Challenges
SectionOSE HMS · p.4
Open source p.4Every watch, while the party is in the mountain, the referee rolls to determine the obstacles they face. While the party is at the entrances or travelling overland to an entrance, the referee rolls a .
| 2d6 | Result |
|---|---|
| Challenge Faced This Watch () | |
| 1 | Eerie stillness: A glowing (roll ): (1) lynx, (2) ibex, (3) marmot, (4) boar, (5) fox, or (6) eagle watches from afar. After a while it begins to (roll ): (1) taunt, (2) dance, (3) follow, or (4) flee. If party injures animal, roll on challenge table. If party follows animal, 50% chance they find a small treasure (page 7), 50% chance they are lost. |
| 2 | Earthquake: The mountain quivers like a dog shaking off fleas. The PC with the lowest CHA and any nearby PCs are threatened by a (roll ): (1) large boulder ( save vs death or crushed), (2) log or pillar ( damage), (3) mass of gravel or rubble ( save vs paralysis or buried, turns to dig out), or (4) cloud of blinding dust and grit ( save vs breath or blinded for 1 watch or until eyes washed with water). |
| 3 | Tremor: Mountain rumbles. Birds flee. Shifting rubble makes path dangerous. 1 watch to navigate safely, otherwise party must pass a hidden hazard (equivalent of a room trap) (roll ): (1) path collapses into crevasse underfoot ( x 10’ pit), (2) unstable overhang ( damage), (3) slippery flooded sinkhole (danger of drowning), or (4) imminent rockslide ( save vs paralysis or buried). Unsteady rubble: turns making safe path or random PC must make a DEX check. Failure: rub- |
| 4 | ble shifts and slides down, tumbling rear half of party into (roll ): (1) pool (danger of drowning), (2) pit ( x 10’ deep), (3) side cavern (small treasure (page 7) and a regional creature), (4) open path to a new feature ( damage from rubble). |
| 5 | Ominous portents: A (roll ): (1) gusting wind chokes torches, (2) metallic smell provokes coughing, (3) electric tension makes metal objects spark, (4) cloud of cave wisps (page 10) emerges from the ground. 6—9 Regional challenge: Each regional challenge only occurs once. If the same result is rolled a second time, clues to another challenge or an unknown feature are found instead. |
| 10 | Exhaustion: Party faces (roll ): (1) hunger (eat rations or lose hp), (2) thirst (drink or lose hp), (3) weariness (rest 1 watch or suffer penalty to all checks and attacks), (4) inattention (leader makes WIS check or lost). |
| 11 | Psychic wave: Wash of sudden emotion rolls over party (roll ): (1) anger (WIS check or lash out), (2) frustration (INT check or throw away carried object), (3) disgust (CHA check or nauseated), or (4) satisfaction. Lair: Creatures from nearest region, fortified and blocking easy passage (1 watch to bypass). |
| 12 | If nearest region lacks creatures, the lair is abandoned. Number appearing: times as many as in region. Treasure type (roll ): (1) B, (2) C, (3) D, or (4) E. |
Class Abilities
Some characters’ class abilities may help avoid certain challenges. In such cases, the referee may allow the character to automatically succeed at required ability checks (e.g. a thief’s ability to climb sheer surfaces might bypass a DEX check to climb).