TEXT: Three Suggestions for... 
  Supernatural Weather 
  Lightning! Thunder! Tornado! A lovely sunny day! The weather isn’t always 
  dramatic, but it’s always in the background. One of the best ways to present a world 
  that feels dynamic is simply to describe the current weather. After all, by tomorrow 
  it’ll be different. See? Dynamic! 
  The weather is an excellent tool in creating atmosphere (hehe). A storm can be 
  presented as energetic and threatening even if the adventure happens inside a 
  castle. A thick fog creates an atmosphere of concern and uncertainty. A quiet, 
  pleasant day keeps the players at ease, so the NPC’s betrayal comes as a surprise. 
  Beyond that, the weather can also be used to note the passage of time, especially 
  on long voyages. Changing weather makes for a good montage, but even one day’s 
  travel can gain some gravitas with a description of the ever-present humidity and 
  heavy heat.  
  The real world has more than enough examples of strange weather phenomena, 
  but here we’ll focus on supernatural ones. Supernatural weather may be endemic 
  to specific parts of the continent (like the various climate zones in the real world), 
  or it might be still more narrowly local, perhaps because of a supernatural presence 
  or an old curse.  
  The Long Shadows 
  You are not simply imagining this, the shadows really are growing longer. They 
  stretch and expand in an abnormally rapid pace. The house’s shadow has darkened 
  to such a deep shade of black, it looks like a pit. The forest floor seems even more 
  tangled than usual, the trees’ shadows take on the solidity of obstacles as if they 
  were the roots themselves. And your own shadow… did it just move? 
  • How does it manifest? For several hours, every shadow becomes a potential 
  danger. Philosophers debate among themselves whether the long shadows are 
  a natural, albeit unwanted, phenomenon (like lightning in a storm), or if they 
  have a malevolent intention (like a lightning cast by a wizard). In any case, it’s 
  clear that during the periods in which the shadows go wild, there are more 
  accidents than usual. Sometimes the shadows are just more solid than 
  expected: You might stumble over the shadow of a ladder, as if it was the ladder 
  itself. But that’s not always the case, and not for every shadow. Sometimes the 
  shadows of sentient creatures seem to move in a way that hints at some 
  sentience, and the common claim is that one’s shadow behaves in a way that 
  reflects one’s unconscious thoughts. This may or may not be the case, but what 
  is certain is that the creature has no control over their own shadow, and your 
  own shadow’s constant proximity makes it a prime source of danger for you. 
  During long shadows, most people avoid physical tasks, sitting in well-lit areas. 
  • When does it happen? The shadows grow long during autumn, mostly in places 
  where rain storms are infrequent. Once they manifest, the long shadows 
  remain a hindrance for about 2d4 hours.  They appear on average once or twice 
  a week. The shadows are not impeded by interior spaces, or underground 
  caverns; however, they can be prevented by increasing the number of light 
  sources affecting the area. A single torch, even if it sheds bright light, still casts 
  shadows. Daylight around noon, even under cloud cover, tend to cancel all 
  personal shadows, but buildings, trees etc. are still large enough to cast 
  distinctive shadows. 
  • Game effect: When the shadows grow long, the chances of success remain the 
  same, but the effects of failure increase. A natural 1 in an ability check or attack 
  roll means that some shadow interfered with the action (probably the 
  character’s own shadow), and the character loses their balance or 
  concentration. On their next turn, they suffer a Disadvantage on their first 
  ability check or attack roll. This is in addition to any other negative effects that 
  take place as normal. Halflings get to re-roll, as usual, but if they fail on the 
  second roll, they suffer the Disadvantage.  
  In a non-combat situation, you can consider a roll of natural 1 in an ability check 
  as a “critical failure”: Not only did the character fail, but they also suffer an 
  unpleasant consequence as a result, such as breaking their tools, of falling from 
  the roof. 
  
  Blue Bubbles  
  It’s a clear summer day, not too hot. Dry, with a bit of wind. An ideal day to work in 
  the fields, travel, or go off on an adventure. Only, you should remain cautious, and 
  look for small ground quakes. That short vibration under your feet, that indicates a 
  coming seepage. When you notice the first bubble, you sigh. You can continue your 
  work, but from now on, you’ll have to be doubly careful not to step on the cracks. 
  • How does it manifest? The ground shakes, just a little. Delicate cracks are 
  formed along the surface, sometimes no wider than a hair’s width, and from 
  them emerge semi-translucent spherical blobs, around a foot in diameter, like 
  a big bluish-tinted bubble. The bubble is lighter than air, and it starts to float 
  upward with an increasing speed. You shouldn’t touch the bubble, because it 
  erupts with a small electric discharge that gives you a shudder (in the case of 
  especially big bubbles, it might even shock or harm you). In settlements where 
  blue diffusion (nicknamed “the bubble blue” in some lands) is frequent during 
  summer, the ceilings are covered with a thin metal grid, to ground the electrical 
  discharge of bubbles that emerge from cracks in the house’s floor. The floors 
  are usually made from tiles or planks, to allow the bubbles to seep through the 
  cracks and avoid unwanted cracking. 
  In the field of transportation, blue diffusion is similar to a rain storm, in that 
  most carriage drivers prefer to stop for a few hours and wait for it to end. 
  Captains who sail in rivers or seas need to strap metal bands on the bottom of 
  the ship (replaced every year or so), otherwise the bursts of the bubbles make 
  it hard for the ships to sail, in a similar manner to unpredictable waves. 
  The source of the blue diffusion is unclear. Wizards talk about “mana pressure 
  equalization”, cleric of “Shaham the Imprisoned” say the bubbles are the god’s 
  tears, rising from his prison in the deeps toward the heavens for which he 
  yearns. According to the legends of the people of Terranigma, the blue diffusion 
  is the side effect of the forges of the dwarves from the centre of the world. The 
  Mythology of Ush, however, says that the world’s creation is not over, and the 
  “bubble blue” is new air, entering the world from the beyond. Alchemists think 
  it’s a strange gas that gets released from the deep when the ground is hot 
  enough, during summer.  
  • When does it happen? Blue diffusion is typical to summer, and it never happens 
  during rainy days. In fact, the diffusion is so “aversive” to rain, that farmers 
  know to count the days from the last rain to the first blue diffusion; the same 
  number of days is expected to pass from the last diffusion to the first rain of 
  autumn. The duration of a blue diffusion changes drastically between climate 
  zones. In a cold climate, it might only appear three to four times during 
  summer, between periods of rain. In a hot climate, a period of bubbling might 
  take between two to three months, during which you can except a diffusion 
  once every few days. A blue diffusion tends to last from a few minutes to an 
  hour at most. 
  • Game effect: It isn’t hard to avoid a blue bubble, as long as you keep your 
  attention on your surroundings (as an action). If you use your action for any 
  other reason, you must make a DC 3 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check to avoid 
  touching the bubbles. The DC increases by 1 for every 5 feet you move during 
  your turn. 
  Touching a bubble deals 1 lightning damage, but there’s a chance of 1 in 10 
  (1d10) that the bubble is especially large. Such a bubble deals 2 lightning 
  damage. It also stuns the creature, unless it succeeds on a DC 5 Constitution 
  saving throw. 
  
  In some places, blue bubbles can be used to power traps. A simple spell, the 
  use of some copper “batteries”, or even a good understanding of gas dynamics, 
  can all be used to store and contain bubbles for long periods of time. Combined 
  with a release mechanism, it’s relatively easy to create self-charging traps for 
  hunting, protection, or deterrent.  
   
  Raging Storm 
  The wind blows, the clouds are heavy above, the trees shake. But is it the beginning 
  of a snow storm, or a raging storm? It’s hard to tell, but to the villagers, it doesn’t 
  matter. They’re running for their homes, to the comfort of their hearth, telling 
  stories of better times, waiting out the storm’s rage. In this case, literally.  
  • How does it manifest? A raging storm appears as a typical, powerful storm, 
  common to the local climate, except that it doesn’t have rain or snow falls. 
  Instead, every sentient creature becomes more and more emotional. The 
  emotions are coming from without, not within – they’re random and 
  unpredictable, sometimes directly opposed to the creature’s personality. The 
  strength of the emotions wavers from moment to moment, but a person fully 
  exposed to the storm is usually influenced enough to get pushed into action, 
  usually in a way they’re going to regret. 
  Sturdy walls, especially those made of an organic material, can attenuate the 
  storm’s harshest effects. Still, just like the wind manages to find cracks and blow 
  inside buildings during powerful storms, so too emotions manage to seep in.  
  Consequently, people usually weather the storm by sitting together, drinking 
  and telling stories, making it easier to smooth any sudden tide of emotion. 
  • When does it happen? Raging storms are typical to the time between the end 
  of winter and the middle of spring, although they might also appear during an 
  especially harsh autumn. In plains where thunderstorms are a common 
  occurrence, raging storms might erupt in the summer as well. A raging storm 
  can last from around four hours to two days. 
  • Game effect: During a raging storm, a creature must roll a DC 10 Charisma 
  saving throw every hour. Inside a closed structure or a similar shelter, the DC 
  goes down to 5. A calm and pleasant environment, or using spells like Calm 
  Emotions, give an Advantege on the roll. 
  If you make the save, you become immune to the storm’s effects for the next 
  24 hours. 
  If you fail the save, roll 1d8 on the table. You feel the emotion listed, interpreted 
  by you based on your current circumstances. After an hour, or if the 
  circumstances change in a meaningful way (a combat begins, someone casts a 
  mind-affecting spell on you, you embarrass yourself in front of everyone in the 
  middle of an important ball, and the like), you gain a new saving throw.  
  A raging storm is a strong enchantment effect, but it’s not a charm effect, so 
  elves aren’t resistant to it. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
  d8 
  Prominent emotion 
  d8 
  Prominent emotion 
  1 
  Fear 
  5 
  Disgust 
  2 
  Anger 
  6 
  Trust 
  3 
  Sadness 
  7 
  Shame 
  4 
  Joy 
  8 
  Jealousy 
  
   
  Three Suggestions for Supernatural Weather is by Eran Aviram. Eran is the writer for Up to Four Players; the Lead Hebrew Translator for D&D and other 
  games; Editor for City of Mist; produces the weekly podcast On the Shoulders of Dwarves, the main RPG podcast in Hebrew; and used to own a gaming store, 
  it was awesome. 
  Up to Four Players is a webcomic about tabletop gamers and games, by Aviv Or and Eran Aviram. Check it out: www.uptofourplayers.com 
  Cool location art: Aviv Or avivor@gmail.com 
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