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Cliffside Ascent

Environments Designed by Grellik
Tier
1
Type
Traversal
Difficulty
12
Impulses
Cast the unready down to a rocky doom. Draw people in with the promise of what is at the top.

Environment overview

A steep, rocky cliff tall enough to make traversal dangerous.

Potential adversaries

Pterodactyl Pteranodon Giant Eagle

Features

Passives

passive
  • The Climb

    Climbing up the cliffside uses a Progress Countdown (12). It ticks down according to the following criteria when the PCs make an action roll to climb:
    Critical Success: Tick down 3
    Success with Hope: Tick down 2
    Success with Fear: Tick down 1
    Failure with Hope: No advancement
    Failure with Fear: Tick up 1
    When the countdown triggers, the party has made it to the top of the cliff.

  • Pitons in the Wall

    Someone has been putting large metal rods in the wall before you arrived here. If a PC begins to fall, they can instead Mark a Stress to attempt to grab hold of a piton. This requires an Agility Reaction check, a success resulting in not falling and the countdown will not tick up.

    Questions
    • Who could have put these rods into the wall and why?

Actions

action
  • Fall
    Fear 1

    Have a PC’s handhold fail, plummeting them toward the ground. If they aren’t saved on the next action, they hit the ground and tick up the countdown by 2. The PC takes 1d12 physical damage if the countdown was between 8 & 12, 2d12 between 4 & 7, and 3d12 at 3 or lower.

  • Hang On
    Fear 1

    Activate a volcanic tremor or earthquake, sending rocks and debris tumbling down the side of the cliff. A successful Reaction roll or you lose your grip momentarily and tick the countdown up by 1.

Reactions

reaction
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About this environment

A cliff wall, likely in the jungle, on the side of a mountain or volcano, that needs to be ascended.

Cliffside Ascent

Tier 1 Traversal

A steep, rocky cliff tall enough to make traversal dangerous.

Impulses: Cast the unready down to a rocky doom., Draw people in with the promise of what is at the top.

Difficulty: 12

Potential Adversaries: Pterodactyl, Pteranodon, Giant Eagle

Features

The Climb - Passive: Climbing up the cliffside uses a Progress Countdown (12). It ticks down according to the following criteria when the PCs make an action roll to climb: Critical Success: Tick down 3 Success with Hope: Tick down 2 Success with Fear: Tick down 1 Failure with Hope: No advancement Failure with Fear: Tick up 1 When the countdown triggers, the party has made it to the top of the cliff.
Pitons in the Wall - Passive: Someone has been putting large metal rods in the wall before you arrived here. If a PC begins to fall, they can instead Mark a Stress to attempt to grab hold of a piton. This requires an Agility Reaction check, a success resulting in not falling and the countdown will not tick up.
  • Who could have put these rods into the wall and why?
Fall - Action: Have a PC’s handhold fail, plummeting them toward the ground. If they aren’t saved on the next action, they hit the ground and tick up the countdown by 2. The PC takes 1d12 physical damage if the countdown was between 8 & 12, 2d12 between 4 & 7, and 3d12 at 3 or lower.
Hang On - Action: Activate a volcanic tremor or earthquake, sending rocks and debris tumbling down the side of the cliff. A successful Reaction roll or you lose your grip momentarily and tick the countdown up by 1.

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