Aurora
Charged particles from the star are steered by the magnetic field into two rings around the magnetic poles, where they strike the upper air and make it glow. A brightening aurora means the field is being pushed. The same event takes down comms and induces current in long conductors on the ground.
Crossing it
- Navigate
- DC 13
- Forage
- Nothing to find
- Notice
- DC 8
A display is visible for hundreds of miles and lights the ground beneath it.
Exposure
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A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.
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Instruments
Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
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Powered gear
Powered weapons and cybernetics stutter: a natural 1 on an attack or a check using them means the item is unusable until the end of the next turn.
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Induced current
Long conductors take on induced current. Unshielded power and data runs fail, and a creature in contact with one takes 2d6 lightning damage.
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Channeling
On a world with an active Rift tether, a natural 1 on a spell attack roll, or a target's natural 20 on a saving throw against a spell, rolls on the Surge Table.
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In play
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Comms
While the aurora is active, radio across the zone fails and navigation by magnetic compass is useless.
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Induced current
Long conductors on the ground under an active aurora conduct induced current. Unprotected power and data lines fail, and a creature in contact with one takes 2d6 lightning damage.
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Auroral light
An active display lights the ground well enough to remove the penalty for darkness, and removes any concealment darkness was providing.
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Warning
A brightening display gives 1d4 hours of notice that a solar storm is arriving. Anything in orbit has that long to shelter.
Variations
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Quiet arc
A steady band at the usual latitude, visible nightly.
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Storm display
The ring widens toward the equator and the whole sky moves. The field is under strong disturbance.
Worlds it occurs on
- Ionic A rocky world inside a field strong enough to hold a permanent ion storm across its surface and atmosphere.
- Rime A frozen world with a crystalline ice surface, cold enough that most of its atmosphere has condensed onto the ground.
- Terran (Arctic) A rocky world covered in ice for most of the year but habitable, with open water at the margin in summer.
- Terran (Verdant) A rocky world with liquid water, breathable air and a magnetic field to protect them, rare and the cause of most wars.
- Zephyr A gas world with no surface, crossed by fast bands of wind that run at different speeds.
