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Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

Pathfinder RPG (1st Edition) Pathfinder RPG (2nd Edition) Starfinder RPG

General Hazards | Adventure-Specific Hazards | Weather Hazards

Tar PitHazard 9

Legacy Content

Complex Environmental 
Source Pathfinder #177: Burning Tundra pg. 34
Complexity Complex
Stealth DC 30 (expert)
Description A 15-foot-wide patch of tar covered with dirt and leaves attempts to capture creatures that step onto it.
Disable Survival DC 25 (expert) to disturb the surface and reveal the tar pit
Capture [reaction] Trigger A Huge or smaller creature walks onto the tar pit; Effect The triggering creature sinks into the tar pit up to its waist. The tar pit rolls initiative if it hasn't already.
Routine (1 action) On its initiative, the tar pit pulls down each creature within it, thick tar adhering to the creature's body. A creature that was submerged up to its waist becomes submerged up to its neck, and a creature that was submerged up to its neck is pulled under and must hold its breath to avoid suffocation.
A creature in the tar pit can attempt a DC 33 Athletics check to Climb to either raise itself by one step (if it's submerged to its neck or full submerged) or to move 5 feet if it's submerged only up to its waist. On a critical failure, the creature is pulled down one step. Other creatures can Aid the creature, typically by using a rope or similar aid or by attempting to pull the creature out with their own DC 33 Athletics check, with the same results as if the creature attempted the check. In addition to the usual results, a character adjacent to the tar pit who critically fails while Aiding moves into the tar pit. A creature that Climbs out of the tar pit escapes the hazard and lands prone in an adjacent space.
Reset Though the hazard still captures anyone who touches it, the surface doesn't become hidden again until it settles, which takes 24 hours.