nonlethal damage from thirst or starvation cannot be recovered until the character gets food or water, as needed—not even magic that restores hit points heals this damage.
SUFFOCATION
A character that has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Physical skill. After this period of time, the character must make a TR 10 Physical defence in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the TR increasing by +1 for each previous success.
When the character fails one of these Physical defences, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, she drops to -1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she suffocates.
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. When a character falls unconscious from this non-lethal damage, she drops to -1 hit points and is dying. In the next round, she suffocates.
Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters. A larger volume of air, of course, lasts for a longer time.
WATER DANGERS
Any character can wade in relatively calm water that isn’t over his head, no check required. Similarly, swimming in calm water only requires skill checks with a TR of 10. Trained swimmers can just take 10. (Remember, however, that armour or heavy gear makes any attempt at swimming much more difficult.)
By contrast, fast-moving water is much more dangerous. On a successful TR 15 Swim check or a TR 15 Strength check, it deals 1d3 points of non-lethal damage per round (1d6 points of lethal damage if flowing over rocks and cascades). On a failed check, the character must make another check that round to avoid going under.
Very deep water is not only generally pitch black, posing a navigational hazard, but worse, it deals water pressure damage of 1d6 points per minute for every 100 feet the character is below the surface. A successful Endurance check (TR 15, +1 for each previous check) means the diver takes no damage in that minute. Very cold water deals 1d6 points of non-lethal damage from hypothermia per minute of exposure.
DROWNING
Any character can hold her breath for a number of rounds equal to twice her Fitness skill. After this period of time, the character must make a TR 10 Endurance check every round in order to continue holding her breath. Each round, the TR increases by 1. See also: Swim skill description.
When the character finally fails her Endurance check, she begins to drown. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 HP). In the following round, she drops to -1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she drowns.
It is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, and silos full of grain.
