Tier 3 Environments (Levels 5-7)¶

This section contains environment stat blocks for Tier 3, appropriate for characters at levels 5-7.

Burning Heart of the Woods¶

Tier 3 Exploration

Thick indigo ash fills the air around a towering moss-covered tree that burns eternally with flames a sickly shade of blue.

Impulses: Beat out an uncanny rhythm for all to follow, corrupt the woods

Difficulty: 16

Potential Adversaries: Beasts (Bear, Glass Snake), Elementals (Elemental Spark), Verdant Defenders (Dryad, Oak Treant, Stag Knight)

Features¶

Chaos Magic Locus - Passive: When a PC makes a Spellcast Roll, they must roll two Fear Dice and take the higher result.

What does it feel like to work magic in this chaos-touched place? What do you fear will happen if you lose control of the spell?

The Indigo Flame - Passive: PCs who approach the central tree can make a Knowledge Roll to try to identify the magic that consumed this environment.
On a success: They learn three of the below details. On a success with Fear, they learn two.
On a failure: They can mark a Stress to learn one and gain advantage on the next action roll to investigate this environment.
Details: This is a result of Fallen magic. The corruption is spread through the ashen moss. It can be cleansed only by a ritual of nature magic with a Progress Countdown (8). What Fallen cult corrupted these woods? What have they already done with the cursed wood and sap from this tree?
Grasping Vines - Action: Immense vines bristling with thorns whip out from the underbrush to ensnare the PCs. A target must succeed on an Agility Reaction Roll or become Restrained and Vulnerable until they break free, clearing both conditions, with a successful Finesse or Strength Roll or by dealing 10 damage to the vines. When the target makes a roll to escape, they take 1d8+4 physical damage and lose a Hope.

What painful memories do the vines bring to the surface as they pierce flesh?

Charcoal Constructs - Action: Warped animals wreathed in indigo flame rampage through a point of your choice. All targets within Close range of that point must make an Agility Reaction Roll. Targets who fail take 3d12+3 physical damage. Targets who succeed take half damage instead.

Are these real animals consumed by the flame or merely constructs of the corrupting magic?

Choking Ash - Reaction: Countdown (Loop 6). When the PCs enter the Burning Heart of the Woods, activate the countdown. When it triggers, all characters must make a Strength or Instinct Reaction Roll. Targets who fail take 4d6+5 direct physical damage. Targets who succeed take half damage. Protective masks or clothes give advantage on the reaction roll.

What hallucinations does the ash induce? What incongruous taste does it possess?

Castle Siege¶

Tier 3 Event

An active siege with an attacking force fighting to gain entry to a fortified castle.

Impulses: Bleed out the will to fight, breach the walls, build momentum

Difficulty: 17

Potential Adversaries: Mercenaries (Harrier, Sellsword, Spellblade, Weaponmaster), Noble Forces (Archer Squadron, Catapult, Elite Soldier, Knight of the Realm)

Features¶

Secret Entrance - Passive: A PC can find or recall a secret way into the castle with a successful Instinct or Knowledge Roll.

How do they do so without revealing the pathway to the attackers? Are any of the defenders monitoring this path?

Siege Weapon (Environment Countdown) - Action: Consequence Countdown (8). The attacking force deploys siege weapons to try to raze the defender's fortifications. Activate the countdown when the siege begins (for a protracted siege, make this a long-term countdown instead). When it triggers, the defenders' fortifications have been breached and the attackers flood inside. You gain 2 Fear, then shift to the Pitched Battle environment and spotlight the attackers.

What siege weapons are being deployed? Are they magical, mundane, or a mixture of both? What defenses must the characters surmount to storm the castle?

Reinforcements! - Action: Summons a Knight of the Realm, a number of Tier 3 Minions equal to the number of PCs, and two adversaries of your choice within Far range of a chosen PC as reinforcements. The Knight of the Realm immediately takes the spotlight.

Who are they targeting first? What formation do they take?

Collateral Damage - Reaction: When an adversary is defeated, you can spend a Fear to have a stray attack from a siege weapon hit a point on the battlefield. All targets within Very Close range of that point must make an Agility Reaction Roll.
Targets who fail take 3d8+3 physical or magic damage and must mark a Stress.
Targets who succeed must mark a Stress.

What debris is scattered by the attack? What is broken by the strike that can't be easily mended?

Pitched Battle¶

Tier 3 Event

A massive combat between two large groups of armed combatants.

Impulses: Seize people, land, and wealth, spill blood for greed and glory

Difficulty: 17

Potential Adversaries: Mercenaries (Sellsword, Harrier, Spellblade, Weaponmaster), Noble Forces (Archer Squadron, Catapult, Elite Soldier, Knight of the Realm)

Features¶

Adrift on a Sea of Steel - Passive: Traversing a battlefield during an active conflict is extremely dangerous. A PC must succeed on an Agility Roll to move at all, and can only go up to Close range on a success. If an adversary is within Melee range of them, they must mark a Stress to make an Agility Roll to move.

Do the combatants mistake you for the enemy or consider you interlopers? Can you tell the difference between friend and foe in the fray?

Raze and Pillage - Action: The attacking force raises the stakes by lighting a fire, stealing a valuable asset, kidnapping an important person, or killing the populace.

What is valuable here? Who is most vulnerable?

War Magic - Action: Spend a Fear to have a mage from one side uses large-scale destructive magic. Pick a point on the battlefield within Very Far range of the mage. All targets within Close range of that point must make an Agility Reaction Roll. Targets who fail take 3d10+4 magic damage and must mark a Stress. What form does the attack take—fireball, naming wind, a storm of blades? What tactical objective is this attack meant to accomplish, and what comes next?
Reinforcements! - Action: Summon a Knight of the Realm, a number of Tier 3 Minions equal to the number of PCs, and two adversaries of your choice within Far range of a chosen PC as reinforcements. The Knight of the Realm immediately takes the spotlight.

Who are they targeting first? What formation do they take?