Friday Encounter: Sandstorm

I have long maintained that adverse weather and environmental hazards are greatly underutilized in RPG encounters. They create realism and vesimilitude by showcasing the many difficulties real-world travelers may encounter and proving that such events don't have to be fantastic to be interesting, and often times present challenges for the players to overcome without having to fall back on combat. Here's an example of how weather can create an interesting encounter.

Sandstorm

This encounter is, obviously, most applicable when the PCs are traveling through a desert (such as those found in Quel'Ahma or Valossa). However, many mechanics presented here could easily be applied to a snowstorm if one wishes to use this encounter in a more wintery clime.

While traveling the desert, the PCs notice harsh winds whipping up sand over the horizon. Before long, their view into the distance is blocked by a great cloud of sand, swirling as high as the eye can see - and it's coming closer! Anyone familiar with the desert, whether PCs or NPC guides, will immediately recognize this as a sandstorm - and the party only has a few brief moments to prepare themselves before the storm is upon them!

There are a number of ways to address this encounter. The PCs might try to take cover or set up some form of shelter, such as a tent, if they have one. However, it may not be so easy to do so in time! Enter Action Time, using a flat d20 roll with no modifiers for the initiative of the sandstorm. The sandstorm starts 90 feet away from the party and moves 30 feet closer to the party on its turn. To set up a tent, the PCs must achieve three successes on a DC 15 Sleight of Hand check, assuming of course that they have the necessary materials. Alternatively, there may be rocks, walls, or other forms of cover that the PCs might try to run toward. It's best if these are placed such that the PCs might need to make multiple move actions to get there. Hopefully, they can get to safety before the storm overtakes them!

If the storm does catch up to the party, however, they aren't out of the woods. Once it catches up to the party, for each round on the sandstorm's turn, roll 1d20. On a roll of 10 or higher, the storm threatens to blow through whatever cover the PCs have. Any PC who attempts to brace the shelter must make a DC 12 Constitution save or the party is affected by the storm (see below) on all subsequent turns until a successful save to stabilize the shelter is made. PCs affected by the storm have Disadvantage on this save. If multiple PCs assist in this, the save is made with Advantage.

Alternatively, the PCs may choose to try and press onward through the storm, braving the danger. If so, they are automatically affected by the storm. Any PCs affected by the storm must make a DC 15 Constitution save or take 1d8 slashing damage from the sand abrading their skin and getting in their airways. Additionally, they gain the Blinded condition on a failed save until they are out of the storm. The sand is impossible to see through - melee attacks in the midst of the storm are made with Disadvantage (unless made by a creature with Blindsight or some form of protection), and ranged attacks automatically miss due to the heavy winds.

After three rounds, the sandstorm passes the PCs by and things proceed as normal. However, if the PCs attempted to move through the storm, they may find themselves lost, unable to guide themselves through the all-consuming sands! Have whoever is leading the party make a DC 20 Survival check; on a failure, they will find they moved in a direction other than what they intended (roll 1d8: 1. north; 2. northeast; 3. east; 4. southeast; 5. south; 6. southwest; 7. west; 8. northwest). If multiple PCs attempt to move through the storm independently, they may become separated this way...

There are, of course, a number of twists one can throw into this encounter. One could turn it into an interesting combat encounter by having the PCs attacked by enemies capable of withstanding the storm in its midst, thus forcing them to deal with opponents they can barely see or hit! Alternatively, one might decide that rather than merely a spell of wind, the sandstorm is actually the work of an angry air elemental or djinn, and it's up to the PCs to placate them in order to proceed safely.