Earthworks

with a 30% miss chance (instead of the usual 20%). It increases the DC of Tumble and Move Silently checks by 5. Heavy undergrowth is easy to hide in, granting a +5 circumstance bonus on Hide checks. Running and charging are impossible. A creature with a slashing weapon can clear a square of heavy undergrowth with four full-round actions.

Hedgerow: Commonly found in moors and sometimes between fields or pastures in settled agricultural communities, a hedgerow is a tangle of stones, soil, and thorny bushes. Narrow hedgerows function as low walls; it takes 15 feet of movement to cross them. Wide hedgerows are more than 5 feet tall and take up entire squares. They provide total cover, just as a wall does. It takes 4 squares of movement to move through a square with a wide hedgerow; creatures who succeed on a DC 10 Climb check need only 2 squares of movement to move through the square.

Tree, Normal: A tree occupies a square on a battle map. A creature standing in the same square as a tree gains a +2 bonus to Armor Class and a +1 bonus on Reflex saves (these bonuses don’t stack with bonuses for cover that derive from other sources). The presence of a tree doesn’t otherwise affect a creature’s fighting space, because it’s assumed that the creature is using the tree to its advantage when it can. The trunk of a typical tree has AC 4, hardness 5, and 150 hp. A DC 15 Climb check is sufficient to climb a tree.

Tree, Massive: This tree takes up an entire square and provides cover to anyone behind it. Such a tree has AC 3, hardness 5, and 600 hp. Like its smaller counterpart, it can be climbed on a DC 15 Climb check.

Acid Pool: An acid pool can be as small as a puddle or as large as a lake. These dangerous pools of liquid are usually found underground or in regions of geologic upheaval, such as volcanic or geothermal areas. Creatures in a square containing an acid pool take 2d6 points of acid damage each round they remain in the pool.

Hot Spring: This benign-looking pool of water can be scalding to the touch. A creature who enters a square containing a hot spring takes 1d6 points of damage from the heat. Geyser: A geyser is a natural hot spring that gushes water and steam into the air at intervals. A typical geyser occupies a 5-foot square and erupts once every 2d6 rounds. A creature within 10 feet of an erupting geyser must make a DC 15 Reflex save or take 1d6 points of damage from the expelled steam. A creature in the same square as a geyser when it erupts takes 2d6 points of damage, with no saving throw.

Farm Buildings: Battles bring the war to the backyards of many, sometimes quite literally. Battlefields in any settled region are almost certainly going to include buildings of some sort in or near the site. A typical farm in an outlying area might have one or two small cottages (the residences) and several outbuildings, such as a silo, stable, or barn. Most buildings in the countryside are constructed of wood and/or stone, with thatched roofs. More expensive constructions might have tiled roofs and use more stone and less wood. As a structure, a building offers cover to all inside.

Generals might order their soldiers to build elaborate defensive fortifications on a battlefield. Wizards might employ powerful spells to help in the construction. But in most cases, these structures are built with the most readily available resource: piles of dirt. The resulting constructions are collectively referred to as earthworks.

Berm: A berm is a low earthen wall that slows movement and provides cover. A berm on a battle map is represented by two adjacent rows of steep slope, with the edges of the berm on the downhill side. A creature moving over a berm that is 2 squares wide travels uphill for 1 square, then downhill for 1 square. A 2-square-wide berm provides cover equivalent to a low wall for anyone standing behind it. It takes a creature 1 hour to create a 5-foot-long berm, provided the creature has digging tools or can naturally dig, and the ground can be excavated.

Foxhole: A foxhole is a shallow pit or bowl, no more than a few feet across and 2 to 5 feet deep. Foxholes are dug out by soldiers to provide protection when they are faced with a long sojourn on a battlefield. A crossbowman could lie nearly prone in a shallow foxhole, still be able to fire and reload, all the while benefiting from improved cover (+8 to Armor Class) against attacks from any opponents not adjacent to the foxhole. Though still vulnerable to indirect fire, a Medium creature could crouch down in a 5-foot-deep foxhole and gain total cover against ranged attacks. Note that this cover might not apply against a foe at higher elevation—for example, a winged enemy hovering overhead. Foxholes can be dug deeper or wider, providing protection for more than one creature. In some cases, trenches might connect foxholes to each other.

Crater: Common in volcanic terrain or on battlefields that have seen much destructive magic, a crater is a wide, shallow bowl in the ground with a ridgelike lip around the edge. The lip acts as a berm, and the steep slope facing the center of the crater usually takes up at least 2 squares. The center of the crater is normally flat but could contain a geyser, hot spring, or acid pool.

Rampart: A rampart is a broad embankment made of earth, with steep slopes on either side that lead up to a flat but narrow plateau. In most fortifications, a rampart is constructed as the base of a wall. On a battlefield, an earthwork rampart will typically have a parapet (see page 32) along the top. A typical rampart stands 10 feet high, with steep slopes extending for 2 squares on either side of a 10-foot wide walkway.

Ramp: A ramp is a gradual slope, not steep enough to affect movement. Ramps might be built leading down from a rampart or up from trenches, to allow troops to move quickly into position. Ramps built as part of fortifications are usually well defended, with a parapet or rampart providing cover fire over the ramp.