```metadata
title: Non-Puzzle Puzzle Encounters
description: ''
tags: ''
systems:
- 5e
- 4e
- 3.5e
- Pathfinder
renderer: legacy
theme: 5ePHB
```
# Hazards for Low Level Dungeons
The PCs run through the corridors of your latest dungeon, fleeing the wrath of a large rust monster dead-set on eating their gear for lunch. They slam the door, pause to catch their breath, and congratulate themselves on avoiding your encounter... then they turn around. "What the hell is this"? they cry.
___
### What's stopping the PCs?
It's easy to get caught up in believing that everything needs to be a complicated trap, a confusing puzzle, or a pile of monsters. But there are many basic ways to ruin your player's day and make them hate you just that little bit more.
___
##### Basic Hazards and Features
| d20 | Hazard |
|:----:|:-------------|
| 1 | Collapsed roof |
| 2 | Collapsed floor |
| 3 | Chasm with no bridge |
| 4 | Cliff or very high wall |
| 5 | Door locked on the other side |
| 6 | Door blocked by debris|
| 7 | Door with key broken off in the lock |
| 8 | Door has been bricked over and is hidden |
| 9 | Area is totally flooded with water |
| 10 | Area is on fire
| 11 | Area is overgrown with large plants |
| 12 | Area is full of flammable, toxic gas |
| 13 | Area is full of stalactites and stalagmites |
| 14 | Area is full of unused or broken dungeon features |
| 15 | Area is an abandoned monster den full of rotten food and dung |
| 16 | Area is full of corpses |
| 17 | Area is blocked by a half-built structure |
| 18 | Area is being used as a storeroom by something |
| 19 | Area is full of choking smoke or dust |
| 20 | Area is full of a large boulder |
```
```
### But wait, it gets worse.
The PCs laugh. "Really, you expect that to trip us up? Hah, we've faced down worse than *that*, you silly DM. How about you throw something really challenging our way for a change?"
___
##### Complications
| d20 | Threat |
|:----:|:-------------|
| 1 | A swarm of tiny insects has infested the area |
| 2 | Mud and broken stone creates difficult terrain |
| 3 | A foul smell makes everyone nauseated |
| 4 | The area is magically dark |
| 5 | Something is banging on the door or wall |
| 6 | An old, broken trap is still around |
| 7 | A loud noise muffles all sound |
| 8 | A permanent thunderstorm is going off in the area |
| 9 | The floor is unstable and holes keep appearing |
| 10 | The roof is unstable and everyone has to dodge debris |
| 11 | The floor is so slick with algae you can't stand up |
| 12 | The walls are dangerous and deal damage when touched |
| 13 | Acidic runoff drips from the ceiling |
| 14 | Volcanic tremors keep shaking the area |
| 15 | Everything in the area is disease-ridden |
| 16 | Gravity isn't right in the area |
| 17 | Everything in the area is charged with electricity |
| 18 | The air is full of scalding steam |
| 19 | A very strong wind is blowing out of nowhere |
| 20 | Any sound in the room is massively magnified |
> ##### Statless hazards
> As you can see, there are no stats or spells associated with these hazards. What effect any given combination has on your dungeon depends on the level of your party and the theme of your dungeon.
>
>
>These tables are meant to provide inspiration when you might be stuck on what to put in an otherwise empty room, or need a way to increase the difficulty on an encounter without adding more monsters to the pile.
>
>Despite what some of them look like, they are not meant to be dead ends. These are things that might occur in any dungeon, ruin, or otherwise poorly maintaintaned space. Adventurers should not expect a clean, shiny, tourist-friendly dungeon experience all the time.
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