One of the hazards of adventuring is falling objects, such as from landslides and cave-ins. Depending upon the size of the falling objects and the area that they cover, and how close the character is to the edge, the GM may allow for an Acrobatics roll, minimum TN 20, for the character to attempt to escape the danger zone.

If the character is unable to escape, then he will likely take damage from things falling on him.

A landslide or avalanche is often very deadly. Anybody caught in the middle will take a +30 attack that does 10 points of Base Damage each round for the duration of the landslide (normally 2-10 rounds – roll 2d10, divide by 2).

A cave-in is like a landslide, but it is usually confined to a much smaller, enclosed area and it often does not last nearly as long as a landslide can. Cave-ins will last for 1-5 rounds (roll 1d10, divide by 2, round up), and they have an attack bonus of +20. The Base Damage for a cave-in is 10 points, the same as a landslide.

It is possible for there to be variations to both of these events. Some might be smaller and/or lighter while others might be longer, larger and/or be more damaging. The above rules represents the average cave-in and landslide.

At some point or another, players are going to go adventuring and run into a trap. These guidelines will help you, as the GM, be able to resolve them in a consistent manner.

A Trap has 3 main attributes: its difficulty to detect, its difficulty to disarm and its attack (usually an AB-based attack or a poison attack).

Detecting Traps

The Target Number (TN) given for detecting a trap presumes that the character is actively searching for a trap. If a character is not specifically searching for a trap, then the TN for spotting it is increased by 5. Thus, a trap that is listed as having a TN 18 to detect will have a TN of 23 if the player isn’t actively looking for traps.

Disarming Traps

A trap’s description will also give the Target Number for disarming it. Characters that have a Lore: Traps skill can use any earned Boon Points in their attempts to disarm treating it as a related skill roll.The difficulty of disarming the trap will take into account the location of the mechanisms of the trap in relation to its trigger and what is involved in disarming it.

Triggering Traps

If a character triggers a trap, whether by accident or on purpose, then use the following procedure to resolve it:

• Roll Initiative: The trap gets a straight 2d10 while the character gets all normal modifiers. If the character was unaware of the trap when he triggered it, he receives a -20 modifier to his initiative for being surprised.
• If the character wins initiative, this means that he has glimpsed something and can then perform an action, as detailed in Canceling an Action on p. 43. Then the effect of the attack takes place according to its description. Depending upon the nature of the trap and the action declared, the trap could miss (i.e. dodging an arrow trap) or the action could have no effect (i.e. dodging inside a gas cloud).
• If the trap wins the initiative, then it is triggered and takes effect according to its description.

The notation for describing traps is as follows:

Trap Name: Detect/Disarm; AB Type of Attack (Base Damage); Additional Description/Notes

Sample Traps

The following samples are just a small selection of the possibilities. Variations also exist, some being easier to detect and/or disarm, some being harder. The Attack Bonus of a given trap may also vary, depending upon how well it is constructed.

Arrow Trap: TN 20/TN 25; +15 Arrow/Bolt (6); Triggering the trap fires an arrow or crossbow bolt at the target.

Blade Trap: TN 25/TN 20; +24 Large Blade (9); A large scything blade springs out of a hidden recess to strike the target.

Dart Storm (10’R): TN 15/TN 25; +6 Darts (2); Each person within the radius takes 2d10 dart attacks. For each dart, add +1 to the AB and +1 to the amount of damage done. These darts are often coated in poison, increase the Save target number by +1 for each dart that hits a target.

Pit Trap (20’): TN 20/TN 25; +4 Fall (10); A mechanism drops the floor out from under character(s). It is usually spring loaded to snap back into place. See Falling Damage on p. 87 for additional information.

Adventuring characters will often travel to areas where they are exposed to extremes of temperature. These extreme temperatures can be as deadly as the most ferocious monster.

Heat

When operating in temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) a character must make a Save vs. Con (TN 20) every hour or receive a cumulative -1 modifier to all actions. If the temperature is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), the Save must be made every 10 minutes.

The modifiers will remain until the character can cool off by locating shade, immersing himself in water, or waiting until night falls.

If the character is wearing heavy clothes or armor, increase the Save TN by 2 points per step (i.e. Soft Leather armor gives a Save vs. Con (TN 22), Reinforced Leather gives Save vs. Con (TN 24), etc.).

If the temperature is above 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius), the character will take 1d10 points of heat damage for every failed Save. If the character is wearing metal armor, change it to 2d10 hits of heat damage.

Cold

Hypothermia and freezing to death are two of the main hazards when dealing with extreme cold.

When operating in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) a character must make a Save vs. Con (TN 20) every hour or receive a cumulative -1 modifier to all actions. If the temperature is below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius), the Save must be made every 10 minutes.

These modifiers can only be reduced by the character finding a place of warmth in which he can warm up. The modifiers will be reduced by -1 for every 10 minutes spent enjoying the warmth.

Should a character reach a modifier of -20, he will need to make another Save vs. Con (TN 25) or he will fall asleep and freeze to death in a number of hours equal to 1d10 plus his Constitution stat bonus.

Adventurers are sometimes clumsy folk. They occasionally fall or get pushed off things such as ladders, walls, ropes, cliffs. When a character falls, he is going to get hurt.

To resolve a fall, the GM should make an attack roll, adding a +1 to the attack roll for every 2 feet fallen as if it were an attack bonus. Characters with the Acrobatics skill may use that skill to adjust this distance.

The character will not get his normal DEF against falls. Instead he only receives his Speed bonus and any magical bonuses to his DEF. Also, armor will provide no reduction of damage for falls.

The fall will inflict 1 point of Base Damage for every 2’ that the character has fallen. Boon Points earned by the fall will always be used for additional damage, but not for any damage multipliers.

Adventurers face many dangers when they go exploring ruins, chasing after bad guys, or generally just having a good time. In this section we will cover some of those dangers and provide you, the GM, with some guidelines on how to handle them.