Environment and Physical Hazards

Philosophy

The GM converts every physical hazard into a prescribed chance roll, a Save against a DC, or damage. The table below provides benchmarks for those decisions.

Natural hazards do not scale. A 60-foot fall deals the same damage to a peasant and a level 9 hero. Because HP grows exponentially, the ordinary world becomes gradually less dangerous to epic characters. At level 9, a character can leap from a cliff and survive.

Damage Benchmarks

Hazard	Benchmark
Falling	1d6 per 10 feet; the target falls prone (DC 15 Reflex to land standing when a safe landing is plausible)
Ordinary fire (torch, bonfire)	1d6 per tick of exposure
Inferno or bed of embers	3d6 per tick; Reflex to cross quickly
Drowning / suffocation	A character lasts (CON) minutes; then DC 10 Fortitude per round, +5 per roll; three failures = dying
Unprotected extreme cold	DC 12 Fortitude per hour; failure = −10% maximum HP and a cumulative −1 to physical rolls
Extreme heat	As extreme cold: DC 12 Fortitude per hour
Acid, lava, natural lightning	2d6 to 10d6 per tick based on intensity; the GM announces it before the player commits

Movement Benchmarks

• Difficult terrain—scree, swamp, deep snow—halves speed.
• Climbing and swimming halve speed. Use a prescribed chance roll in poor conditions; do not roll in good conditions.
• Jumping: length = 1× speed; height = ¼ speed. Feats and magic can change these ratios.

The Method in One Line

For anything absent from the table, ask: “How likely is this to go wrong, and how much would it hurt?” Announce both answers, then let the player decide. An announced danger is a choice; a hidden danger is a trap, and traps use the perception rules in the Perception and Stealth chapter.

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