In addition to the exotic terrain, there are many other environment features that offer strategic benefit to either the player or their enemies. Obviously simple things such as utilizing the environment as best as possible are easy enough to forget, but they can sometimes turn the tide of battles.
Arrow Slits and Murder Holes give a higher bonus to those behind them, requiring +4 FIN to be able to hit the target behind them than normal, as well as an additional EP equal to the durability of the structure if one were to miss and start damaging the wall or ceiling instead. Arrow Slits are in walls. Murder Holes are in ceilings and also give Higher Ground.
Catwalks require an additional +2 Balance to cross if having no railing, and automatically gives higher ground against those underneath if dropping or firing any attack at them.
Cover provides concealment and/or defense for those trying to hide behind it depending on their solidity, and varies in how much EP and concealment they offer by the type of material they are made out of. They may be boulders, pillars, statues, etc.
Curtains or other Soft Walls such as tapestries take 1 turn to look and go through or look and try to back away, typically blocking line of sight and observation of what lays behind them, and providing a small amount of Cover.
Doors provide Cover when one is behind them, as well as taking a turn to open and go through them or open and shut them during combat. If a door has a window or is made out of see-through material in a direction a character or creature looks at, then they will be able to use their observation to see whatever lies beyond it. Some may have locks on them, requiring either a key or a FIN check to try opening.
Entrenchment gains +1 to REA and +1 to defense when one ducks down into it to avoid enemy attacks.
Furniture takes 1 extra square to move around for each square that it occupies if moving onto it, but not off of it. Creatures underneath furniture gain a concealment and defense bonus equal to the furniture's EP and how solid and how much it covers them up.
Hard Walls provide Cover, and typically block line of sight unless there are holes for viewing in them or they are made of materials that allow observation checks through them. To climb one or hop over one requires at least 1 turn to do per half square of height.
Higher Ground is an area that has at least +5 height from the character or creature compared to its opponent. Having the higher ground gains +1 on attack and defense as compared to attacking from a lower position.
Ladders and Ropes require a FIN check to ascend, having different difficulty depending on how stable and easy to grip they are, and take 1 extra square of movement to climb than descending. Those higher up on them may damage the ladder or rope to try to keep others from following them, or attempt to attack downward with Higher Ground if able.
Ledges and Platforms require a FIN check to jump onto, and if hanging from or pulling oneself up onto require a STR check and 1 FP expenditure if successful.
Now Way Back is an area in a corner, against a wall, a sudden shift in height or a hazard behind the character or creature that prevents them from retreating, gaining -1 to REA.
A Pool requires a Balance check if moving into deep water, and a check against swim speed for how quickly one can move in it. If a character has no swim speed, then each turn they must do a STR and FIN check to see if they can stay afloat and spend 1 FP, or they will start to sink.
A Portcullis is a gate that drops down from the ceiling, having holes in it for ranged attacks requiring +2 FIN to succeed, but can also be lifted with a STR check, or destroyed if enough damage is dealt to its EP.
Potholes and Pits require an observation check to spot, a FIN check to avoid or jump over if one cannot simply go around them, and depending on their depth may take additional turns to climb out if there whether there is any additional danger at the bottom or not.
A Secret Door or Trapdoor hides a path of movement from those unable to find it, also making it possible to hide items or secret rooms from adventurers, or hide a potential ambush until it is ready to strike.
Stairs and Steep Slopes give Higher Ground to those higher up on them, and additionally require +1 on Balance checks if insufficiently broad on footholds.
Terrain Mastery is when a character or creature is in its ideal sort of terrain for battle, such as a flying creature in the air, a swimming character in water, an underground moving one under the dirt, a land-based creature in any land area, or one best suited to a particular type of biome, realm, or the like.
Traps are typically hidden and awaiting a trigger of some sort to release their effect, taking an observation check to find and FIN and knowledge check to disarm even if mundane, with possibly more needed if it involves more than purely physical mechanics or effects.
Windows and Viewports let a character or creature observe through them and of sufficient size possibly open and travel through them or attack from them.
No comments:
Post a Comment