Tight spaces and dangerous bugs... How would YOU do it?

[Kanosint]

Dear,

In my upcoming campaign I'm planning for a rather different experience. As the PCs won't really be awesome adventurers just yet to start, I am putting together some rules to further stress the unpleasantness of adventuring. It's a full-on homebrew system, but I find D20, due to the versatility, can probably help me best.

See, I have many situations covered already, but imagine, if you will, discovering a lair of some creature. If you ever went for a forest stroll, you likely know they're not man-sized, or even hobbit sized! These are TIGHT, but some can be crawled in. Other than requiring taking off armour, going prone and using squeezing rules, how else could I represent such horrifying tight confines? And what if there's nasty bugs that, while not deadly, can crawl on you, and give you painful blisters for days? How would one fight those, in the open as well as tight confines? Not a whole swarm, but, for example, one black widow, just slipping under your armour while walking through dense undergrowth (or crawling through the stated tight passages)? I can't just say it's an automatic hit and ask a save... I want them to feel empowered, they need to have choices...

This has me rather stumped. I have ideas, but none sit right. Hence, I turn to you and your knowledge:

What would YOU guys do to represent this mechanically, the fluff is dress-up, as not all my players can be expected to be good at the acting aspect of the game...

[Teh_das]

Fireball, or another aoe would do the trick. It fills about 40 feet of the tunnel, and no more bugs.

[Kanosint]

Fireball, or another aoe would do the trick. It fills about 40 feet of the tunnel, and no more bugs.

No, no, you got me wrong... I'm asking how to represent that situation, not how the PCs could handle it. The PCs are unlikely to have AoE spells that easily at that.

[XionUnborn01]

Well, mechanically you could require checks maybe climb, or escape artist, or simply Dex checks while crawling through tight spaces. Failure means you got caught up and stuck for the round, failure by 5 or more means you're stuck for 1d4 rounds, failure by 10 or more means you're stuck for 1d6 rounds and maybe you got so twisted you start to have difficulty breathing requiring checks like being in smoke (www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm).

The bugs may require spot checks or something to notice while crawling and dex checks or maybe reflex saves to swat/squish them before they get to bite you.

[Teh_das]

Oh, my mistake.

Use the squeezing rules for crawling, 5 feet a round and flat footed. The bugs should attack touch ac at a low bonus, doing low damage or maybe ability damage. You may say you can't do it in medium or heavy armor, but that could suck.

Make the pcs do escape artist or other applicable checks and delay them with the bugs when they fail.

[Deophaun]

I can't just say it's an automatic hit and ask a save...
Two different things. A save is, basically, an attack roll, only targeting different defenses. So yes, you absolutely can ask for a save and it won't be an automatic hit.

[Kanosint]

Well, mechanically you could require checks maybe climb, or escape artist, or simply Dex checks while crawling through tight spaces. Failure means you got caught up and stuck for the round, failure by 5 or more means you're stuck for 1d4 rounds, failure by 10 or more means you're stuck for 1d6 rounds and maybe you got so twisted you start to have difficulty breathing requiring checks like being in smoke (www.d20srd.org/srd/environment.htm).

The bugs may require spot checks or something to notice while crawling and dex checks or maybe reflex saves to swat/squish them before they get to bite you.

Hmm, I love it. A bit too kind, but I can work with this, thanks :smallcool:


Use the squeezing rules for crawling, 5 feet a round and flat footed. The bugs should attack touch ac at a low bonus, doing low damage or maybe ability damage. You may say you can't do it in medium or heavy armor, but that could suck.

Make the pcs do escape artist or other applicable checks and delay them with the bugs when they fail.

That's also a lovely idea, have the bugs come in as the result of failure sounds like a nice plan.


Thanks, chaps, I think I have a nice idea on how to do it, now.

[XionUnborn01]

Depending on what kind of structure you're in, don't forget that cave-ins are totally possible.