Skip to content

Strange Weather Phenomenon

Environments Designed by Bart
Tier
2
Type
Event
Difficulty
13
Impulses
Exhaust Wear down Impede

Environment overview

An unnatural effect is causing severe weather conditions.

Potential adversaries

Elementals Constructs

Features

Passives

passive
  • Extreme Weather

    When characters enter the scene, pick one of the options below for extreme weather (at random, if desired). These effects are active until a new effect is activated or the scene ends. Only one effect may be active at a time. You may Spend a Fear to change the active effect.
    You can use a d6 to track the current active effect.

    1. Monsoon - A heavy downpour turns the ground into soggy mud. Players that fail an Action Roll lose a Hope. When they are at 0 hope, their Action Rolls are made with disadvantage.
    2. Heat Wave - A scorching sun burns from above. When a character moves during their action, if they don't actively cool themselves or remain in shadow, they must Mark a Stress.
    3. Acid Rain - A caustic downpour erodes your gear. Every character that doesn't take shelter before the end of their next spotlight must Spend an Armor Slot without getting its benefits. If they can't, they must mark an HP and become Vulnerable until the next rest.
    4. Dense Mist - A heavy fog sets in and obscures your vision. Characters are Hidden beyond Very Close range and must succeed on an Instinct Reaction Roll to move further than Very Close range. On a failure, the GM may determine where the movement ends.
    5. Blizzard - Freezing wind and hail assaults your senses. Players that make an Action Roll with Fear, must mark a Stress in addition to other consequences.
    6. Thunderstorm - Static electricity makes your skin tingle. The first time a character is spotlighted they must make a Reaction Roll. If they fail, they are struck by lightning, dealing 2d6+3 magic damage. Flying characters have disadvantage on this Reaction.

    Questions
    • How well prepared are you for this weather?
    • Where have you experienced weather like this before?
    • Why does the weather feel unusual for this place?

Actions

action
  • Unstable Source

    Spend a Fear to initiate a Consequence Countdown (Decreasing 9). Whenever the countdown resets, pick a new Extreme Weather option without spending Fear. When the Consequence Countdown reaches 0, the anomaly violently erupts, dealing 2d20+10 direct physical damage to characters in the scene. The surrounding area is ruined and will take months to recover.

    You may also start a Progress Countdown (8) that ticks up when players take actions towards fixing/deactivating the source.

    Questions
    • What's causing the weather anomaly?
    • Why did it break down?
  • Forecast of Violence

    When a player attempts to investigate or interact with the source of the weather phenomenon, Spend a Fear to spawn 1d4 Adversaries in Very Close range to a player.

    Questions
    • Where do the adversaries come from?
    • What is their reason for attacking the players?

Reactions

reaction
  • Turbulent Winds

    When the effect of Extreme Weather changes, you may Spend a Fear to force a Reaction Roll from all characters to avoid being picked up by the wind. Any loose objects and characters that fail this roll are flown a Far range from their position, dealing 1d10+5 damage (or fall damage).

    Questions
    • What items are lying around?
    • What's your first instinct as you feel the wind pick up?

About this environment

This is intended as a hazardous area that requires a puzzle to resolve. It works best when this puzzle has its pieces spread throughout the area with little shelter. The Progress Countdown is there as a more generalized representation, same tips apply.

If weather during ‘Unstable Source’ seems too harsh and limiting fun, consider adding an intermediate break where the weather suddenly turns into something non-violent like a nice sunny day / perfect ale weather and giving players advantage on their next action roll, or something similar.

If there are too many Agility Rolls for moving Far/Very Far, consider ticking down the Consequence countdown by 2/3 steps to move safely without rolling. Players may choose an Agility Roll instead to ‘move quickly’.

It’s advised/intended to have weather patterns return later in the scene, so players are prepared to deal with the effects.

This is originally designed as a Weather Machine for the Motherboard campaign, but rewritten in a more setting-agnostic style.

Strange Weather Phenomenon

Tier 2 Event

An unnatural effect is causing severe weather conditions.

Impulses: Exhaust, Wear down, Impede

Difficulty: 13

Potential Adversaries: Elementals, Constructs

Features

Extreme Weather - Passive: When characters enter the scene, pick one of the options below for extreme weather (at random, if desired). These effects are active until a new effect is activated or the scene ends. Only one effect may be active at a time. You may Spend a Fear to change the active effect. You can use a d6 to track the current active effect. 1. Monsoon - A heavy downpour turns the ground into soggy mud. Players that fail an Action Roll lose a Hope. When they are at 0 hope, their Action Rolls are made with disadvantage. 2. Heat Wave - A scorching sun burns from above. When a character moves during their action, if they don't actively cool themselves or remain in shadow, they must Mark a Stress. 3. Acid Rain - A caustic downpour erodes your gear. Every character that doesn't take shelter before the end of their next spotlight must Spend an Armor Slot without getting its benefits. If they can't, they must mark an HP and become Vulnerable until the next rest. 4. Dense Mist - A heavy fog sets in and obscures your vision. Characters are Hidden beyond Very Close range and must succeed on an Instinct Reaction Roll to move further than Very Close range. On a failure, the GM may determine where the movement ends. 5. Blizzard - Freezing wind and hail assaults your senses. Players that make an Action Roll with Fear, must mark a Stress in addition to other consequences. 6. Thunderstorm - Static electricity makes your skin tingle. The first time a character is spotlighted they must make a Reaction Roll. If they fail, they are struck by lightning, dealing 2d6+3 magic damage. Flying characters have disadvantage on this Reaction.
  • How well prepared are you for this weather?
  • Where have you experienced weather like this before?
  • Why does the weather feel unusual for this place?
Unstable Source - Action: Spend a Fear to initiate a Consequence Countdown (Decreasing 9). Whenever the countdown resets, pick a new Extreme Weather option without spending Fear. When the Consequence Countdown reaches 0, the anomaly violently erupts, dealing 2d20+10 direct physical damage to characters in the scene. The surrounding area is ruined and will take months to recover. You may also start a Progress Countdown (8) that ticks up when players take actions towards fixing/deactivating the source.
  • What's causing the weather anomaly?
  • Why did it break down?
Forecast of Violence - Action: When a player attempts to investigate or interact with the source of the weather phenomenon, Spend a Fear to spawn 1d4 Adversaries in Very Close range to a player.
  • Where do the adversaries come from?
  • What is their reason for attacking the players?
Turbulent Winds - Reaction: When the effect of Extreme Weather changes, you may Spend a Fear to force a Reaction Roll from all characters to avoid being picked up by the wind. Any loose objects and characters that fail this roll are flown a Far range from their position, dealing 1d10+5 damage (or fall damage).
  • What items are lying around?
  • What's your first instinct as you feel the wind pick up?

Discussion

Be thoughtful and kind.

Remember to be respectful. Comments are moderated and should add to the discussion.

Sign in to comment