Hazards

Sample Hazards

Accursed Pool CR 3

The lingering effects of ancient curses or harmful energy leaching from a submerged cursed magical item can turn a simple pool of water into a dangerous magical hazard. An accursed pool lures passersby into its depths with a silent image (DC 16 Will save to disbelieve) of glittering treasure at the bottom of its 10-foot depth. Any creature that reaches the treasure triggers the curse. A creature within the pool must make a DC 16 Will save or be affected by the curse, which warps its perception of the pool. The water seems to thicken into viscous goo, while the pool appears to distort to a depth of 40 feet. Swim checks in the pool suffer a –10 penalty and are at half normal speed as a result of these effects, and spellcasting within the pool requires a concentration check with a DC of 15 + the level of the spell being cast. An accursed pool radiates strong magic, and is destroyed by dispel magic or remove curse (caster level check DC 15).

Source Gamemastery Guide

Bad Air CR 1 or 4

An invisible hazard, pockets of low-oxygen gas present a danger to miners and spelunkers as well as cavern-delving adventurers. Nonflammable gases such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen are CR 1 and require a DC 25 Survival check to notice. Creatures breathing the air must make a Fortitude save (DC 15 + 1 per previous check) each hour or become fatigued. After a creature becomes fatigued, slow suffocation sets in. Creatures holding their breath can avoid these effects. Flammable vapors such as coal gas are much more dangerous (CR 4). The gases displace breathable air in the lungs, causing fatigue as described above. In addition, any open flame or spark causes an explosion for 6d6 points of damage (Reflex save DC 15 for half ) to all in the cavern or within 5 feet of an entrance. The fire burns away the oxygen in the air, leaving it unbreathable for 2d4 minutes. After an explosion, flammable gas usually takes several days to build up to dangerous levels again.

Source Gamemastery Guide

Bookworm CR 1/10

XP 25

The bookworm is a tiny, 1-inch long, gray, seemingly normal worm. This miniscule creature is the bane of scholars, wizards, and sages, for its primary source of food is the paper, wood, and leather that make up books.

Bookworms cannot harm living creatures, but they burrow through wood, leather, rope, and paper very quickly. They ignore the hardness of such materials, and a burrowing bookworm deals 3 points of damage per round to dead wood, rope, paper, or leather. Bookworms are quick and agile (moving at 20 feet per round) and seek to avoid being seen. To this end, they can alter their body color to match that of their surroundings. (It takes a successful DC 20 Perception check to notice a bookworm that has changed its color.)

Scrolls are destroyed in a single round and any spells contained on it are destroyed as well. A spellbook loses one spell level per round that a bookworm spends burrowing into it. For example, a spellbook has 100 pages and can hold a maximum of 100 total spell levels (a spell takes up one page per spell level). Thus, it takes the bookworm 100 rounds (10 minutes) to completely destroy a full spellbook. If the same spellbook only had 20 spell levels in it (say five 1st-level spells, four 2nd-level spells, one 3rd-level spell, and one 4th-level spell), the bookworm would destroy the spellbook in 20 rounds (2 minutes). Multiple bookworms can destroy a spellbook much faster. Each bookworm burrowing through a book destroys one spell level per round. Thus, a full spellbook (100 spell levels) can be destroyed by two bookworms in 5 minutes)

A typical lair (or brood) contains 10-40 bookworms. They are easily killed by attacks that deal damage over an area (such as fire or cold). Consider one worm killed for each point of damage dealt.

Brown Mold CR 2

XP 600

Brown mold feeds on warmth, drawing heat from anything around it. It normally comes in patches 5 feet in diameter, and the temperature is always cold in a 30-foot radius around it. Living creatures within 5 feet of it take 3d6 points of nonlethal cold damage. Fire brought within 5 feet of brown mold causes the mold to instantly double in size. Cold damage, such as from a cone of cold, instantly destroys it.

Bullhorn Acacia CR 1

XP

Common to many of the Mwangi Expanse's jungles, the bullhorn acacia tree is a thorny monstrosity; its long, hollow spines grow densely and bar jungle paths wherever several trees grow near each other. Yet more menacing than its spikes are the ants that dwell within the hollow thorns. These tiny ants feed on nutrients exuded by the acacia, and they will fight to the death to defend their home. Unwary creatures who fail a DC 18 Survival check and brush up against one of these plants can expect to be immediately set upon by a swarm of tiny, stinging insects (treat as a spider swarm).

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Cave-Ins and Collapses CR 8

XP 4800

Cave-ins and collapsing tunnels are extremely dangerous. Not only do dungeon explorers face the danger of being crushed by tons of falling rock, but even if they survive they might be buried beneath a pile of rubble or cut off from the only known exit. A cave-in buries anyone in the middle of the collapsing area, and then sliding debris damages anyone in the periphery of the collapse. A typical corridor subject to a cave-in might have a bury zone with a 15-foot radius and a 10-foot-wide slide zone extending beyond the bury zone. A weakened ceiling can be spotted with a DC 20 Knowledge (engineering) or DC 20 Craft (stonemasonry) check. Remember that Craft checks can be made untrained as Intelligence checks. A dwarf can make such a check if he simply passes within 10 feet of a weakened ceiling.

A weakened ceiling might collapse when subjected to a major impact or concussion. A character can cause a cave-in by destroying half the pillars holding up the ceiling.

Characters in the bury zone of a cave-in take 8d6 points of damage, or half that amount if they make a DC 15 Reflex save. They are subsequently buried. Characters in the slide zone take 3d6 points of damage, or no damage at all if they make a DC 15 Reflex save. Characters in the slide zone who fail their saves are buried.

Characters take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage per minute while buried. If such a character falls unconscious, he must make a DC 15 Constitution check each minute. If it fails, he takes 1d6 points of lethal damage each minute until freed or dead.

Characters who aren't buried can dig out their friends. In 1 minute, using only her hands, a character can clear rocks and debris equal to five times her heavy load limit. The amount of loose stone that fills a 5-foot-by-5-foot area weighs 1 ton (2,000 pounds). Armed with an appropriate tool, such as a pick, crowbar, or shovel, a digger can clear loose stone twice as quickly as by hand. A buried character can attempt to free himself with a DC 25 Strength check.

Dweomersink CR 6

Zones of magical entropy that disrupt spells, dweomersinks are occasionally formed at the sites of great magical duels, by the destruction of powerful artifacts, or by vortices of eldritch energy at the fringes of antimagic zones. They vary in size from small bubbles only a few feet across to large areas the size of a town. A successful DC 20 Spellcraft check detects a tingling in the air that heralds the presence of a nearby dweomersink. An active spell brought into a dweomersink may be dispelled, and any spell cast inside a dweomersink is subject to an immediate counterspell (both as dispel magic, caster level 8th). The resulting release of magical energy inflicts 1d6 points of damage per spell level in a 5-foot burst centered on the bearer of the spell entering the area or the caster of a new spell (Ref lex save DC 15 for half damage). If multiple overlapping bursts hit the same target, only the most damaging applies. Once a spell effect has survived a dispel attempt, it is not affected again unless it leaves and reenters the dweomersink. More powerful dweomersinks are even more disruptive. Each +1 increase in CR increases the caster level of the dispel check by 2 and the save DC for the damaging burst by 1.

Source Gamemastery Guide

Ear Seeker CR 5

XP 1,600

Ear seekers are tiny, pale-colored worms that dwell in rotting wood or other organic detritus. They can be noticed with a DC 15 Perception check. Otherwise, a living creature poking about their lair inadvertently transfers one or more ear seekers to its body. The seekers then search out a warm location on the creature, especially favoring the ear canal. Once there, they lay 2d8 eggs before dying. The eggs hatch 4d6 hours later and the larvae devour the surrounding flesh. Upon the death of their host, the new ear seekers crawl out and seek a new host. Remove disease kills any ear seekers or unhatched eggs in or on a host. Some ear seekers favor living in intact wood, often hiding in dungeon doors. The small pinholes left by this variety are particularly hard to spot (Perception DC 20).

Infestations: Parasites such as ear seekers or rot grubs cause infestations, a type of affliction similar to diseases. Infestations can only be cured through specific means; no matter how many saving throws are made, the infestation continues to afflict the target. While a remove disease spell (or similar effect) instantly halts an infestation, immunity to disease offers no protection, as the infestation itself is caused by parasites.

Ear Seekers
Type infestation; Save Fortitude DC 15
Onset 4d6 hours; Frequency 1/hour
Effect 1d6 Con damage

Source Gamemastery Guide

Ellim Bushes CR -

Ellim bushes look like ordinary, thick, leafy bushes that grow close to the ground. Patches of these bushes often split and grow into new patches, and a continuous patch can cover up to 100 feet of ground. Ellim bushes have porous bark and leaves that soak up water during the frequent rainstorms, which generally last from late afternoon to midnight. When the sun rises the next day, the water trapped in ellim bushes begins to evaporate, creating a thick, muggy fog.

The fog that surrounds ellim bushes obscures vision in the bushes' immediate vicinity. Travelers unfamiliar with ellim bushes might make camp in a seemingly clear area and wake up to find dense, musty fog covering their campsite. The vision-obscuring fog stretches for approximately 20 feet beyond the edge of the ellim bush patch.

Though not dangerous themselves, ellim bushes are often used by monsters, raiders, and other local menaces to easily sneak up on prey. Those beasts that don't rely on vision as their primary sense are particularly at home in the mists and may make their lairs near ellim bushes as a natural defense, as well as a perfect ambush site. Ellim leaves can be used as makeshift bandages in an emergency, as they can absorb half as much blood as cloth bandages. Trackers often carry wrung-out ellim leaves for use as sponges. Ellim leaves placed in the heels of boots or under hats absorb sweat and can help keep travelers cool.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Falling Trees CR -

Note: The following information for falling trees was taken from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle and modified slightly to apply to forests in general.

Native flora, especially tall trees, have generally adapted to seasonal storms and rarely come down due to rainfall. At times, though, a particularly strong storm can erode the soil and pound a tree with enough force to cause it to topple, possibly setting off a chain reaction. Anyone in the path of a falling tree must make a DC 14 Reflex save to leap clear or take 3d6 points of damage. Fallen trees can block routes, but travelers can usually climb over the trees, which measure anywhere from 5 to 20 feet in diameter. Fallen trees can, however, block river travel and require travelers to abandon their boats or to drag them out of the river and portage them around the obstruction.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Flash Floods CR 3

Note: The following information for flash floods was taken from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle and modified slightly to apply to more general usage.

Heavy rains can cause rivers to swell and break free of their banks, turning valleys to rushing mudflows and filthy lakes. Experienced guides know to stay clear of rivers during rainstorms, but tropical storms often erupt quickly, and the torrential downpour can catch adventurers in a flash flood without warning. At other times, a storm some distance away can push swelling water down the river and catch travelers in a rushing wall of water.

A traveler can make a DC 20 Survival check to notice the telltale rise in water or other dangerous conditions that signal an impending flash flood. Success means the traveler and her allies have 1d4 rounds to prepare or reach high ground before the flood strikes. A flash flood sweeps past at a speed of 60 feet with enough force to knock down trees and toss boulders around. See Aquatic Terrain for rules for being swept away by fast-flowing water. At the GM's discretion, characters caught in a flash flood might suffer additional effects, outlined below.

Characters within 50 feet of a flash flood must make a DC 12 Reflex save or take 2d6 points of damage from hurtling debris. Any character wading through a river or within 10 feet of the river's edge is caught in the flash flood when it erupts and is subjected to a bull rush (CMB +20). A successful bull rush indicates the character is swept away, taking 2d6 points of damage per round (a DC 12 Reflex save each round negates this damage). Swim checks are possible in a flash flood, but they are difficult due to the churning, raging waters and should be treated as stormy water (Pathfinder RPG Core Rulebook 108), with DC 20 Swim checks required to move through the torrent. Most flash floods last 3d6 minutes before subsiding, but on occasion longer flash floods may occur. It's also important to note that certain animals may sense an impending flood before adventurers, and even if the player characters manage to reach the safety of high ground, they find themselves face to face with other jungle denizens who aren't interested in sharing it.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Froghemoth Eggs CR 2

XP 600

Froghemoths lay 10-100 eggs at a time, and the eggs are held together with a glue-like slime that serves three functions. The slime reacts with the water the eggs are laid in, producing a brown aquatic cloud extending 15 ft. from the eggs, similar to muddy water. All Perception checks made to spot items in this cloudy water take a -8 circumstance penalty. Spotting the eggs requires a DC 20 Perception check. The slime’s second function is that it traps potential food. Any creature – other than a froghemoth – coming into contact with the slime is held fast. Breaking free from the slime requires a DC 15 Strength check.

The slime’s third function is to serve as a conduit for the egg’s electrical charge. Every 5 rounds, the eggs release a charge. Any creature within the slime when this charge is released must make a DC 14 Fortitude check or suffer 1d4 Strength damage. Each egg has 6 hp and hardness 2. In a group of fewer than 10 eggs, the electrical discharge is not strong enough to affect creatures of Small size or larger.

Source Kobold Quarterly Magazine

Gas Spore CR 4

XP 1,200

From a distance greater than 10 feet, the gas spore is likely to be mistaken for a different orb-shaped monster (Perception check DC 30 to notice the difference). The gas spore is not related to that creature, but uses its mimicry to lure would-be victims to their doom. The gas spore has a fly speed of 10 feet with average maneuverability.

When a gas spore contacts a living creature (or a living creature touches a gas spore unarmed or with natural attacks), it injects poisonous rhizomes into the foe if that opponent fails a DC 15 Fortitude save. Each day thereafter, an infected creature must succeed on a Fortitude save (DC 12, +1 per additional day) or take 1d6 points of Constitution damage. (Constitution damage continues until the victim dies or the rhizomes are destroyed.) At Constitution 0, a victim dies and 2d4 gas spores emerge from its body. A  remove disease spell cast on an affected creature before it dies destroys the rhizomes and prevents any further Constitution damage.

If a gas spore is struck for a single point of damage (by a weapon, natural attack, spell, or effect), it explodes in a violent blast of gas that deals 6d6 points of damage to all creatures within a 30-foot radius. A successful DC 15 Reflex save reduces the damage by half.

Gorao Trees CR -

Gorao trees, often called 'grabber trees' by foreigners, are nonsentient trees that can nonetheless be dangerous for unwary travelers. A gorao tree grows multiple thin trunks only 1 or 2 inches in diameter, all clustered together. These trunks sprout even thinner, short branches that stick out from the trunks like spines on a thistle. One gorao tree by itself poses no threat, but gorao trees tend to cover large areas of jungle, and they pose a hazard to any who enter an infested area. Gorao trees grow sparsely around the edges of a field or stand but cluster more densely at its center. A character can make a DC 15 Survival check to notice that gorao trees are appearing more frequently. Once a traveler enters the perimeter of a gorao tree stand, her movement becomes inhibited. Gorao tree stands count as difficult terrain. The twigs protruding from the trunks catch on clothes, straps, and skin. It's difficult for a character to back up among gorao trees, as the twigs tend to protrude toward the center of the stand, making it easier to enter than to exit. By the time a creature failing the Survival check realizes she has entered a gorao tree stand meaning by the time her movement becomes inhibited by the difficult terrain the stand already extends behind her by 2d6 squares.

Much like ellim bushes, the danger of gorao tree stands is that predators often hunt near them, hoping to find a panicked creature caught in the twigs. Creatures in gorao tree stands tend to thrash and break twigs in their efforts to escape the equivalent of ringing a dinner bell for nearby stalkers.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Green Slime CR 4

XP 1200

This dungeon peril is a dangerous variety of normal slime. Green slime devours flesh and organic materials on contact and is even capable of dissolving metal. Bright green, wet, and sticky, it clings to walls, floors, and ceilings in patches, reproducing as it consumes organic matter. It drops from walls and ceilings when it detects movement (and possible food) below.

A single 5-foot square of green slime deals 1d6 points of Constitution damage per round while it devours flesh. On the first round of contact, the slime can be scraped off a creature (destroying the scraping device), but after that it must be frozen, burned, or cut away (dealing damage to the victim as well). Anything that deals cold or fire damage, sunlight, or a remove disease spell destroys a patch of green slime. Against wood or metal, green slime deals 2d6 points of damage per round, ignoring metal's hardness but not that of wood. It does not harm stone.

Hellfire CR 3

XP 800

Hellfire is treated as normal fire, but deals half fire damage and half damage from unholy energy. Damage dealt by hellfire is known as hellfire damage. Evil-aligned creatures and creatures with the evil subtype take no damage from the unholy energy, but good-aligned beings and those with the good subtype take double the normal damage from it. Creatures under the effects of spells like protection from evil are unaffected by this unholy energy, though they may still take fire damage.

A typical gout of hellfire, which might spring forth from the plains of Avernus, the pits of Phlegethon, or countless other searing vents throughout the Pit, typically deals 6d6 points of hellfire damage. Aside from such gouts, whole lakes, burning clouds, pyroclastic flows, burning rock, and endlessly smoldering structures flickering with hellfire are known to burn amid the depths of the Pit.

Hound of Ill Omen CR 6

XP 2,400

The hound of ill omen (only one is thought to exist) is a legendary monster that appears when a living creature offends his/her deity. The hound appears as a shadowy, translucent wolf about 5 feet tall at the shoulder. Only the creature that offended his deity can see the hound, and only he is affected by the hound’s attack.The hound cannot be attacked or driven away by any known means.

The hound of ill omen unleashes a booming howl (audible only to its intended target) that curses the target. This curse causes the next 1d10 wounds the target takes to automatically be confirmed as critical hits (thus a cursed target would take double damage from a longsword attack for example and triple damage from an arrow fired from a longbow). This curse does not activate special abilities or qualities relying on a critical hit (such as the vorpal special quality). Thus, a cursed target hit by a vorpal longsword would take double damage but would not suffer the effects of the vorpal special quality.

Until the target suffers the requisite number of wounds, no form of natural healing cures any damage the target takes. Likewise, any caster attempting to cast a conjuration (healing) spell on cursed target must succeed on a DC 20 caster level check, or the spell has no effect on the cursed creature.

The victim receives no save to avoid the howl’s effects and it cannot be removed by any means short of a god’s magic, but if remove curse is cast on the target within 10 minutes after the howl, the effects of the curse are halved (i.e., only 1-5 wounds automatically confirm as critical hits).

Insect Swarms CR 2

XP 600

Even seasoned adventurers sometimes flinch at the mention of swarms. Certainly many deadly swarms exist in the jungle's humid heart, and statistics for many of these can be found in the Bestiary (spiders, centipedes, army ants, botfly swarm). Yet even ordinary insects can form irritating (if nonlethal) swarms under the right conditions. Some trackers claim they can predict the conditions under which insect swarms form. For example, one tracker might insist it's the change in barometric pressure before a storm that triggers swarming, while another might believe it's a change in the prevailing winds. The potential causes are as numerous as the people who espouse them, and if folklore holds a definitive answer, it has yet to become common knowledge.

Extremely large swarms can devastate whole swaths of countryside, but the type of insect swarm most common to jungle travelers is the small, localized swarm often clouds of small, non-biting insects like gnats that insist on flying close to drink the humans' sweat, crawling unpleasantly on eyeballs and up nostrils. These clouds obscure vision, create irritation, and can even transmit disease. A character on watch for such things can make a DC 25 Survival check to notice an insect swarm and change course to avoid the swarm.

Swarm Effects: Moving, living creatures attract the attention of insect swarms, especially if they smell strongly or are actively sweating. A group of adventurers that stumbles into a swarm finds itself pestered by the insects for 3d6 rounds or until the swarm disperses. Swarms disperse under several conditions, including the following: a gust of wind or stronger wind effect (whether naturally or magically created), a fire effect that covers at least half the swarm (including torches, provided there's one for each square of the swarm), the submersion of all members of the party in water for 3 consecutive rounds, or a repel vermin spell that covers all members of the party for 3 consecutive rounds. Most swarms occupy a cube that measures 10 feet per side, though reports of larger swarms exist. A swarm can move up to 40 feet per round, squeeze through any space at least 5 feet wide, and occupy squares already occupied by other creatures, even other swarms.

Any living creature that begins its turn in a square occupied by a swarm must make a DC 13 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1 round. A swarm also has a 25% chance of carrying disease. If the swarm carries a disease, a character who fails his Fort save is sickened and must make an additional save or be infected with one of the following contact diseases: Boot Soup, Brainworms, Dysentery, Green Haze, Greenscale, or Red Drip (all contact diseases from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle) (save DC varies by disease).

A swarm obscures vision, and any creatures within the swarm are considered dazzled for as long as they remain in it. Creatures within the swarm also have concealment (20% miss chance). Spellcasting or concentrating on spells within the area of a swarm requires a caster level check (DC 10 + spell level). Using skills that involve patience and concentration requires a DC 15 Will save.

Types of Swarms: Common irritating swarms include gnats, black flies, and mosquitoes. Flightless swarms, such as swarms of ants, spiders, and maggots, also use the rules presented here but occupy a square rather than a cube and do not impede vision or grant concealment. These swarms should not be confused with deadly swarms, which include monsters like wasps, spiders, and other dangerous insects and follow the normal monster rules for swarms.

Remedies: A character can take certain precautions against non-deadly insect swarm effects. Covering all exposed skin (for example, by donning gloves, wrapping a scarf around one's face, and so on) takes a full-round action and grants a +4 circumstance bonus on saving throws made to avoid being sickened or contracting a disease. Various salves made of bitter, nonmagical jungle herbs are available to travelers in major towns for the vastly inflated price of 10 gp a dose (though many of these turn out to be fake or ineffective). If a traveler applies a genuine dose of this salve, it causes all non-deadly swarms to avoid coming within 5 feet of him for at least 1 hour, removing all associated penalties for that character.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Leeches (Common) CR -

Leeches are prevalent in the jungle and are most commonly found in slow-moving rivers or stagnant ponds, though they can also live in deep or fast-moving water. Stagnant water in the jungle has a 50% chance of containing leeches, slow moving water a 25% chance, and swifter rivers a 10% chance. Ordinary leeches are disgusting but mostly harmless. They may attach themselves to characters moving through the water, but most leeches prefer to feed on carrion, plant matter, and other leeches. Still, it's disturbing for even the most seasoned adventurer to emerge from a river and find sticky blobs of leech plastered to her skin, and though leeches themselves are not poisonous, they are capable of spreading blood-borne diseases from one victim to the next as they vomit the contents of their stomachs into the wound. Thus, you may wish to assign a percentile chance of contracting one of the following injury diseases: Bonecrusher (Dengue) Fever, Brainworms, Dysentery, Firegut, Greenscale, Malaria (Jungle Fever), Pulsing Puffs, Sleeping Sickness (all from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle) (save DC varies by disease).

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Leech (Ghost) CR 1/2

Note: The following information for ghost leeches was taken from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle and modified slightly to more general use.

Unfortunately, the standard leech is often not alone in muddy rivers. Both giant leeches and nauseating leech swarms make their homes here, and they are seldom content with a sip of the victim's blood, preferring instead to drain her dry. Mwangi streams are home to the translucent terror known as the ghost leech. A ghost leech is a 6-inch-long leech with almost completely clear skin, appearing as little more than a ripple in the water as it moves. A gentle attacker with an anesthetizing poison, it can often attach itself to a humanoid or other prey animal without being noticed (Stealth +20). Once attached, the ghost leech quietly drains its host of blood, inflicting 1 point of Constitution damage each round that it's attached. As it fills with blood, it gradually becomes more and more visible, taking a cumulative -5 penalty on Stealth checks and allowing a new Perception check to notice it for each point of Constitution it drains. The ghost leech detaches itself once it has dealt at least 3 points of Constitution damage and slithers back into the water. Ghost leeches have no other combat abilities and negligible hit points and AC; an adventurer can kill one easily by tearing it off and squishing it, assuming she notices it before it drops away and leaves her weakened and pale. As such, it works better as a natural hazard of CR 1/2 than as an actual combat encounter.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Leech (Throat) CR 4

XP 1,200

The throat leech is a 1-inch long grey leech that lairs in fresh streams, pools, underground springs, and the like. When a living creature consumes liquid containing a throat leech, the leech attaches itself to the back of the victim’s throat and begins draining blood. This deals 1d3 points of Constitution damage each round. Once the leech has drained 6 points of Constitution, it ceases draining (but does not detach).

Additionally, when a throat leech has sated itself, its body swells thereby suffocating the host. A character who has no air to breathe can hold her breath for 2 rounds per point of Constitution. After this period of time, the character must make a DC 10 Constitution check in order to continue holding her breath. The save must be repeated each round, with the DC increasing by +1 for each previous success.

When the character fails one of these Constitution checks, she begins to suffocate. In the first round, she falls unconscious (0 hit points). In the following round, she drops to –1 hit points and is dying. In the third round, she suffocates.

A  remove disease spell kills a throat leech as does an application of fire that deals at least one point of fire damage.

Lightning

Note: The following information for lightning was taken from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle and modified slightly to more general use.

Lightning strikes occur commonly during thunderstorms. It is exceedingly rare for a creature to be struck by lightning, though such an unlucky character would suffer between 4d8 and 10d8 points of electricity damage from the strike. Lightning strikes rarely produce forest fires in jungles due to their humid nature, but on the plains or in dry areas it's possible for a strike to ignite a wild fire.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Magnetized Ore CR 2

The strange energies of the subterranean world can charge rocks and veins of ore with powerful magnetic fields, creating a hazard for anyone carrying or wearing ferrous metals. Any steel or iron brought within 20 feet of the ore is drawn toward it. Medium-sized creatures carrying 30 or more pounds of ferrous metal are pulled toward the ore as if by the pull special ability. The ore has an effective CMB of +7 and CMD 17. Small creatures are pulled if they have 15 pounds of metal, Large if they have at least 60 pounds. For creatures of other sizes, modify the weight required as per the rules for carrying capacity. Creatures wearing metallic armor suffer a penalty to their CMD to resist the pull (–2 for medium armor, –4 for heavy armor). Affected creatures are pulled up to 20 feet and slammed against the rock for 2d6 points of damage and gain the grappled condition. Creatures not carrying large amounts of metal but holding metal items in their hands are affected by a disarm maneuver as the items are ripped free. Freeing a stuck item requires a successful grapple check against the ore’s CMD.

Source Gamemastery Guide

Memory Moss CR 5

XP 1,600

Memory moss appears as a 1-foot square patch of black moss. It grows in temperate or warm climates and is sometimes encountered in subterranean realms (though not often). Memory moss cannot abide the cold or the arid clime of the desert and is never encountered in such environments.

When a living creature moves within 60 feet of a patch of memory moss, it attacks by attempting to steal that creature’s memories. It can target a single creature each round. A targeted creature must succeed on a DC 16 Will save or lose all memories from the last 24 hours. This is particularly nasty to spellcasters, who lose all spells prepared within the last 24 hours. (Only those spells actually prepared in the last 24 hours are lost; spells prepared longer than 24 hours ago are not lost.)

Once a memory moss steals a creature’s memories, it sinks back down and does not attack again for one day. Any creature who loses its memories to the memory moss acts as if affected by a confusion spell (caster level 8th) for the next 1d4 hours. Lost memories can be regained by eating the memory moss that absorbed them. Doing so requires a DC 13 Fortitude save, with failure resulting in the creature being nauseated for 1d6 minutes and suffering 1d4 points of Constitution damage.

A creature that eats the memory moss temporarily gains the memories currently stored therein (even if they are not the creature’s own memories). Such creatures can even cast spells if the memory moss has stolen these from a spellcasting creature. Any non-spellcaster that attempts to cast a spell gained in this way must succeed on a Concentration check (DC 10+ spell level) or the spell fizzles away. After 24 hours, the memories fade (including any spells not yet cast). Creatures eating the memory moss to regain their own lost memories do not lose them after 24 hours. Fire and cold kills a single patch of memory moss.

When first encountered, there is a 25% chance that the memory moss has eaten within the last day and does not attack by stealing memories. In such a case, the moss contains 2d4 spells determined randomly. When a living creature moves within 60 feet of a sated memory moss, it assumes a vaguely humanoid form and casts the stolen spells at its targets. The moss casts these spells as a sorcerer of the minimum level necessary to cast the stolen spell (save DC 10 + spell level).

Mnemonic Crystals CR 3

Mnemonic crystals are large (2–4 feet tall) clusters of violet quartz crystals that radiate a strong abjuration aura. They can be identified with a DC 25 Knowledge (arcana) check. Attuned to the unique energies of spellcraft, mnemonic crystals harvest magical energy for growth and defense. The crystals drain prepared spells from spellcasters within 30 feet, who must make DC 22 Will saves each round while in the crystals’ area. Failure results in the loss of one prepared spell, chosen randomly. Spontaneous spellcasters such as sorcerers are unaffected. Damaging or breaking the crystals causes them to release their absorbed spells in a burst of mental energy that does 1d6 points of Wisdom damage to all creatures in a 10-foot radius. Mnemonic crystals are exceedingly fragile (hardness 0, 1 hit point). In areas thick with the crystals, creatures passing through must make DC 10 Acrobatics checks to avoid stepping on or brushing against the crystals and breaking them.

Source Gamemastery Guide

Monkey Trees CR -

Monkey trees present a unique hazard in the jungle. These shaggy-barked trees have thick, twisting limbs sprouting from a central trunk. They have no foliage, only looping branches extending toward the sky. The solid appearance of the tree and its twisted limbs make it seem ideal for climbing. Its fibrous bark also serves as ideal tinder. While not harmful, the bark of the monkey tree contains concentrated oils that seep into the skin of anyone who touches the tree. These oils react with skin to create an incredibly spicy, pungent odor.

A character who touches a monkey tree smells strongly for the next day. The oils react with any skin, including leather, so leather gloves also pick up the smell. A character can rid herself of the scent by scrubbing with soap and water, after which the smell grows mild and inoffensive. Unless the character takes the time to wash, any creature tracking the character or her allies receives a +4 circumstance bonus to its Survival check. What's more, many predators have learned that the smell of a monkey tree means the presence of naked (and uneducated) flesh somewhere nearby. Unprotected contact with a monkey tree greatly increases the chances of a random encounter, as some predators can smell the pungent odor from up to 10 miles away and may head toward it.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Olive Slime CR 4

XP 1,200

Olive slime is a plantlike growth found in dark, damp underground areas. It is sticky, wet, and olive drab in color. It clings to walls, ceilings, and floors and consumes any organic matter it contacts. Olive slime can detect prey by vibration to a range of 30 feet and drops from ceilings and walls when it detects movement underneath it.

When a patch of olive slime drops and attaches to a foe (the host), it secretes a numbing poison that makes its presence go almost unnoticed (DC 18 Wisdom check to notice). A creature viewing the host can successfully notice the olive slime if it succeeds on a DC 15 Wisdom check. Within 5 feet of the host, the olive slime is easily noticed. An olive slime that has attached itself affects the thinking pattern of its host so the host’s main concern becomes how to feed and protect the olive slime (including keeping the creature hidden from any adventuring companions). This effect is similar to a charm monster spell (caster level 6th). If a creature attempts to remove the olive slime from the host, the host either attacks that creature or attempts to flee the area. The only way to successfully break the brain link is to destroy the olive slime, destroy the host, or remove the olive slime from the host.

A single patch of olive slime deals 1d6 points of Constitution damage each day as it devours flesh, replacing skin and muscle tissue. Additionally, the host must double its normal food intake each day or sustain an additional 1 point of Constitution damage each day. On days the host does not eat twice its normal food intake it does not naturally heal any damage (including ability damage). At Constitution 0, the host dies and its body transforms into a slime zombie. (See the slime zombie template.)

Olive slime can be burned, frozen, or cut away (dealing an equal amount of damage to the host as well). Anything that deals acid, cold or fire damage, or a  remove disease spell destroys a patch of olive slime.

Phantom CR 3

XP 800

Phantoms are translucent spirits of creatures that died a particularly  violent death. A phantom appears much as it did in life, though its form is clearly translucent  and incorporeal.

Phantoms have no attack form other than causing fear. A phantom  causes fear (by gaze) to any living creature within 30 feet of it (DC 15 Will save negates). Affected creatures flee in terror for 1d6 rounds. If the save is successful, that creature cannot be affected again by that phantom’s fear for one day.

A phantom is immune to all attack forms but can be destroyed through the casting of a dismissal or banishment spell.

Piercer CR 1/4

XP 100

Piercers resemble 1-foot long stalactites and are found underground in caves and caverns hanging from the ceiling waiting for living creatures to pass underneath.

Those viewing a piercer  must make a DC 20 Perception check to discern its true nature; else it is overlooked and mistaken for a normal stalactite. Piercers gather in clusters of up to 20 creatures.

When a living creature stands in a square directly below a piercer, it drops and attempts to impale the unsuspecting foe. The creature can make a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid the piercer’s attack. If the save fails, the target sustains 1d6 points of piercing damage. If the save succeeds, the piercer misses its target and may not attack again until it climbs back into position. (Piercers move 5 feet per round). A piercer on the ground is easily dispatched, though touching or attacking it unarmed or with natural weapons causes it to secrete an acid that deals 1d4 points of acid damage to the opponent each time one of its attacks hits.

Piercers can grow to a length of 6 feet. Those of 2 to 4 feet in length are CR 1 and deal 2d6 points of damage if they hit a foe. Their acid deals 1d6 points of acid damage. Those of 5 to 6 feet in length are CR 2 and deal 3d6 points of damage if they hit. Their acid deals 1d6 points of acid damage. The DC to avoid a piercer’s attack is 15, regardless of its size.

Poison Oak CR 1 or 3

Contact with poison oak (CR 1) causes a painful rash, and the resulting itch leaves the hapless victim sickened until the damage is healed. Full body contact or inhaling the smoke from burning poison oak is particularly dangerous, and can be fatal (CR 3). A DC 15 Knowledge (nature) check reveals this seemingly innocuous plant for what it is. This hazard can also be used for similar noxious plants such as poison ivy, poison sumac, and stinging nettles, the latter not being hazardous when burned.

Poison Oak
Type poison, contact; Save Fortitude DC 13
Onset 1 hour
Effect 1d4 Dex damage, creature sickened until damage is healed; Cure 1 save

Poison Oak (Severe Exposure)
Type poison, contact or inhaled; Save Fortitude DC 16
Onset 1 hour; Frequency 1/hour
Initial Effect 2d4 Dex damage and 1d4 Con damage, creature sickened until damage is healed; Secondary Effect 1 Con damage; Cure 1 save

Source Gamemastery Guide

Purple Moss CR 2

XP 600

This plant is a distant cousin of yellow mold. It feeds on moisture, so any area in which it grows is always extremely dry. Purple moss emits a sweet smell to a  range of 10 feet that has  the same effect as a sleep spell (DC 12 Fortitude save). A victim that falls asleep is quickly covered by the moss. It takes 1 full round to cover a creature of diminutive or smaller size and one additional round for each size larger than Diminutive. A creature so covered takes suffocation damage. Slain victims are digested in 1d2 hours by acidic secretions from the moss. Purple moss can be destroyed by fire.

Rot Grub CR 4

XP 1,200

Rot grubs are nauseating parasites that feed on flesh and nest in corpses. Generally, a handful of the grubs infest a single corpse at a time, and a DC 15 Perception check is enough to notice and avoid the grubs. Otherwise, 1d6 grubs swiftly burst from the carcass to burrow into the creature, which can attempt a DC 15 Reflex save to avoid the grubs (but only if the creature is aware of the grubs’ presence). Any amount of damage reduction is enough to provide immunity to infestation.

Once rot grubs have infested a living body, they burrow toward the host’s heart, brain, and other key internal organs, eventually causing death. On the first round of infestation, applying flame to the point of entry can kill the grubs and save the host, but this inflicts 1d6 points of fire damage to the victim. Cutting the grubs out also works, but the longer the grubs remain in a host, the more damage this method does. Cutting them out requires a slashing weapon and a DC 20 Heal check, and inflicts 1d6 points of damage per round that the host has been infested. If the Heal check is successful, one grub is removed. Remove disease kills any rot grubs in or on a host.

Infestations: Parasites such as ear seekers or rot grubs cause infestations, a type of affliction similar to diseases. Infestations can only be cured through specific means; no matter how many saving throws are made, the infestation continues to afflict the target. While a remove disease spell (or similar effect) instantly halts an infestation, immunity to disease offers no protection, as the infestation itself is caused by parasites.

Rot Grubs
Type infestation; Save Fortitude DC 17
Onset immediate; Frequency 1/round
Effect 1d2 Con damage per grub

Source Gamemastery Guide

Russet Mold CR 6

XP 2400

This hazardous fungus can be found in dark, wet areas, and often grows in great abundance at the heart of a vegepygmy lair. When a creature approaches within 5 feet of a patch of russet mold, the fungus releases a cloud of spores in a 5-foot radius burst. Everyone in the area must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or the spores quickly take root in their victims, inflicting 2 points of Constitution damage per round. A new Fortitude save can be attempted each round to halt the growth. Although immunity to disease won't protect against russet mold spores, the growth can be halted by remove disease and similar effects. Exposure to sunlight also halts the spores' growth. Plants are immune to russet mold spores.

After 24 hours, a fully grown vegepygmy bursts from the body of any creature slain by russet mold, provided the creature was Small or larger. For each size category larger than Small, the body produces one additional vegepygmy.

A patch of russet mold is unharmed by all effects save for acid, alcohol, or remove disease (or a similar magical effect, such as heal), all of which can kill a single patch of russet mold on contact. Sunlight doesn't kill the mold, but does render it dormant and harmless as long as the sunlight persists.

Spider Vines CR 3

The spider vine is a distant cousin of the assassin vine (which is also common in the jungle). Whereas the assassin vine slowly pursues its prey should it attempt to escape, the spider vine is permanently rooted in place. It looks like a thick, hanging or ground-hugging vine that has regular spines, hooks, and protrusions. It is activated by motion against its leaves, at which point it jabs out spines that deliver a dose of paralyzing, necrotic poison. It slowly wraps itself around the paralyzed victim, injecting new doses of poison every round, and inserts rootlets directly into the flesh to absorb the nutrients its poison has dissolved. Dealing 10 points of damage to the vine is enough to free one creature trapped among its coils. A typical spider vine is a CR 3 hazard, with older plants having more hit points and more potent poison (making the CR easy to scale up). A spider vine may be spotted in the surrounding vines with a DC 15 Perception check, but unless a creature is already familiar with a plant or makes a DC 18 Survival or Knowledge (nature) check, the check only reveals a thorny, spiky vine.

Spider Vine Poison

Type poison, injury; Save Fortitude DC 15 Frequency 1/round for 6 rounds Initial Effect paralysis; Secondary Effect 1d2 Con damage; Cure 2 consecutive saves

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Spinal Leech CR 2

XP 600

These vermin appear as  3-inch long transparent leeches. A typical encounter is with a swarm of 10-20 leeches. They are found in swamps, marshes, and stagnant underground pools. They attach to their prey and drain spinal fluid, thereby inducing  paralysis in the victim. When first encountered, a DC 15 Perception check can be made to avoid them entirely. If this check is failed, the spinal leeches go unnoticed and crawl onto their victim, moving quickly to its spine. A spinal leech needs only a single round to reach its destination. If the target is wearing medium armor, an additional round is added to the time as the leech finds a way underneath its host’s armor; 2 rounds are added if the victim is wearing heavy armor.

When a leech attaches itself, the victim may attempt a DC 15 Wisdom check. If successful, he feels a strange sensation run down his spine; otherwise, the spinal leech’s bite goes unnoticed. Each round thereafter, a DC 17 Fortitude save must be made or the victim takes 1d6 points of Dexterity damage. At Dexterity 0, the victim is paralyzed until his Dexterity score is brought to 1.

An application of fire or salt instantly kills all leeches. They can also be pulled from a host with no ill effects.

Symbiotic Jelly CR 4

XP 1,200

The symbiotic jelly is a  small, sickly yellow blob of  slimy ooze about 3 inches in  diameter. It is found in  subterranean realms, caverns, and damp, dark caves. The symbiotic  jelly possesses several mental  abilities that it uses to assail its foes.

When a living creature moves within 30 feet, the jelly attempts to charm it (as if by the charm monster spell, caster level 6th). The victim must succeed on a DC 15 Will save to resist the effects. If successful, the victim feels a tingling sensation but nothing more. The jelly then lets the creature pass unharmed, as it can only attempt its charm ability on the same creature once per day. If the save fails, however, the creature has fallen under the symbiotic jelly’s sway.

The jelly telepathically orders the victim to remain in its lair and attack the next living creature that ventures into the area. The jelly uses its innate illusion powers to make the host appear to be a much weaker monster or an entirely different monster all together. It also generates an illusionary treasure horde in which to draw potential prey into its lair. A creature can see through either illusion by succeeding on a DC 15 Will save.

When the jelly’s symbiotic link kills a trespasser, the jelly draws sustenance as the charmed monster feeds. If the symbiotic jelly’s host is slain, it attempts to charm the creature that killed it and use it to replace its former host. The symbiotic jelly, if it can be found, is easily killed by an application of fire, cold, or acid.

Tainted Water CR -

Note: The following information for tainted water was taken from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle and modified slightly to more general use.

Tainted water poses an attractive danger to a thirsty traveler. A character can make a DC 10 Survival check to tell fresh water from tainted water. Most jungle trackers know that still water holds the greatest potential for contamination, while fast-moving streams and headwaters are more likely to be fresh. A purify food and drink spell, of course, removes all doubt, and create water renders the question moot. Canny adventurers pack clean bowls or canteens with which to carry magically purified or created water and boil any water they're forced to harvest from lakes or rivers (effectively eliminating the threat of disease). Tainted water can have any number of causes, from dangerous local plants leaching poison into the water, to a battleground or dung heap upstream, or even a simple animal corpse decaying and putrefying at the water's edge. If a character drinks tainted water, she must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or contract filth fever. The amount of water ingested does not modify the save or the severity of the disease in any way, as a thimbleful of tainted water can have the same effect as a bucketful.

At your discretion, you can replace the standard filth fever with one of the diseases and parasites listed on the Afflictions page from Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle, such as dysentery. Wading through tainted water can also communicate filth fever, as tiny drops of the water get on the character's hands, clothes, and face and can later be transferred to the mouth, nose, or eyes as the character moves about. It is more difficult to contract a disease in this way, though. When wading or swimming through tainted water, a character receives a +2 circumstance bonus on her save to resist contracting filth fever.

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Twilight Mushrooms CR 7

XP 3,200

Twilight mushrooms are purplish-black mushrooms about 4 to 6 inches in height. They grow in patches of 5-10 mushrooms and are only found in damp, dark underground areas. Twilight mushrooms sense vibrations and burst forth a cloud of noxious and choking dust when a living creature comes within 10 feet of a patch. Creatures within the area must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 2d6 points of Constitution damage. One minute later another Fortitude save (same DC) must be made—even by those who succeeded on the first one—to avoid another 1d6 points of Constitution damage. Whether or not the saves are successful, a creature is disabled for 2d4 rounds from fits of choking and coughing. Such a creature can take no action other than to defend itself.

Sunlight renders twilight mushrooms dormant, and cold instantly destroys them.

Vine Viper CR 1

While not actually a plant, this animal's reliance on its specific hunting patterns makes it more of an environmental encounter than a wandering monster. The vine viper is a mottled green snake with a leaf-shaped head and scaling that resembles shadowed leaves. Its main hunting tactic is simple and effective: it coils itself around the branch of a tree, hanging its head among the vines near the ground, and waits for prey to come into striking distance. It attacks any Medium or smaller creature that comes within range (in other words, that enters its square or an adjacent square).

The vine viper has the same statistics as a venomous snake with the following exception: when hanging among jungle vines, the vine viper has a racial Stealth modifier of +12. It is not at all uncommon for certain breeds of vine viper to grow very large and deadly (acquiring the advanced and/or giant simple templates).

Source Pathfinder Chronicles: Heart of the Jungle

Yellow Mold CR 6

XP 2,400

If disturbed, a 5-foot square of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of poisonous spores. All within 10 feet of the mold must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or take 1d3 points of Constitution damage. Another DC 15 Fortitude save is required once per round for the next 5 rounds, to avoid taking 1d3 points of Constitution damage each round. A successful Fortitude save ends this effect. Fire destroys yellow mold, and sunlight renders it dormant. damage.