Terrain Types (POCT)

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The following list of terrain types is not meant to be exhaustive; a book this size could be filled with descriptions of topography and ground cover for every conceivable battlefield. If you don't see something to match what you want, pick something close and approximate.
==Badlands==
Badlands are rocky wastes or broken terrain with jagged escarpments, deep gulches, and little plant cover. The Black Hills of South Dakota and parts of the western United States fall into this category. Rugged, knife-edged hills tend to limit vision and confine the fight to a small area.
: Encounter Range: 10d8 squares (50–400 feet)
: Lines of Fire: Clear
: Cover: Random hard cover available within 1d6 squares of any character.
: Footing: Rocky slopes reduce movement by 2/3; characters can move normally if they avoid climbing or descending hills.
: Obstacles: Deep gulches and boulders.
: Unusual: Rocks for slings are handy everywhere. Falling down a rocky slope is dangerous—if a character slips, is knocked down, or fails a Dexterity check while descending a slope, he rolls 10–40 feet (1d4¥10) and suffers 1d4 damage per 10 feet fallen.
==Caves==
Adventurers seem to find fights in caves all the time. A typical cave is small, twisted, and dark, with uneven floors and hanging stalactites and sharp stalagmites. If the battle is taking place in a colossal cavern, it's better to consider it an open field or hillside under total darkness.
: Encounter Range: By range of visibility.
: Lines of fire: Impaired.
: Cover: Hard cover is available within 1d3 spaces of any character.
: Footing: Some cave floors may be muddy or slick, but generally footing is okay.
: Obstacles: Rock formations and crevasses.
: Unusual: If the lights go out, caves are pitch black. Fighting in total darkness gives the attacker a –4 penalty on attack rolls and a random chance of attacking anyone engaged with him, including friends.
Stalagmites can skewer an unfortunate character who falls on one; any character who is tripped or knocked down has a 1 in 10 chance of falling on a stalagmite. The stalagmite “attacks” with a THAC0 of 15 and inflicts 2d10 points of damage if it hits. A successful saving throw vs. paralyzation for half damage applies.
==Desert==
This is the classic sandy desert of motion picture fame. Most deserts are actually dry, rocky areas that are more like badlands or plains. The great dunes of a sandy desert tend to restrict vision and slow movement.
: Encounter Range: Longest missile range.
: Lines of Fire: Clear.
: Cover: Available by lying behind a dune crest, but none otherwise.
: Footing: Climbing a dune face reduces a character to 1/3 movement.
: Obstacles: Dunes block lines of sight and may shorten the encounter range. Dunes range from a couple of feet to several hundred feet in height and may stretch for miles.
: Unusual: Nothing of note.
==Fields or Farmland==
Vast areas of civilized nations are farmland. Usually, cultivated fields indicate a settlement, homestead or village within a mile or two. In late summer and autumn, full-grown crops such as corn or wheat may be taller than a human and provide excellent concealment.
: Encounter Range: Winter/spring: long missile range. Summer or wild fields: 10d6 squares (50–300 feet); autumn: 5d6 squares (25–150 feet).
: Lines of Fire: Clear.
: Cover: None. Concealment is available in summer or fall by lying down.
: Footing: Excellent, no penalties.
: Obstacles: None.
: Unusual: Nothing of note.
==Forest, Heavy or Jungle==
This is dark, dense forest with heavy undergrowth and closely spaced trees. The thick growth severely limits visibility and it is very easy to blunder into an enemy without ever knowing he was there. The Appalachian forests and the Pacific Northwest are good examples of heavy forest.
: Encounter Range: 2d6 squares (10–60 feet)
: Lines of Fire: Severely impaired.
: Cover: Hard cover within 1d3 squares of any character; concealment within 1d3–1 squares of any character.
: Footing: Heavy undergrowth and close-set trees reduce all movement by 1/3.
: Obstacles: Trees and thickets.
: Unusual: A ready supply of branches can provide clubs or sharpened stakes in no time at all. In some forests, heavy vines can be used for snares or lassoes.
It's dangerous to ride at high speed in a forest; the rider of any mount moving at a run or gallop has a 1 in 6 chance per turn of being struck by a branch. The rider must roll a successful saving throw vs. paralyzation or be unhorsed, suffering 1d6 points of damage in the process.
Dense forests severely restrict flying creatures of Size L or bigger. Such monsters must land in a clear area and approach their prey on the ground, since there is not enough space between the trees to unfurl their wings.
==Forest, Light==
The principal difference between heavy forest and light forest is the amount of underbrush. Light forests have much less brush to obstruct movement on the ground, and tend to be much airier and brighter. Small stands of trees, copses, or orchards can all be considered light forest.
The ground level of a true rain forest can also be considered light forest, since there is little underbrush and the trees are spaced a fair distance apart. The canopy levels might be considered thickets or dense forest.
: Encounter Range: 4d6 squares (20–120 feet)
: Lines of Fire: Impaired.
: Cover: Hard cover available within 1d6 squares of any character; concealment available within 1d4 squares.
: Footing: Normal.
: Obstacles: Trees.
: Unusual: See heavy forest.
==Hills==
Most hills are considered to be part of another terrain. For example, gentle rolling hills are plains, forests, or farmlands—their ground cover is their most important characteristic. This category actually refers to rugged foothills or highlands with light or no forestation. Large areas of the Appalachian mountains, the Scottish Highlands, and the foothills of the Alps fall into this category.
: Encounter Range: Determined by the level of forestation (heavy, light, or none.)
: Lines of Fire: Determined by the level of forestation.
: Cover: Determined by the forestation, but in hills with no trees, hard cover is still available within 2d10 spaces of any character.
: Footing: Characters moving uphill are slowed to 2/3 or 1/3 movement, depending on the severity of the grade. The forestation may limit movement even if the grade isn't too bad. Characters who slip or fall while moving downhill must roll a successful saving throw vs. death or roll 10–40 feet (1d4x10), suffering 1d4 damage per 10 feet fallen.
: Obstacles: Boulders, escarpments, and ravines or gulches.
: Unusual: Characters fighting with a height advantage (i.e., attacking from uphill) gain a +1 bonus to their attack rolls. Most hills are good places to find rocks for slingstones.
==Marsh==
Marshes aren't swamps; marshes are bogs or wetlands without trees. The ground is treacherous, and careless adventurers can easily become lost or mired in mud. Marshes may be flat, but tall stands of reeds can serve as excellent concealment, and characters who don't mind getting wet can always go to ground to stay out of sight.
: Encounter Range: 4d12 squares (20–240 feet)
: Lines of Fire: Clear.
: Cover: None. A character can find concealment within 2d6 squares behind reeds or in shallow ponds or creeks.
: Footing: In knee-deep water, characters move at 2/3 their normal rate. In waist-deep water, they move at 1/2 their normal rate. In shoulder-deep water, movement is reduced to 1/3 normal.
: Obstacles: Ponds, creeks, and streams.
: Unusual: Characters grappling in water waist-deep or deeper can try to drown their opponent if they achieve a hold on him. The victim is considered to begin holding his breath on the round in which his attacker got his wrestling hold, and may begin to drown as described in the Player's Handbook, Chapter 14: Time and Movement, under Holding Your Breath.
Note that characters rendered unconscious by an attack may also be in danger of drowning if they fall into water of any depth.
==Mountains==
Battles on actual mountainsides are rare. This type of terrain represents high passes, canyon-walls, deep valleys, high snowfields, and windswept peaks. If the fight takes place below the treeline, consider the terrain to be hills, forest, or fields.
: Encounter Range: Long missile range.
: Lines of Fire: Clear.
: Cover: Hard cover is usually available within 3d10 squares of a character, but it may take mountaineering skills to get to it.
: Footing: Characters moving uphill or downhill are reduced to 1/3 normal movement or possibly stopped altogether, depending on the grade. If no normal movement is possible, characters may decide to climb instead.
: Obstacles: Boulders, ice or snow, cliffs, dangerous slopes.
: Unusual: Characters who slip or fall while climbing or moving downhill must roll a succcessful saving throw vs. death or fall 10–60 feet (1d6x10), suffering 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet fallen. Mountainsides usually have a plentiful supply of rocks of all sizes.
==Plains==
Open plains are a tactician's greatest challenge. Without any clear advantage to be gained from controling a terrain feature, battles become contests of maneuver and skill. Any commander can stand off a superior enemy force in rough terrain, but it takes a genius to defeat the same force on open ground. Plains include savannahs, dry steppes, and some grassy deserts as well as American Midwest-style prairie.
: Encounter Range: Long missile range. A Man-sized creature can be spotted as far as 1,000 yards away on level plains.
: Lines of Fire: Clear.
: Cover: None.
: Footing: Normal.
: Obstacles: The random stream, gulch, or stand of trees.
: Unusual: Nothing of note.
==Ships==
In many AD&D campaigns, ships and boats are the fastest way to travel long distances. Many kingdoms rely extensively on sea trade and are plagued by pirates or privateers. Naturally, adventurers tend to get involved in problems like this. Fighting on a ship first assumes that the attacker can catch and board his prey.
: Encounter Range: Belowdecks, encounter range is limited by the range of vision. Abovedecks, everything is in range for an encounter. Ships can spot other ships as far as 10–15 miles away, depending on their size and the prevailing visibility.
: Lines of Fire: Impaired.
: Cover: Masts, deckhouses, water-kegs, and gunwhales can all function as hard cover. Abovedecks, any character is within 1d4 squares of hard cover.
: Footing: Normal. Climbing around in rigging is a different matter, though.
: Obstacles: Masts, sails, deck cargo, and open hatches can obstruct movement.
: Unusual: The sails and masts of a ship are known as its rigging. Moving around in the rigging is treated like climbing, but there are always ropes or ladders handy. If a character in the rigging slips or is knocked down, he may fall to the deck or the sea.
==Swamp==
Swamps are like marshes, but have trees and thickets. Most of a swamp's trees can be found on islands of solid ground, but many others (such as cypresses) can thrive in the water. The Louisiana bayou, the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia, and portions of the Everglades are good examples of swamps.
: Encounter Range: 2d6 squares (10–60 feet)
: Lines of Fire: Impaired.
: Cover: Hard cover is available within 1d6 squares of any character. Concealment is available anywhere, by going to ground.
: Footing: In knee-deep water, characters move at 2/3 their normal rate. In waist-deep water, they move at 1/2 their normal rate. In shoulder-deep water, movement is reduced to 1/3 normal.
: Obstacles: Trees, thickets, bogs, creeks, ponds, quicksand.
: Unusual: See Marshes. In addition, swamps usually have wood or vines handy, which can be used to make improvised weapons.
==Taverns==
It seems to be the fate of adventurers everywhere to get into brawls and scrapes of the nastiest sort in alehouses and common rooms. The typical indoors fight is a dangerous and bloody affair, complicated by the presence of bystanders and the possible intervention of the town watch.
: Encounter Range: By limit of visibility. Naturally, you can't fight with someone who isn't in the room.
: Lines of Fire: Usually impaired.
: Cover: Tables, benches, and furniture can all be used for hard cover.
: Footing: Normal.
: Obstacles: Furniture.
: Unusual: Chairs, mugs, bottles, and other tavern accessories can all be used as clubs or other weapons.
==Town Streets==
If the PCs aren't getting into barroom brawls, they're probably fighting in the alleys or streets right outside. Most medieval towns had very close-spaced buildings with dark, winding streets.
: Encounter Range: 2d6 squares (10–60 feet)
: Lines of Fire: Usually clear.
: Cover: Hard cover is available within 1d6 squares of any character.
: Footing: Normal.
: Obstacles: Carts, wagons, vendor's stalls, passers-by, buildings.
: Unusual: Walls and gatehouses often limited movement between sections of a town. These areas could be used as strongpoints by a defending force. Almost any kind of weapon materials may be close at hand in a typical town street.