Stalactites & Stalagmites: If you ever forget which is which, a good mnemonic (in English, at least) is the ‘c’ or ‘g’ in the middle of the two structures’ names. Stalactites hang from the ceiling, while stalagmites protrude from the ground.

Stalagmites are useful for cover, but could also be ripped out of the ground by larger monsters and used as weapons. Stalactites, being heavily-weighted, sharp spears hanging above the heads of the combatants, just beg to be dropped on them.

Water: Underground rivers are a staple of any genre which ventures beneath the ground, and can be used in the same way as above-ground rivers. In addition, there can be pools of standing water which might be natural hazards which spread disease. Another fun thing is that you can get a new angle on rivers when you’re underground… Imagine a large explosion busting a hole in a thin cave wall which has a river on the other side. Suddenly the combat has changed into a fleeing scene where all the characters madly try to escape the rushing waters flooding in.

Difficult Terrain: One of the downsides of caves is that they can be very small and cramped. However, by adding in lots of difficult terrain you virtually expand the size of the area, since you’re reducing how quickly all of the combatants can move.

Flora: Caves are damp and dark and the perfect breeding ground for various molds, slimes and spore-laden mushrooms. A sticky mold might immobilize foes, or beds of mushrooms release noxious spores when disturbed.

Darkness: PCs love to forget about light sources… Sometimes, it can be fun to make sure they don’t.

Unstable footing: Carpets of slippery mold; damp, slick rocks; and slopes of loose gravel are all opportunities for skill checks to avoid falling down.

Poor structural integrity: Falling rocks are always a hazard, but cave-ins and weak floors can separate and isolate people.

Lava: ‘Nuff said

Elevation: Caves give you an almost free playground for making weird elevations and ideal perches for snipers and other ranged attackers.

Oxygen: Most caves don’t come with built-in air purifiers. Without some good knowledge checks, a party might wander deep into a system of caves and have no idea how much danger they’re in until they start feeling short of breath…

Trees: The first, and most obvious, thing one thinks about in a forest is the trees! Consider what kind of trees they are and how that might affect things. A huge oak tree is plenty large to hide most any PC, while a thinner birch tree would do little to obscure vision but would provide a good bit of defense. Low-hanging branches can be used to escape from melee and rain shots down from above. Consider also how the trees might interact with the combat. A fireball may or may not ignite a tree, an errant sword or axe blow might get stuck in the wood, and a dead and rotting tree might even fall over with a bit of coaxing. Overturned trees provide the equivalent of a low wall, and may also serve as treacherous– but convenient– bridges.

Water: Streams, waterfalls, springs, all are readily found in the forest. Deep enough water can be used to set up an ambush, with the ambushers breathing through makeshift snorkels. A stream can prove to be a valuable defensive line, or an annoying offensive obstacle. Standing in the stream hampers your footwork and also places you at a lower elevation than those outside of it. Boots can get stuck in mud, and if the current is strong enough you may even risk being washed away.

Elevation: Forests are rarely flat, and from sheer rock faces to small gullies there are many opportunities to use that to your advantage. Archers can safely shoot at their enemies, and warriors can push others off a small cliff.

Undergrowth: Anyone accustomed to cobblestone roads or even the relatively even terrain of farms and plains will have trouble making the swift and precise movements required in the middle of combat.

Animals: A snake can be a natural trap, leaping out of its hole and biting anyone who steps near it. Hives hanging from trees lend themselves well to interesting and dynamic combat. Scavengers and predators may be drawn to the sounds of the fight.

So today I’m just going to brainstorm different things you can do to make the requisite barroom brawls a bit more interesting. Probably not a whole lot originality here, but this is as much to explore a new kind of post for me as anything else, and who knows, it might spark some ideas. So without further ado…

Barrels: Filled with ales, lagers and wines, meats and cheeses, or even empty, barrels are a great addition to any fight and are perfectly at home in any tavern. Kick ‘em down a stairway to stymie pursuers, hide behind ‘em for cover, tip ‘em over and introduce some flame to make a big wall of fire. Perhaps best of all, have large stacks of barrels laid on their sides and held in place by rope; one quick cut and you’ve got a cascade of containers barreling down on your foes, if you’ll excuse the pun.

Flour: Flour? What the hell could flour possibly be used for in a fight? Toss it around to blind people or uncover invisible assailants– even if you miss, their footprints will still be outlined if they go in the covered areas. Better yet, flour suspended in air is extremely explosive– be careful that you’re not throwing that sack at an invisible fire elemental!

Booze: If there’s one thing a tavern’s got, it’s booze. Heavy bottles can make excellent and nonlethal weapons, and can be broken if the situation calls for a bit less discretion. Booze also has the wonderful property in that it’s both flammable and inflammable at the same time. I’m starting to notice a pattern here, actually… Moral of the story: If you go to the bar, either bring your own fire or bring some potions of fire resistance.

Furniture: A bar’s a pretty crowded place– it can be damned hard to move effectively in combat. It might just be easier to maneuver by standing on tables, not to mention that gives you the advantage of high ground. Depending on the design of the table, it might be as steady as the ground below it or it might be very difficult to stand on without tipping. In any case, there’s lot of opportunities here for jump checks and balance checks and even strength checks to overturn a heavy table and use it as cover, or pick one up to bullrush a group of enemies. Oh, and lest I drop the whole “torch the place” motif, let’s not forget about candelabra, sconces and torches along the wall. Speaking of lighting sources…

Chandeliers: What tavern brawl would be complete without someone swinging from a chandelier, someone dropping a chandelier on their enemies, or someone dropping a chandelier on their enemies while another enemy swings from it over a huge puddle of booze just waiting to be set ablaze by said same* chandelier?

Patrons & Staff: If there’s one thing a bar’s got more of than the hooch, it’s people. Potential enemies, allies, bystanders to be evacuated, hostages to be rescued, and idiots to run around like a chicken with its head cut off, blocking your shots at the most inopportune time. And, um, they might have matches or something on them, I guess. *cough*

Is “said same” an actual phrase? It sounds correct to me, and I swear I’ve heard it used before, but a quick search on Google just brings up coincidences where the word said just happens to precede the word same… It’s generic enough a search term that’s not quite enough to convince me I’m crazy, but… I worry too much about shit like this.

Description: The hive is an active* feature suitable for forests, plains, ruins, and other places a hive of bees or other insects might be found.

Setup: Try to place the hive somewhere which combatants are likely to pass near it, such as a natural choke point or a point of interest. This also works especially well with monsters which are vulnerable or resistant to the insects’ toxins.

Use: If any damage is dealt to the hive (including from area attacks), it falls to the ground, releasing a swarm of stinging bees. The bees immediately attack the closest creature, regardless of who attacked the hive, and hound that creature until it dies, disappears, or the swarm is defeated. Once one of those happens, the swarm disperses harmlessly.

Considerations: If the swarm attacks the PCs, they should probably get experience for defeating it; if the swarm attacks the enemies, no experience should be given, it’s just a case of the PCs using the terrain to their advantage to make the fight a bit easier.

Customization:

• Increase the number of swarms released, attacking the nearest n creatures.
• Change the nature of the bees, for example if you’re adventuring in hell make them Hellfire Hornets which are tougher and more dangerous than their mortal counterparts.
• Instead of dispersing, the swarm could continue attacking nearby creatures.

*An active feature is something which must be triggered before it “comes into play.” This is contrasted by a passive element, such as thick underbrush or a lava stream, which is indifferent to the actions of combatants. Look for a more in-depth explanation of active and passive features, and the Dynamic Domains series, this weekend.