The magic of faerie creatures can sometimes alter and distort time. A week spent within a forest might pass as a month in the outside world, or a traveler might spend five days in a forest and emerge to discover that only an hour has passed in the outside world. The strange magic of the fey allows them to twist and turn the temporal flow to suit their strange purpos- es. In a forest with this trait, time passes either faster or slower than normal. Within the forest, everything seems normal. Days and hours pass at their typical rate and creatures age as normal. However, once a creature leaves the forest he finds that much less or much more time than normal has passed.
This trait operates in two ways. It can either speed up time or slow it down. Regardless of its flow, it passes as normal within the forest. Day and night seem to pass as normal, though you can use the eternal seasons trait to prevent the weather from changing in the woods. This trait could apply to certain portions of the wood. Perhaps the faeries’ magic operates only in one secluded vale or the deepest heart of the forest.
The time periods given below are meant to keep this trait manageable. If the characters unwittingly spend years in a forest, you should be prepared to alter your campaign world to account for this change. Villains might gain in power or they could be replaced with new foes. The party’s friends could pass away, move, or forget them. Their families probably consider them lost. Monuments could be erected in their memory, while they could be treated to the site of their own graves back in their hometowns. This trait provides a convenient tool for adven- tures involving time travel or it could give you the opportunity to shake things up in your world by advancing the timeline while the PCs are away.
Light: Two days pass in the outside world for
every day spent in the woods, or vice versa.
Moderate: One week passes in the outside
world for every day in the forest, or vice versa.
Heavy: One month passes in the outside world
for every day in the forest, or vice versa.
Gloom
A dim glow shines through the thick canopy, casting a spectral, dull light across the forest floor. The trees cast long, deep shadows that keep the woods in a continuous twilight. This trait reflects the gloomy atmosphere of dark, oppressive forests. Ghosts and demons might haunt the region, or perhaps its trees are so old that their thick vines and leaves blot out the sun. Whether caused by age or some malevo- lent influence, this trait reflects the dark, shad- owy interior of a forest.
Gloom allows you to emphasize the dark, suf- focating nature of an ancient forest. The char- acters can barely see beyond a few dozen feet in any direction, while other effects (see faerie, above) might prevent them from lighting a torch or lantern. The encroaching darkness pro- vides a convenient source of cover for any monsters in the area, while it breeds paranoia and fear in the players as their characters are unable to see what lies no more than a few feet away. Use this trait for dangerous areas infest- ed with dark monsters or mysterious, magical forests that have acquired a sinister reputation.
Light gloom indicates an area that is
dim and dark compared to normal daytime con- ditions, but is much brighter than even the night of the full moon. Few unbroken patches of light filter down to the forest’s floor.
Light Gloom: Under these conditions, all crea-
tures count as having bright illumination to a range of 60 ft. and shadowy illumination to a range of 120 ft. Characters with low-light vision double these ranges. At night, creatures have shadowy illumination with a range of 40 ft.
Moderate gloom is brighter than nighttime con-
ditions but still shadowy and dim, much like a dark night illuminated by torchlight. The avail- able radiance is scattered and shadowy, and the sun fails to directly penetrate to the forest floor.
Moderate Gloom: By day creatures have
bright illumination to a range of 30 ft. and shadowy illumination to a range of 60 ft. Creatures with low-light vision double these ranges. At night, creatures have shadowy illu- mination to a range of 20 ft.
Heavy gloom drowns out almost all light.
Within the forest, the brightest day can barely match the light of the full moon. The tree
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trunks and undergrowth are cloaked in an eter- nal twilight. By night, the darkness drowns out the brightest stars.
Heavy Gloom: By day, creatures have bright
illumination with a range of 15 ft. and shadowy illumination to a range of 30 ft. Double these ranges for creatures with low-light vision. At night, the forest plunges into total darkness.
Oppression
The towering trees, musty air undisturbed by breeze or wind, and claustrophobic environs of the forest weigh on the minds and hearts of even the most experienced travelers. The oppression trait reflects the overwhelming sense of doom and defeat that an evil forest can exert on those who travel through it. The close quarters, stag- nant air, and dim lighting combine to plant seeds of fear and doubt in those who remain within a dark forest for too long. This trait works best when it is used in concert with gloom (see above) but the two are not linked. While gloom might apply to any ancient forest, only forests with a sinister reputation or those infested by evil monsters feature the oppression trait. The oppression trait is a handy tool to reflect the terror and fear that a primeval, sinister for- est can evoke in the characters. As the PCs wander through it, they slowly lose their nerve and grow to yearn for open spaces, the bright sun, and the wind on their faces. Use it for the dark corners of your campaign world that are flooded with evil energies. You can also use this trait to slowly sap the party’s strength as they travel to face a powerful foe.
Oppression affects creatures that are foreign to an area. Native animals, monsters, and crea- tures do not suffer from its effects. They have learned to adapt to the area or dwell there because they find the suffocating atmosphere to their liking.
Light oppression takes the form of thick, cloy-
ing air and trees that seem to crowd close to the pathways through the forest. After a few min- utes of physical exertion, travelers must stop to rest as they have trouble breathing. At times it feels as if hostile eyes peer down from the trees upon travelers.
Light Oppression (CR 1/3): Will save DC 10;
1 hour interval; –1 modifier/interval; –1 morale modifier to attacks and checks; Special: Morale modifiers do not normally stack. However, the penalty caused by this hazard increases over time. The penalty remains until the characters leave the forest or find secure shelter and rest for the night. After two hours of rest, the penal- ty disappears.
Moderate oppression indicates thick, oppres-
sive air, trees that seem to crowd around travel- ers and glower over them menacingly, and shadows that are never quite dispelled by the wan light filtering down through the drooping branches. Trees creak and snap as if unseen creatures scurry through them, and the thick atmosphere seems to muffle even the loudest sound.
Moderate Oppression (CR 1/2): Will save
DC 15; 1 hour interval; –1 modifier/interval; –1 morale modifier to attacks and checks; Special: As per light oppression. In addition, all Listen checks made within this area suffer a –2 circumstance penalty.
Heavy oppression feels like a smothering blan-
ket dropped upon hope and desire as soon as a character sets foot within the forest. The air is thick with dust and pollen, causing sudden coughing fits. The light is a sickly gray at best, while the thick branches and foliage seem to loom overhead like a hammer ready to fall. Few travelers dare enter these regions, for their sinister reputations and dark aspects scare off all but the bravest explorers. The thick air sti- fles all sound, making even conversation diffi- cult.
Heavy Oppression (CR 1): Will save DC 20;
30 minute interval; –1 modifier/interval; –1 morale modifier to attacks and checks; Special: As per light oppression. In addition, all Listen checks made within this area suffer a –4 cir- cumstance penalty.
Sentience
Trees rustle and move on windless days. Travelers tell of whispers in the dark, trees that move to block pathways and roads, or a rising sense of tension and anger if anyone is fool enough to brandish an axe or light a fire. The forest, they say, is alive and watching. While such tales are usually little more
than overactive imaginations and harmless superstition, in the magical worlds of fantasy sometimes a forest acquires an intelligence of its own. The trees may slumber much of the time, but when a traveler passes they awaken and observe him. While they cannot move fast enough to attack, they can shift their positions to block roads, alter
pathways, and confuse foresters. A forest can have an alignment, a per- sonality, and goals that it pursues. Perhaps it only wants to be left alone, or it might seek to spread across the continent and slowly choke away civ- ilization. Sentient forests may not pose a threat in terms of days or months, but in the course of years and decades they can alter the course of his- tory.
The sentience trait indicates either that a forest has devel- oped a collective awareness or that individ- ual trees are aware of their surroundings and fully intelligent. In either case, they can take limited actions against intruders and may swat away unwelcome guests, offer advice and guidance to trav- elers, or merely mind their own business so long as visitors refrain
from cutting live timber or lighting fires. You can stock a sentient forest with a wide variety of intelligent plants and trees found in the core rules and secondary sources.
When using the sentience trait, you need to choose an alignment for the forest along with the trait’s strength. Generally speaking, a forest acts according to its alignment. A short sum- mary for each ethos is given below.
Lawful good forests maintain their borders, treat visitors with respect and dignity, and pre- pare and present a set of guidelines and rules for visitors. Anyone entering the woods may find themselves asked to meet the forest’s expectations or face the consequences.
Unless an intruder resorts to violence, the for- est prefers to forcibly escort troublemakers beyond its borders. These forests make an effort to control the wildlife populations within them, hunting down overly aggressive preda- tors and magical creatures that can disrupt their carefully cultivated order.
Neutral good forests exist to benefit the creatures that dwell within them. They may be willing to accept a limited amount of logging and small fires for the good of all as long as such operations are restricted to sickly or dying trees. They react aggressively to obviously evil crea- tures, but otherwise keep a low profile. As long as visitors refrain from starting large fires or chopping down healthy trees, they may never realize the forest’s true nature.
Chaotic good forests believe in maintaining the natural world above all else. They may grow and expand to absorb neighboring territories if they feel it is in their best interests. Intruders might be barred from entering the wood unless they sur- render weapons and any tools that can light a fire, though such goods are usually returned when they leave the area.
Lawful neutral forests behave in a manner sim- ilar to lawful good ones, save that they are more apt to use violent methods to enforce their dictates. They seek to construct a perfectly reg- ulated system within the woods, with each ani- mal accounted for and given a place within nature. Intruders may be attacked on sight if they introduce too much chaos into the system. True neutral woods maintain a largely passive attitude. They keep to themselves, though they sometimes communicate with each other when a dire emergency is at hand. They care only that
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the natural order’s strength is left undisturbed. Any animal or creature can wander into the for- est, so long as it is a creature of nature and it does not work to destroy the land. Humanoids might be tolerated, though travelers with an obvious reliance on technology and magic might suffer an attack if they disrupt nature. Chaotic neutral forests are wild, tangled woods traversed by unreliable and even treacherous paths and trails. The roads through the woods never remain stable for more than a day or two, as the trees shift and change positions. Over the course of years or even months, the entire for- est might change its position as the trees migrate seemingly at random. The trees may care little for the environment around them, seeing incursions by orcs and trolls as part of the natural whim of fortune. At other times, the trees may ruthlessly stamp out intruders. Lawful evil forests care only for their own structure and survival. Intruders might be robbed of weapons, armor, and other goods, all of which could go to bribe powerful monsters to leave the area. A green dragon or similar monster might live within the woods, its loyal- ty purchased through the fruits of robbery. The trees and sentient plants are ruthless in destroy- ing unwanted visitors. Every last creature has its place in the forest’s order, and those that deny their duty face death or banishment. Neutral evil forests are strange, contested places of twisted trees and horrific creatures. The trees bicker and fight amongst themselves, driven by a malevolent urge to collect treasure and recruit humanoids and other monsters as followers. Some primitive creatures, such as orcs and goblins, worship the trees as deities. Usually led by druids, these tribes launch raids on nearby settlements to collect sacrifices for their verdant overlords.
Chaotic evil forests disdain the weak, soft flesh of humanoids and animals. They ruthlessly purge any intruders from their borders. Over time, they seek to spread into civilized lands and crush stone and wood beneath their roots.
Within these forests, daring adventurers can find the shattered remnants of ancient towns and cities long ago overrun by the forest’s relentless advance.
Low sentience forests have a dim, shadowy
awareness of events. Treants and other plant creatures are common in the area, but the trees slumber for much of the time. Travelers can expect paths and roads to sometimes change without warning, and if the characters make any attempts to chop down a tree or light a fire there is a 10% chance that the trees in the area animate and attack. The forest might shift its location a mile or two every decade.
Moderate sentience indicates that the trees
have distinct, awakened personalities, but few of them take an interest in the world around them. Most of the trees are content to remain passive observers or they lack the intelligence to take action, but a few of them are active in the forest. Each hour, there is a 20% chance that the characters encounter an intelligent tree. The forest can shift its location one or two miles over the course of a year.
High sentience means that a third or more of
the trees in the forest are intelligent. The woods are the plant equivalent of a city. The characters automatically encounter intelligent trees when they enter the forest, and they can find places free of the forest’s observation only with great difficulty. The forest can move one or two miles in any direction each month, and any aggressive actions or calls for help are answered in a matter of minutes.
Sentient Forests and Combat: In addition to
the increased chances of encountered intelli- gent trees, the characters risk the forest’s inter- ference when they face opponents in battle. Evil trees could try to trip the characters or lash at them, while good ones may assist them against invading creatures. The forest’s rating in this trait determines its combat abilities.