Bog Dangers

Bogs are wetland areas known for their spongy and muddy ground made up of decaying plant matter, making them a unique and challenging terrain to navigate. Adventurers exploring bogs may encounter the following dangers.

Muddy Sinkholes

The wet, soft terrain of a bog will make traveling through the area a struggle. The area is treated as difficult terrain and there are areas where the soil will give way and collapse beneath a character’s feet.

A sinkhole is typically a 10-foot square area of wet ground. It is visually indistinguishable from the typical terrain of the bog, although a character with a staff or pole can discover their presence by poking the area.

When a character steps into a sinkhole, they must make a successful DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or become restrained unless they have a burrow speed. They can free themselves by using an action to make a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. Another creature can use the help action to give them advantage.

Creatures with burrow speeds like ankhegs like to hunt in areas with sinkholes so they can spring an ambush as their prey struggles to free themselves.

Caustic Gas Bubble

A bubble of acidic gas can build underneath the soil of a bog. This harmful gas can be released by a careless creature, filling the area with a toxic miasma.

A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check is needed to identify the 5-foot square area of raised soil. A creature that steps on the bubble releases the gas and all creatures within 10 feet of the bubble must make a successful DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 acid damage and a further 1d6 acid damage to any creatures that end their turn in the area. The gas remains in the area for 1 minute unless magically dispersed.

Will-o’-wisps have been known to lure creatures into areas rife with these hazards.

Peat-Encrusted Undead

Undead creatures such as zombies and skeletons that rise from the dead in a bog develop a crust of peat and muddy soil that makes them distinct from other creatures of their type.

A peat-encrusted zombie or skeleton gains +1 to their AC and resistance to fire damage as the layers of peat insulate the undead from attacks and flames. When motionless they are also indistinguishable from mounds of soil and decaying plant matter.

Note: This change may increase the encounter difficulty.

Barrow Spirit

Burial mounds in a bog can sometimes be haunted by spirits that may be undead or fey. These spirits are not initially hostile, but curious to interact with travelers who wander near their tombs in the bog. Curiosity can turn to anger if the traveler offends or bores the spirit.

The is ethereal in nature and cannot be harmed under normal circumstances. They will become visible as a vaguely humanoid-shaped being made of mist. and approach the party. In a whispering voice they speak in fragmented sentences, half-remembered poems and songs, and strange observations about the characters.

The party must make three different successful skill checks of their choice with a DC of 10 + their proficiency bonus. If the party successfully make three checks before failing three times they are blessed with pleasant dreams during their next long rest and experience points equal to 50 times their level.

If they get three failures before succeeding on three skill checks, they are cursed by the spirit who promptly disappears. The characters will have disturbing and strange dreams which leave them tired. They reduce their initiative rolls by 3 for the next week. The curse may be lifted from the whole party by a single remove curse spell or by visiting a temple dedicated to a deity of the grave domain.