Cloud Deck
On a world with no ground, the atmosphere is the whole environment. Cloud organizes into bands that run at different speeds and in opposite directions, with shear between every pair, and a major storm can last for centuries. Temperature and pressure rise with every mile of depth until the gas stops behaving like gas, and there is no bottom.
Crossing it
- Navigate
- DC 15
- Forage
- DC 15
- Notice
- DC 13
Depth sets the limit. There is no bottom, so the limit is the vessel's hull rating.
Exposure
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Wind, whiteout or downpour heavy enough to take away visibility and then footing.
CON save, DC 13. End of each hour in the open. One level of exhaustion.
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Obscured
The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
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Wind
A Medium or smaller creature in the open makes a DC 13 Strength save at the start of its turn or is moved 1d4 x 5 feet downwind.
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No travel
A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
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Shelter
A built shelter, a vehicle or a sealed suit removes the save. A Wisdom (Survival) check at DC 12 finds or improvises one where the terrain allows.
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Grounded
Nothing flies. A vessel caught airborne takes 4d6 bludgeoning damage per hour and its pilot makes a DC 15 check each hour to hold a heading.
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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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No bottom
Descent is limited by hull rating, not by ground. Below the rating a vessel takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage per minute, ignoring resistance.
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Band shear
Crossing between bands means a 300-knot change in wind. DC 15 Dexterity save from the pilot or the vessel is thrown 1d6 x 100 feet and takes 4d6 bludgeoning damage.
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Buoyancy
A vessel here holds altitude by lift instead of thrust. A lift failure is a fall with no ground to stop it.
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Standing storms
A major storm is a fixed feature, charted and named. A vessel can navigate around it, but its behavior cannot be forecast.
Variations
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Upper deck
Ammonia cloud, temperatures a suit handles, and where anything crewed operates.
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Lower deck
Hotter, denser, darker. Past the rating of anything not built for it.
Worlds it occurs on
- Ionic A rocky world inside a field strong enough to hold a permanent ion storm across its surface and atmosphere.
- Zephyr A gas world with no surface, crossed by fast bands of wind that run at different speeds.
