Environments

Reactivity

The storyteller tracks the ambient level of elemental charge in a scene. This grows as everyone present spends Charge, gradually supercharging the environment until things start to explode!

Environmental damage

Pressure

Hostile environments can cause recurring damage, ignoring Defense.

Pressure represents environmental dangers that apply to all participants of a scene. At the end of each round, the Pressure is dealt as damage to everyone.

You may be able to avoid Pressure by taking sensible precautions. For example, if a raging bonfire has Pressure 3, you can reduce the damage by covering yourself and your allies in water.

Volley

A volley is a high volume of indiscriminate fire.

• Archers firing volleys of covering fire into an area
• Alchemists lobbing bombs into a wild combat
• Elemental effects raining down at random

Each round, the storyteller should roll at random to determine the target area (usually one or a few zones). For example, he might roll 1d10 and select every zone that has a result of 1.

The storyteller then Challenges against the relevant defense of everyone in the area. This is an Area effect.

Crystal eruptions

Crystal eruptions are extremely dangerous and likely lethal.

Damage from a crystal eruption has Pierce Aura, almost guaranteeing Wounds.

For stronger crystals, the eruption is so powerful that the storyteller does not even roll. If you are there when it goes off, you die.

Traps

Traps act as environmental consumables. Each Trap belongs to a single zone.

For rules on creation, triggers, and disarming Traps, see the rules under Fire.

Note: Many environmental hazards act as Traps. The most dangerous of these have Pierce Aura! Mind your surroundings!