D&D 5E The right use of hazards

[LordEntrails]

I see hazards as being environmental challenges, which can grossly increase the lethality of any creatures capable of exploiting them. What is the use? They give environments character and make them more memorable.

Your players may not remember Generic Swamp #321, but they will sure as hell remember "that swamp with the flame spouts and quicksand and giant rats."

Yes! Character. Realism or a synonym of that I can't think of now. But absolutely.

I mean, who hasn't seen the Princess Bride and doesn't remember the Fire Swamp?

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I think modern designers fail to take the opportunity to give their dungeons, cities, and wilderness areas more character. So much is focused on the denizens of the environments and the traps and protections they set.

Hazards can increase immersion and give variety to the challenges your adventurers face.

Yes, again, great point. People complain about the grind of one combat after another. About being bored about another group of orc, etc. HAzards, as part of the world that adventurers live and explore in, give the opportunity to make memorable scenes and places.

First, let me just gush about how damn great the post I'm replying to is. MNblockhead really hits some very important things here that go beyond the surface of using hazards, but to encounter design as a whole.

Agreed, this is a post I've already subscribed to. And will be linking to as well. Excellent discussion all.

The best hazards and traps have multiple solutions that allow characters with different sets of abilities to engage them.

Yes, good point.

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I've got some questions around the best way to use hazards. Specifically:

* What is the "in game" purpose of hazards?
* How do you make hazards fun for the players?
* How does the use of dungeon hazards differ from wilderness hazards?
* What are 1 or 2 good examples of hazard encounters?

1) Possibilities are many fold. To me, they are to add character and variety. Either to add flavor and interest to a location, or to make a combat encounter interesting.
2) Make them opportunities for role playing, not for dice rolling. They should engage the creative and problem solving abilities of the players themselves, and maybe even their real world knowledge. (But, they should not be real world intelligence tests! There are a hundred discussion and blogs about the problem with doing that, and one commonly found in old school modules.)
3) I just see them as different types of hazards, not a different purpose. I'll have to think on this.
4) An amazing assortment already given.
One example (from real world person experience);
Want to get to an island in the middle of a lake. The lake is softly frozen, difficult to take a boat to unless you break the ice (and you don't have a big boat, dangerously cold if you try to swim, but the ice is dangerously thin if you try to walk on it. Figure out how to get there