SEWERS

Winding sewer systems, filled with dark passages and strange creatures, are a staple of fantasy adventuring. In truth, only the largest and wealthiest cities boast such amenities. Smaller or poorer cities must use less sophisticated methods.

No Sewers: Many poor communities, particularly those with ineffective or uncaring governments, have no disposal systems. People dump trash and waste into alleys and even onto main streets, where it sits and festers. In addition to smelling horrific, these areas are breeding grounds for disease. The DC of the initial Fortitude save to avoid nausea is 15. See the Hazards of Poor Sanitation sidebar.

Drainage Ditches: These are a series of small ditches dug beside city streets. Some angle downhill, allowing their contents to empty into a nearby body of water, or at least to fl ow beyond the city borders. Others do not move the waste anywhere but simply keep it out of the main roads. The DC of the initial Fortitude save to avoid nausea in such areas is 10. See the Hazards of Poor Sanitation sidebar. Characters who take damage risk fi lth fever only if they are standing in, or directly beside, a drainage ditch when they are injured.

Drains: The simplest true sewer system consists of a series of drains and grates in streets, alleyways, and some people’s homes. Drains empty directly into an underground river or cistern, or simply deposit waste in a pit. The drains themselves smell bad, but the city does not present a health hazard.

Sewer Pipes: Slime-slick halls of stone or brick, enclosing clay or metal pipes sealed with bars, permit both waste and rain water to fl ow off the city’s streets. Most sewer systems empty into a nearby body of water. Their passageways are large enough to allow for maintenance, but they can be confusing— even mazelike. A city (or portion of a city) that has a sewer system presents no health hazards except to those who enter the sewers. Such characters are subject to the usual hazards of poor sanitation: The DC of the initial Fortitude save to avoid nausea is 15. Combat in the sewers is especially dangerous, with a DC 15 Fortitude save required to avoid fi lth fever after becoming injured.

Magic: Few cities dispose of waste magically, since doing so usually isn’t practical or affordable, but teleportation magic could be used to empty sewage pipes and drainage ditches. Such systems should be built to take into account the ultimate destination of their contents.

For more on sewers as an adventuring ground, see The Urban Crawl on page 145.

HAZARDS OF POOR SANITATION

Bad sanitation is not only unsightly but also unhealthy.

Anyone unaccustomed to the stench must make a Fortitude save upon first entering an area of bad sanitation. On a success, the character is sickened for 2d4 minutes. Failure results in the character being nauseated for 2d4 minutes and sickened for the next 24 hours. A new save is required every 24 hours, but the DC drops by 1 each day following the first. Once the save DC drops below the character’s normal Fortitude save bonus, she is no longer susceptible.

The risk of disease is pervasive in such areas. Anyone in the affected area who takes more points of damage in 1 round than his current Constitution score (not modifier) must succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or contract filth fever (DMG 292).