Environmental Hazards & Survival
Not all threats come from monsters or magic — the world itself can be deadly.
Environmental hazards include any dangerous conditions, traps, or natural disasters that challenge the characters. These threats may be natural, artificial, or supernatural in origin.
Natural hazards include fire, water, extreme temperatures, or heights.
Artificial hazards may be man-made traps, toxins, or machinery accidents.
Supernatural hazards might involve cursed locales, eldritch weather, or reality-warping events.
Unlike combat, environmental dangers often require quick thinking and clever problem-solving rather than direct confrontation.
General Rules
The Game Master (GM) adjudicates environmental hazards by calling for appropriate checks or saves, or by assigning direct effects such as damage or status conditions.
Many hazards allow characters an opportunity to notice or avoid danger through skill use:
- Spotting a tripwire trap with a Perception check.
- Leaping aside from a falling object with an Dodge save.
If the hazard is not avoided, it typically inflicts damage or a negative condition determined by the GM.
Example guideline:
- A small trap might deal 1d6 damage.
- A raging inferno might deal 3d6 per round.
GMs may also assign Difficulty Classes (DCs) for avoidance or endurance checks. Success reduces or avoids the effect; failure applies the consequences.
Fire and Heat
Flames are a common threat in horror scenarios—burning buildings, explosions, or deliberate arson.
A character who catches fire takes 1d6 damage per round until extinguished.
Heat Exposure: Being in intense heat (burning rooms, deserts) requires Endurance checks at intervals. Failure can cause burns, Heat Exhaustion, or HP loss.
Characters engulfed in flames may gain the Burning condition, impairing their actions until the fire is put out.
Enclosed Spaces: Smoke inhalation may require additional saves. Confined fires can deal extra damage or impose disadvantage on escape attempts.
Extreme Cold and Freezing
Exposure to severe cold—whether lost in a blizzard or trapped in a freezer—can be just as deadly as fire.
Characters must make periodic Endurance checks to resist hypothermia.
Without proper gear or warmth:
- Failed checks can inflict HP loss or a Frozen condition.
- Movement slows and physical actions become harder.
- Prolonged exposure may reduce maximum HP or cause permanent damage.
Optional Rule:
Each hour (or scene) spent in subzero conditions without warmth deals 1 HP loss.
Additionally, every hour without protection may impose a –1 cumulative penalty on physical rolls until shelter is found.
Poison, Gas, and Toxins
Poisons, toxic gases, and contaminated substances require saves or checks to resist their effects.
- Physical toxins: Endurance check
- Chemical or airborne agents: Knowledge or Medicine check
- Ingested poisons: Endurance or Medicine check
Failure: The character suffers HP loss, conditions (such as Paralysis or Hallucinations), or disadvantage on actions.
Toxins often deal damage over time or inflict stacking effects like Choking.
Quick thinking—such as covering one’s mouth, finding higher ground, or using antidotes—may grant advantage or mitigate harm.
Falls and Collisions
Falling from height or being thrown into hard surfaces is dangerous.
A general rule:
1d6 damage per 3–5 meters fallen.
| Fall Distance | Damage | Example Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Short (3–5 m) | 1d6 | Bruised, Prone |
| Moderate (6–10 m) | 2d6–4d6 | Injured, Stunned |
| Long (20+ m) | up to 10d6 | Potentially fatal |
Characters may attempt Dexterity or Agility checks to grab ledges or reduce damage.
Armor rarely helps, though a Cinematic Point (CP) may justify a softer landing.
Collisions (such as being thrown into a wall) deal similar damage, possibly adding a Stun effect if an Endurance check fails.
Traps and Mechanical Hazards
Traps combine several danger types—piercing spikes, blades, fire, or poison.
Detection:
Spotted with a Perception or Investigation check against a DC set by the GM.
Disarming:
Attempted using Dexterity, Mechanics, or Tech checks.
Triggering:
If activated, characters may make Dodge check to reduce or avoid harm.
| Trap Type | Typical Check | Example Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Spike pit | Agility | Piercing damage, Bleeding |
| Poison darts | Endurance | Poisoned, HP loss |
| Snare trap | Strength | Restrained |
| Collapsing ceiling | Endurance or Agility | Bludgeoning, Prone |
Foreshadow traps through sensory cues—clicks, disturbed dust, old blood—to keep play fair yet tense.
Darkness and Visibility
Operating in darkness, smoke, or fog imposes severe penalties.
- Perception checks: –4 in total darkness.
- Combat: Melee attacks at disadvantage; ranged attacks nearly impossible without light.
- Movement: Dexterity checks to avoid tripping or falling.
Darkness can also induce fear. The GM may call for Courage or Sanity checks in oppressive environments.
Light sources negate these penalties but may attract unwanted attention.
Other Environmental Dangers
Almost any element of the world can become dangerous in horror play.
| Hazard | Effect |
|---|---|
| Unstable ground | Balance or Reflex check or fall damage |
| Electric current | 2d6 damage and Stun |
| Explosion | Blast damage, Deafened, Burning |
| Collapsing structure | Timed escape challenge |
| Quicksand or mud | Strength checks to escape |
| Vehicle crash | Collision damage, Fire or Prone |
These can be combined for cinematic, chaotic encounters.
Survival Situations
(Hunger, Fatigue, and Deprivation)
Long-term survival challenges heighten tension and realism in a horror campaign.
Use these optional rules when resources are scarce or escape is impossible.
Hunger and Thirst
Lack of food or water imposes cumulative penalties:
| Time Without | Effect |
|---|---|
| 24 hours (no food) | –1 to all physical rolls |
| 48 hours (no food) | –2 or Disadvantage |
| 12–24 hours (no water) | Severe penalties; possible LP loss |
Extended deprivation may reduce Vitality or cause exhaustion, encouraging players to seek supplies under pressure.
Fatigue and Sleep Deprivation
Going a full day and night without sleep requires an Endurance or Willpower check.
Failure causes Exhaustion, represented by Disadvantage on skill checks or temporary loss of Agility or Perception.
Each additional sleepless night adds another level of fatigue.
Physical overexertion—long fights, chases, or heavy lifting—may also call for Endurance checks to avoid penalties or reduced speed.
Not every game must track these details, but when used, they create tension and realism.
Every meal, rest, and safe hour becomes a hard-earned victory.
