Accretion Disc

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

High Gravity Gravity above about 1.5g, where objects and creatures weigh more and falling damage is doubled. CON save, DC 12. End of each hour of exertion. One level of exhaustion.

• Weight. Carrying capacity is halved, and a creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet.
• Falls. Falling damage is doubled, and a fall of 10 feet or more knocks a creature Prone with no save.
• Ranged weapons. The long range of any thrown or ballistic weapon is halved.
• Adapted. A creature native to a high-gravity world, or one with a feature naming gravity, ignores all of the above.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Inward Every round spent in the disc without thrust moves the vessel one band closer to the object. There is no drifting outward.

Tidal High Gravity applies and worsens with each band. At the innermost band, a creature outside a hull takes 4d10 bludgeoning damage per round.

Time Close to the object, time runs slow relative to outside. A stay measured in hours costs days or years elsewhere, at the GM's rate.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Asteroid Belt

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Low Gravity Gravity below about 0.4g, where a push-off sends a creature farther than expected and stopping takes planning.

• Movement. Ground movement is normal, but any push-off sends the creature farther. A creature that Dashes continues an extra 10 feet in the same direction at the end of its turn unless it spends 5 feet stopping.
• Melee. A melee attack made without an anchor point pushes the attacker 5 feet away from the target after the attack resolves.
• Jumps and falls. Jump distances are tripled and falling damage is halved. A fall of under 40 feet does none.
• Carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is tripled. Mass is unchanged, so anything being carried is as hard to start and stop as it is at normal gravity.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Empty Crossing a belt poses no piloting hazard. Bodies sit too far apart to matter unless someone has arranged them close together.

Hidden vessels Sensor checks to locate a powered-down vessel among the bodies have disadvantage and fail entirely beyond Long range.

Claims Each rock is claimed individually by filing, with no physical boundary. Most belt violence is over the filing.

Chronal Eddy

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Initiative Initiative is rerolled at the start of every round.

Duration For an effect measured in rounds, the creature that created it rolls a d6 at the start of each of that creature's turns. On a 1 or 2 the effect ends, and on a 6 its remaining duration doubles.

Outside The GM sets the exchange rate before the party enters, or rolls a d6. On a 1 or 2, an hour inside is a day outside. On a 3 or 4, a day inside is an hour outside. On a 5, a minute inside is an hour outside. On a 6, an hour inside is a minute outside.

Cometary Halo

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

In play

Distance Bodies are far from each other. A search of a halo takes weeks and is usually abandoned.

Volatiles Water, methane and ammonia are free to take. A vessel can refuel and resupply here indefinitely, at the cost of time.

No jurisdiction No jurisdiction reaches this far, and anything out here has been left undisturbed.

No light Heavily obscured. A creature without darkvision or a light source is Blinded, and a light source is visible to anything that can see at three times its own radius.

Dead Star

Extraplanetary

Exposure

High Gravity Gravity above about 1.5g, where objects and creatures weigh more and falling damage is doubled. CON save, DC 12. End of each hour of exertion. One level of exhaustion.

• Weight. Carrying capacity is halved, and a creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet.
• Falls. Falling damage is doubled, and a fall of 10 feet or more knocks a creature Prone with no save.
• Ranged weapons. The long range of any thrown or ballistic weapon is halved.
• Adapted. A creature native to a high-gravity world, or one with a feature naming gravity, ignores all of the above.

In play

No light Sight beyond Close range requires a carried light source, because no ambient light reaches or reflects off anything here.

No signal Comms do not leave the well. A vessel inside is out of contact for as long as it stays.

Orbits The remnant's mass is unchanged, so all bodies that orbited the star still orbit it, in the dark.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Debris Shoal

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Ship scale A vessel inside a shoal makes a DC 15 Piloting check each round or takes 2d10 hull damage.

Personal scale A creature on foot in a suit treats the shoal as difficult terrain, with full cover available in any direction.

Salvage The wreckage belonged to someone, and each shoal holds salvage worth the trip.

Deep Space

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

No help A distress signal takes years to arrive anywhere, so rescue depends on what is aboard.

Cold An unpowered hull takes days to lose its heat, which is longer than the air lasts.

Navigation Position is fixed by pulsar or by chart. A vessel that has lost both has no procedure for finding its position.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

No light Heavily obscured. A creature without darkvision or a light source is Blinded, and a light source is visible to anything that can see at three times its own radius.

Derelict Hull

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

No power Doors are manual, lifts are open shafts and no alarms or announcements sound. Powered gear runs on its own cells.

Layout Corridors are Close range throughout and a boarding action is fought at that distance. Ranged weapons lose their advantage entirely.

Cause A derelict stopped for a reason. A DC 15 Investigation check on the bridge or in the log identifies it before the party meets it.

No light Heavily obscured. A creature without darkvision or a light source is Blinded, and a light source is visible to anything that can see at three times its own radius.

Gravity Well

Extraplanetary

Exposure

High Gravity Gravity above about 1.5g, where objects and creatures weigh more and falling damage is doubled. CON save, DC 12. End of each hour of exertion. One level of exhaustion.

• Weight. Carrying capacity is halved, and a creature's speed is reduced by 10 feet.
• Falls. Falling damage is doubled, and a fall of 10 feet or more knocks a creature Prone with no save.
• Ranged weapons. The long range of any thrown or ballistic weapon is halved.
• Adapted. A creature native to a high-gravity world, or one with a feature naming gravity, ignores all of the above.

In play

Gradient A creature moving toward the center moves at double speed, and a creature moving away from it moves at half speed. A ranged attack whose path crosses the gradient treats its target as one range band farther away, so a Close target counts as Medium.

Falling A creature that ends its turn in the well without being anchored makes a DC 13 Strength (Athletics) check. A creature is anchored while it holds a fixed handhold, wears magnetic boots on a hull, or is aboard a vehicle under thrust. On a failure, the creature is pulled 20 feet toward the center.

High Orbit

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Stationkeeping An object here holds its position over one point on the world indefinitely.

Delay Signal to the surface and back takes a noticeable fraction of a second. Remote operation of anything at close quarters has disadvantage.

No decay There is no drag. Wreckage, mines and abandoned platforms stay on station for centuries.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Hyperlane Corridor

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Travel roll A leg is a single Piloting check against the distance DC. The roll sets what the leg costs, and the leg always completes.

Predictable Traffic on a lane runs to a schedule that can be read from a dock manifest, and raids are planned from those manifests.

Checkpoints A lane through claimed space includes an inspection. Avoiding it means leaving the lane, and off-lane transit raises the DC by 4.

Lagrange Point

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Free station No fuel is spent holding position. Every long-term installation that is not in orbit of a body is at a Lagrange point.

Crowded The stable points collect dust, asteroids and every parked or abandoned object. Sensor checks there have disadvantage because of the clutter.

Jurisdiction A Lagrange point belongs to whoever holds the world, and claims to it are contested more often than the world is.

Low Orbit

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Orbital mechanics No object holds a position. Matching another object requires a DC 12 Piloting check. On a failure the vessel arrives on the next pass, ninety minutes later.

Line of sight The whole day side of the world is visible, and so is anything on it. Concealment from orbit requires overhead cover, and distance does not provide it.

Debris Fragments move at orbital speed. A vessel that stays stationary makes a DC 12 Piloting check each hour or takes 2d10 damage to the hull.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Nebula

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Opaque Sensors, comms and targeting are limited to Close range throughout. No object inside can be detected from outside, and sensors inside cannot detect anything outside.

Charted corridors A route through a nebula is held as knowledge and has no marked lane. Without a navigator who holds it, a transit is a DC 22 check and a failure does not fail safe.

Ionization An ion nebula grounds a hull's charge unpredictably. Powered weapons misfire on a natural 1 and shields recharge at half rate.

No light Heavily obscured. A creature without darkvision or a light source is Blinded, and a light source is visible to anything that can see at three times its own radius.

Null Field

Extraplanetary

In play

No channeling No spell can be cast, sustained or ended inside the field. Ongoing effects are suspended, not dispelled, and resume on leaving.

Stored charge Powered gear runs only on the charge it holds. Anything that draws on the Rift is inert, including most cybernetics above Tier IV.

Radiation Belt

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Transit A transit through a belt is one hour of Hard Radiation at DC 18 for anything without rated shielding. Every commercial lane routes around.

Instruments Magnetic Storm applies throughout. Navigation by instrument alone is at disadvantage.

Cover No patrols operate in a belt, so a vessel willing to take the dose is unlikely to be intercepted there.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Rift Bloom

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Channeling Inside a Bloom, spell attack rolls have advantage and creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against spells. 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.

Planar pull Anything native to another plane that enters the region will not willingly leave it.

Rift Breach

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Channeling Within 60 feet of a breach, spell attack rolls have advantage and creatures have disadvantage on saving throws against spells. 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.

Crossing A breach connects to one plane and only that one. What comes through arrives at the breach and stays within a distance the GM sets.

Scarring Ground within a mile of a breach older than a year is a Rift Scar. A creature in it makes a DC 12 Wisdom save once a day or gains a level of exhaustion.

Ring System

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Low Gravity Gravity below about 0.4g, where a push-off sends a creature farther than expected and stopping takes planning.

• Movement. Ground movement is normal, but any push-off sends the creature farther. A creature that Dashes continues an extra 10 feet in the same direction at the end of its turn unless it spends 5 feet stopping.
• Melee. A melee attack made without an anchor point pushes the attacker 5 feet away from the target after the attack resolves.
• Jumps and falls. Jump distances are tripled and falling damage is halved. A fall of under 40 feet does none.
• Carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is tripled. Mass is unchanged, so anything being carried is as hard to start and stop as it is at normal gravity.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Debris Inside the ring plane, a vessel takes 1d10 hull damage per round unless a DC 15 Piloting check is made. Crossing the plane perpendicularly takes one round.

Cover The ring plane blocks sensors completely. A vessel inside it cannot be found and cannot see out.

Shepherds Small moons hold the gaps open. The gaps are the only safe lanes, and they are charted.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Station Interior

Extraplanetary

In play

Maintained Pressure, gravity and light are as the station provides. No exposure applies until the station stops providing them, and then several apply at once.

Sections A station seals by section. A breach in one section closes its bulkhead and splits the party.

Jurisdiction Every corridor is under an owner's jurisdiction, and discharging a weapon there has legal consequences separate from the reason for the shot.

Stellar Corona

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Rated approach A vessel states its closest approach. Inside it, Hard Radiation checks come each minute instead of each hour.

Sensors Sensor, comms and targeting checks made inside the corona fail automatically, and attacks with ship weapons have disadvantage.

Flares At the end of each hour inside the corona, the GM rolls a d20. On a 15 or higher, a mass ejection crosses the vessel's position. The pilot makes a DC 15 Piloting check to turn the shielded side of the hull into it. On a failure, each creature and object in the plume that is not behind rated shielding takes 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 radiant damage.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

The Flux

Extraplanetary

Exposure

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Charts fail Any Travel Roll made using a chart has disadvantage. A navigator who has flown the leg personally ignores this.

Arriving A failed Travel Roll in the Flux still arrives somewhere. The GM chooses where, and the destination is on the map.

Aquan

Planetary environment

There is no landmark at any depth. Vessels navigate by inertial tracking and by beacon, and a vessel that loses its beacon is lost.

Exposure

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

In play

Depth A vessel's depth is limited by its hull rating, since there is no bottom. Crush Pressure applies below the rating.

Liquid medium The GM states which liquid fills the world. Fire damage is halved or negated in water. In a hydrocarbon sea fire works normally and endangers every creature, including the party.

Drift Structures drift on the current unless they are under power. A station's charted position is valid only on the day it was charted.

Regions on it

• Island. Land surrounded by water on every side, where the only way off is a landing point, boat or beacon.
• Oceanic Trench. A subduction trench cutting miles below the sea floor, the deepest water on the world, enterable only by a trench-rated hull.
• Open Ocean. Water with no bottom in reach and no cover of any kind, lit at the top and twilight below.
• Seamount. An underwater mountain that does not reach the surface, and the one landmark in open water.
• Shallows. Water over the shelf with the bottom in sight, lit, crowded, and shallow enough to work in.
• The Deep. The water below the last light: cold, black, and the largest habitat on any water world.
• Vent Field. An isolated community of life on the sea floor, fed by hot vents or cold hydrocarbon seeps.

City

Planetary environment

The map is a transit map and is out of date below the twentieth level. Foraging means buying from a market, and every market has an owner.

In play

Vertical Distance is measured in levels as much as in miles. Movement between levels needs a lift, a shaft or a permit, and the lifts and shafts are often owned.

Imports Air, water and food all arrive from off-world. A blockade is a siege, and the number of days the city can hold out is public knowledge.

No wilderness All ground on a City world is owned. Every encounter falls under a jurisdiction, and the jurisdiction is often the main obstacle.

Regions on it

• Farmland. Cultivated and grazed land with the roads between it, all of it owned.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Settlement. Built ground, lived in or abandoned: close quarters, hard cover, and a jurisdiction attached to every encounter.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.

Foundry World

Planetary environment

The grid is easy to read. Sightlines end at the next stack, and the air is worst at ground level.

Exposure

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

In play

Exhaust The atmosphere is breathable only with a filter. Contaminated Atmosphere applies at ground level across the whole world, and a rebreather is a standing expense.

Shift pattern There is no day-night cycle. Sirens set the working hours and the traffic between them, and a party moving against the shift is the only traffic on the rail.

Plant staff Every structure belongs to a production line, and every line has a foreman who knows what it produced. Deception and Persuasion checks against plant staff have disadvantage where the party is standing in a numbered location.

Regions on it

• Ash Column. An eruption column of ash and gas, and the abrasive, electrically charged fallout downwind of it.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Settlement. Built ground, lived in or abandoned: close quarters, hard cover, and a jurisdiction attached to every encounter.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Volcanic Field. Recently resurfaced ground of fresh rock and vented gas, with a surface that may not hold weight.

Ionic

Planetary environment

Instruments read the storm instead of the ground. Navigation is by eye where there is light to do it.

Exposure

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

Charged air Magnetic Storm applies across the whole world. Instruments, communication and anything powered work at a DC 15 Technology check each hour, and a failure leaves them dark for an hour.

Strike Once per hour in the open, a creature carrying more than 20 pounds of metal makes a DC 14 Dexterity save or takes 4d8 lightning damage. Grounded armor and a discharge line remove the save.

Ion tide The field rises and falls on a cycle of hours. At its peak all lightning damage on the world is doubled and no unshielded vessel flies.

Regions on it

• Aurora. The rings where a world's magnetic field funnels the star's wind into the upper air.
• Cloud Deck. The banded weather of a Zephyr, with no surface beneath it and winds running opposite ways a mile apart.
• Jet Stream. A narrow band of air moving two hundred knots in one direction at the top of the weather.
• Storm Front. Organized violent weather on the move, with high wind, whiteout and a visible advancing wall.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.

Magmatic

Planetary environment

Charts go out of date quickly. Ash cuts sightlines, and the ground may shift or give way.

Exposure

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

In play

Resurfacing Any map older than a decade is wrong about where the ground is. Navigation from an old chart has disadvantage.

Surface metals Ores that lie kilometers down on other worlds are exposed here, and they are the only reason to land.

Unstable crust New crust supports a load for minutes and then gives way. Moving at more than half speed across an unsurveyed flow requires a DC 13 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check.

Regions on it

• Ash Column. An eruption column of ash and gas, and the abrasive, electrically charged fallout downwind of it.
• Vent Field. An isolated community of life on the sea floor, fed by hot vents or cold hydrocarbon seeps.
• Volcanic Field. Recently resurfaced ground of fresh rock and vented gas, with a surface that may not hold weight.

Ore

Planetary environment

Every landmark is a mine working. No forage is available, and all supplies are shipped in.

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

Magnetic field The metallic body is its own magnet. Magnetic Storm applies across the surface, and a magnetic compass points at the nearest mass instead of a pole.

Surface seam The ore is the ground, so a mining check made on an Ore world succeeds on any roll except a 1. The economy of an Ore world is haulage.

No food There is no biosphere of any kind. A party relies on its own supplies from the moment it lands, and every installation posts its days of stores on the door.

Regions on it

• Highland. Mountain country below the snow line: long sightlines, slow going and fast-changing weather.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.

Red

Planetary environment

The current runs against the tide and changes without any cause the chart records. Samples taken from the sea spoil within a day.

Exposure

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

In play

Sanguine Sea Necrotic damage dealt on or in the ocean is increased by half, and radiant damage is halved.

Fear A creature that spends an hour in contact with the sea makes a DC 15 Wisdom save. On a failure it is Frightened until it leaves the water and cannot be calmed by any means while it remains in the water.

Rift Flux The Rift Flux environment applies across the whole world. In addition, a creature that fails a concentration save here rolls twice on the Surge Table instead of once and applies both results.

Spoilage Samples from the sea clot and spoil within a day. Every account of a Red world is unverified, and no two agree.

Regions on it

• Open Ocean. Water with no bottom in reach and no cover of any kind, lit at the top and twilight below.
• The Deep. The water below the last light: cold, black, and the largest habitat on any water world.

Rime

Planetary environment

Foraging means cutting volatiles out of the surface.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Low Gravity Gravity below about 0.4g, where a push-off sends a creature farther than expected and stopping takes planning.

• Movement. Ground movement is normal, but any push-off sends the creature farther. A creature that Dashes continues an extra 10 feet in the same direction at the end of its turn unless it spends 5 feet stopping.
• Melee. A melee attack made without an anchor point pushes the attacker 5 feet away from the target after the attack resolves.
• Jumps and falls. Jump distances are tripled and falling damage is halved. A fall of under 40 feet does none.
• Carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is tripled. Mass is unchanged, so anything being carried is as hard to start and stop as it is at normal gravity.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Permanent tracks There is no weather and no erosion. Survival checks to follow a trail here succeed automatically, including checks to follow the party.

Volatiles Water and hydrocarbons are available at the surface. A vessel can refuel and resupply indefinitely at the cost of time.

Cryovolcanism Uncharted vents throw plumes of water and ammonia. A vent field on a Rime freezes the plume before it lands.

Crystal Long-grown ice refracts light and conducts sound. Light sources are visible at three times their own radius, and Stealth checks that rely on silence have disadvantage on bare ice.

Under the shell Where tidal heating has kept a liquid ocean under the ice, it is reached through a bore or a vent, and it imposes Crush Pressure instead of cold.

Regions on it

• Arctic. Permanent ice over land, flat to the horizon, with the ice flowing slowly underneath.
• Aurora. The rings where a world's magnetic field funnels the star's wind into the upper air.
• Frozen Sea. Ocean covered by a layer of sea ice that supports weight until it breaks, over water that stays liquid.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.

Ruin

Planetary environment

There is no consistent down. Navigation is between fragments, and the fragments are still moving relative to each other.

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Variable gravity Gravity varies by fragment and by face. Each fragment has its own surface gravity, and a jump made on a wrong assumption of that gravity is a fall of indefinite length.

Exposed mantle Material that sits hundreds of kilometers down on an intact world lies open here. Salvage rolls on a Ruin draw one grade higher than the source's Power Rating would allow.

Collisions Fragments collide at irregular intervals. Once per day of surface work, a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check spots the debris front while there is still time to move.

Cause Every Ruin has a recorded destruction event, and no two records name it the same way. Some Ruins still have Rift Flux, and no rule determines which.

Regions on it

• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.

Sentient

Planetary environment

A route exists only while the world allows it. Foraging is easy while the world is willing and impossible when it is not.

Exposure

Rift Flux Ambient Rift Energy at a high, unstable density, where channeling is stronger and less reliable. WIS save, DC 13. End of each hour. Your next spell attack roll has disadvantage, or the target of your next spell that forces a saving throw has advantage on it. Roll once on the Surge Table.

• Dense field. A spell cast here that deals damage or restores hit points adds its level to one of its damage or healing rolls, and a cantrip adds 1. A spell that does neither gains nothing. The bonus cannot be declined.
• Unstable. A natural 1 or 2 on a spell attack roll, a target's natural 19 or 20 on a saving throw against a spell, and any failed concentration save each roll on the Surge Table in the GM's Manual.
• Instruments. Anything calibrated against a stable Rift background reads wrong. Navigation, dating and detection checks that rely on one have disadvantage.
• Warded. A ward, a null field or a feature naming Rift density removes the save and the Surge rolls. The damage and healing bonus goes with them.

In play

Observed The world observes all of its surface. Stealth checks against the world fail, and every native creature knows the party's position from the moment it lands.

Disposition The world holds a disposition toward the party from Welcoming to Hostile. Welcoming halves travel DCs and forage times; Hostile doubles them and makes the weather an active opponent.

Shifting terrain Terrain shifts to open or close a route between one crossing and the next, so a chart of a Sentient world records only the routes the world allowed.

Rift-touched Rift Flux applies. The effects of the world's own activity and of the Rift cannot be told apart.

Regions on it

• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Wetland. Saturated ground between land and water, slow to cross and poor underfoot, with better cover than either.
• Woodland. Temperate forest and scrub with short sightlines and dense cover.

Spore

Planetary environment

Forage is abundant and none of it is safe to eat, and growth blocks sightlines at every scale.

Exposure

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

In play

Spore load The air contains macrospores. A creature breathing unfiltered air makes a DC 14 Constitution save each hour or takes a level of exhaustion, and three failures begin conversion.

Shared senses The Bloom shares what any part of it senses. A party seen anywhere on the surface is anticipated everywhere on it within the hour, and surprise against Bloom creatures is not possible after the first encounter.

Overgrowth The whole surface is difficult terrain, and half of it is growth with no ground beneath. Structures are load-bearing only until the growth in them is disturbed.

Regions on it

• Jungle. Tropical forest under a closed canopy, wet and dense, with most life above the ground.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Wetland. Saturated ground between land and water, slow to cross and poor underfoot, with better cover than either.
• Woodland. Temperate forest and scrub with short sightlines and dense cover.

Terran (Arctic)

Planetary environment

Routes are seasonal. A chart drawn in summer is wrong in winter because the ice edge has moved.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

Ice margin The ice edge advances and retreats hundreds of miles across the year. A settlement is either on the water or a hundred miles from it, depending on the month.

Under the sheet Liquid water sits under the ice across most of the world. It is reached through a bore, and native creatures know where the bores are.

Long dark For part of the year the sun does not rise. Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight have disadvantage in the open, and a light source is visible for miles across flat ice.

Regions on it

• Alpine. The zone above the snow line: rock, ice and thin air, on ground that has to be climbed.
• Arctic. Permanent ice over land, flat to the horizon, with the ice flowing slowly underneath.
• Aurora. The rings where a world's magnetic field funnels the star's wind into the upper air.
• Coastline. The strip between high and low tide, which is different ground every six hours.
• Frozen Sea. Ocean covered by a layer of sea ice that supports weight until it breaks, over water that stays liquid.
• Lake. Standing fresh water that separates into layers, with a cold bottom that preserves what sinks into it.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Settlement. Built ground, lived in or abandoned: close quarters, hard cover, and a jurisdiction attached to every encounter.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Taiga. Conifer forest to the horizon over bog, with a winter that runs most of the year.
• Tundra. Treeless ground over permafrost, open, cold, and without shelter from the weather.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.

Terran (Arid)

Planetary environment

Dunes shift, so charts go out of date. Water sets the schedule, and crossings are planned in nights.

Exposure

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

In play

Water Rations of water are tracked by the day instead of the week. A day in the open without shelter costs a level of exhaustion that only water and shade remove.

Moving dunes The interior has no fixed landmarks. Navigation from a chart more than a season old has disadvantage, and a dune sea crossing is made at night or not at all.

Vibration hunters Every creature here large enough to be worth hunting hunts by vibration. Moving at more than half speed across open sand gives every burrowing creature within a mile the party's position.

Regions on it

• Desert. Dry ground that loses more water than it receives, mostly rock and scrub with some open dune.
• Highland. Mountain country below the snow line: long sightlines, slow going and fast-changing weather.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• River. Moving fresh water, and the fastest route across most terrain that has one.
• Settlement. Built ground, lived in or abandoned: close quarters, hard cover, and a jurisdiction attached to every encounter.
• Storm Front. Organized violent weather on the move, with high wind, whiteout and a visible advancing wall.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.

Terran (Barren)

Planetary environment

Sightlines are long and there is no food. Water limits every crossing.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Low Gravity Gravity below about 0.4g, where a push-off sends a creature farther than expected and stopping takes planning.

• Movement. Ground movement is normal, but any push-off sends the creature farther. A creature that Dashes continues an extra 10 feet in the same direction at the end of its turn unless it spends 5 feet stopping.
• Melee. A melee attack made without an anchor point pushes the attacker 5 feet away from the target after the attack resolves.
• Jumps and falls. Jump distances are tripled and falling damage is halved. A fall of under 40 feet does none.
• Carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is tripled. Mass is unchanged, so anything being carried is as hard to start and stop as it is at normal gravity.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Atmosphere The atmosphere sets which exposure the world carries. Thin means Extreme Cold at night and an ionizing dose by day; thick means Extreme Heat and Contaminated Atmosphere throughout. Airless means Vacuum.

Underground Life on a Barren world is found below the surface, and the regions worth mapping are subterranean.

Regolith Dust is unweathered and abrasive. A suit worn on the surface for more than a day needs a DC 12 Technology check or loses its rating.

Ionizing dose Unshielded on an airless Barren world, a creature takes a level of exhaustion each hour that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a DC 12 Medicine check, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Regions on it

• Alpine. The zone above the snow line: rock, ice and thin air, on ground that has to be climbed.
• Ash Column. An eruption column of ash and gas, and the abrasive, electrically charged fallout downwind of it.
• Desert. Dry ground that loses more water than it receives, mostly rock and scrub with some open dune.
• Highland. Mountain country below the snow line: long sightlines, slow going and fast-changing weather.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Settlement. Built ground, lived in or abandoned: close quarters, hard cover, and a jurisdiction attached to every encounter.
• Storm Front. Organized violent weather on the move, with high wind, whiteout and a visible advancing wall.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Tundra. Treeless ground over permafrost, open, cold, and without shelter from the weather.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.
• Volcanic Field. Recently resurfaced ground of fresh rock and vented gas, with a surface that may not hold weight.

Terran (Oceanic)

Planetary environment

Navigation is by current and by beacon. Foraging is easy, and the notice DC is high because the sightline is short in every direction.

In play

No shelf With little continental crust there is often no shallow margin at all. The drop from surface to abyssal depth can happen within a few kilometers of the only island.

Persistent storms With no landmass to break them, weather systems last for weeks, and a surface crossing has to be planned around one.

Pressure Below a hull's rated depth, a vessel or creature takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage per minute. Resistance and immunity to bludgeoning do not apply; only a pressure rating does.

Regions on it

• Coastline. The strip between high and low tide, which is different ground every six hours.
• Frozen Sea. Ocean covered by a layer of sea ice that supports weight until it breaks, over water that stays liquid.
• Island. Land surrounded by water on every side, where the only way off is a landing point, boat or beacon.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Oceanic Trench. A subduction trench cutting miles below the sea floor, the deepest water on the world, enterable only by a trench-rated hull.
• Open Ocean. Water with no bottom in reach and no cover of any kind, lit at the top and twilight below.
• Seamount. An underwater mountain that does not reach the surface, and the one landmark in open water.
• Shallows. Water over the shelf with the bottom in sight, lit, crowded, and shallow enough to work in.
• The Deep. The water below the last light: cold, black, and the largest habitat on any water world.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.
• Vent Field. An isolated community of life on the sea floor, fed by hot vents or cold hydrocarbon seeps.

Terran (Verdant)

Planetary environment

Roads and traffic are available, and locals can be asked. The DCs are for settled country, and the region being crossed sets its own.

In play

No exposure A Verdant world imposes no exposure of its own. Whatever the party is suffering from is local to the region they are standing in.

All five climates Tropical, dry, temperate, continental and polar all occur, banded by latitude and lifted by altitude. A single crossing can pass through three of them.

Regions on it

• Alpine. The zone above the snow line: rock, ice and thin air, on ground that has to be climbed.
• Arctic. Permanent ice over land, flat to the horizon, with the ice flowing slowly underneath.
• Ash Column. An eruption column of ash and gas, and the abrasive, electrically charged fallout downwind of it.
• Aurora. The rings where a world's magnetic field funnels the star's wind into the upper air.
• Coastline. The strip between high and low tide, which is different ground every six hours.
• Desert. Dry ground that loses more water than it receives, mostly rock and scrub with some open dune.
• Farmland. Cultivated and grazed land with the roads between it, all of it owned.
• Frozen Sea. Ocean covered by a layer of sea ice that supports weight until it breaks, over water that stays liquid.
• Grassland. Open ground under grass, from prairie to steppe to flooded plain, with little cover and no windbreak.
• Highland. Mountain country below the snow line: long sightlines, slow going and fast-changing weather.
• Island. Land surrounded by water on every side, where the only way off is a landing point, boat or beacon.
• Jet Stream. A narrow band of air moving two hundred knots in one direction at the top of the weather.
• Jungle. Tropical forest under a closed canopy, wet and dense, with most life above the ground.
• Lake. Standing fresh water that separates into layers, with a cold bottom that preserves what sinks into it.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Oceanic Trench. A subduction trench cutting miles below the sea floor, the deepest water on the world, enterable only by a trench-rated hull.
• Open Ocean. Water with no bottom in reach and no cover of any kind, lit at the top and twilight below.
• River. Moving fresh water, and the fastest route across most terrain that has one.
• Savanna. Tropical grassland with scattered trees, dry for most of the year.
• Seamount. An underwater mountain that does not reach the surface, and the one landmark in open water.
• Settlement. Built ground, lived in or abandoned: close quarters, hard cover, and a jurisdiction attached to every encounter.
• Shallows. Water over the shelf with the bottom in sight, lit, crowded, and shallow enough to work in.
• Storm Front. Organized violent weather on the move, with high wind, whiteout and a visible advancing wall.
• Subterranean. Everything under the surface, with no light, no weather, and a route set by what the rock allows.
• Taiga. Conifer forest to the horizon over bog, with a winter that runs most of the year.
• The Deep. The water below the last light: cold, black, and the largest habitat on any water world.
• Tundra. Treeless ground over permafrost, open, cold, and without shelter from the weather.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.
• Vent Field. An isolated community of life on the sea floor, fed by hot vents or cold hydrocarbon seeps.
• Volcanic Field. Recently resurfaced ground of fresh rock and vented gas, with a surface that may not hold weight.
• Wetland. Saturated ground between land and water, slow to cross and poor underfoot, with better cover than either.
• Woodland. Temperate forest and scrub with short sightlines and dense cover.

Zephyr

Planetary environment

Foraging means scooping volatiles. Visibility ends at the next band.

Exposure

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

In play

Depth A vessel states the band it is rated to. Below it, Crush Pressure applies and there is no bottom to reach.

Bands Winds between bands run at hundreds of miles an hour in opposite directions. Crossing one is a DC 15 Piloting check, and failing moves the vessel a band deeper.

Offset field The magnetosphere is the largest structure in the system and is offset from the axis. Magnetic Storm applies throughout, and instrument headings drift on the rotation period.

Supersonic winds The fastest winds measured anywhere. Ranged fire and unpowered flight are impossible in the open.

Pressure Below a hull's rated depth in the envelope, a vessel or creature takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage per minute. Resistance and immunity to bludgeoning do not apply; only a pressure rating does.

Regions on it

• Aurora. The rings where a world's magnetic field funnels the star's wind into the upper air.
• Cloud Deck. The banded weather of a Zephyr, with no surface beneath it and winds running opposite ways a mile apart.
• Jet Stream. A narrow band of air moving two hundred knots in one direction at the top of the weather.
• Lower Atmosphere. The layer of a world's atmosphere where weather occurs: breathable, turbulent and home to flying creatures and vessels.
• Near Space. The last of the atmosphere, thin enough to count as vacuum for every purpose except drag.
• Storm Front. Organized violent weather on the move, with high wind, whiteout and a visible advancing wall.
• Upper Atmosphere. The stratosphere and mesosphere, above the weather and below space, with no breathable air and little lift.

Alpine

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Temperate, Continental, Polar; Highland

Movement is roped, and a day's progress is measured in thousands of feet climbed instead of miles covered.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

Low Gravity Gravity below about 0.4g, where a push-off sends a creature farther than expected and stopping takes planning.

• Movement. Ground movement is normal, but any push-off sends the creature farther. A creature that Dashes continues an extra 10 feet in the same direction at the end of its turn unless it spends 5 feet stopping.
• Melee. A melee attack made without an anchor point pushes the attacker 5 feet away from the target after the attack resolves.
• Jumps and falls. Jump distances are tripled and falling damage is halved. A fall of under 40 feet does none.
• Carrying capacity. Carrying capacity is tripled. Mass is unchanged, so anything being carried is as hard to start and stop as it is at normal gravity.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Thin air Above 15,000 feet, a creature that is not acclimatized has disadvantage on Constitution saves and cannot regain hit points from a short rest.

Exposed A failed Strength (Athletics) check on a pitch means a fall of 1d4 x 10 feet. A roped party halves it.

Snowpack Loud noise or a heavy footfall on a loaded slope triggers an avalanche: DC 15 Dexterity save, 4d10 bludgeoning damage and Buried on a failure, half and Prone on a success.

Variations

Pass The one crossable line for a hundred miles, and its position is known.

Glaciated face Ice instead of rock. Crevasses hidden under a snow bridge, at DC 15 to spot.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Arctic), Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant)

Arctic

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Polar; Lowland, Highland

There is no forage of any kind, and all food is brought in.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

No forage Foraging finds no food. A party crossing an ice sheet must bring every calorie it will use.

Crevasse field A concealed crevasse is DC 15 to spot. Falling in is 3d6 bludgeoning damage and Restrained at the bottom of a 40-foot slot.

Whiteout In blowing snow the whole encounter is heavily obscured and a creature that moves more than 30 feet from the party is lost until found.

Snow blindness A creature that travels a full day on ice without eye protection is Blinded for 1d6 hours at the end of it.

Variations

Ice sheet Continental. Flat, thick and slow, with the nearest rock a week away.

Glacier A river of ice in a valley. Crevassed, moving, and the fastest route down off a range.

Worlds it occurs on Rime, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Verdant)

Ash Column

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Atmospheric, Lowland

No air-breathing engine survives a flight through it, and the fall zone blocks sight.

Exposure

Contaminated Atmosphere Air that can be breathed and should not be: spore, ash, chlorine, coolant or fallout. CON save, DC 12. End of each minute. The Poisoned condition until an hour after leaving the atmosphere.

• Filtration. A rebreather or sealed suit removes the check. A filter mask gives advantage on it.
• Visibility. Ash and dense spore make the area heavily obscured beyond Close range, in addition to their other effects.
• Radiological. Where the contaminant is radiological, a failed save also inflicts a level of exhaustion that a long rest will not clear. It is removed by a Medicine check against the same DC, a restorative spell or a course of antiradiation drugs.
• Conversion. A failure in Bloom atmosphere also counts as one day of exposure toward conversion.

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

In play

Engines fail Any air-breathing engine flown through ash fall fails completely in 1d4 rounds.

Abrasive Unfiltered breathing causes 1 level of exhaustion per hour. Each hour a creature also makes a DC 13 Constitution save or is Blinded until the ash is washed out.

Darkness Under the fall zone the region is heavily obscured and remains so until the eruption stops.

Column lightning The column generates its own storm. Anything flying within a mile of it takes 6d6 lightning damage on a failed DC 15 Dexterity save, once per minute.

Variations

The column Directly above the vent, where heat and velocity make every approach fatal.

Fall zone Downwind, for hundreds of miles. Ash accumulates deep enough to collapse a roof.

Worlds it occurs on Foundry World, Magmatic, Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant)

Aurora

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Polar; Atmospheric

A display is visible for hundreds of miles and lights the ground beneath it.

Exposure

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

Comms While the aurora is active, radio across the zone fails and navigation by magnetic compass is useless.

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.

Auroral light An active display lights the ground well enough to remove the penalty for darkness, and removes any concealment darkness was providing.

Warning A brightening display gives 1d4 hours of notice that a solar storm is arriving. Anything in orbit has that long to shelter.

Variations

Quiet arc A steady band at the usual latitude, visible nightly.

Storm display The ring widens toward the equator and the whole sky moves. The field is under strong disturbance.

Worlds it occurs on Ionic, Rime, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Verdant), Zephyr

Cloud Deck

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Atmospheric

Depth sets the limit. There is no bottom, so the limit is the vessel's hull rating.

Exposure

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

Magnetic Disturbance A world's or star's magnetic field in upheaval, so that instruments give false readings and comms fail.

• Instruments. Navigation and comms fail beyond Long range. Any check made with electronic assistance has disadvantage.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

No bottom Descent is limited by hull rating, not by ground. Below the rating a vessel takes 2d6 bludgeoning damage per minute, ignoring resistance.

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.

Buoyancy A vessel here holds altitude by lift instead of thrust. A lift failure is a fall with no ground to stop it.

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

Upper deck Ammonia cloud, temperatures a suit handles, and where anything crewed operates.

Lower deck Hotter, denser, darker. Past the rating of anything not built for it.

Worlds it occurs on Ionic, Zephyr

Coastline

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland

A route across is open six hours in twelve, and the tide table decides when to cross.

In play

Tide A route across flats or a marsh is passable for about six hours in twelve. A party caught mid-crossing is swimming, in water that is rising 3 feet an hour.

Footing Wet rock, mud and root are difficult terrain, and a Dash across them calls for a DC 12 Dexterity save against falling Prone.

Brackish Water here is undrinkable, and boiling does not fix it. Fresh water must come from inland or be brought in.

Variations

Tidal flat Sand or mud, and miles of it at low water. Open, level and entirely exposed.

Salt marsh Temperate and cold. Channels that cut the ground into islands at every high tide.

Mangrove Tropical. Root above the waterline in every direction, and sightlines of 30 feet.

River mouth Fresh water meeting salt. Traffic, silt and the deepest channel in the region.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Arctic), Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

Desert

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Dry; Lowland, Highland

A person needs two gallons of water per day, and a dune sea has none.

Exposure

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

In play

Water A creature that goes a day without water makes a DC 15 Constitution save or gains a level of exhaustion, and the DC rises by 2 each day after.

Night cold Ground temperature drops 50 degrees after dark. A night spent out with no shelter counts as Extreme Cold.

Glare Wisdom (Perception) checks by sight at Long range have disadvantage from the third hour of daylight to the ninth.

Variations

Xeric shrubland The most common type. Rock, gravel and hard scrub, with shade and half cover available.

Dune sea Open sand. Difficult terrain throughout, no stable landmarks, and navigation at DC 18.

Badlands Cut rock and canyon. Navigation is easy, and movement follows whatever route the drainage allows.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant)

Farmland

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental; Lowland, Highland

Roads and walls make movement easy, and workers see any party that crosses. Forage belongs to the owner of the field.

In play

Roads Travel along a road doubles the day's distance and removes difficult terrain.

Owned Foraging, camping or taking cover in a worked field is trespass under local jurisdiction.

Field boundaries Walls, hedges and ditches divide the encounter into 100-foot squares, each giving half cover along its edge.

Variations

Cropland Standing crop is lightly obscured from midsummer, and bare ground the rest of the year.

Rangeland Grazed open country with fewer people, longer sightlines and herds that scatter when startled.

Frontier track Survey camps and a road one rut wide. Whoever is armed holds jurisdiction.

Worlds it occurs on City, Terran (Verdant)

Frozen Sea

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Polar; Lowland, Subsurface

The ice usually supports weight. A diver under it has one way out, the hole the diver entered by.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

In play

Thin ice A DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check spots new or rotten ice. The ice holds a Small or smaller creature. A Medium creature that moves onto it makes a DC 12 Dexterity save and breaks through on a failure. A Large or larger creature breaks through automatically. A creature in the water is subject to the Immersion rule of Extreme Cold (a Constitution save each minute). Climbing back onto the ice takes an action and a DC 12 Strength (Athletics) check.

Open leads The ice pack moves. Once a day a lead of open water 1d6 x 10 feet wide opens across the route, and it closes somewhere else.

Return route A diver under continuous ice who loses the guide line makes a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check to find the entry hole. On a failure, the diver cannot find it and must be rescued or find another way out.

Sealed ocean Water under permanent ice has no light and no open surface. All life in it feeds on what rises from the sea floor.

Variations

Pack ice Seasonal, moving, broken ice with leads and pressure ridges. The route differs each day.

Shelf ice Hundreds of feet thick and grounded. It behaves like land until it calves.

Subglacial ocean Found on ice moons. Liquid water under miles of ice, warmed from below and sealed off from the surface.

Worlds it occurs on Rime, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

Grassland

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental; Lowland

The route is open, so water is the limiting factor.

In play

Long sightlines Encounter distance is Long unless the grass is high or the ground rolls. Neither side surprises the other on open plain.

High grass Grass above waist height is lightly obscured and costs no extra movement. A Prone creature in it is Hidden.

Fire runs A fire started in dry grass spreads 60 feet downwind at the end of each round until rain or a firebreak stops it.

Variations

Prairie Temperate. Deep soil, grass to the shoulder, and a hard winter.

Steppe Continental and dry. Short grass, no trees, and 70 degrees between summer and winter.

Flooded plain Tropical and temperate. Under water for part of the year, and the herds arrive and leave with the flood.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Verdant)

Highland

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Highland

Sightlines are long, but a day's progress is halved. Altitude rules apply above the line.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

Altitude Above 10,000 feet, a creature that is not acclimatized makes a DC 10 Constitution save after each hour of exertion or gains a level of exhaustion.

Vertical Map distance understates distance traveled. Halve the day's progress, and treat scree as difficult terrain.

Sudden weather A DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check each day reads the sky. On a failure, Extreme Weather hits for 1d4 hours with no shelter in reach.

Variations

Upland pasture Below the tree line and grazed, with tracks, walls and locals who know the route.

Moor Temperate and wet. Peat, no cover, and ground that swallows a leg to the knee.

Paramo Tropical and high, with frost most nights and no frost season, and unusual plants adapted to it.

Worlds it occurs on Ore, Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant)

Island

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland, Highland

Distances are short. The limiting factor is leaving the island.

In play

One way off Any retreat is to a landing point, a boat or a beacon. An encounter on an island cannot be walked away from.

Naive fauna Native creatures that have never met an off-world predator do not flee and do not hide. Stealth against them is unnecessary and Intimidation does not work.

Endemic Whatever lives here lives only here. A creature encountered on one island has no entry in any bestiary the party carries.

Variations

Volcanic Steep, new, and still building. A central peak and almost no flat ground.

Atoll A reef ring around a lagoon. The highest point is feet above sea level, and a storm crosses all of it.

Continental fragment A piece of a larger landmass, cut off long enough for its species to diverge from the mainland's.

Worlds it occurs on Aquan, Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

Jet Stream

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Temperate, Polar; Atmospheric

Downwind, the crossing takes half the time. Upwind, a vessel covers a quarter of its normal day's distance.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

In play

With the stream A vessel riding the stream halves its travel time. A vessel flying against it covers a quarter of the normal day's distance.

Shear A pilot crossing the boundary makes a DC 14 Dexterity save. On a failure the vessel is thrown 1d6 x 100 feet and every creature aboard falls Prone.

Hidden boundary The stream and its edges show no mark a pilot can read. Without instruments, a pilot spots the boundary with a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check as the vessel approaches. On a failure, the vessel enters the shear unwarned and the pilot makes the Shear save with disadvantage.

Variations

Polar jet Stronger, lower and further from the equator in winter.

Subtropical jet Higher and steadier. This is the jet used as a route.

Worlds it occurs on Ionic, Terran (Verdant), Zephyr

Jungle

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical; Lowland, Highland

Cutting pace. A day's march is four miles unless there is a river.

Exposure

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

In play

No sightline Encounter distance is Close. Ranged attacks beyond 60 feet have disadvantage.

Cutting pace Off a river or a game trail, travel is difficult terrain and the day's distance is quartered.

Canopy route A creature with a climb speed treats the canopy as open terrain 80 feet up. Creatures on the ground cannot see it.

Rot Rations, paper and untreated cloth left uncovered spoil in 1d4 days. Anything buried is found by a scavenger.

Variations

Moist broadleaf Rain every month. The wettest and the most closed of the three.

Dry broadleaf A real dry season. The canopy thins and opens, and fire becomes possible.

Tropical conifer Higher and cooler, on poor soil. Sparser, and the going is faster.

Worlds it occurs on Spore, Terran (Verdant)

Lake

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland, Highland

The water is flat, and a crossing is short and entirely exposed.

In play

Exposed crossing A vessel on open lake water has no cover and is visible from every shore. Encounter distance is Long.

Thermocline Below the summer thermocline the water is near freezing and sonar does not cross it cleanly. A creature below it is hidden from anything above.

Preservation Cold fresh water preserves what sinks in it. Anything recovered from a deep lake bottom is in the condition it sank in, regardless of how long ago that was.

Variations

Shallow lake Mixed top to bottom, warm and productive. Weed beds are difficult terrain for swimmers.

Rift lake Hundreds of feet deep and old, with endemic species and an unsurveyed bottom.

Subglacial lake Under an ice sheet and sealed off from the surface. Reached by bore.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Arctic), Terran (Verdant)

Lower Atmosphere

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Atmospheric

Breathable throughout, turbulent at the bottom, cold at the top.

In play

Turbulence In the lowest mile, a flying creature or vessel makes a DC 10 Dexterity save on any round it changes altitude sharply, or is moved 1d4 x 10 feet in a random direction.

Falling A creature that loses flight here falls for 1d6 rounds before it lands.

Thinning Above 15,000 feet a creature without oxygen has disadvantage on Constitution saves. Above 25,000 it gains a level of exhaustion each hour.

Aeroplankton Spores, seeds and small drifting life ride the layer in visible density and form the food chain that supports floating settlements.

Variations

Boundary layer The lowest mile. Rough, dirty, and shaped by whatever terrain is underneath.

Free troposphere Above the drag. Smooth, thin and cold, and where a floating citadel sits.

Worlds it occurs on City, Foundry World, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant), Zephyr

Near Space

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Atmospheric

Vacuum in every practical sense, with enough drag to end an orbit.

Exposure

Vacuum No pressure and no air to breathe, with survival measured in rounds.

• Countdown. Without a seal, a creature holds out for a number of rounds equal to its Constitution modifier, minimum 1. At the end of that time its hit points drop to -1, unless they are already lower, and it is dying. It cannot be stabilized or regain hit points until it can breathe.
• Decompressed. Exposure inflicts the Decompressed condition, which a return to pressure does not by itself remove.
• Holding your breath. Holding a breath in vacuum ruptures the lungs. A creature that does so takes 2d6 damage on the first round and gains no benefit from the attempt.
• Sound. Sound does not travel. Verbal spell components, shouted orders and Perception by hearing all fail across open vacuum. Suit comms and touch are the only channels.
• Unfiltered light. Without air to filter it, the star's output arrives unreduced. An hour of unshielded exposure in direct sunlight counts as a failed Contaminated Atmosphere save against radiological dose.

Zero Gravity Free fall, where there is no down, no moving body stops on its own, and a missed handhold leaves a creature adrift.

• Movement. Moving requires a surface to push from. A creature with nothing in reach continues in the direction it last moved until it reaches something.
• Changing course. Changing direction mid-drift requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check. On a failure the creature continues as it was.
• Melee. An unanchored melee attack has disadvantage and pushes the attacker 10 feet away from the target after it resolves.
• No falling. There is no up, no down and no falling damage. A creature cannot be knocked Prone, and the Prone condition does not apply.
• Mag boots. Magnetic boots or a tether remove every entry above while a ferrous surface is underfoot, at the cost of half movement.

In play

Vacuum Treat as vacuum for breathing, pressure and heat. The temperature figure for this layer describes individual molecules and has no effect on a suit.

Decay An uncorrected orbit here loses altitude and re-enters in 1d6 months. Anything abandoned in this layer comes down.

Ionized Radio through this layer is unreliable and worse in a solar storm. Treat comms as a Magnetic Disturbance during one.

Ionizing dose Unshielded, a creature gains a level of exhaustion each hour. A long rest does not clear it. A Medicine check at DC 12, a restorative spell or antiradiation drugs remove it. Rated shielding removes the effect, and most powered plate raises the interval to four hours.

Variations

Thermosphere Where low orbit sits and where an aurora forms.

Exosphere The outermost layer, where the last molecules leak away. It has no sharp boundary with space.

Worlds it occurs on City, Foundry World, Ore, Rime, Ruin, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant), Zephyr

Oceanic Trench

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Subsurface

Only a trench-rated hull can enter, and no partial approach exists.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

In play

Pressure Only a trench-rated hull enters. Anything else takes 4d6 bludgeoning damage per minute below the abyssal plain, ignoring resistance and immunity.

Absolute dark Heavily obscured throughout, because no daylight reaches the trench.

Endemic A trench population is isolated from every other trench. What is found in one is found nowhere else on the world.

Ascent Rising more than 200 feet in a round from trench depth requires a DC 15 Constitution save or a level of exhaustion and the Poisoned condition for an hour.

Variations

Trench wall Near-vertical, ledged rock holding debris the plate has caught.

Trench floor The bottom of the axis. Sediment miles thick over the subducting plate.

Worlds it occurs on Aquan, Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

Open Ocean

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland, Subsurface

No cover and no bottom. Position is depth as much as bearing.

In play

Three dimensions There are no flanks here. A creature with a swim speed can approach from any direction including below, and cover does not exist.

No footing A creature without a swim speed moves at half speed and cannot take the Dash action. A dropped item is lost.

Twilight Below 650 feet the water is heavily obscured. Creatures adapted to it see by their own light and treat the dark as their cover.

Variations

Sunlit The top 650 feet. Lit and warm, and where air-breathers must return to breathe.

Twilight 650 to 3,300 feet. Enough light to see a silhouette against the surface and too little to see anything below.

Worlds it occurs on Aquan, Red, Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

River

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland, Highland

Downstream doubles the day. Upstream halves it.

In play

The current A creature in the channel is carried 1d4 x 10 feet downstream at the end of its turn unless it is anchored or swimming against it at half speed.

Route Travel downstream doubles the day's distance and ignores difficult terrain. Upstream halves it.

Crossings A pursuer knows where a party can cross, because crossings are few. A ford or a bridge is a likely ambush site.

Flood After heavy rain upstream, the channel rises 1d6 feet an hour for 1d4 hours and the ford is gone.

Variations

Headwater Steep, fast and cold. Vessels portage around obstacles, and no vessel larger than a boat can use it.

Lowland channel Slow, wide and navigable. Traffic, tolls and a settlement at every confluence.

Delta The channel splits into a hundred branches. Navigation is DC 15, and the route differs each season.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Arid), Terran (Verdant)

Savanna

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry; Lowland

The going is easy. Standing water decides where to travel.

Exposure

Extreme Heat Temperatures above about 100 degrees Fahrenheit in shade, or anywhere near a working vent. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Sealed and armored. A creature in medium or heavy armor, or in a sealed suit without active cooling, has disadvantage on the save.
• Water. A creature with its full water ration has advantage on the save. One without any fails automatically.
• Cooled. Active cooling, a Rift effect naming heat, or Resistance to fire damage removes the save.

In play

Scattered cover Trees and termite mounds give half cover at Medium range. There is no cover between them.

Waterhole In the dry season, every creature within a day's travel comes to the same water. Roll encounters at twice the usual rate within 300 feet of it.

Midday heat Travel between the fourth and the tenth hour of daylight counts as Extreme Heat in the dry season.

Variations

Wet season Four months of standing water and new grass. Travel slows, forage is easy, and the herds disperse.

Thornveld Drier. Acacia and thorn scrub, and half cover that costs 1d4 slashing damage to push through.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Verdant)

Seamount

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Subsurface

The only navigational fix in open water, and predators use it too.

In play

Upwelling Current over the summit is forced up at 1d4 x 5 feet per round. A creature holding station there swims at half speed.

Aggregation Roll encounters at twice the usual rate within 500 feet of the summit, because life from the surrounding water gathers there.

Landmark A seamount is a navigational fix. Navigation within sonar range of one is DC 5, and a pursuer can meet a party there instead of following it.

Variations

Shallow summit Within diving range, lit and reefed, and suitable for a mooring.

Deep summit Thousands of feet down. Aggregation without light, and a hull to reach it.

Worlds it occurs on Aquan, Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

Settlement

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland, Highland, Subsurface

Locals can give directions, and they will remember being asked.

In play

Enclosed Encounter distance is Close to Medium throughout. Ranged weapons lose their advantage past the end of the street.

Hard cover Masonry and structure give three-quarters cover almost anywhere. An encounter here is fought from corners.

Vertical Roofs, levels and shafts add vertical layers to the encounter, reached by climb, lift or permit.

Witnesses In a living settlement, any action taken in the open is known to someone within the hour. In an abandoned one, it goes unobserved.

Variations

Occupied People, law and a market. Foraging means buying, and an alarm brings a response.

Ruin Standing structure with no jurisdiction, and collapse is the main hazard.

Undercity Built ground that has been built over. Subterranean rules for light apply throughout.

Worlds it occurs on City, Foundry World, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant)

Shallows

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Lowland

Bottom in sight throughout. Working depth for anything without a pressure hull.

In play

Lit bottom Sunlight reaches the floor. No lamp is needed by day, and a lamp at night is visible for 300 feet.

Cover Reef, kelp and wreckage give half cover throughout and break line of sight at 30 feet. An encounter here is fought at Close range.

Working depth No pressure rules apply above 130 feet. Below that, a diver is on a clock the GM tracks.

Surge In weather, a creature in the top 20 feet is pushed 1d4 x 5 feet in a random direction at the start of its turn.

Variations

Reef Tropical. The densest cover and the densest population in any water on the world.

Kelp forest Temperate and cold. Vertical cover from floor to surface, and difficult terrain to swim through.

Seagrass meadow Shallow, soft-bottomed and open. Cover only for what is small enough to lie in it.

Shelf floor Open bottom out to the break. Wrecks and ruins are found here because this is where they were lost.

Worlds it occurs on Aquan, Terran (Oceanic), Terran (Verdant)

Storm Front

Regional environment; Aerial (air); Tropical, Dry, Temperate, Continental, Polar; Atmospheric, Lowland

Parties should not travel inside a front. The forecast check decides when to move.

Exposure

Extreme Weather 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.

• Obscured. The whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss and Perception by sight fails past that range.
• 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.
• No travel. A day spent traveling in it covers a quarter of the usual distance and still costs the hourly save.
• 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.
• 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.

In play

Blind Inside the front the whole encounter is heavily obscured. Ranged attacks beyond 30 feet automatically miss.

Wind A Medium or smaller creature in the open makes a DC 15 Strength save at the start of its turn or is moved 1d4 x 10 feet downwind and falls Prone.

Debris Wind-blown debris hits for 2d6 bludgeoning damage on a failed DC 13 Dexterity save, once per round in the open.

Forecast A DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check or any weather instrument gives 1d6 hours of warning. Without either, there is no warning.

Variations

Cyclonic system Rotating and days across, with a brief calm at the eye, surrounded by the storm wall.

Squall line Lasts hours instead of days, and is violent and fast-moving.

Dust front Dry worlds. The wind carries abrasive grit, and that grit counts as a Contaminated Atmosphere.

Worlds it occurs on Ionic, Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant), Zephyr

Subterranean

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Subsurface

There is one route, set by the rock. Light must be brought, or there is none.

In play

No light Unlit passage is heavily obscured. A creature without darkvision or a light source is Blinded, and cannot take the Search action.

One route There is no flanking approach a map does not show. A passage can be held by two creatures against any number.

Sound Noise travels hundreds of feet and arrives from the wrong direction. Perception checks by hearing reveal that a source exists but not where it is.

Bad air In a dead-end or a flooded system, a pocket of foul air counts as a Contaminated Atmosphere until it is vented or crossed.

Variations

Cave system Dissolved limestone. Water-cut and branching, often with the stream that cut it still running.

Lava tube A drained lava conduit, straight and round, and prone to roof collapse.

Deep crust Miles down. The rock is hot enough to count as Extreme Heat without a cooled suit.

Flooded system Sumps and anchialine pools. Passable only by diving, and a diver who loses the guide line cannot find the way out.

Worlds it occurs on City, Foundry World, Ore, Rime, Sentient, Spore, Terran (Arctic), Terran (Arid), Terran (Barren), Terran (Verdant)

Taiga

Regional environment; Terrestrial (land); Continental, Polar; Lowland, Highland

No feature works as a landmark. Travel on frozen ground is twice as fast as on thawed ground.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.

• Cold-weather gear. Proper layers, a sealed suit or a heated shelter removes the save. Wet layers give disadvantage on it instead.
• Immersion. A creature in near-freezing water makes the save each minute instead of each hour, and is Incapacitated at three levels of exhaustion.
• Gear. Unheated power cells lose half their charge, and any check made with bare hands after an hour of exposure has disadvantage.
• Adapted. A creature native to a cold world, or with resistance to cold damage, ignores the save.

In play

Featureless Wisdom (Survival) checks to navigate have disadvantage without a compass, a star fix or a watercourse to follow.

Thaw From thaw to first frost, off-trail ground is difficult terrain and the day's distance is halved.

Deadfall Fallen timber gives half cover anywhere in the encounter and costs 10 feet of movement to cross.

Variations

Frozen Eight months. Bogs bear weight, the going is fast, and Extreme Cold applies to any night spent out.

Thawed Four months. Standing water, insects, and half the day's distance.

Worlds it occurs on Terran (Arctic), Terran (Verdant)

The Deep

Regional environment; Aquatic (water); Subsurface

Travel is limited by hull rating.

Exposure

Extreme Cold Temperatures below about zero degrees Fahrenheit, or any water near freezing, made worse by wind. CON save, DC 10, rising by 1 for each hour after the first. End of each hour. One level of exhaustion.