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Hey! In an effort to level up my GMing, I want to spend some time focusing on using terrain features to make encounters more unique, interesting, and challenging. If you know a great source for ideas, let me know! Otherwise, let's start a list of terrain features that make encounters more fun! I'll give a few obvious ones to start...
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1. a cliff (up or down)
2. a hillside (up or down)
3. a stream/river
4. a natural bridge
5. a boulder-strewn field
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Ice covered lake.
Quicksand/bog.
Dense vegetation, for extra fun add thorns.
A cave.
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For scene when PCs first met the BBEG, I staged it in a semi-dormant volcano.
Normal cave & tunnel setup going in, but main event was on hardened crust of the lava in the core of the volcano. There was a 5-10ft wide river of lava along one side, with BBEG on opposite side (with beloved NPC).
PCs had to climb down walls to get inside, with 1 opposing archer trying to pick them off.
At bottom, I used actual small & medium sized rocks on battle mat to depict various lava boulders. Provided cover & obstacles, & opportunities for PCs to gain some height for views & archery.
As battle progressed, BBEG released 2 armor-locked fire elementals into the fray. As each was destroyed, their fire elemental was released in almost berserker mode. When either fire elemental was within 5HP of dying, its final act was to jump into the lava. 1st one came back as a lava elemental (same 5HP, but new stats), & 2nd one triggered the volcano!
That created Difficult Terrain due to ground movement etc, plus, each round, the lava river expanded (separating PCs from BBEG).
Then 2nd round & every round thereafter, I dropped random 1-4 number of dice ONTO the scene, representing boulders/stalactites falling. Any that hit a PC or creature, they took damage equal to that die’s showing value (Dex or Acrobatics to reduce by 1/2). And any pushes of minis by the die were real forced motion (falls of minis didn’t count, since that was too extreme).
Players said that was one of the coolest moments they’ve had in this 18 months long campaign so far!
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Other ideas:
* swim checks - they see something under surface but need to dive to get it.
* Run & Gun / Chase Scenes - Have chars on wagon or horseback or airship being chased and attacked while all in motion! Be sure to have villains go after the means of locomotion (the wheels, engine, driver, horses).
* Scenes in multi-tiered areas - warehouses or taverns or caves with multiple levels accessible to some central core area.
* Changing terrain conditions -
** boats tied together rolling with the waves
** sentient carnivorous vine plants, that send out vines above or below ground, to ensnare victims
** earthquakes / tremors
* Crumbling ruins - unsafe work conditions from falling walls & collapsing floors (to next level down)
* Old wooden structures - casting Fireball or Fireball Burst might not be such a good idea!
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A sea cave with the tide surging in.
A cathedral with odd mezzanine floors and galleries.
On the catwalks in a warehouse.
High up in a jungle.
Inside a slowly collapsing sunken ship.
Between a flight of airships and barrage balloons.
In a sandy desert with dunes and giant antlions.
In bewebbed caverns and tunnels.
Climbing down a vertical shaft.
In a crowded market.