Environment

Environmental hazards specific to one kind of terrain (such as an avalanche, which occurs in the mountains) are described in Wilderness. Hazards common to more than one setting are detailed below.



Acid

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 and the creature must make a DC 20 Fort save or die immediately. An attack with acid, such as from a hurled vial or a monster's spittle, counts as a round of exposure. Creatures immune to acid's caustic properties might still drown in it if they are totally immersed (see Drowning).

The fumes from most acids are inhaled poisons. Treat this as a mild neurotoxin; those who come close enough to a large body of acid to dunk a creature in it must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or take 1 point of Constitution damage. A failed save results in 1d4 points of Constitution damage.


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 DC 15 Reflex save to avoid this fate. If a character's clothes or hair catch fire, he takes 1d6 points of damage immediately. In each subsequent round, he must make another Reflex save or take another 1d6 points of damage that round. Success means that the fire has gone out.

A character on fire can 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 DC 15 Reflex saves for each item. Flammable items that fail take the same amount of damage as the character.


Cold

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 Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, + 1 per previous check) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A character who makes a DC 15 Survival check receives a bonus on this save and may be able to apply it to other characters as well.

In conditions of severe cold or exposure (below 0° F), an unprotected character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check), taking 1d6 points of nonlethal damage on each failed save. A character who makes a DC 15 Survival check receives a bonus on this save and may be able to apply it to other characters as well (see the skill description). Characters wearing winter clothing only need check once per hour for cold and exposure damage.

Extreme cold (below -20° F) deals 1d6 points of lethal damage per minute (no save). In addition, a character must make a Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with very cold metal are affected as if by a chill metal spell.

A character who takes more than half her hit points in nonlethal damage from cold or exposure is beset by hypothermia (treat her as fatigued). If the character is rendered unconscious, she takes 1 point of Con damage for each failed save as her body begins to shut down from the cold. Each time she takes lethal or Con damage from cold or exposure, she must make a second Fort save or suffer frostbite – for each 10% of her hit points she suffers, she will lose some extremity (fingers, toes, ears, etc.) due to frostbite. The effects of frostbite can be reversed only with a cure serious wounds or greater spell.

A character who is rendered unconscious or dying from the cold must spend 1 day of rest per point she was reduced below 0 (minimum 1 day); a heal spell negates this penalty.


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 (see Blinded for more details).


Drowning and Suffocation

A character can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution. After this, she must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 each round.

If the character fails a Constitution check, she begins to drown or suffocate, taking 1d6 points of Con damage per round until she drowns (is reduced to 0 Con) or gets air.

It is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as sand, quicksand, fine dust, and silos full of grain.

Slow Suffocation: A Medium character can breathe easily for 6 hours in a sealed chamber measuring 10 feet on a side. After that time, he takes 1d6 points of nonlethal damage every 15 minutes. Each additional Medium character or significant fire source (a torch, for example) proportionally reduces the time the air will last.

Small characters consume half as much air as Medium characters. A larger volume of air, of course, lasts for a longer time.

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 first 10 feet deals 1d6 points of nonlethal damage. A DC 15 Acrobatics or Jump check allows the character to avoid any damage from the first 10 feet, and damage from the second 10 feet is reduced by 1 point. Thus, a character who slips from a ledge 30 feet up takes 3d6 damage. If the same character deliberately jumped, he takes 2d6 damage; if he makes his check, he takes 1d6 nonlethal damage and 2d6 lethal damage.

Falls onto yielding surfaces (soft ground, mud) also convert the first die 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. Beyond that, falling damage is lethal damage.

Characters who deliberately dive into water take no damage on a successful DC 15 Swim check or DC 15 Acrobatics check, so long as the water is at least 10 feet deep for every 30 feet fallen. However, the DC of the check increases by 5 for every 50 feet of the dive.


Falling Objects

Objects are divided by size, the same as monsters; Table 1 lists weight ranges for each size. Each size of object has a height increment, which is similar to a range increment - it must fall at least that far to deal one die of damage. For each additional increment (or portion thereof), it deals one extra die of damage, to a maximum of 20 increments.

Objects are assigned a resilience rating, which is how much "give" it has. For example, a bag of feathers would be very soft (it has quite a bit of give), while a rock is very hard. The object's damage die (and how far it must fall to deal damage) are modified by its hardness - a bag of feathers deals less damage (and must fall further) than an equal weight of stones, for example.

Some objects do incidental damage (glass shards or caltrops, e.g.) and should be treated as being 1-2 hardness factors greater in terms of damage only.

Table 1: Falling Object Damage By Size

Size Size (feet) Weight Base damage Distance increment
Fine 6 in. or less 1/64 - 1/8 lb. 1d3 40 ft.
Diminutive 6 in. - 1 ft. 1/8 - 1 lb. 1d4 35 ft.
Tiny 1-2 ft. 1-8 lb. 1d6 30 ft.
Small 2 - 4 ft. 8-60 lb. 1d8 20 ft.
Medium 4-8 ft. 60-500 lb. 2d6 15 ft.
Large 8-16 ft. 500-4000 lb. 2d8 10 ft.
Huge 16-32 ft. 2-16 T1 4d6 5 ft.
Gargantuan 32-64 ft. 16-128 T1 4d8 2 1/2 ft.
Colossal 64-128 ft. 128-1000 T1 8d6 0 ft.
Titanic 128-256 ft. 1-8 KT1 8d8 0 ft.
Titanic+2 10d6
Titanic++2 10d8

1 T = Tons; KT = Kilotons (1,000 tons).

2 These two sizes are added simply for Hard and Very Hard Titanic objects.

Objects are divided into five classes of hardness, as noted below.

Very Soft: These are objects with little to no mass or density – feathers, leaves, flour, etc.

Soft: Objects with a little bit of mass or density, but not both – falling bodies, offal, sand, etc.

Average: Objects with some mass and density, or more of one than the other – a large number of small, dense objects, falling bodies (characters thrown/dropped from above), or wood, for example.

Hard: Objects that are fairly dense and have a good bit of mass. These items have a little more "give" than Very Hard objects, but are denser than Average ones. A character in full plate would be a Hard object, as would stone, a chunk of ice, or a piece of lightweight metal (aluminum, e.g.).

Very Hard: Objects that are very dense and/or massive. Most metals are Very Hard objects.

Falling objects do not make an attack roll to hit; anyone below the object (in the target square(s), if you use a grid) must make a Reflex save to avoid it. The base save is DC 15, plus any situational modifiers (penalties applied from armor, cramped quarters, size differences, etc.). See Falling Objects and Target Size, below.

For example: A 500-pound block of stone (Hard) falls from the ceiling 10 feet above; anyone underneath it who fails a Reflex save takes 16d8 points of damage. It's a Large object, but since it's Hard, that increases the base damage from 4d6 to 4d8, and also decreases the height increment to 2 1/2 feet. Thus, it falls four increments and deals 4 * 4d8 damage, or 16d8.

Falling Objects and Target Size

For each size category the falling object is larger than the target, the target suffers a -3 penalty to the Reflex save to dodge it. For each size category smaller than the target, the target gains +2 to the save. Targets caught by surprise (flat-footed) get no Reflex save.

If the falling object is long as well as being one size larger, add an additional -1 to the save; if the target is long, it suffers an additional -1, as it is harder to get completely out of the way. (Technically speaking, any creature whose space is larger than its reach is "long"; any object with one dimension larger than the other is also "long".) If the object is three or more sizes larger than the target, the target cannot avoid it (regardless of its save) unless it can move out of the object's area in one round by jumping or instantaneous movement - simply running may work, but the target must still make a Reflex save (albeit with a +4 bonus).

For example, Katya the human mage (base speed 30) is directly under a massive falling wall (35 feet tall, or Gargantuan). Normally, she wouldn't be able to avoid it, but since she has a quickened dimension door prepared, she can teleport away safely.

Falling objects use a slightly different damage system than normal; on a successful Reflex save, the target completely dodges the object and takes no damage. If the victim(s) fail the Reflex save by 1-4 points, he suffers a glancing blow for partial damage (or no damage, for Very Soft objects); if the save fails by 5 or more, the victim suffers full damage and may be partially or completely pinned/buried under the object, depending on its size.

If the target is the same size or up to two sizes larger than the object, he can only be partially pinned, regardless of how badly he failed the save, though he still takes full damage. If the target is smaller than the object, he can be completely pinned. Very Soft and Soft objects can smother a victim; Average and Hard objects deal crushing damage each round equal to the base amount, and can smother a victim; Hard objects can also kill the victim instantly if he fails a Fort save (DC 15 + size difference). Very Hard objects instantly kill a victim who is completely pinned (no save) and require a Fort save for partially pinned victims, as above.

Example #1: A party of 2 humans and a halfling are advancing down a hallway when a 10-foot square stone block (size Large) falls from the ceiling. The halfling, being Small and two sizes smaller than the block, suffers a -6 penalty to his save; the humans, being Medium and one size smaller, are only at -3. The first human is is at the front of the group; he rolls an 18 (vs. DC 16) and leaps clear. The halfling, in the middle of the party, rolls a 2 on his save and is completely pinned - he is crushed to death under the stone. The second human at the rear rolls a 10 and is partially pinned. His Fort save (DC 16) succeeds, however, which means he takes only 8d6 damage.

Example #2: The same three characters are leading their mounts (two horses and a pony) along a mountain trail when a stone giant sets off an avalanche. The rocks cover 20 feet of the trail, so they are treated as a single Huge (long) object – the horses suffer a -3 penalty, the humans -6, and the halfling -9. However, since the object is 20 feet long, everyone is hit by it unless they have some means of getting clear - flying, teleportation, etc. In this particular instance, they must still make Reflex saves (vs. the object's DC) to avoid being swept off the trail instead of being pinned; those who fail by 1 to 4 must make a Strength check (DC 10 + size difference) or fall, while those who fail by 5 or more are automatically swept away.


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 a Fortitude save each hour (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. If the climate is extremely dry (a desert), the characters gain a +2 bonus; likewise, if it is extremely humid (a jungle), they suffer a -2 penalty. Characters wearing heavy clothing or armor of any sort take a -4 penalty on their saves, which stacks with the penalty for humid conditions. A character who makes a DC 15 Survival check receives a bonus on this save and may be able to apply it to other characters as well. Characters reduced to half hit points or below from nonlethal heat damage suffer from heat exhaustion and become fatigued. This penalty ends when the character recovers the nonlethal damage.

In severe heat (above 110° F), a character must make a Fortitude save once every 10 minutes (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Characters wearing heavy clothing or armor of any sort take a -4 penalty on their saves. A character who makes a DC 15 Survival check receives a bonus on this save and may be able to apply it to other characters as well. Characters reduced to unconsciousness begin taking lethal damage (1d4 points per 10-minute period).

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 Fortitude save every 5 minutes (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or take 1d4 points of nonlethal damage. Those wearing heavy clothing or any sort of armor take a -4 penalty on their saves. In addition, those wearing metal armor or coming into contact with very hot metal are affected as if by a heat metal spell.

A character who takes any lethal damage from heat exposure must make a second Fort save (same DC) or suffer from heatstroke and become exhausted. Every 10 minutes (or 1 minute for temperatures over 140° F) thereafter, she must make a Fort save (DC 15, +1 per previous check) or fall unconscious; the next check she fails, she falls to -1 hit points and is dying (use the Death and Dying rules from this point).

A character who is rendered unconscious or dying from the heat must spend 1 day of rest per point she was reduced below 0 (minimum 1 day); a heal spell negates this penalty.

Boiling water deals 1d6 points of fire damage, unless the character is fully immersed, in which case it deals 10d6 points of damage per round of exposure.

Ice

Characters walking on ice have the movement halved, and the DC for Acrobatics checks increases by +5. Characters in prolonged contact with ice may run the risk of taking damage from severe cold (see above).

Lava

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 results in immediate death (no save).

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 points per round).

Immunity to fire serves as an immunity to lava or magma. However, a creature immune to fire might still drown if completely immersed in lava (see Drowning).

Smoke

A character who breathes heavy smoke must make a Fortitude save each round (DC 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 (+2 bonus to AC) 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 Constitution score. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each hour (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of Con damage.

A character can go without food for 3 days, in growing discomfort. After this time, the character must make a Constitution check each day (DC 10, +1 for each previous check) or take 1d4 points of Con damage. Characters who have taken damage from lack of food or water are fatigued; those whose Con scores are reduced to half or below are exhausted. 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.

Water

Any character can wade in relatively calm water that isn't over his head, no check required. Similarly, swimming in calm water only requires a DC 10 skill check. Trained swimmers can just take 10. (Remember, however, that armor or heavy gear makes any attempt at swimming much more difficult. See the Swim skill description.)

By contrast, fast-moving water is much more dangerous. On a successful DC 15 Swim check or a DC 15 Strength check, it deals 1d3 points of nonlethal 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 and risk drowning (see above).

Very deep water is not only generally pitch black, posing a navigational hazard, but worse, it deals 1d6 points of crushing damage per minute for every 100 feet of depth. A successful Fortitude save (DC 15, +1 for each previous check) means the diver takes no damage in that minute. Very cold water deals 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per minute of exposure (see Cold, above).

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