
Archives of Nethys

Archives of Nethys

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

General Hazards | Adventure-Specific Hazards | Weather Hazards

Flash FloodHazard 7

Legacy Content

Weather 
Source Kingmaker Companion Guide pg. 123
Requirements The PCs are in a hex that contains hills, mountains, or a river.
Survival DC 27 (expert)
Description Heavy rainfall upriver or deeper in the mountains causes a sudden rush of water to come cascading downstream or along an otherwise dry riverbed.
Prepare DC 21 Survival (trained) to move to high ground before the flash flood hits.
Routine (1+ hours) The rushing waters of the flood surge through the area with shocking speed. The PCs roll initiative with Perception or Survival checks; determine the flash flood's initiative by rolling 1d20+17. On a PC's turn, they can attempt to move out of the flood's path. This could be as simple as taking Strides to get out of the way, or this could be complicated by having to succeed at a DC 25 Athletics check to climb to safety. You can also complicate escape by having the width of the flood area be more significant, to an extent that even three Strides might not be enough to escape. On the flash flood's turn, it attempts to Sweep Away any PCs who haven't escaped its path. A character who is swept away can escape the flood by succeeding at a DC 25 Athletics check as a three-round Interact action to swim to shore or cling to an outcropping, tree, or other solid object; otherwise, the PC will continue to be Swept Away round after round. Once the flood ends, the waters of the river left behind remain deep for several more hours or, at your discretion, even days.
Sweep Away [three-actions] The flash flood sweeps away characters who haven't escaped its path. Each character is carried 200 feet downriver (they can avoid this by succeeding at a DC 30 Athletics check to Swim) and takes 6d6 bludgeoning damage (DC 25 basic Reflex save).