2E Game Mechanics for Running an Adventure in a Tight Space

[Cosmosis]

I have this idea for an adventure I want to run that is set in a city built to a scale for only small creatures. The idea is that if my PCs build mainly Medium-sized characters, they will have to squeeze through everywhere in the city - fun, right?! (The spaces are essentially no more than 6 feet wide.)

Yet, in looking through the new 2E rulebook, I am not finding specific rules for something like this in Chapter 9. Apart from the "Narrow Surfaces" rule, or the Environment tables in Chapter 10, I'm not really seeing anything.

How would you all handle this? Run everything at disadvantage? Use the Crowd setting throughout?

Advise me, please!

[Farrindor]

The quick squeeze feat points at the Difficult Terrain rules as the most common adjudication for tight spaces, so I would run with that for most situations there.

[Cosmosis]

Thanks, @Farrindor! I appreciate the advice. I'm looking through the Core Rulebook and not seeing the Quick Squeeze feat points listed with Difficult Terrain. Can you point me to the correct page/section?

[Ellias Aubec]

We just played a section of Plaguestone where things were cramped for medium and larger creatures. There it simply stated that it counts as difficult terrain for them.

[Tiene]

I’d also rule that non-piercing polearms or other unwieldy weapons would get a -2 circumstance penalty (bludgeoning from anything battering-ram like excepted)

[Castilliano]

There was a PFS1 scenario that had a low roof.
I think the penalty was -2 w/ some extras like no running or charging which probably best translates as difficult terrain.
Dwarfs were fine BTW.

ETA: Oh, and not necessarily fun. I'd mix it up a bit, with common areas being more navigable. This gives the players better tactical options and guides their choices rather than penalizing them perpetually.

[Grimarch]

My rules for cramp space are the same pretty much from 1e to now including 3.5e. How you define cramp space is up to you, some players even take feats to avoid this stuff....

Large weapons suffer -2 to hit
Use of power attack not allowed (and therefore related feats)
-1 to reflex saves
Bow range modifier reduced by 50%

Keeps it simple and for me allows more of my goblins to survive an encounter!

[Claxon]

I would suggest not making everything completely unsuitable for medium creatures.

While the city might be designed for small creatures, unless they're goblins they probably have streets and avenues where medium creatures would be fine.

Inside buildings could depend on whether it's meant to be a big space (like a ballroom) or a small space (like a commoner's house).

Taking penalties everywhere the whole time wont be fun for the party, and you run the risk that some characters are incredibly nerfed (Giant Instinct Barbarian).

[Zwordsman]

I think acrobatics also has a "squeeze through" trained use?

[BellyBeard]

Might I suggest having the characters all benefit from a long duration shrink spell, and turning into a "honey I shrunk the kids" style adventure of fighting normal sized creatures. Would only work at low levels, of course, but it'd be a fun shtick.

[Cosmosis]

Thanks for all the sage advice, everyone! This really helps me think about how best to structure this adventure.