A swamp may be anything from a relatively dry moor to a soggy marsh.
Both are often bordered by lakes (see
Aquatic Terrain). Like forests, swamps have sparse, medium, or dense
vegetation. They may be warm or cold, but tend to
be wet, misty, and dark.
BOGS
Bog squares are deep mud or standing water of about 1 foot in
depth. A deep bog square has roughly 4 feet of standing water
(characters can walk through it at the cost of extra squares, or swim
across it at normal speed).
TREES AND UNDERGROWTH
Marshes have trees and undergrowth, just like forest terrain. A bog square doesn’t count as undergrowth.
HEDGEROWS
Hedgerows are tangles of stones, soil, and thorny bushes.
Narrow hedgerows count as low walls. Wide hedgerows are more than 5 feet tall.
QUICKSAND
Patches of quicksand look like undergrowth or open land. A
character approaching a patch of quicksand at a normal pace can make a
DC 8
Knowledge Nature or
Perception check to spot the danger before
stepping in, but charging characters don’t have a chance to detect a
hidden patch before blundering into it. A typical patch of quicksand is
20 feet in diameter; the momentum of a charging or running character
carries him 1d2
× 5 feet into the quicksand. (For 1d2, roll 1d4 and divide by 2.) A
character in quicksand must make a DC 10
Swim check every
round to simply tread water in place, or a DC 15
Swim check to move 5
feet horizontally. If you fail this check by 5 or more, you sink below
the surface and begin to drown whenever you can no longer hold your
breath (see
Suffocation).
Characters below the surface of quicksand may swim back to the surface
with a successful
Swim check (DC 15 + 1 per consecutive round of being
under the surface).
Pulling out a trapped character requires a pole, rope, or similar tool
that enables the rescuer to reach the victim with one end of it. The
rescuer must make a DC 15
Strength check to successfully pull the
victim, and the victim must make a DC
10
Strength check to hold on. If both characters succeed, the victim is
pulled 5 feet closer to safety. If the victim fails to hold on, he or
she must immediately make a DC 15
Swim check to stay above the surface.
STEALTH AND DETECTION
In an open marsh, the maximum
Perception distance for
seeing creatures is 6d6 × 10 feet. In a dense swamp, this distance is
2d8 × 10 feet. Undergrowth and deep bogs provide plentiful
concealment,
so it’s easy to use
Stealth in a marsh.
SHALLOW BOG
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EFFECTS
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MOVEMENT 2 squares
SKILLS increase Acrobatics
and Stealth DCs by +2
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DEEP BOG
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EFFECTS
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MOVEMENT 4 squares
SKILLS increase Acrobatics
and Stealth DCs by +2, no tumbling
SPECIAL provides cover
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NARROW HEDGEROW
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EFFECTS
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MOVEMENT 3 squares
SPECIAL acts as low wall
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WIDE HEDGEROW
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EFFECTS
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MOVEMENT 4 squares
SKILLS Climb DC 10 means it only costs 2 squares
SPECIAL provides cover
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