Combat Encounters and Terrain... Various

[earlyn]

Combat Encounters and Terrain... Forests

A player of mine said that he would like to see combat "spiced" up a bit by the locale that they take place. Basically he want's to have the location to be fun and challanging as the combat itself.

Some examples that he gave were along a five foot wide ledge with frequent rockslides.

Being one who is always willing to try and satisfy my players interests in games, I've been trying to develop such encounter senarios to suit his tastes.

However, I've been having some difficulty planning such encounters with the locations that they are traveling through, so I was hoping for some imput from fellow players and GMs, so that I can build an archive of such locations.

Please keep the season in summer type settings (As their location doesn't have snow) but include weather conditions if you'd like. (Only if needed for the scenerio) and leave them general so I can fill in what ever monster/npc that I deem appropriate for their level/situation.

This threads terrain is forests. Other threads will be posted to focus on other terrain types.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[earlyn]

Combat Encounters and Terrain... Plains

A player of mine said that he would like to see combat "spiced" up a bit by the locale that they take place. Basically he want's to have the location to be fun and challanging as the combat itself.

Some examples that he gave were along a five foot wide ledge with frequent rockslides.

Being one who is always willing to try and satisfy my players interests in games, I've been trying to develop such encounter senarios to suit his tastes.

However, I've been having some difficulty planning such encounters with the locations that they are traveling through, so I was hoping for some imput from fellow players and GMs, so that I can build an archive of such locations.

Please keep the season in summer type settings (As their location doesn't have snow) but include weather conditions if you'd like. (Only if needed for the scenerio) and leave them general so I can fill in what ever monster/npc that I deem appropriate for their level/situation.

This threads terrain is plains. Other threads will be posted to focus on other terrain types.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[earlyn]

Combat Encounters and Terrain... Desert

A player of mine said that he would like to see combat "spiced" up a bit by the locale that they take place. Basically he want's to have the location to be fun and challanging as the combat itself.

Some examples that he gave were along a five foot wide ledge with frequent rockslides.

Being one who is always willing to try and satisfy my players interests in games, I've been trying to develop such encounter senarios to suit his tastes.

However, I've been having some difficulty planning such encounters with the locations that they are traveling through, so I was hoping for some imput from fellow players and GMs, so that I can build an archive of such locations.

Please keep the season in summer type settings (As their location doesn't have snow) but include weather conditions if you'd like. (Only if needed for the scenerio) and leave them general so I can fill in what ever monster/npc that I deem appropriate for their level/situation.

This threads terrain is desert. Other threads will be posted to focus on other terrain types.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[earlyn]

Combat Encounters and Terrain... Mountains

A player of mine said that he would like to see combat "spiced" up a bit by the locale that they take place. Basically he want's to have the location to be fun and challanging as the combat itself.

Some examples that he gave were along a five foot wide ledge with frequent rockslides.

Being one who is always willing to try and satisfy my players interests in games, I've been trying to develop such encounter senarios to suit his tastes.

However, I've been having some difficulty planning such encounters with the locations that they are traveling through, so I was hoping for some imput from fellow players and GMs, so that I can build an archive of such locations.

Please keep the season in summer type settings (As their location doesn't have snow) but include weather conditions if you'd like. (Only if needed for the scenerio) and leave them general so I can fill in what ever monster/npc that I deem appropriate for their level/situation.

This threads terrain is mountains. Other threads will be posted to focus on other terrain types.

Thanks in Advance.

 

[fba827]

I'm not sure if this is what you want or not -- but in a forest setting, particularly, there is lots of cover from trees and shrubs and what not. So (again, not exactly what you may be going for) but perhaps during the combat scenes in a forest you could just be more descriptive and aware of random cover bonuses.

for instance, for EACH attack (and spell that requires line of sight) against a creature, roll 1d6.
1-2 0 cover
3 25% cover from that single attack
4 50% cover from that single attack
5 75% cover from that single attack
6 full cover from that attack

So there is going to be a bonus to AC and Ref saves scattered about there thanks to the trees, shrubs, and what not...

Forests that are in swampy areas could have quick sand

Forests are also great places for hunters so there could be an assortment of mundane animal traps at any given battle scene.

I think a lot of it may come down to description during a combat -- ie make that combat some how feel different from every other generic one. It also sounds like the player, in addition to variation, is looking for some sort of feeling of extra danger presented from the surrounding itself (though this could also be for the same reason of offering uniquness to a battle or it could be something else)?

Of course, the difficult trick is not to over do it... for key battles, yes, for every battle, no.

If you can draw out the layout of a battle scene, it may help too, both with description, with helping the player remember/visualize, and will help bring the scene more to life.

A great scene for climatic battles always seems to be near a cliff or dropoff of some sort (be it the edge of a firey pit or the edge of a rocky cliff) - it limits tactical movement, it makes everyone more aware of where they are, it also makes bull rushing someone so much more deadly! (normally just used to invoke AoO from allies you make the opponent pass but in this case you could, potentially, bull rush someone off the cliff/dropoff/edge...

Again< i don't know if any of this is what you are really hoping for.. just some random rambles before I go to bed.

 

[fba827]

A desert can be a variety of actual settings, but the often-thought of scene with a desert is the hot arid place.

If you are using that particular image, sink holes would be a good terrain-driven threat for travel or combat scene.

Another factor is (again, in this dry arid sandy archetype) is flood danger. Since the ground is so dry when it does rain, the ground does not readily soak it up and therefore causes flash flooding of low areas. So camping at the bottom of a dune is not wise, for instance, 'cause if it rains while you're sleeping, chances are that you will in fact drown

(again, i doubt this may be what you're looking for so I'll stop here and see if others have ideas more along with what you want)

 

[Sidran]

Not that I have a major problem with the dozens of posts you just placed here but I would love it if you wouldn't have taken up most of the first page of P&P for something that really should have taken one or two posts


As far as cool terrain features and exciting adventurous wilderness.

One from real life

In arizona there is a Canyon that a group was walking through from behind them a roaring sound came suddenly followed by a wall of water. That drowned all but two of like 8 people.

For your game this could be used a little more scaled down such as the characters are walking through this crevice to get from one side to the other from behind them they here the sound of the Roaring water, available to them, a ledge that just barely is reachable and only moderatly safe juts out from the far wall. Characters who roll a successful Reflex Save ( DC 20) Make it to the ledge before the wall of water hits.

In real life the water was caused by flash flooding miles away so it could have been sunny as everything where the characters are and raining buckets elsewhere for this effect to occur

Of Course natural things like Tornados, Sand Storms, and Parching Heat are available to enhance the Terraine. Make them aware of the their thirstiness, and the heat. Throw High winds, and the Brown Misty blizards that are Sand storms at them.

Lighting storms can be a danger to players use all of these things as ways to give the player what he wants.

Also prairy fires are a cool and usable danger.

 

[Hand of Evil]

The ground is flat, it is hot and dry, the high plains grasses hide prey and foe. There are two conditions that cause fear in all at this time of the year, fire and tornado, both can spring up without warning.

I don't see fighting as that big a deal, may want to add that the smell of blood may cause large hungry animals to come by. They is also the small chance of a stampede from heard animals.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Quicksand - People think of it only being in swamps but you can find it in deserts too. The sand covers a water hole, the water drys up leaving a pocket, which breaks when someone stands on it, sucking them down!

Giant ant-lions build a funnel, that could trap their prey.

 

[Hand of Evil]

Mountain stream, not a bubbling brook but noisy rushing rapids. The rocks are slippery, the water cold, the current pulls at your feet, the bottom is uneven, drops off surprise you, watch out for that log!