Hazards (supplemental environmnental rules for Star Wars)

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HAZARDS
The Nature of Hazards in the Galaxy. The galaxy is full of dangers beyond the blasters of stormtroopers or the blade of a Sith’s lightsaber. Across countless worlds, explorers face ever-changing threats: unstable terrain, poisonous gases, volatile climates, and ancient, malfunctioning machines. Hazards are impersonal but deadly, capable of wounding, killing, or delaying even the most prepared adventurers.

This chapter introduces a complete system for incorporating hazards into your Star Wars D6 campaigns, including new rules, design guidelines, and sample stat blocks. Hazards can be used to create environmental tension, dangerous travel, and dynamic battlefields—whether in alien jungles, ancient ruins, or starship debris fields.

What Is a Hazard? In D6 terms, a hazard is any non-character threat that can damage, disable, or obstruct player characters, NPCs, vehicles, or equipment. Hazards do not use initiative, do not act with intelligence, and are not living entities. Examples include:

Falling rocks and collapsing ceilings
Acid pools and corrosive gases
Laser grids and automated turrets
Quicksand, lava, electrified surfaces
Poisons, diseases, extreme heat or cold
Atmospheric vacuum or decompression

Using Hazards in Play. Hazards serve three major functions in Star Wars D6:

Dynamic Obstacles: They force player decisions, movement, or rerouting during exploration or combat.
Tension Builders: Hazards can escalate the stakes or increase time pressure.
Adventure Set Pieces: Certain hazards form the basis of entire encounters or scenes.

Hazards may occur:
During combat: Forcing movement or creating kill zones.
Outside of combat: As passive environmental threats or skill challenges.
As puzzles or complications: Requiring investigation or teamwork to overcome.

Hazard Stat Block Format
Every hazard in this chapter (and those you create) should use the following format:

Hazard Name
A brief description of the hazard and its presence in the environment.

Keywords: Descriptive mechanical tags.
Trigger: Event that causes the hazard to activate.
Attack: #D vs Defense or Automatic.
Damage: #D damage type.
Recurrence: How often the hazard repeats or persists.
Skill (Difficulty): Description of how the skill may mitigate or detect the hazard.
Special: (Optional) Additional rules, immunities, or consequences.

Hazard Keywords
Acid: Deals corrosive damage; bypasses armor unless sealed.
Area: Affects all creatures in a zone or radius.
Artificial: Created or manufactured by sentient beings.
Atmospheric: Fills airspace; typically requires filtration.
Contact: Triggered by touch or movement.
Disease: Persistent affliction; damages Strength.
Energy: Deals electrical, plasma, or thermal damage.
Fire: Burns; may spread.
Ingested: Must be eaten or consumed to take effect.
Inhaled: Requires breathing; sealed suits negate.
Natural: Arises without sentient intervention.
Poison: Toxin; affects Strength and may cause lasting effects.
Sonic: Damages via vibration or resonance; counts as energy.

Hazard Mechanics. Every hazard is activated by a trigger: an action, condition, or presence. Examples:

A loud sound in an unstable cavern
A character entering a toxic zone
A failed disarm roll on a security panel

Hazards affect one or more characters or zones. Examples:

1-meter radius (small trap)
Entire chamber or battlefield
Line of sight or cone

Hazards either:
Make attack rolls (vs Dodge, Strength, or Willpower)
Automatically apply damage (bypassing defense rolls)

Typical hazard damage is 3D. Particularly deadly or cinematic hazards may deal 4D+ or apply cumulative wounds.

Recurrence. How often the hazard repeats or persists:

Once
Every round
Hourly or daily
Until escaped or neutralized

Skill Interactions and Difficulty. Assign relevant skills and Task Difficulties (TDs) to detect, avoid, or disable hazards.


Example skills:

Search or Survival to notice danger
First Aid to treat victims
Dodge to avoid active effects
Technical or Security to disable traps
Strength or Willpower to resist physical or mental effects

Special Effects & Cumulative Damage Some hazards cause cumulative effects, especially those involving:

Vacuum or suffocation
Disease progression
Burning or freezing
Repeated electrical shocks

Cumulative wounds add 1 additional wound level each recurrence (i.e., Wounded to Incapacitated to Mortally Wounded).

Using Hazards in Adventure Design. Hazards should:

Support the theme or setting of your adventure
Reinforce the alien or dangerous nature of unexplored locations
Create tension during downtime or travel
Provide skill-based obstacles without relying on combat

You can even build entire encounters or puzzles around complex hazards with escalating consequences and time-sensitive triggers.

Appendix: Hazard Design Checklist
What is the source and nature of the hazard?
What causes it to activate (trigger)?
What effect does it have (damage, delay, condition)?
How often does it recur?
What skills can detect, avoid, or disable it?
What difficulty levels are appropriate?
Are there special exceptions, resistances, or cumulative effects?
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Csilla Cave-In
The icy tunnels of Csilla rumble with sudden instability, dropping massive blocks of frozen rock from the ceiling.

Keywords: Natural
Trigger: A loud sound, blaster fire, or explosion
Attack: 3D+2 vs. Dodge
Damage: 3D (crushing)
Recurrence: Every round while in the cave zone

Dodge (Difficult 20): Avoid falling ice.
Search or Survival (Moderate 15): Notice unstable ceiling in time to warn others.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Acid Pool
A shallow but corrosive pit of acid bubbles ominously.

Keywords: Acid, Contact, Natural
Trigger: Contact or immersion
Attack: Automatic
Damage: 3D (bypasses normal armor)
Recurrence: Every round until washed off or treated

First Aid (Moderate 15): Treat or neutralize burning acid.
Mechanical (Difficult 20): Use droid tools to protect or seal.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter

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Vacuum Exposure
Unprotected characters exposed to space suffer increasing trauma each round.

Keywords: Natural
Trigger: Exposure to vacuum
Attack: Automatic
Damage: Cumulative wound level each round
Recurrence: Each round while exposed

Technical (Heroic 30): Reroute power to re-pressurize compartment.
First Aid (Very Difficult 25): Revive unconscious or hypoxic character.

Special: Unconscious characters take double cumulative wounds.
_________________
Don Diestler
Host, Shooting Womp Rats
The D6 Podcast
http://d6holocron.com/shootingwomprats
@swd6podcast, Twitter