Barriers and Obstacles

adventures. The Dungeon Master’s Guide (page 91) even lists

“battlefield” as a category of plains terrain. While some plains are devoid of natural structures, nearly any manufactured feature can exist on a plain. Fences and cottages are common in farmland regions, while defensive fortifications can be built anywhere war is expected. Aquatic Battlefields

On the surface of the sea, great ships might pound each other with artillery, attempting to gain supremacy over trade lanes or waterways. But within the water, sahuagin might mass against tritons, or merfolk could try to overthrow an aboleth and its minions. Battles underwater more closely resemble aerial combat than land melee: Troops attack from above or below, without much terrain in the way. In some cases, an underwater volcano, a kelp forest, or a sunken city might be the site of a battle. Most of the features and fortifications described in the following sections do not have an underwater analogue.

Visibility is, however, a greater concern underwater, since the blood that escapes from wounded combatants clouds the water like smoke (as well as attracting unwanted complications, such as swarms of sharks). Underground Battlefields

Large-scale battles in subterranean areas take place in massive caverns or great tunnel complexes. The presence of a natural ceiling usually precludes the use of high-arcing artillery, and the environmental features lend themselves to defense and the creation of defensive fortifications. Most structures are manufactured from stone, given the dearth of available lumber in the depths of the world. Light, or the lack of it, is a factor for most races; even drow can only see out to 120 feet in complete darkness, far shorter than line of sight on the surface world. Urban Battlefields

When the outer defenses fall, the battle might move into a city’s streets. Buildings, back alleys, and sewers provide many ways for a defending force to move about unseen or for an invading army to infiltrate. Narrow thoroughfares reduce an army’s ability to outflank opponents, and most fighting is reduced to skirmishes between units or houseto-house battles. While earthworks might only exist in parklike areas or within the grounds of a manor, barricades and other debris might litter an urban battlefield. The buildings themselves provide a unique terrain feature, and offer cover for archers or other harrying forces. BARRIERS AND OBSTACLES

Some terrain features serve as obstacles and barriers that hinder or obstruct movement. Most barriers must be crossed, climbed, or destroyed by advancing troops. Other obstacles must be avoided in order to circumvent some negative effect, usually damage. Some of the following terrain features are also discussed in Chapter 3 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide.

Fences: Fences provide barriers that hamper the movement of oncoming soldiers. They might be erected as part of a war effort, or they might have been built in peacetime by a farmer or other inhabitant of the area. Fences are usually made of wood or stone. It costs 1 extra square of movement to cross a fence. A creature can make a DC 20 Jump check to cross a fence without impeding movement, and a mounted character must succeed on a DC 15 Ride check to keep from being thrown during the jump. Wooden fences have hardness 5 and 15 hit points per 10foot section. Stone fences, whether made of stacked rocks or bonded by mortar, have hardness 8 and 30 hit points per 10-foot section. Fences might provide a measure of cover as well, depending on their construction (for example, a wooden rail fence versus a solid stone wall) and height.

Parapet: A parapet is a low stone wall on the edge of a raised platform, wall, or roof. On a battlefield a parapet might be constructed atop a rampart to provide additional cover for defending troops. As a low wall, a parapet provides cover and has hardness 8; each 10-foot section has 45 hit points.

Walls: Walls can be made of wood or stone. The game statistics for walls can be found in Table 3–9: Walls, page 60 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Stone walls on a battlefield usually follow the rules for masonry walls, although the walls of a fortification might be superior or even reinforced masonry. Wooden walls that surround structures are called palisades. When time allows, walls constructed on battlefields are built with battlements, allowing troops to stand atop the wall and fight. Troops on a battlement have cover against any foe attacking from below and gain the benefit of higher ground when making melee attacks on those scaling the wall. Climbing over a battlement without the aid of a rope or a ladder requires a DC 25 Climb check.

Special Walls: Though most battlefield walls are constructed by manual labor, the presence of spellcasters on a fantasy battlefield might result in magical walls of varying types. In some cases a wall might be a natural feature of a battlefield, such one made of ice (whether natural or magical) in a very cold region. Various kinds of special walls, most of them magical ones, are briefly discussed below; see the spell descriptions in the Player’s Handbook for other particulars.

Fire: A wall of fire blocks line of sight but does not impede movement. A creature takes damage passing through the wall. Cold damage destroys a wall of fire.

Force: A wall of force does not block line of sight, but it does provide total cover. Such walls are impassable and cannot be climbed.

Ice: An ice wall has hardness 0 and 3 hit points per inch of thickness for each 10-foot section. Fire attacks do full damage to an ice wall, whether manufactured or magical (that is, one resulting from a wall of ice spell). Climbing an ice wall bare-handed requires a DC 30 Climb check; using spikes or crampons reduces the DC to 20.

Iron: An iron wall has hardness 10 and 30 hit points per inch of thickness for each 10-foot section. Magical iron walls (such as those created by a wall of iron spell) are

smooth and cannot be climbed. Manufactured iron walls are made from sheets of metal riveted together, providing enough handholds for a character to scale the wall with a DC 25 Climb check.

Stone: A 10-foot section of a stone wall has 15 hit points per inch of thickness and hardness 8. If a stone wall is breached, the square breached and all adjacent nonwall squares become heavy debris (see page 37). The DC of the Climb check to scale a stone wall ranges from 15 for a rough natural stone wall to 25 for a natural rock or brick wall. Perfectly smooth walls cannot be ascended. Walls created by a wall of stone spell can be as rough or as smooth as the caster wishes.

Thorns: The effect of a wall of thorns spell provides total cover for those on one side of it against those on the other side. Creatures inside the wall have cover against adjacent creatures adjacent to the wall and total cover against all others.

Barricade: A barricade is usually constructed across a roadway or in a city street to block passage by troops. Barricades are essentially piles of rocks, tables, chairs, wagons, and anything else that can be stacked up to create a makeshift wall. A barricade on an encounter map takes up one or more 5-foot squares and is usually 5 or 10 feet deep. Though it is made of many individual components, treat a barricade as a wall with hardness 8 and 120 hit points per 5-foot square. Attacks against a specific square of a barricade do half their usual damage, but area attacks (such as fireball) deal full damage to every square they affect. There are abundant handholds on a barricade, allowing movement over and through it by anyone who makes a DC 10 Climb check. A separate check is required for each 5-foot square to be traversed in this fashion.

Abatis: Similar in function to a barricade, an abatis is a wall constructed of felled trees laid atop each other. An abatis is typically 2 to 3 feet thick, has hardness 5, and has 300 hit points for each 10-foot section. Climbing over an abatis requires a DC 10 Climb check. Many abatis are built with sharpened branches pointing toward the direction of an expected attack. Any creature that attempts to climb a spiked abatis takes 1d4 points of piercing damage each round spent climbing.

Fraise: A fraise is a barrier of sharpened stakes, driven into the ground and pointed upward at an angle. The angled stakes are a hazard to troops moving toward the defensive position and present even more danger to charging troops. A unit can move at up to half speed through a fraise without any ill effect, with movement costing double when opposite to the direction the spikes are pointing. A creature moving forward through a fraise at more than half speed runs the risk of impaling itself on the stakes. Such a creature might be hit by 1d4 spikes each round. The spikes have a +10 attack bonus and deal 1d8 points of piercing damage (×3 critical multiplier). Against charging opponents, the attack bonus is the same, but the damage is doubled (or quadrupled on a critical hit). A rider and mount can be attacked by separate spikes. A fraise can be camouflaged to appear as light undergrowth. Doing this requires 10 minutes of work for each 5 feet of the barrier’s width. A creature must succeed on a DC 15 Spot check in order to notice the spikes before entering the area. If a creature is unaware of the spikes, it is denied its Dexterity bonus to Armor Class.

Pit: A pit dug into a battlefield functions just like a pit in a dungeon setting (use the statistics for pit traps starting on page 70 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). A pit can be camouflaged or covered, or have spikes or spears set in the bottom. Pits might also contain snakes or other dangerous creatures, or be partially filled with water to drown heavily armored victims.

Crevasse: A crevasse or chasm is a steep, deep crack in icy or rocky terrain. It functions as a pit (see above). A crevasse is typically 2d4×10 feet deep, 5 to 20 feet across, and at least 20 feet long. Climbing out of a chasm requires a DC 15 Climb check.

Rock Formation: The following rock formations have hardness 8 and 250 hit points.

Stalagmites: Stalagmites are cone-shaped rock formations that stick up from the ground. They are almost always found in underground terrain, having been formed by mineral deposits left by water dripping from the ceiling. A stalagmite provides cover to those behind it.

Stalactites: Stalactites hang from the ceiling in underground caverns. They provide cover against ranged attacks if they hang in the path of the missile.

Column: Columns are formed when stalactites and stalagmites meet and merge. Most are functionally identical to pillars (see page 64 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide).

River: A river is a fast-moving body of water, usually greater than 5 feet in depth and/or more than 20 feet across. Creatures moving through a river are carried downstream a distance equal to the speed of the river, usually 10 to 40 feet per round for slow rivers and 60 to 90 feet per round for fast rivers. A DC 10 Swim check is required to move at half speed through a slow river, and a DC 15 Swim check allows movement at half speed through the rough waters of a fast river. See Flowing Water, page 92 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide, for more details on rivers.

Stream: A stream is typically 5 to 10 feet wide and less than 5 feet deep. Movement in a space occupied by a stream costs 2 squares, as do attempts to climb out of a streambed onto the banks. A streambed might be dried up, in which case it can be treated as a trench. Streams (also known as creeks, brooks, and bayous) are common in most terrains, especially forests, hills, and mountains.

Undergrowth, Light: Nearly every terrain has some measure of undergrowth, from the roots and vines of a forest to the tall grasses of the plains. A space covered with light undergrowth costs 2 squares of movement to move into and provides concealment. Undergrowth increases the DC of Tumble and Move Silently checks by 2 because the foliage gets in the way. A creature with a slashing weapon can clear a square of light undergrowth with a full-round action.

Undergrowth, Heavy: Heavy undergrowth costs 4 squares of movement to move into and provides concealment