Hazards: Horror Environments

Hazards: Horror Environments

Here we have environmental hazards from Heroes of Horror and Lords of Madness converted to GURPS.

Abyssal Blackgrass: Patches of this thick black weed often spread through planar portals or through tiny seeds inadvertently carried in the clothing or gear of planar travelers. When it takes root on the Material Plane, abyssal blackgrass grows in a small clump about one foot across, although its roots spread in a 16-yard radius just under the surface of the ground.

Natural healing of HP and FP is impossible within 16 yards (in any direction) of a clump of abyssal blackgrass. Supernatural healing is impaired, restoring only half the normal number of HP and FP.

Anyone who casts or is subject to a spell granted by an evil deity while within 15 yards of a clump of abyssal blackgrass must make a successful HT roll or gain 1d-1 points of Corruption.

Pulling up a clump of blackgrass does not kill it or negate its baleful effect, and the grass regrows in 1d/2 days. Only digging up the entire root system—or destroying the plant with a blight or similar spell—can prevent it from regrowing.

   

Bilestone: Bilestone is similar to obsidian in texture and strength, but it feels slightly greasy and warm to the touch. Large concentrations of bilestone (such as a vein running through rock or portions used in the construction of a building) have a debilitating effect on the minds of all creatures within 10 yards that are not aberrations. If such a creature is within 10 yards of a cube of bilestone 1 or more yards on a side, it takes a –2 penalty to Will.

Blood Rock: In certain places, the very essence of war and violence suffuses the earth or stone. Found naturally in ancient battlefields and certain outer planes, blood rock can be extracted from such areas and used to infuse other locations with the same violent essence.

An area of blood rock increases the lethality of any attack made by a creature standing in that area. All wounds dealt to a creature standing in an area of blood rock bleed as if the creature had Hemophilia (p. B138). This bleeding does not stop even if the creature leaves the area of blood rock.

Deliberately seeding an area with blood rock requires 5 pounds of blood rock for every hex to be affected. Simply carrying 5 pounds of blood rock around in your pockets is not enough to be affected by its presence. Blood rock must be placed in an area for a period of at least 48 hours before its presence permeates the area.

   

Charnel Bog: Often formed at the sites of great battles where water has come in to cover the wasted land, charnel bogs are both horrible and deadly. Pale grasses grow on desolate islands in the midst of these bogs, but no living animals inhabit charnel bogs. Such an aura of evil pervades a charnel bog that certain magic is impeded within its borders. Characters attempting to cast a healing spell or a spell granted by a good deity must make a successful Will-3 roll or fail the casting and lose 2 FP.

Characters camping within a charnel bog find their sleep troubled by nightmares as if they had Nightmares (9) (p. B144).

Finally, characters whose travels take them on long treks through a charnel bog find it sapping their will and even robbing them of their desire to leave the place. They experience increasing apathy and despair, a dulling of their senses, and a growing feeling of paranoia. At the conclusion of every week spent in a charnel bog, any living creature must make a Will roll at -1 per a consecutive week spent in the bog. Failure indicates that the character has lost all will to continue on her journey. She cannot leave the bog of her own volition and has no desire to do so. All memories of her previous life slowly fade into nothingness, but restorative spells can return the character to normal.

Also, some charnel bogs are suffused with corruption, so that a character entering the bog must make a HT roll. If he fails, his physical Corruption score increases by 1d-1. Even on a successful roll, his Corruption score increases by 1.

Night Stone: This stone is infused with raw negative energy. A living creature within 2 yards of a floor, wall, or statue formed of night stone must make an HT roll every second to avoid taking 1 point of toxic damage. A Death Ward spell or a similar protection against death effects protects a character from this damage.

Tainted Blood Rock: Indistinguishable from normal blood rock except that it radiates an aura of evil that can be detected with appropriate abilities, tainted blood rock is suffused with hatred and evil as well as violence. A creature that deals damage to another creature while standing on tainted blood rock must make a successful HT roll or gain a number of points equal to injury received by the victim of the attack. This HT roll takes a -1 penalty per 2 points of injury dealt.