Cindervein Rock Slide | Fantasy Hazard Generated by CharGen

The hazard

The slope is a dormant rock slide animated by elemental heat and pressure. Crossing its narrow chute, striking the surrounding stone, or disturbing one of its glowing fissures can set the scree moving. Once active, the slide surges downhill in successive waves, forcing travelers to flee, find cover, or disrupt the elemental pressure points.

Environmental
Elemental
Earth
Complex

Stealth: (trained) to notice the elemental signs before the hazard is triggered
Trigger: The hazard rolls initiative when a creature enters the chute or when a loud impact, such as a weapon strike against the surrounding rock, occurs within 30 feet of a pressure fissure.
Disable: Two successful Nature or Occultism checks are required to ground the elemental force at separate pressure fissures. A character must be adjacent to a fissure and spend two actions per attempt. Alternatively, two successful Athletics checks to wedge sturdy objects into the marked retaining cracks disable the hazard. Each successful check counts toward only one method.
Initiative: +8
Routine: On its turn, the hazard uses 2 actions. It surges downhill 20 feet through its 20-foot-wide chute. Each creature in the portion of the chute crossed by the surge attempts the Reflex save described in Elemental Rock Slide. A creature can be affected only once per round by this routine. The moving rocks stop at the end of the chute, then begin gathering again.
Reset: The hazard resets after 10 minutes if it has not been disabled. The rocks settle back into the chute, and the glowing fissures dim before slowly brightening again.

Damage

Immunities

critical hits, object immunities, precision damage

Effects

1

Elemental Rock Slide
DC 18
The moving debris fills a 20-foot-wide chute extending 60 feet downhill from the trigger point. Each creature in the chute when the slide surges must attempt a basic Reflex save against bludgeoning damage. On a failure, the creature is also knocked prone. On a critical failure, it is buried under rubble, becoming immobilized until it Escapes with a Athletics check, and takes bludgeoning damage at the end of each of its turns until freed.

Special rules

Marked Chute.The hazard's chute is a 20-foot-wide area extending 60 feet downhill from the trigger point. Its slide can move only downhill along this area.

Buried Beneath the Scree.A creature buried by a critical failure is immobilized beneath the rubble. It can attempt to Escape with a Athletics check. An adjacent creature can spend two actions to free it with a successful Athletics check.

Spotting it

Discovery

A character who examines the slope and succeeds at a Perception check notices the faintly glowing pressure fissures and recognizes the unstable chute.

Perception

+8

Stop it

Signs of dangerPebbles roll uphill toward hairline cracks that glow faintly orange. · A low rumble pulses through the ground at regular intervals. · Old impact scars and crushed packs lie along the center of the chute.

Countermeasures

DC 18A creature adjacent to a pressure fissure can use two actions to attempt a Nature or Occultism check to ground the elemental force. On a success, the hazard is disabled; on a critical failure, the creature takes fire damage.
DC 18A creature can use two actions to wedge a sturdy object into a marked retaining crack, attempting a Athletics check. On a success, the next slide surge does not move and the hazard is disabled if this is the second successful wedge.
Reaching the far side by a route outside the 20-foot-wide chute avoids the hazard entirely.
A creature behind solid cover that blocks the chute is not affected by the slide.

In short

Characters can avoid the marked slide path, brace behind solid cover, or disable the elemental pressure points feeding the slope.

Its story

What it looks like

A steep chute of loose shale and fractured stone descends between dark mountain walls.

Why it is here

The hazard guards a narrow mountain passage and punishes anyone who crosses the unstable chute without first reading or taming the elemental signs.

Who made it

The mountain's resident fire-and-stone elemental, though local guides insist the pass itself is alive.

Lore

Mountain guides tell of a pass where the rocks remember every careless footstep.

Where it is found

Mountain

Variants

Ashen Surge: Replace the orange glow with smoke-filled cracks. The slide deals 1d10 bludgeoning damage plus 1d6 fire damage instead of 2d10 bludgeoning damage.

Icebound Scree: The chute is glazed with elemental ice. Creatures that fail the Reflex save also take a -5-foot circumstance penalty to their Speeds until the end of their next turn.

Shifting Pass: The chute changes direction after each surge, following the nearest glowing fissure. Telegraph the new direction with a rumble before the next routine.

Plot hooks

A caravan has vanished near the pass, but its tracks end before the slide chute. The elemental force may be reacting to something carried in the caravan's last wagon.

A mining crew opened a new fissure beneath the slope, and the slide now triggers without warning. The miners need help sealing it before the next storm.

A local guide claims the slide can be safely crossed by matching the rhythm of the stones. They may know a route, or may be trying to lure rivals into danger.

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