Environmental Rules
Adventuring in Zamzara is generally a poor idea due to the vicious monsters wandering around spoiling for a fight. It's also a poor idea because the world is a terrible and dangerous place outside of the confines of civilization, where being unprepared or foolish can cost you your life. Here are some rules for environmental hazards that are unrelated to Weather and Moves.
Table of Contents
Acid
Corrosive acid deals classless Poison-type damage dependent on the type of exposure: DB 6 (2d6+8) per round for contact with acid or DB 19 (6d12+30) per round for total submersion in it. The fumes from most acids are inhaled poisons. Anyone adjacent to a large body of acid must pass a DC 10 Athletics check each round or take a -1 penalty to all Body Skill ranks for 24 hours unless they are immune to Poison-type damage or the Poisoned status condition.Creatures immune to Poison-type damage can still drown in acid if they are fully submerged (see below).
Cold
Cold and exposure deals classless Ice-type damage which cannot be recovered from until the creature gets out of the cold and warms up again. Once a character has Fainted, any further damage from a cold environment inflicts 1 Injury.An unprotected character in cold weather (below 40° F) must pass an Athletics or Survival check each hour (DC 12, +1 per previous check) or take DB 6 (2d6+8) damage. In severe cold (below 0° F), the above check must be made once every 10 minutes instead. In extreme cold (below -20° F), no check can be made to avoid damage and damage is taken every 1 minute instead.
Anyone who falls under 50% Max HP from this damage is Slowed until they recover from the cold. Ice-type creatures or those with the Chilled capability are immune to the effects of cold. Those equipped with Winter Cloaks and/or Flame Orbs are treated as being in 1 warmer temperature range.
Falling
Falling damage is unchanged, just keep in mind that a creature falls up to 200 meters during its first turn of falling. If a creature is pushed or otherwise accidentally falls into open air, they may make a DC 10 Acrobatics or Athletics check to instead be Prone in the square they originally were in, or on their mount if they were riding one. This means that if you are riding a flying mount and fall off, you get two checks to stay on your mount - the first determines if you get knocked off like usual, and the second determines if you're able to save yourself.Falling Objects
Sometimes you don't fall - something falls on you.
Objects that fall upon characters deal damage based on their weight and the distance fallen. The Falling Objects table details how much damage is dealt by an object based on its Weight Class - this is typeless Physical damage. If the object falls less than 10 meters, it deals half damage; if it falls more than 50 meters, it deals double damage. Falling objects take the same damage they deal.
Dropping an object on a creature requires hitting with a Struggle Attack with a range of 12 meters. If an object falls on someone (rather than being thrown), that creature can make a DC 10 Acrobatics check to halve the damage if they are aware of the object. If they succeed by 10 or more, they take no damage.
If a creature falls and hits another creature, falling damage and Injuries are split evenly between them. If the falling creature can make a DC 18 Acrobatics check, their falling damage is negated when hitting a creature.
Objects that fall upon characters deal damage based on their weight and the distance fallen. The Falling Objects table details how much damage is dealt by an object based on its Weight Class - this is typeless Physical damage. If the object falls less than 10 meters, it deals half damage; if it falls more than 50 meters, it deals double damage. Falling objects take the same damage they deal.
Dropping an object on a creature requires hitting with a Struggle Attack with a range of 12 meters. If an object falls on someone (rather than being thrown), that creature can make a DC 10 Acrobatics check to halve the damage if they are aware of the object. If they succeed by 10 or more, they take no damage.
If a creature falls and hits another creature, falling damage and Injuries are split evenly between them. If the falling creature can make a DC 18 Acrobatics check, their falling damage is negated when hitting a creature.
Falling Objects
| Weight Class | Damage Base |
|---|---|
| WC 1 (0 – 25 lbs; 0 – 11 kg) | DB 6 (2d6+8) |
| WC 2 (25 – 55 lbs; 11 – 25 kg) | DB 8 (2d8+10) |
| WC 3 (55 – 110 lbs; 25 – 50 kg) | DB 10 (3d8+10) |
| WC 4 (110 – 220 lbs; 50 – 100 kg) | DB 13 (4d10+10) |
| WC 5 (220 – 440 lbs; 100 – 200 kg) | DB 16 (5d10+20) |
| WC 6 (440 – 880 lbs; 200 – 400 kg) | DB 19 (6d12+30) |
| WC 7 (880+ lbs; 400+ kg) | DB 22 (6d12+45) |
Heat
Heat deals classless Fire-type damage which cannot be recovered from until the creature is cooled off (finding shade in a desert, gets doused in water, becomes Frozen, etc.) Once a character has Fainted, any further damage from a hot environment inflicts 1 Injury.A character in very hot weather (above 90° F) must pass an Athletics or Survival check each hour (DC 12, +1 per previous check) or take DB 6 (2d6+8) damage. In severe heat (above 110° F), the above check must be made once every 10 minutes instead. In extreme heat (air temperature above 140° F, fire, boiling water, lava), no check can be made to avoid damage and damage is taken every 1 minute instead. Anyone wearing Heavy Armor takes a -3 penalty to their checks.
Anyone who falls under 50% Max HP from this damage is Suppressed until they recover from the heat. Fire-type creatures or those with the Heater capability are immune to the effects of heat.
Boiling water deals DB 6 (2d6+8) per round for contact with it or DB 19 (6d12+30) per round for total submersion in it - see below for contact with lava.
Being On Fire
Characters exposed to burning oil, bonfires, or other non-instantaneous magic fires might find themselves on fire. Those at risk of catching fire are allowed a DC 12 Acrobatics check to avoid it. Failing this check causes them to take DB 6 (2d6+8) damage immediately and in subsequent rounds, although the burning character may continue to make Acrobatics checks as a Standard Action until they succeed and put themselves out.The target is also Burned while on fire. Someone who is on fire may automatically extinguish the flames by jumping into enough water to douse themselves or by being hit with a Physical or Special Water-type Move. If no water is at hand, rolling on the ground or smothering the fire with cloaks or something similar permits the character another save with a +2 bonus.
Spreading Flames
Unchecked, fire spreads quickly and unpredictably. Once a fire has burned an area, it will not return to that area. Once an area has been doused with water or covered in a non-flammable substance such as dirt or stone, the area is safe from the blaze in the immediate future. Every round a fire burns, even if someone is trying to douse it, roll 1d20 and consult the following table to determine the activity of the fire for that round and if it spreads into any 1-meter squares. The GM chooses which squares a fire spreads into if multiple possibilities exist.
Fire cannot spread into areas where it has already been extinguished or if the squares do not have flammable materials. Characters within a square when it catches fire also catch fire, as per the above rules.
Burning Buildings
Buildings that catch fire usually don't have long to survive. If no one is attempting to put the fire out, a building becomes unsalvagable in a space of time dependent on the size of the building. The GM can best adjudicate how quickly it takes depending on the situation, but a rough guideline is as follows:
Small one-floor buildings (most common homes and huts) are consumed in 6d8 minutes; larger buildings (more affluent homes or a Pokemon Center) are consumed in 4d20 minutes; and major structures (warehouses, castles, etc.) are consumed in 2d4 hours.
Buildings made entirely out of flammable materials burn in half the time, while structures consisting mostly of non-flammable materials take twice as long to burn. Many structures begin to collapse while burning (see Falling Objects).
Dense Smoke
Dense smoke, like that in a burning building or produced by the move Smokescreen, can be dangerous. A character in dense smoke must make a DC 7 Athletics check every round they remain in the smoke. A character may fail this save a number of times equal to their Athletics Rank times 3, but after failing the final save, the character Faints and is subject to suffocation (see below).
Dousing a Fire
Dousing a fire requires water or non-flammable material to be deposited on the burning area. Firefighters typically surround a burning area with nonflammable material to best contain it. Characters doing this may throw their payload by making an attack against an AC of 2 to deliver their payload to the intended area - failure means the fire is too hot for you to properly throw your payload at it, but you do not waste it. Ground, Rock, and Water-type attacks may all douse flames equal to their range - a single target move can extinguish a single 1-meter square, while a Line 6 move can extinguish 6 squares in a line.
Spreading Flames
d20 Roll Fire Reaction 1 The fire does not grow this round. 2 The fire grows 1 square to the north 3 The fire grows 1 square to the east. 4 The fire grows 1 square to the south. 5 The fire grows 1 square to the west. 6 The fire grows 1 square in all directions. 7-8 The fire does not grow this round. 9 The fire grows 2 squares to the north. 10 The fire grows 2 squares to the east. 11 The fire grows 2 squares to the south. 12 The fire grows 2 squares to the west. 13 The fire grows 2 squares in all directions. 14-18 The fire does not grow this round. 19 The fire grows 3 squares in all directions. 20 The fire grows 4 squares in all directions.
Lava
Lava or magma deals DB 9 (2d10+10) classless Fire-type damage per round for contact with it or DB 28 (8d12+80) per round for total submersion in it. Damage from lava continues for 2 rounds after exposure ceases, but the creature Resists it one step further. Creatures immune to heat or Fire-type damage can still drown in lava if they are fully submerged (even though molten rock doesn't work that way).
Skill Damage
Typically, prolonged malnutrition or exposure to dangerous environments have a negative effect on one's health. In rare cases, malicious spirits have been known to steal parts of a person's soul or mind. These effects reduce the creature's Skill Ranks in a specific category: Body, Mind, and Spirit. While any loss is debilitating, losing all Skill Ranks in a single category can be devastating.
- Body Skills at 0 means that the character is dead.
- Mind Skills at 0 means that the character cannot think at all and becomes a human vegetable, Fainted.
- Spirit Skills at 0 means that the character cannot feel any sensations and falls into a coma, Fainted.
Skill Ranks can never go below 0. When a creature's Skill Rank is reduced, target the highest Skill Rank in that category. For example, a Trainer's Master Combat Rank would be targeted before their Expert Intimidate Rank. When Skill Ranks are equal, the player decides which Skill Rank is damaged. Skill Damage returns at the rate of 1 point per day (starting at the lowest Skill Rank), or 2 points per day if the character gets bed rest unless the condition dealing the damage notes otherwise.
Suffocation/Drowning
A character without the Breathless (or Gilled, if underwater) capability can hold their breath for 3 rounds per Athletics Skill Rank, or 6 rounds if they resist the material they are suffocating in (Fire for lava; Water for water; Steel for Acid; etc.). If a character takes a Standard or Full Action, the remaining duration the character can hold their breath is reduced by 1 round. After this period of time, they must pass a DC 7 Athletics check in order to continue holding their breath. The check must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success. Fainted creatures must begin making Athletics checks immediately upon being submerged (or upon Fainting if they were conscious when submerged).
When the character fails one of these Athletics checks, they begin to suffocate and lose 5 Hit Points; this amount is doubled upon each consecutive failure (10, 20, 40, etc.). Types that are weak to the material they are drowning in (Fire for water; Psychic for acid; Flying for cold; etc.) take double damage. It is possible to drown in substances other than water, such as quicksand, a pit of larvae, or lava.
Water
Any character can wade or swim in relatively calm water that isn't over their head without making any checks. However, wearing Heavy Armor causes you to be Slowed while swimming - Light Armor merely bestows -1 Swim movement. However, fast-moving water is dangerous: characters must pass a DC 12 Athletics check to avoid going under. Upon failure, the character takes DB 3 (1d6+5) classless Water-type damage per round, or DB 6 (2d6+8) if flowing over rocks and cascades.
Very deep water is generally pitch black and deals DB 6 (2d6+8) classless Water-type damage per minute for every 30 meters the character is below the surface. Succeeding on an Athletics check (DC 12, +1 per previous check) means the diver takes no damage during that minute. Very cold water also deals DB 6 (2d6+8) classless Ice-type damage from hypothermia per minute of exposure.
Glass, Rock, Steel, and Water-types are immune to pressure damage.
BACK TO TOP
Unchecked, fire spreads quickly and unpredictably. Once a fire has burned an area, it will not return to that area. Once an area has been doused with water or covered in a non-flammable substance such as dirt or stone, the area is safe from the blaze in the immediate future. Every round a fire burns, even if someone is trying to douse it, roll 1d20 and consult the following table to determine the activity of the fire for that round and if it spreads into any 1-meter squares. The GM chooses which squares a fire spreads into if multiple possibilities exist.
Fire cannot spread into areas where it has already been extinguished or if the squares do not have flammable materials. Characters within a square when it catches fire also catch fire, as per the above rules.
Small one-floor buildings (most common homes and huts) are consumed in 6d8 minutes; larger buildings (more affluent homes or a Pokemon Center) are consumed in 4d20 minutes; and major structures (warehouses, castles, etc.) are consumed in 2d4 hours.
Buildings made entirely out of flammable materials burn in half the time, while structures consisting mostly of non-flammable materials take twice as long to burn. Many structures begin to collapse while burning (see Falling Objects).
Fire cannot spread into areas where it has already been extinguished or if the squares do not have flammable materials. Characters within a square when it catches fire also catch fire, as per the above rules.
Burning Buildings
Buildings that catch fire usually don't have long to survive. If no one is attempting to put the fire out, a building becomes unsalvagable in a space of time dependent on the size of the building. The GM can best adjudicate how quickly it takes depending on the situation, but a rough guideline is as follows:Small one-floor buildings (most common homes and huts) are consumed in 6d8 minutes; larger buildings (more affluent homes or a Pokemon Center) are consumed in 4d20 minutes; and major structures (warehouses, castles, etc.) are consumed in 2d4 hours.
Buildings made entirely out of flammable materials burn in half the time, while structures consisting mostly of non-flammable materials take twice as long to burn. Many structures begin to collapse while burning (see Falling Objects).
Dense Smoke
Dense smoke, like that in a burning building or produced by the move Smokescreen, can be dangerous. A character in dense smoke must make a DC 7 Athletics check every round they remain in the smoke. A character may fail this save a number of times equal to their Athletics Rank times 3, but after failing the final save, the character Faints and is subject to suffocation (see below).Dousing a Fire
Dousing a fire requires water or non-flammable material to be deposited on the burning area. Firefighters typically surround a burning area with nonflammable material to best contain it. Characters doing this may throw their payload by making an attack against an AC of 2 to deliver their payload to the intended area - failure means the fire is too hot for you to properly throw your payload at it, but you do not waste it. Ground, Rock, and Water-type attacks may all douse flames equal to their range - a single target move can extinguish a single 1-meter square, while a Line 6 move can extinguish 6 squares in a line.Spreading Flames
| d20 Roll | Fire Reaction |
|---|---|
| 1 | The fire does not grow this round. |
| 2 | The fire grows 1 square to the north |
| 3 | The fire grows 1 square to the east. |
| 4 | The fire grows 1 square to the south. |
| 5 | The fire grows 1 square to the west. |
| 6 | The fire grows 1 square in all directions. |
| 7-8 | The fire does not grow this round. |
| 9 | The fire grows 2 squares to the north. |
| 10 | The fire grows 2 squares to the east. |
| 11 | The fire grows 2 squares to the south. |
| 12 | The fire grows 2 squares to the west. |
| 13 | The fire grows 2 squares in all directions. |
| 14-18 | The fire does not grow this round. |
| 19 | The fire grows 3 squares in all directions. |
| 20 | The fire grows 4 squares in all directions. |
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Nice, nice, it is always good to have more situations covered. Maybe heat should include some kind of clothing? For deserts and such
It should, but I didn't include it because I was only looking at items from the core rulebook, which doesn't really have like, desert gear or ice orbs or anything like that. I'll get around to it eventually...