Common Hazards (PSR Supplement)

---

The following hazards are particularly likely to be encountered, and may are often referenced by spells or other effects.

DC. Some hazards impose save with a DC of 10. If a hazard is caused by an ongoing spell or other effect with its own DC, use that DC instead of 10.

Difficult Terrain

Any ground that is difficult to move through, such as thick mud or debris-covered floors, is difficult terrain.

While moving through difficult terrain, you are Slowed.

Dim Light & Darkness

There are three levels of illumination: bright light, dim light, and darkness.

Bright light lets most creatures see normally. Even torchlight is enough to provide some bright light.

Dim light, or shadows, creates a lightly obscured area. An area of dim light is often a boundary between a source of bright light, and the darkness around. Soft light of twilight can also create dim light, as could a night under a luminous full moon.

Darkness creates a heavily obscured area. Caves, dungeons, and unlit nights are often filled with darkness.

Fragile Terrain

Fragile terrain includes crumbling floors or thin ice that can only support a creature’s weight momentarily.

• If a creature uses any action on fragile terrain, or ends its turn there, the terrain crumbles away and the creature falls through, destroying a 5-foot square of the terrain directly underneath it. A creature can finish its action just before the floor gives away.
• A Large or larger creature instead falls through fragile terrain as soon as it enters the space, and destroys a proportionally larger square: 10 feet for Large, 15 feet for Huge, and so on.
• A Tiny creature instead doesn't fall through at all.
• Any damage to a 5-foot square of fragile terrain, except psychic damage, destroys the square. Fragile terrain has 5 AC.

Freezing Water

Freezing water is found often in extreme cold, especially at sea.

While you are submerged in water near freezing temperatures, you are Soaked, and at the end of each phase you take 1d6 cold damage. Any cold damage you take otherwise is maximized.

Any creature with resistance or immunity to cold damage is unaffected, as does any creature with a swim speed acclimated to extreme cold.

Heavy Precipitation

This often occurs alongside strong wind.

• All creatures and objects under heavy rain or snow become Soaked.
• Areas in heavy rain or snow are lightly obscured.
• All creatures in these areas have disadvantage on ability checks that rely on sight or hearing.

Ignited Terrain

This hazard represents at least a 5-foot patch of bush or ground that is currently consumed with flame, or a tower of flame that fills at least a 5-foot cube of air.

When a creature first enters ignited terrain or starts its turn there, it make a DC 10 Dexterity save. A creature with resistance or immunity to fire damage needn't make this save.

• On a success the creature takes 2d6 fire damage and is Ignited.
• On a failure the creature takes half this damage and isn't Ignited.

Lava

Despite the flowing appearance lava sometimes has, it is literally molten rock. Due to its density, lava behaves more like an incredibly thick mud than a watery fluid.

• An area of lava is difficult terrain.
• When a creature first enters lava or starts its turn in there, it takes 10d6 fire damage and is Ignited.

Obscured

A given area might be lightly or heavily obscured.

In a lightly obscured area, such as dim light, patchy fog, or moderate foliage, creatures have disadvantage on ability checks and Wisdom saves that rely on sight.

In a heavily obscured area—such as darkness, opaque smoke, or dense foliage—vision is entirely blocked. A creature is effectively Blinded in regards to anything in the area. Normally you can only Hide in a heavily obscured area, or while you have nearly-full cover.

Random Direction

Some effects may cause a creature, object, or other phenomenon to move, attack, or affect a random direction. To choose a random direction, you can roll a d8 on the following chart.

d8		Direction
1	↑	North
2	↗	Northeast
3	→	East
4	↘	Southeast
5	↓	South
6	↙	Southwest
7	←	West
8	↖	Northwest

A result of 1 is north. Each increment above 1 is one more step clockwise through the eight cardinal directions.

Slippery Terrain

Slippery terrain functions as Difficult Terrain.

Each time a creature enters an area of slippery terrain or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity save or fall Prone.

A slippery slope — slippery terrain on a slope — cannot be ascended without specialized items or features, and is not treated as difficult terrain while descending.

Slippery ice is a special kind of slippery terrain that some creatures treat differently.

Slope

A slope is any particularly steep incline, with one direction ascending and the opposite direction descending.

• Any creature ascending the slope is Slowed while doing so, unless it isn't Slowed by Climbing.
• A creature descending the slope is Fast while doing so, if:

• The creature (including any vehicle) moves by rolling, including on wheels.
• The slope is slippery terrain.

• On a slope if a creature falls Prone, or a rollable object is not arrested, it Falls down the slope until it recovers from being Prone — or its Fall is otherwise safely arrested.

Smoke

Smoke — including particularly thick fog — can fill areas segmented into 5-foot cubes.

• Any area filled with smoke is heavily obscured, blocking vision in or through it.
• Any ranged attack made into or through smoke is made with disadvantage.
• If smoke overlaps with strong wind, that area of smoke is dispersed. If only part of a smoke cloud overlaps, only that part of the cloud is dispersed.
• You cannot breathe in smoke, and must hold your breath.

Strong Wind

• All creatures in strong wind have disadvantage on ranged attack rolls and ability checks that rely on hearing.
• Smoke is dispersed by strong wind.
• The Ignited condition ends for creatures and objects in strong wind.
• Flying is impossible. Any creature aloft due only to its fly speed must either land or depart from the area of strong wind; if it doesn't, that creature falls at the end of its turn.

Thorns

Thorns are caused by natural plants, barbed wire, caltrops, or other effects. In game terms, thorns occupy 5-foot squares.

• An area of thorns is difficult terrain.
• When a creature first enters thorns or starts its turn in there, the creature must succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity save or take 1d6 piercing damage, unless the thorn-causing effect specifies different damage.

• A protagonist not wearing leg attire has disadvantage on this save.

• Typically thorns can be destroyed. Each 5-foot square of thorns has 10 hp, 10 AC, and is immune to psychic damage. Your narrator may decide other traits based on the nature of thorns; thorny plant vines for example might take max damage from slashing and fire.

Underwater

• Any creature that enters deep water becomes Soaked.
• While in water, a creature must swim to move. Unless a creature has a swim speed, it is Slowed while swimming.
• If not near the water's surface, you may need to hold your breath if you can't breathe water.

Underwater Attacks

• Attack rolls made underwater have disadvantage unless the weapon has the aquatic property, or if it is a natural attack from a creature with a swim speed.
• Any ranged attack roll made underwater has hindrance, potentially in addition to the disadvantage above.

Waist-Deep Water

• Any creature that enters becomes Soaked.
• Such water is difficult terrain for creatures of Large size or smaller.
• Any Medium or Small creature can choose to swim in the water instead of walking, and use its swim speed if it has one.
• Any Tiny creature in such water has no choice but to swim.

Webs

These result in the territory of giant spiders or some predatory plants, and may persist even after these beings have moved on.

• An area with webs is difficult terrain.
• When a creature enters an area with webs or starts its turn there, it must succeed on a DC 10 Strength save or become Grappled and Pinned by the webs.
• Typically webs can be destroyed. Each 5-foot square of webs has 10 hp, 10 AC, and is immune to bash and psychic damage, but takes max damage from slash and fire.