Friday Encounter: The Sky Opens

I've long maintained that most campaigns overlook the value of mundane travel complications for random encounters. Not every danger the PCs face has to come from magic and monsters - throwing in things like natural hazards and road conditions can help the world seem more realistic, and keeps the fantastical rare, mysterious, and, well, fantastical. A big example of this: weather. I don't think I've ever seen a campaign that even acknowledged the weather; it seems that in most gaming sessions it just exists in a quantum state of unremarkably clear skies that have no positive or negative impacts on the party. I'm not saying you need to meticulously track weather patterns for your setting (unless that's your thing), but I do think that having weather events happen as a random encounter every once in a while can do a lot to spice up travel. Here's an example.

This encounter can be used in any outdoor environment, but to get the most use out of it, it's best used while the PCs are traveling, either on a road or through the wilderness. This means they can't simply go underneath the roof of a nearby building to take shelter.

While the PCs are traveling, the sky suddenly turns overcast. A moment later, with a peal of thunder, the clouds open into a torrential rainstorm, with water coming down hard all around them. The storm lasts for 1d4 hours. Until then, the party will have to figure out some way to deal with it.

The obvious answer is to go off the path and try to find shelter, such as in a cave or beneath a large tree, and wait it out. Perhaps this would be as simple as moving to a nearby location you already have on the map, or perhaps you could have a Survival check to find a suitable shelter. This side trek could lead to other encounters or discoveries - perhaps, in looking for shelter, the PCs come across something else. If the party is in a hurry, or if someone is under the effects of a spell with a limited duration, the delay could cause them to lose valuable time.

If the PCs decide to press on despite the effects of the storm, they take one level of Exhaustion for every hour they travel. Additionally, if they traveled through the rain, they must make a Constitution saving throw or come down with a cold, which will take them out of action until they sleep it off. They gain the Incapacitated condition until the next long rest, or if some magical means to cure disease are employed. The DC for this save starts at 5 and increases by 5 for every hour the PCs travel through the rain.

Don't forget other effects rain could have on the PCs or other creatures. If they're carrying torches, they may run the risk of going out. Scrolls, books, and other objects that could be damaged by water might become unusable if not properly stored. An invisible creature could be detected in a rainstorm by how its body displaces water. Like I said, there's a lot that can be done with weather, so don't forget about it in your toolbox.