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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MNblockhead" data-source="post: 7118197" data-attributes="member: 6796661">Example of bad hate would be when the party encounters hazard after hazard where they are just asked to make some dice rolls, maybe take some damage, and move one. Such hazards, if used too often, just slow down the game. They are not memorable.  Even worse is a hazard that the party HAS to overcome to move on in the story, but then a mixture of the party not seeing the "solution" and/or having the dice-gods be against them, can't overcome the hazard. Now they are either stuck, get to "take 10" to overcome it (boring), or forced to keep trying until they get it (even more boring). I think that the other posters gave many good examples of hazards and how to use them. I would just add that you should find a way to work them into the story.  For example, the party hears that a couple of stone masons found a scroll case containing a map to some cavern that had instructions, warnings, and a key hidden in behind a false brick in a wall they were repairing in the village temple. Only one of the two returned, that other fell to his death in a crevice in the mountains. The now old man is willing to lead the party to where his partner fell.Dungeons and ruins may have old structures that are no longer safe. Being forced to cross a rotting wooden bridge while being chased by enemies is more memorable than simply having to cross when not under such pressures. Create "pick your hazard" situations. You are being chased along deep, strong rapids and you see that they end in a waterfall at a steep and high cliff.  The waterfall ends in a large pool of water. You've never been here before. Do you risk a jump? You are not sure how deep it is.  Do you try to cross the rapids and hope those in pursuit loose your trail or are at least slowed down as you continue along the cliff on the other side and look for a way down. Do you just try to scale the cliff? Risking getting shot at from above or having things dropped on you? NOTE ON FLYING HAZARDS: once characters can fly, many outdoor hazards are are no longer a threat. But should there not also be airborne hazards? Down bursts, updrafts, microbursts, and wind shears should all be used to add some risk to character flight.  ESPECIALLY magical flight. Birds may be built to not only survive, but to take advantage of some of these hazards. A magically flying PC or especially a magic carpet—well not so much. Airplanes are at risk of bird strikes, why not flying characters? Maybe your player flies up above a marsh during migration season. Combat below begins in earnest, causing HUGE flocks of birds to all take to the air at once.  Hell, passenger pigeons, before we managed to kill them all, used to fly in flocks so large it would darken the sky.  Locus swarms are a good air hazard.  Heck, have fun, a huge flock of migrating monarch butterflies temporarily blind the flying creature. And you don't need a flock...look at some of the pictures of the damage that one bird has done to jet planes: <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/how-dangerous-is-a-bird-strike/" target="_blank">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travel-truths/how-dangerous-is-a-bird-strike/</a>   (imagine if that was a character's head).</blockquote>

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