Each of the hazards and disasters presented here can be used in one of three ways.
First, these entries can be used to create exciting and dangerous combats. Trapping characters or creatures in a dense bramble bush, maneuvering enemies onto thin ice, or using a pool of lava as a death trap are all ways to use these effects to provide creative ways to defeat your enemies. Major hazards like earthquakes can be used to make the final conflict more daunting as buildings fall around characters.
The second way to use these entries is simply as they are presented. Individual encounters that can be used to spice up mundane travel, cause chaos during downtime, or otherwise provide a way to give your players a challenge.
Finally, some of the more severe disasters can be used for a Dramatic Task. Follow the rules for running a Dramatic Task in Pathfinder for Savage Worlds, using the information here for Complications or even negative results if characters fail.
Example: If the characters are short a Task Token while saving people in an earthquake, they could possibly be caught in the collapse of a building, or be facing down a lahar during a volcanic eruption.
While many forms of undergrowth can slow explorers, thorny brambles (Hardness 5) can prove a serious impediment. In addition to functioning as Difficult Ground (see Pathfinder for Savage Worlds), brambles damage creatures that move through areas filled with them.
The danger presented by brambles depends greatly on how dense they are. Characters moving through brambles must make an Athletics roll or gain a level of Fatigue (see Bumps & Bruises). A character wearing heavy armor doesn't take Fatigue from brambles.
Additionally, a creature moving through brambles must succeed at an Agility roll or become Entangled.
Powerful magic, supernatural disasters, the influence of potent monsters, or the whim of a demigod can cause the boundaries between the Material Plane and an elemental plane to wear thin, resulting in an elemental influx that transforms normal wildlands into a dangerous region. Often, creatures such as dragons or other monsters with energy resistances or immunities seek out regions of elemental influx as their domains, and such a creature’s presence can enhance or expand an existing influx.
The following list describes only some of the types of effects an elemental influx might have on the landscape.
Acidic Miasma: An acidic miasma wafts up from the waters of a swamp infused with toxins leaching in from the Plane of Earth. Exposure to low concentrations of the foul vapors in the swamp causes a mildly uncomfortable burning sensation on exposed skin. Higher concentrations of the miasma are more deadly, usually appearing in pockets (use blast templates).
Upon entering the area of a highly concentrated acidic miasma, a creature must make a Vigor check or be Vulnerable, gaining a level of Fatigue with a Critical Failure. Additionally, each round a creature starts its turn in a highly concentrated area of miasma, it takes 1d6 acid damage. Highly concentrated miasmas can be identified from 2” (4 yards) away by their distinctive stench with a Survival check.
Acidic Plants: These bushes, mosses, vines, and other undergrowth are found in clusters. They become active when disturbed by creatures moving through them. Acidic plants gain a reflexive ability to grab at intruders, and they attempt to grapple creatures.
The plants have Athletics d6 and ignore modifiers for Size and Scale. Creatures grappled by acidic plants take 2d4 acid damage each round and are Entangled. Acidic plants deal 2d4 damage when they crush a grappled enemy. Burning a square of acid plants causes them to release an acidic gas (minor damage field) that spreads in a Medium Blast Template. The cloud dissipates in 2d4 rounds unless dispersed earlier by a strong wind.
Electrified Duststorm: An electrified duststorm begins suddenly, scouring the area in a fierce but short-lived storm lasting 1d6+1 rounds. Arcs of electricity crackle throughout the duststorm. Creatures caught in the storm must make an Athletics check or take 2d6 electricity damage. The onslaught of an electrified duststorm is presaged by a sudden crackle of harmless sparks across the ground one minute before it starts and can be identified with a Survival check.
Fire Storm: Occurring in mountainous areas, fire storms rage with strong winds, raining ash and flame across the landscape. A fire storm usually forms somewhere near a mountain peak and travels downward, but it persists for only 1d6+1 rounds. A creature caught in a fire storm takes 2d6 fire damage per round and risks any flammable items that it has catching on fire.
Additionally, the ash mixed in with the fire makes the ground Difficult Ground and reduces visibility by half, imposing a -2 penalty on Notice checks. Fire storms move at Pace 12, and have a radius of 1d4x100 feet. A fire storm can be identified as it begins forming over the course of 1d4+1 rounds with a Survival check to detect the telltale increase in heat and gently falling ash.
Freezing Eruption: Freezing gouts of super-chilled air erupt from small vents in the ground, blasting a spot with subzero temperatures. A creature in the area must make an Evasion roll to avoid the freezing eruption. With failure, the creature takes 2d6 cold damage and becomes entangled, as it is encrusted with ice (Bound).
A creature can break free from the encrusting ice, but it takes 2d4 cold damage at the start of each turn it remains encrusted. The encrusting ice melts away in 1d6 rounds in regions where the ambient temperature is above freezing. Freezing eruptions occur from the same vent every 1d4 minutes. A space containing a freezing eruption can be identified by the shards of ice around it with a Survival check.
In the wild, one cannot count on a handy bridge or access to boats when the need to cross a river arises. While magic such as fly can aid in the crossing of a river, at other times the traveler has no choice but to attempt to swim, unless the river is shallow enough to cross by wading. Fording a river in this way can be dangerous, especially when mounts or vehicles are involved.
When wading through moving water, a creature makes an Athletics check to avoid losing its footing and being dragged along by the current. There may be a penalty to this check depending on the relative depth of the water and the speed of the current.
Fording a river with a vehicle is similarly difficult, but the vehicle’s driver attempts a Riding check. Unless the vehicle was designed to travel in water, the driver takes a -2 penalty on this check. If the vehicle is being pulled by one or more creatures, the creatures must make an Athletics check (a group roll) to avoid losing footing. With failure, the vehicle is carried along by the current.
A creature that gets carried along in this way is forced to swim in the water and is moved by the water’s current. If a vehicle is carried along by the current, it moves downstream the appropriate distance each round based on the current’s speed, and unless it was specifically designed to be able to travel in water, it takes 2d6 damage each round it remains adrift in this fashion.
Some bodies of flowing water are rife with large rocks, logs, and other debris that can prove dangerous to those pulled into the current. In such conditions, a creature or vehicle being moved by the current at a rate of 60 feet per round or more takes 2d6 damage per round from such obstacles, plus an additional 1d6 points of damage for every 12 feet beyond 60 that the current moves per round.
Geothermal springs form where magma heats underground water to extreme temperatures. This hot water periodically erupts at the surface, collecting into pools of heated water of varying temperatures. In some cases, the resulting hot springs are relatively harmless, and communities often pop up nearby, as the therapeutic nature of the spring attracts visitors. But in some cases, geothermal springs are heated to the boiling point or hotter, or they might pose other dangers to the unwary.
Fumarole: Fumaroles occur when the groundwater is boiled away before reaching the surface, so when it erupts from vents in the ground, it does so as steam, often carrying toxic gases along with it. The type of gas released by a fumarole depends on the composition of the surrounding ground.
Some fumaroles, referred to as solfataras, emit dangerous levels of sulfuric gas. The eruption rates of fumaroles vary from every few minutes to every few hours.
A creature within a Small Blast Template of an erupting fumarole makes an Evasion roll. With failure, the creature takes 2d6 damage (ignoring Armor) from the scalding steam. If the fumarole emits sulfurous gases, each creature within 5" (10 yards) makes a Vigor check or suffers a level of Fatigue (from the poison gas).
Geyser: Geysers form when surface water seeps down into the earth and meets rocks heated by the proximity of magma. The pressure created by the boiling water causes the water to erupt on the surface. The rate, frequency, and length of eruption vary from geyser to geyser.
Some issue a single, sustained geyser at a regular interval. Others go through a series of short eruptions, lasting only a few seconds each for hours at a time, and then go dormant for several hours or even days. The jets of water from erupting geysers also vary in height, with some erupting upward of 100 feet in the air.
A creature within a Small Blast Template of an erupting geyser must make an Evasion roll to avoid the eruption. With failure, the creature is knocked prone and takes 2d6 fire damage. Creatures immersed in the geyser’s jet each take 3d6 fire damage and are forced out of the geyser’s jet and knocked prone.
Hot Spring: Common hot springs contain pools of warm water, but in some, the water is heated to nearly boiling. Exposure to this water deals damage as if the creature had caught fire (see Fire) starting with 1d6 damage.
Mud Pot: Mud pots are springs that mostly contain hot bubbling mud instead of water. The mud’s color depends on the amount and type of minerals in the mud. Mud pots range widely in size and depth, with many found in clusters. Gases from within the earth can cause mud pots to boil over or shoot mud a short distance into the air.
Mud pots function similar to hot springs, but deal 1d4 acid damage instead.
Glittering fields of fresh snow can pose a danger to unprepared travelers during the daylight hours, as the sun reflecting from the fields of white can be dazzling or even blinding. Travelers through such areas risk having their eyes become sunburned—a condition known as snow blindness.
A creature in an area of reflective snow is Distracted, and for each hour it spends in such an area, it must make a Vigor check or succumb to snow blindness (gaining the Blind Hindrance for 24 hours). Wearing protective eye gear that reduces the amount of sunlight hitting the eyes negates the Distracted condition and grants a +1 bonus to resist snow blindness.
A character can reduce the duration of snow blindness to 1d6 hours with a Healing check as long as she keeps her eyes covered or wears protective eye gear. Relief can heal snow blindness immediately. Creatures that are particularly susceptible to bright light suffer a -2 penalty on checks to resist snow blindness.
To a lesser extent, staring out over vast stretches of sunlit water or desert can have the same effects as staring at reflective snow.
Areas of wilderness devastated by magical battles sometimes regrow vegetation bearing supernatural scars of those conflicts. When the flora in such an area develops a taste for magical energy, the plants and trees display vivid and unusual colors for their type and can even subtly change color.
Spellgorging plants thrive on magical energy, making the casting of spells difficult when such plants are nearby. When a creature adjacent to a spellgorging plant attempts to cast a spell, the creature suffers a -2 penalty on the arcane skill roll as the flora absorbs the energy as it is cast. Most magic items are not affected by spellgorging plants.
Spellgorging plants can be identified with an Occult or Survival check at -2. Most animals avoid eating spellgorging plants because of their bizarre and unpleasant taste. A creature consuming a spellgorging plant must make a Vigor check or be Distracted for 1d4 hours due to the sickness. A spellgorging plant loses its ability to consume magic if it is destroyed—spellgorging plants have Arcane Resistance for the purposes of resisting magical spell effects.
A frozen lake or river can prove a serious danger if characters misjudge the thickness of the ice. With a Survival check at -2, a character can accurately gauge the amount of weight a given sheet of ice can support. A Tiny creature or object can be supported by any thickness of ice.
ICE THICKNESS MAXIMUM SCALE
Under 1 inch Tiny
1-2 inches Very Small
2-4 inches Small
4-6 inches Normal
6-12 inches Large
1-3 feet Huge
3+ feet Gargantuan
When a creature steps onto ice that is thinner than what could normally support its weight, the ice begins to creak and crack ominously—a warning that a creature can notice with a Notice check. At the end of a round, if an area of ice is unable to support its load, draw an Action Card. If it is a Club the ice gives. Draw an additional Action Card for each category over the required ice thickness.
A creature that is prone is treated as one Scale category smaller than its actual Scale for the purpose of determining whether the ice can support it. Ice within 1" (2 yards) of a fresh break is fragile, and it is treated as one category thinner.
When ice gives way, a hole of a size equal to the creature opens in the ice. A creature falling into the near-freezing water beneath the ice is treated as if it were in an area of extreme cold, and on the round it plunges into the water, it must make an Athletics check to avoid being submerged beneath the water and trapped beneath the ice, unable to surface.
A creature trapped beneath the ice can attempt to break through with a Strength check, or it can attempt to swim to an opening in the ice (although unless the creature is able to see in the darkness beneath the ice, it might have trouble finding its way to where an opening is).
A submerged creature that is adjacent to the edge of the break in the ice can attempt to pull itself out, although keep in mind that ice adjacent to a break is fragile and could shatter in turn.
Uniquely beautiful in appearance, vampire orchids grow in large clusters in meadows or on hilltops where they can get plenty of sunlight. Their vivid petals range in a hue of wild and clashing colors with frequent splotches of crimson on the petals. Vampire orchids can be exceedingly dangerous to the unwary due to their unusual pollination methods.
A creature traveling through a cluster of vampire orchids must make an Athletics check. With failure, the tremors from the creature’s footsteps release soporific pollen from the orchids’ blossoms, creating a minor slumber effect. A helpless or sleeping creature takes 1d4 damage at the end of each round it remains in contact with vampire orchids— this damage does not cause physical pain and is not in and of itself enough to wake a sleeping creature.
Cave-ins and collapsing tunnels are extremely dangerous. Not only do dungeon explorers face the danger of being crushed by tons of falling rock, but even if they survive they might be buried beneath a pile of rubble or cut off from the only known exit.
A cave-in buries anyone in the middle of the collapsing area, and then sliding debris damages anyone in the periphery of the collapse. A typical corridor subject to a cave-in might have a bury zone with a Large Blast Template and a 2" (4 yard) wide slide zone extending beyond the bury zone.
Characters may notice that something is off when they see the ceiling, but to truly understand that it's weakened, the character must make a Science roll.
A weakened ceiling might collapse when subjected to a major impact or concussion. A character can cause a cave-in by destroying half the pillars holding up the ceiling.
Characters in the bury zone of a cave-in take 4d6 damage, or half that amount if they make an Evasion check. They are subsequently buried. Characters in the slide zone take 2d6 damage, or no damage at all if they make an Evasion check. Characters in the slide zone who fail their checks are buried.
Characters trapped under debris may need to resist the pains of suffocation (see Drowning) while trying to free themselves.
Characters who aren’t buried can dig out their friends. In one minute, using only her hands, a character can clear rocks and debris equal to their Encumbrance. The amount of loose stone that fills a five-foot-by-five-foot area weighs one ton (2,000 pounds). Armed with an appropriate tool, such as a pick, crowbar, or shovel, a digger can clear loose stone twice as quickly as by hand. A buried character can attempt to free himself with a Strength check at -4.
Naturally occurring earthquakes result from seismic energy released along fault lines in a planet’s crust. Powerful magic, the release of a legendary monster, or the destruction of a powerful artifact might also result in an earthquake. Earthquakes range from those that are harmless and nearly undetectable to those that are catastrophic and cause widespread destruction and loss of life.
The exact damage of an earthquake may vary. Listed below are general guidelines to assist GMs in running earthquake events. The baseline used here assumes an earthquake of average strength. Modify the values listed depending on the severity of the earthquake.
Earthquakes can have additional effects such as disrupting rivers, draining lakes and marshes, and even triggering tsunamis or volcanic events. Earthquakes might cause widespread fires in urban areas or displace wildlife in wilderness environments. The additional effects should be determined by the GM but should match the strength and severity of the earthquake.
Collapse: Creatures in an enclosed space or underground during an earthquake are at risk of having the ceiling or structure collapse on them. If a structure collapses, each creature inside takes 6d6 damage (Evasion cuts the damage in half) from the falling rubble and is pinned. A creature that takes cover (under furniture, for example) gains a +1 bonus on the Evasion roll.
Falling Debris: Even creatures not in a structure are still at risk of falling debris, whether from a collapsing building nearby or a natural structure such as a cliff or mountain. Any creature caught in the area of falling debris suffers the collapse effects, but it takes 3d6 points of damage at the time of collapse instead of 6d6.
Fissure: Earthquakes can open massive cracks and fissures in the ground. A creature near a fissure as it opens has a chance of falling in unless it makes an Evasion roll. Additionally, each creature standing in the area that did not fall in the fissure falls prone unless it got a raise on their Evasion roll.
Fissures are typically 1d4+1×10 feet deep, and creatures falling into one take the appropriate falling damage. There is also a chance that surrounding debris also falls into the fissure. Creatures in the fissure when debris falls on them take additional damage from the falling debris. Surviving creatures that are not pinned can attempt to climb their way out.
Impaired Actions: The tremors of an earthquake impose a -4 penalty on Agilitybased skill rolls and a -2 penalty on arcane skill rolls. Creatures moving during an earthquake consider all terrain as Difficult Ground, but can make an Athletics roll to move at their full Pace.
Structures: Most wood or masonry buildings collapse during an earthquake. Large structures such as castles might not collapse outright, but certain features such as towers or entire sections of a wall might. Creatures caught in a structure that is destroyed suffer collapse effects.
Lava or magma deals 5d6 points of fire 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 fire damage per round.
Damage from lava continues for 1d3 rounds after exposure ceases, but this additional damage is only half of that dealt during actual contact (that is, 2d6 or 10d6 points per round). Immunity or resistance to fire serves as an immunity or resistance to lava or magma. A creature immune to fire might still drown if completely immersed in lava.
Magma churns beneath the earth’s surface throughout the world, and in places where there are weaknesses in the crust, it can erupt outward in violent conflagrations.
Earthquake: The force with which volcanoes erupt can shake the earth, so earthquakes are common during volcanic eruptions. Depending on the nature of the terrain, these disastrous events can cause any of the effects listed in the Earthquake section.
Lahar: A lahar is a churning slurry of mud and debris created when intense heat melts the glaciers or snow atop a volcano. A lahar can travel hundreds of miles beyond the volcano, devastating everything in its path. Motion alone keeps a lahar in liquid form. When a lahar strikes a creature, it deals the damage listed in the table (Evasion to get out of the way).
For creatures caught in a flowing lahar, use the rules for Heat and Drowning (see Pathfinder for Savage Worlds) and they can attempt to escape with an Athletics check at -2. A hot lahar deals 2d6 fire damage per round to those trapped by it.
As a lahar slows, it settles to the consistency of packed earth, entombing those trapped within or beneath. See Cave-Ins and Collapses.
Steam Vent: Major eruptions of steam or boiling water often precede an eruption and deal between 2d6 and 5d6 fire damage (Evasion negates). The radius of such bursts is typically equal to 1" (2 yards) per damage die. Mild steam vents are as hot as saunas and have a sulfurous odor.
Volcanic Ash: Erupting volcanoes spew ash, which can obscure vision and cause creatures to choke (Vigor check or suffer a level of Fatigue). Prolonged contact with hot ash deals 1d6 fire damage per minute. Clouds of ash can linger in the atmosphere, darkening the sky for weeks or even months and leading to colder temperatures and prolonged winters. This combination of cold and lack of sunlight hurts crops, and it can cripple food supplies and lead to famines.
On the ground, ash buildup creates difficult terrain—not only is it slippery, but it might conceal other hazards. In heavy eruptions, a blanket of ash several feet thick can eventually blanket the region downwind of the volcano.Over the long term, however, this volcanic ash becomes fertile soil.
Volcanic Lightning: Ash clouds can generate powerful lightning strikes. These strikes typically deal between 2d8 and 5d8 electricity damage and are unusually difficult to dodge (Evasion check at -2).
TYPES OF LAHARS
TYPE DEPTH x WIDTH SPEED DMG
Minor 10 x 102 feet 17 in/round 4d6
Typical 25 x 504 feet 42 in/round 5d6
Massive 50+ × 2,500+ feet 84 in/round 10d6