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game_systems:combat:environment [2025/09/18 03:47] – [Additional Technical Details] florxnoggame_systems:combat:environment [2026/03/27 15:56] (current) – [Table: Favored Terrain Types] elfinlocks
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 ======Environment====== ======Environment======
  
 +===== Favored Terrain =====
 +
 +Certain Paths may provide characters with bonuses restricted to a specific locale. These are referred to as Favored Terrains. See below for a complete list of what Favored Terrains there are to choose from
 +
 +==== Table: Favored Terrain Types ====
 +
 +<WRAP tablewidth 40%>
 +{{tablelayout?rowsHeaderSource=Auto}}
 +^ Favored Terrains                              ^
 +| Cold (ice, glaciers, snow, and tundra)        |
 +| Desert (sand and wastelands)                  |
 +| Forest (coniferous and deciduous)             |
 +| Jungle                                        |
 +| Mountain (including hills)                    |
 +| Plains                                        |
 +| Planes (pick one, other than Material Plane)  |
 +| Swamp                                         |
 +| Underground (caves and dungeons)              |
 +| Urban (buildings, streets, and sewers)        |
 +| Water (above and below the surface)           |
 +</WRAP>
 +
 +
 +----
  
 =====Falling===== =====Falling=====
  
-A creature that falls takes Damage equal to half the distance fallen, up to a maximum of 750 Damage (1500ft).+What goes up must eventually come down, particularly when it comes to adventurers. Below are the rules for how painful that process may be, and how quickly it occurs.  
 + 
 +A creature falls at the beginning of their turn, and the effects of the fall must be calculated immediately. When falling, you are far to preoccupied with approaching terminal velocity to act as you normally would upon solid ground. The creature may employ [[chargen:common_terms#action_types|Immediate Actions]] as normal, but no others. This means that if a character is pushed from a ledge in the middle of combat, there is time for an ally to attempt to grab them, as the character does not fall until the beginning of their own turn. When a creature falls, that creature takes an amount of damage equal to half the distance fallen (round up to the nearest full increment). The maximum damage a creature can take from falling is 750, from falling 1,500 ft. 
 + 
 +<WRAP center round tip 60%> 
 +**Note to GMs:** Reward creativity when falling. If a witty player produces a bedsheet, or someone uses [[priority:magic:spells:tier2:gust_of_wind|Gust of Wind]] to push a falling ally to a handhold, or even to safety, that's part of the fun. At the end of the day, a fall might "kill" a great hero or villain, but they have a habit of returning. 
 +</WRAP> 
 + 
 +A character cannot cast a spell while falling, unless the fall is greater than 500 feet, or the spell is an [[chargen:common_terms#action_types|Immediate Actions]], such as [[priority:magic:spells:tier1:feather_fall|]]. Casting a spell while falling requires a Concentration check at a DC of 10 + [[priority:magic:spells|Spell Tier]]. Casting [[priority:magic:spells:tier5:teleport|]] or a similar spell while falling **does not end your momentum**, it merely changes your location, meaning that you still take falling damage, even if you arrive atop a solid surface. 
 + 
 +---- 
 + 
 + 
 +==== Catching Yourself ==== 
 + 
 +In order to avoid such a devastating fall, a creature may employ some helpful measures. A successful [[priority:skills:athletics|Athletics]] check (DC 20) or [[chargen:common_terms#saving_throws|Reflex save]] (DC 15) allows a creature to catch themselves upon a solid surface. This check may be raised or lowered, depending on how easily caught the surface is, at GM discretion (see the [[priority:skills:athletics#climbing|Climbing DC Table]] under [[priority:skills:athletics|Athletics]] for examples of this). If you successfully cut your fall short by catching onto something on the way down, you take damage equal to 1/10th of the distance fallen. If you fell 30 ft. or less before doing so, you take no damage at all, assuming that you succeed your check. 
 + 
 +==== Deliberate Falling ==== 
 + 
 +If a creature jumps down on purpose, rather than through involuntary means, they may use [[priority:skills:acrobatics|Acrobatics]] or [[priority:skills:athletics|Athletics]] to aim their jump - this negates a number of falling distance in feet equal to the result of the skill check, rounding down to the nearest 5 ft. increment.  
 + 
 +==== Soft Landings ==== 
 + 
 +Falling onto a particularly soft surface (such as a conveniently placed hay bale, sand, mud, and the like) converts half of the fall damage into [[game_systems:combat:health#non-lethal_damage|Non-Lethal Damage]]. Similarly, water or similar surfaces turn all fall damage to [[game_systems:combat:health#non-lethal_damage|Non-Lethal]]. You take no damage at all when falling onto a soft surface from 20 ft. or less, though these surfaces provide **no benefit** on falls which exceed 100 ft.  
 + 
 +Small objects that are too weak to provide a handhold may still impede a fall and soften the landing, and as such this may confer the effects of a soft landing (at GM discretion), or to "stagger" the fall into easier, smaller falls. Suitable surfaces for this purpose include monstrous webs, branches, market stalls overhangs, and ropes on a ship.
  
-A character may roll an Athletics or Reflex save if they are within reach of a solid surface to catch themselves. This check may be rolled at any time (before the fall begins or is actively taking place). The DC to do so is generally a DC 15 Reflex or a DC 20 Athletics. Sometimes if a surface might have handholds an additional climb check maybe required to successfully hold on. If a creature falls more then 30ft before catching themselves they take damage equal to 1/10th the total distance fallen, maximum 150 damage.+<WRAP center round info 60%> 
 +If a creature possesses the ability to [[game_systems:combat:movement#earth-gliding|Earth-Glide]], they may treat any surface which they can traverse through as water for the purposes of falling. Likewise, lava and molten metal do not count as a soft surface without this ability (burning alive from their heat is a completely different story, as well). 
 +</WRAP>
  
-If a character deliberately jumps down instead of slipping or being pushed (or any other involuntary action), they may instead elect to use Acrobatics or Athletic to "Jump Down" and negate a number of ft of falling damage equal to the roll (round down to the nearest 5ft increment).+=== Diving ===
  
-Falling onto a softer or yielding surface converts 50% of the Fall Damage into Non-lethal. This generally includes Sand, Mud and very soft soils. Any fall greater then 100ft does not follow this rule.+To deliberately dive into a suitable surface, such as water, you may roll an [[priority:skills:athletics|Athletics]] check, at a DC of 15, to avoid damage from dives of 50 ft. or less. Increase this DC by 1 for every 10 ft. past fifty, if applicable. However, the water **must** be sufficiently deep to accommodate your dive - 10 feet of depth is required for every 100 feet of falling distance, to a maximum required depth of 50 feet for a 500 ft. dive or more. After a dive (successful or not), a creature ends their action 10 feet below the water's surface for every 100 feet of distance fallen (to a maximum of the aforementioned 50 ft. of depth).
  
-Falling into Water or similar converts 100% of the fall into non-lethal damage, a fall less then 20ft doesn't even deal damage! Any fall greater then 100ft does not follow this rule. A skilled character might be able to deliberately dive a greater distance and avoid damage. An Athletics check of 15 + 1 per 10ft past 50ft, prevents all damage if the character actively dives into water. Water must be deep enough to break a fall. 10ft of water is required for every 100ft fallen to a maximum of 50ft of water at any distance (minimum 10ft). A character ends the fall 10ft under water for every 100ft fallen, minimum 10ft and maximum 50ft.+----
  
-====Additional Technical Details==== 
  
-A character cannot cast a spell while falling, unless the fall is greater than 500 feet or the spell is an immediate action, such as feather fall. Casting a spell while falling requires a concentration check with a DC equal to 10 + the spell’s level. Casting teleport or a similar spell while falling does not end your momentum, it just changes your location, meaning that you still take falling damage, even if you arrive atop a solid surface. 
  
-A character falls at the start of their turn. No actions aside from immediate actions (not even free actions aside from speaking, or likely screaming) may be taken before calculating the fall effects. This means if a character is pushed off a ledge they do not fall "immediately" and someone might even be able to move up and grab them, use an item or cast a spell on them. 
  
-If a creature possess or actively has Earth Glide they may treat solid Earth and Stone as a liquid similar to water. 
  
-Often smaller or softer objects may impede a fall but cannot stop it or are too weak to provide a handhold. In cases like this it should be treated as smaller falls into Soft ground or Water like liquids. A character falling through such a material might be able to mitigate more damage or convert it into non-lethal. Things like branches, webs, stalls and ropes on a ship are all good examples. This is often a good option if someone unintentionally falls and it was never meant to be a risk, but was instead a freak accident or a unfortunate description of the terrain. 
  
-Lava is not a water-like liquid. Nor is a river of molten metal (normally). These liquids are too dense to break a fall. 
  
-Reward creativity when falling. If a witty character produces a sheet or uses Gust of Wind to push them selves to a handhold or even safety that's part of the fun. At the end of the day a fall might "kill" a great hero or villain, but they have a habit of returning.