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In networks of subterranean passages that have been in USE
for centuries or millennia, it is not uncommon to discover a bridge
over a crossing. Regardless of the type, if a bridge has been
maintained periodically, and has not been sabotaged, characters
can cross without making any checks.
If the bridge has fallen into disrepair, or someone has taken
steps to weaken or destroy it, the crossing becomes a risky
proposition. The following types of bridges are commonly found
in the underearth, each with its own characteristics
and risks.
Suspension bridges are among the easiest
to build. They are
generally anchored in at least two locations
on each side, and
often in three or four. Suspension bridges swing and sway with
the weight of a character’s crossing, but usually a rope or two is
provided at waist level for handholds.
The problems with suspension bridges generally relate to the
rotting of the wood and rope elements of the bridge, although
occasional loosening of the anchors can also present problems.
An old suspension bridge has a 25% chance per character crossing
it of giving way at some crucial point. If this occurs, the character
must make a successful Climbing Check or fall. <cf. Stopping a Fall,
in the WSG>
If the character fails the first Climbing Check, this means that
he has fallen through the bridge or off to one side. He is entitled
to
one more Climbing Check to determine if he can catch a piece of
the bridge and arrest his fall. If the character has only one hand
free, this check is made with a -25% modifier. The character can
drop whatever he is holding in order to free both hands.
Sabotaging an anchor point of a suspension bridge takes 1d8 rounds,
and such sabotage can only be detected by a thief’s find
traps roll.
Sawing through a rope support of a suspension bridge can be done in
1 round, but such damage is readily visible to any character who examines
the bridge.
Wooden bridges are relatively uncommon in
dungeons, since
the constant humidity makes them very susceptible to rot.
Unless a bridge has been inspected and repaired at least once in the
past year, it stands a 5% chance (per year) of sustaining rot.
Rot will first affect the planks and railings of a wooden bridge; the
actual supporting beams of the bridge last for ld20+20 years before beginning
to rot.
If characters attempt to cross a rotted bridge, each character
stands a 50% chance of stepping onto a rotten portion. If this
occurs, the character must make Climbing Checks to determine <alt:
see Stopping a Fall, in the WSG>
whether or not he falls, as described for suspension bridges.
Stone bridges are the
most solid of all.
They are virtually
impervious to the effects of sabotage and age.
Of course, occurrences
such as earthquakes and floods can weaken stone
bridges, but even when weakened, a stone bridge
will rarely collapse
because of the added weight of a character.
However, stone bridges depend upon some kind of
support in
order to maintain their massive weight. This
support might be an
arch attached at both ends of the bridge. A stone
bridge may also
be supported by foundations, each of which is
crucial to the
bridge’s survival.
In these cases, magical sabotage-particularly
the transmute
rock
to mud spell--can cause drastic damage to a stone bridge. If
the center of an arch is destroyed, the entire
bridge will collapse
in 1d4 rounds. If a foundation is destroyed,
the bridge will
instantly collapse in both directions from the
ruined foundation
until it reaches the next foundation, or the
end of the bridge.
Courageous characters can create and cross the following
types of bridges, with varying degrees of risk.
Rope bridges require two ropes, one for a character’s feet and
one for his hands. A character crossing a rope bridge must make
a Climbing Check with a +50% modifier.
Note, however, that
modifiers for armor and race affect this roll normally.
Rope bridges can be quickly sabotaged by chopping
through
one of the ropes. A character on the bridge when this occurs must
make an unmodified Climbing Check
or fall. If the character is
clinging to the sabotaged rope with his hands, the check must be
made with a -20% modifier; alternately, the character can elect to
hold onto the rope and swing down with it as explained earlier
under “Swinging Across.”
Log bridges include narrow stone arches and
other solid but
Plender crossing platforms. A log bridge’s diameter must be 1/4
or less of the character’s height to require a check; wider log
bridges can be crossed automatically.
If a character is crossing a log bridge, he must make a Climbing
Check with a +40% modifier or fall. If the log bridge slopes
upward or downward, the modifier drops to +20%. Armor and
racial modifiers also apply to log bridge crossings. If the character
crawls or has both hands free, the modifier is +8O%.
Because of the greater weight of a log bridge, it is much harder
to sabotage than a rope bridge. Assuming a log 1 112 feet in diameter,
a normal human can move a log of 10 feet or shorter length.
A human with 17 or 18 Strength or a
creature like an ogre can
move a 20-foot log. A hill giant, or a fairly young dragon, can
move a log of 30-foot length. A large giant or dragon is able to
move a 40- or 50-foot log.
