Extreme Weather
Extreme weather—particularly storms—has the potential to wreak havoc on a travelling band of brave adventurers.
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Rainstorm Description
The storm starts as gentle rain and builds to a downpour before gradually returning to a drizzle.
The storm’s rain creates a drumming sound as it strikes the ground or structures; a rare flash of lightning precedes a burst of thunder.
A large flock of birds flees the fast-moving, powerful storm; the flock creates a thick cloud of its own.
Sheets of lightning rage at the storm’s centre; the ground shakes with the sound of thunder.
Rainstorm Events
As the characters battle their opponents beneath an overcast sky, the clouds finally release their watery burden.
Lightning cascades overhead and spells out an ominous warning—or runes that match those the party later encounters.
Unusually large chunks of hail fall from the sky; for five rounds, each character suffers 1d2 damage.
A cascade of lightning forms in front of the party and persists for two rounds; anyone passing through it is struck by lightning equivalent to a lightning bolt cast by a 5th-level caster.
Snowstorm Description
Leaden clouds dump a steady stream of tiny snowflakes that melt as they hit the ground.
The snow pours down in large flakes that splatter on hard surfaces when they hit; the flakes cling to the characters’ clothing.
The sun cuts through gaps in the clouds while it snows; sunlight catches on individual flakes, giving them a firefly-like appearance.
Ominously dark clouds roll in and unload snow, which falls lightly at first, but soon turns into an hours-long downpour of snow.
Snowstorm Events
A lynx emerges from the swirling snow and regards the party before leaping away from them.
A black bear, annoyed by the falling snow, passes within yards of the characters and growls menacingly; however, the animal only attacks in self-defence.
As one of the characters passes under or next to a tree laden with snow, the snow falls on them.
The snowfall conceals a stream; a character or mount weighing more than 150 pounds falls through the snow and into the stream.
Windstorm Description
White clouds streaked with grey take on the shape of a hand fan and undulate gently such that they appear to generate the wind.
Millions of flying insects comprise the yellow, red and black forefront of this windstorm; one can hear their droning over the winds’ howling.
Black clouds blot out the sun, and screaming winds extinguish all non-magical light, turning day into night; no sound penetrates the screeching winds, which come from every direction at once.
The wind seems stratified such that the most severe wind blows at ground level, and up to 100 feet above, and gradually diminishes every couple hundred feet.
Windstorm Events
Lightning strikes the ground and starts a fire just as gusts of wind pick up embers and scatter them about threatening to create an inferno.
After one-inch-diameter hailstones fall from the sky, a gale picks them up and sprays them about.
As gusts blow around the party, they hear the unmistakable sounds of anguish, despair and rage from some unknowable location.
A cow and several chickens drop from the sky, unharmed; the characters recognise the livestock from a farm they passed an hour previously.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from Wilderness Dressing: Extreme Weather by Mike Welham. The book is available from Raging Swan Press in 5e, Pathfinder First Edition and OSR editions.
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