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Natural Environments and Travel: Difference between revisions
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As your adventurers traverse the world, they might be confronted with any number of environments. When designing your world, you might want to use environments as they appear in the real world, or you might want to modify the environments in some way. Maybe you emphasize the most extreme elements of an environment (forests with miles-tall trees, for example) or perhaps you introduce a small but significant twist to your ecosystem (such as a region where water flows uphill, or a temperate forest that inexplicably thrives in the middle of a desert). Interspersing mundane environments with fantastical ones can keep your adventurers deeply engaged in the world around them. | As your adventurers traverse the world, they might be confronted with any number of environments. When designing your world, you might want to use environments as they appear in the real world, or you might want to modify the environments in some way. Maybe you emphasize the most extreme elements of an environment (forests with miles-tall trees, for example) or perhaps you introduce a small but significant twist to your ecosystem (such as a region where water flows uphill, or a temperate forest that inexplicably thrives in the middle of a desert). Interspersing mundane environments with fantastical ones can keep your adventurers deeply engaged in the world around them. | ||
When describing an environment to your heroes, be sure to engage as many of their senses as possible. | When describing an environment to your heroes, be sure to engage as many of their senses as possible. Do not describe only what they see, but what they hear and smell, how the humid air might stick to their skin, and the general sense that the environment might evoke in them. | ||
== Falling Damage == | |||
Heroes take 1d4 blunt damage for every 10 ft that they fall. | |||
== Lighting == | |||
There are four levels of lighting that have mechanical significance. | |||
'''Bright Light''' means that an area is well-lit and everything in the area is plainly visible, as typical in the middle of the day. | |||
'''Low-Light,''' also called Dim Light, is a state of illumination between bright light and darkness. Intense stormcloud cover, infrequent candle light in a castle hall, or the night under a very bright full moon might be considered low-light. One’s eyes may play tricks on them while in low-light. While in low light, a creature is Concealed from creatures without the ability to see in Low-Light. | |||
'''Darkness''' is the complete or near-complete absence of light. A typical night, an unlit room, and the like are examples of darkness. While in darkness, a creature is Unseen from creatures without the ability to see in darkness. | |||
'''Magical Darkness''' functions as darkness, but mundane light, Darkvision, and even some magical light may not function in it. | |||
== Natural Environments == | == Natural Environments == | ||
==== Aquatic ==== | ==== Aquatic ==== | ||
On the surface, waves may vary tremendously in height and intensity, from a gentle lapping to a devastating onslaught. Deep beneath the waves, enormous creatures lurk in the twilit depths. Whether on a freshwater lake or the open ocean, the aquatic environment can be quite unforgiving | On the surface, waves may vary tremendously in height and intensity, from a gentle lapping to a devastating onslaught. Deep beneath the waves, enormous creatures lurk in the twilit depths. Whether on a freshwater lake or the open ocean, the aquatic environment can be quite unforgiving. Any large body of water can contain enormous aquatic life, and while some such life ignores the affairs of smaller creatures, there will invariably be some predators in any watery expanse. Krakens and sea serpents can devastate ocean vessels, devouring a ship’s crew or leaving them to the ultimate irony: dying of thirst in the middle of endless water. | ||
Any large body of water can contain enormous aquatic life, and while some such life ignores the affairs of smaller creatures, there will invariably be some predators in any watery expanse. Krakens and sea serpents can devastate ocean vessels, devouring a ship’s crew or leaving them to the ultimate irony: | |||
Surface currents can send an inexperienced crew far off course, and in extreme cases deep water currents can cause whirlpools large enough to swallow ships whole. Furthermore, on the open ocean, there is no physical shelter from storms. Waves can tower scores of feet tall, wind can lash harsh enough to tear sailors from their rigging, and lightning strikes might split a ship’s mast asunder. | Surface currents can send an inexperienced crew far off course, and in extreme cases deep water currents can cause whirlpools large enough to swallow ships whole. Furthermore, on the open ocean, there is no physical shelter from storms. Waves can tower scores of feet tall, wind can lash harsh enough to tear sailors from their rigging, and lightning strikes might split a ship’s mast asunder. | ||
==== Coastal ==== | ==== Coastal ==== | ||
The taste of salt in the air, | The taste of salt in the air, the bitter aroma of rotting seaweed, and the shrill cries of gulls pervade coastal environments. Sandy beaches, rocky shoals, seaside cliffs, and colorful tidepools are coastal hallmarks. | ||
A coastal environment may seem relatively safe at first glance, but this does not mean that danger | A coastal environment may seem relatively safe at first glance, but this does not mean that danger does not lurk. Rocky shores are subjected to ongoing erosion, which can lead to cliffs with unstable handholds or entire boulders that split off from their cliff faces to crush whatever lies beneath. Saltwater crocodiles and the like might lie waiting in coastal waters. Cannon crabs, stonesharks, and flocks of carnivorous seagulls might threaten a hero’s life as well. | ||
The coast is directly exposed to the ocean, so tsunamis, hurricanes, and severe thunderstorms can be deadly to anyone trying to survive on or near a coastline. On small islands, a creature might find that they quickly run out of food, forcing them to look elsewhere to survive. | The coast is directly exposed to the ocean, so tsunamis, hurricanes, and severe thunderstorms can be deadly to anyone trying to survive on or near a coastline. On small islands, a creature might find that they quickly run out of food, forcing them to look elsewhere to survive. | ||
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==== Forest ==== | ==== Forest ==== | ||
The chittering, chirping, and crooning of myriad wildlife dominates most forests, except perhaps during the hush of a cold winter. The ground feels spongy underfoot as many years worth of pine straw, decaying leaves, and mosses and fungi carpet the forest floor. The air is prickly with the scent of dirt and vegetable life, and the quiet explorer might spot larger wildlife, such as wolves, deer, moose, or bears. | The chittering, chirping, and crooning of myriad wildlife dominates most forests, except perhaps during the hush of a cold winter. The ground feels spongy underfoot as many years worth of pine straw, decaying leaves, and mosses and fungi carpet the forest floor. The air is prickly with the scent of dirt and vegetable life, and the quiet explorer might spot larger wildlife, such as wolves, deer, moose, or bears. | ||
If an adventurer knows what | If an adventurer knows what they are doing, the forest can be one of the safest habitats to inhabit, but that is not to say it holds no dangers. Valleys and rivers can give way to flash floods during heavy rainfall. Poisonous berries, stinging nettles, and poison ivy are only a handful of flora that can pose a threat in the forest, and wolves, big cats, and bears might hunt a hero, especially a solitary one. | ||
==== Grassland ==== | ==== Grassland ==== | ||
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==== Jungle ==== | ==== Jungle ==== | ||
On the forest floor, the jungle is dark and dank, the light from the sun rarely reaching so far to the ground. Fungi, rodents, and snakes roam through the mirk. Climbing any of the enormous trees will reveal a colorful, vibrant ecosystem among the trees’ thickest branches. All manner of wildlife and brightly colored flora | On the forest floor, the jungle is dark and dank, the light from the sun rarely reaching so far to the ground. Fungi, rodents, and snakes roam through the mirk. Climbing any of the enormous trees will reveal a colorful, vibrant ecosystem among the trees’ thickest branches. All manner of wildlife and brightly colored flora bloom along these wide boughs. Still higher, macaws and tropical birds croon from the forest’s canopy, soaring high above the denizens of the jungle’s floor. | ||
Jungles can be incredibly dangerous environments. Many jungles have monsoon seasons with heavy rainfall that causes the forest floor to become entirely flooded, pushing land-dwelling creatures onto hills that become islands for the season, or into the lower branches of the jungle’s enormous trees. Big cats, crocodiles, enormous snakes, angry apes, and predatory birds all pose a threat to an adventurer, along with poisonous fruits and toxic fungi. Some plants are even carnivorous, luring unsuspecting animals near with a sweet smell before devouring them. | Jungles can be incredibly dangerous environments. Many jungles have monsoon seasons with heavy rainfall that causes the forest floor to become entirely flooded, pushing land-dwelling creatures onto hills that become islands for the season, or into the lower branches of the jungle’s enormous trees. Big cats, crocodiles, enormous snakes, angry apes, and predatory birds all pose a threat to an adventurer, along with poisonous fruits and toxic fungi. Some plants are even carnivorous, luring unsuspecting animals near with a sweet smell before devouring them. | ||
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==== Subterranean ==== | ==== Subterranean ==== | ||
You plunge into | You plunge into darkness so black that you can hear it, the taste of minerals coats your tongue, and the plinks of dripping water echo all around you. Somewhere, a creature flutters its wings and chitters in its strange way. | ||
Caves can contain many wonders and ancient artifacts, but they are also perilous environments. Spelunkers constantly contend with the risk of cave-ins, and they must proceed carefully lest they fall down unseen holes. Flooding and lava flows can also pose threats to cavern explorers. | |||
Sometimes, the air itself might be toxic, and adventurers that carelessly venture into tight spaces run the risk of asphyxiating themselves, especially if they use fire-based torches, which consume oxygen. | |||
==== Swamp ==== | ==== Swamp ==== | ||
Swamps are steamy and humid expanses of scummy water, interrupted by small, shallow islands of dense overgrowth. Teeming with small creatures, buzzing insects, and larger aquatic reptiles, swamps can offer an abundance of natural resources, and an abundance of threats. | Swamps are steamy and humid expanses of scummy water, interrupted by small, shallow islands of dense overgrowth. Teeming with small creatures, buzzing insects, and larger aquatic reptiles, swamps can offer an abundance of natural resources, and an abundance of threats. | ||
Swamps are home to vicious predators like alligators, constrictor snakes, and flesh-eating fish. Swamp waters are usually murky, making it hard to see how deep the water is below you. This offers excellent cover for those predators, and also conceals the shallow rocks that might | Swamps are home to vicious predators like alligators, constrictor snakes, and flesh-eating fish. Swamp waters are usually murky, making it hard to see how deep the water is below you. This offers excellent cover for those predators, and also conceals the shallow rocks that might damage or strand your boat. Swamps are usually quite humid and are often breeding grounds for disease-ridden mosquitoes and other insects carrying potentially deadly infection. Some berries and nuts found in swamps might have great healing properties, while others are toxic. Quicksand and muskeg can also drown an unsuspecting adventurer who thinks that they are safely on solid ground. | ||
==== Tundra ==== | ==== Tundra ==== | ||
The bitter cold seeps into your very bones, the hairs inside your nose | The bitter cold seeps into your very bones, the hairs inside your nose freeze and bristle, and each breath in your lungs is like a cold knife. The air somehow looks sharp and crystalline, and vapor puffs from every exhaled breath. A forlorn kind of sigh seems to blanket the hushed white snow. Occasional copses of boreal trees dot the rolling white hills, offering possible respite from the elements. | ||
Tundras hold the implicit threat of death by freezing, but more dramatic dangers dwell within these snow-choked lands as well. In the spring and summer, thin ice might break underneath you and trap you in a watery grave. In the fall and winter, blizzards threaten to completely disorient you if not freeze or bury you outright. | Tundras hold the implicit threat of death by freezing, but more dramatic dangers dwell within these snow-choked lands as well. In the spring and summer, thin ice might break underneath you and trap you in a watery grave. In the fall and winter, blizzards threaten to completely disorient you if not freeze or bury you outright. | ||
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==== Volcanic ==== | ==== Volcanic ==== | ||
The acrid smell of heat and minerals drowns out all other senses. A dry sweat breaks on your skin as you near a volcano or its lava flows. Smoke and particulate matter make every breath taste chalky. Despite the extreme danger of an active volcano, volcanic soil can be incredibly beneficial to the nearby environment. | The acrid smell of heat and minerals drowns out all other senses. A dry sweat breaks on your skin as you near a volcano or its lava flows. Smoke and particulate matter make every breath taste chalky. Despite the extreme danger of an active volcano, volcanic soil can be incredibly beneficial to the nearby environment. | ||
Lava is so hot that it can cause creatures to burst into flame even before they come into direct contact with it. Once a creature has touched lava, it is almost certainly dead. Even if one steers well clear of lava flows, volcanic environments also pose atmospheric danger. Air thick with sulfur and silicate particles can cause permanent damage to a creature’s lungs. | Lava is so hot that it can cause creatures to burst into flame even before they come into direct contact with it. Once a creature has touched lava, it is almost certainly dead. Even if one steers well clear of lava flows, volcanic environments also pose atmospheric danger. Air thick with sulfur and silicate particles can cause permanent damage to a creature’s lungs. | ||
== Random Encounters == | == Random Encounters == | ||
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Note that some [[lineages]] might be naturally adapted to surviving in such depths, and prolonged training can mitigate the worst of these conditions even if you are not naturally adapted to such environments. | Note that some [[lineages]] might be naturally adapted to surviving in such depths, and prolonged training can mitigate the worst of these conditions even if you are not naturally adapted to such environments. | ||
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