Quicksand?

[Atgxtg]

I'm drawing a blank. Does anyone recall rules for quicksand in any BRP product? I figure it must have shown up in an adventure somewhere, probably a Call of Cthulhu adventure, but I can't recall seeing it anywhere. Does anyone else recall seeing rules for quicksand anywhere?

No answers? Okay, has anyone seen quicksand in any RPG? I can't be the first GM to think of using quicksand?

Edited July 31, 2020 by Atgxtg

[g33k]

Don't recall seeing any rules.

 

Assign an ease to Spot/Scan/etc -- whatever your rules call the skill.

DEX roll to save, if you step into it.

2d6 rounds to sink over your head

Done.

[Ian Absentia]

1 hour ago, g33k said:

2d6 rounds to sink over your head

Done.

Actually...as long as we're discussing super-saturated sand, silt, or clay, human bodies (and other animals) are buoyant in the quagmire.  It's the struggling that causes cavitation/suction and exhaustion.  If one can relax, and you're not face-down, you'll eventually float like a cork and you can paddle your way across the surface.  So the actual contest, after failing a DEX save, is an INT check to keep your cool, followed by fatigue/CON loss (whatever you're using in your game) for every failed roll until you're exhausted and drown.

Actually, I seem to recall quicksand rules from somewhere, too, but can't recall.  And they surely operated on the same misconception of how it works.

!I!

[Lloyd Dupont]

12 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Actually...as long as we're discussing super-saturated sand, silt, or clay, human bodies (and other animals) are buoyant in the quagmire.  It's the struggling that causes cavitation/suction and exhaustion.  If one can relax, and you're not face-down, you'll eventually float like a cork and you can paddle your way across the surface.  So the actual contest, after failing a DEX save, is an INT check to keep your cool, followed by fatigue/CON loss (whatever you're using in your game) for every failed roll until you're exhausted and drown.

Actually, I seem to recall quicksand rules from somewhere, too, but can't recall.  And they surely operated on the same misconception of how it works.

!I!

Handy survival tips!  

Also, do the starfish! 😛 

[1d8+DB]

As I've got  the CoC (7th ed.) PDF up; a Natural World skill test for both avoiding, and escaping, quicksand, and other boggy perils? In the latter instance, the skill informs your actions so you  'don't' do the wrong thing; struggling and flailing in the quick mud. Its almost more of a intellectual than a physical trap; you have to overcome your natural instincts. 

[Atgxtg]

9 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

Actually...as long as we're discussing super-saturated sand, silt, or clay, human bodies (and other animals) are buoyant in the quagmire.  It's the struggling that causes cavitation/suction and exhaustion.  If one can relax, and you're not face-down, you'll eventually float like a cork and you can paddle your way across the surface.  So the actual contest, after failing a DEX save, is an INT check to keep your cool, followed by fatigue/CON loss (whatever you're using in your game) for every failed roll until you're exhausted and drown.

Yeah I know. In real life the quicksand is denser than people are (even us gamers) and you can't sink below waist level unless you panic, which some people do. But then there is Hollywood quicksand, which sucks you down.

 

For real quicksand, I'll probably go with some sort of INT or Survival roll to know enough what to do or maybe an INT or  POW roll to remain calm. 

 

9 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

Actually, I seem to recall quicksand rules from somewhere, too, but can't recall.  And they surely operated on the same misconception of how it works.

The Mandela Effect? I've done some digging and so far I see it mentioned in Pulp Cthulhu but not written up. I'm starting to think I saw it in Justice Inc.l for Hero System. I figure it has to be in some Pulp era RPG, it was a classic jungle film trope, along with piranhas (which are only in South America and generally more likely to be eaten by humans than to eat humans). 

[nclarke]

Round here (UK South Coast) it's usually mud that get's people and animals. The Emergency services are always having to rescue someone or something that wandered onto coastal mud flats and got stuck waist-deep or more.

[Ian Absentia]

23 minutes ago, nclarke said:

Round here (UK South Coast) it's usually mud that get's people and animals. The Emergency services are always having to rescue someone or something that wandered onto coastal mud flats and got stuck waist-deep or more.

Where I grew up, we told regular tales about the unwary who went out too far during a spring tide, slipped into an unseen mud channel, then watched in horror as the tide quickly returned. (NB: Water comes in surprisingly fast on tidal flats.)

In my line of work, it's construction sites where "quicksand" (or -mud) can be a real health and safety concern.  I've gone in to my knees before, and seen another in as deep as his hips.  After the initial hilarity passes, it sinks in to everyone (pun possibly intended) how the viscosity of the muck makes it difficult and truly exhausting to maneuver out, even with a handhold.  The blessed buoyancy I cited above is relative, too -- the more viscous a fluid is, the longer it takes an object to buoy upward through it, maybe longer than the lungful of air you gasped will last.  And then there's the pressure of the heavy fluid on the sides of your rib cage that may constrict breathing.

Long story short, super-saturated mud and sand pits are still serious hazards, even if they don't actively pull you downward.

!i!

[Bill the barbarian]

16 hours ago, Ian Absentia said:

Actually...as long as we're discussing super-saturated sand, silt, or clay, human bodies (and other animals) are buoyant in the quagmire.  It's the struggling that causes cavitation/suction and exhaustion.  If one can relax, and you're not face-down, you'll eventually float like a cork and you can paddle your way across the surface.  So the actual contest, after failing a DEX save, is an INT check to keep your cool, followed by fatigue/CON loss (whatever you're using in your game) for every failed roll until you're exhausted and drown.

 

Ah, but what if the quicksand not only is sentient but is also hungry...

7 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

Yeah I know. In real life the quicksand is denser than people are (even us gamers)

 huh, is ya callin us stoopid?

 

7 hours ago, Atgxtg said:

I figure it has to be in some Pulp era RPG, it was a classic jungle film trope, 

It does have to, and yes it was! As soon as ya said pulp, I opened my copy of ... Design Mechanism’s Mythras’s "Monster Island" page 123.

 

Quote

Quicksand Pool

A pool of waterlogged sand or mud, hidden under fallen foliage. Spotting a pool of quicksand is a Formidable Per- ception test, and once entered is very difficult to extract oneself from. If there are well-anchored trees or vines close to the edge, the victim may attempt a Hard Brawn roll to pull themselves clear. Otherwise the victim partially sinks into its sludgy depths and becomes stuck. Struggling only beds the victim deeper, so to break free requires passing a Willpower test to not panic, followed by a Hard Swim test to crawl clear. Failing either means the victim is stuck fast and may die of exhaustion, dehydration or being attacked by a scavenger unless they have friends to extract them.

 

 

Edited July 31, 2020 by Bill the barbarian

[Ian Absentia]

Dang, Bill, I think that may be the quicksand rules I was half-remembering.  And I'm impressed at how well it's described.

Shall we discuss tar seeps now?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Brea_Tar_Pits

!i!

[Bill the barbarian]

16 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Dang, Bill, I think that may be the quicksand rules I was half-remembering.  And I'm impressed at how well it's described.

 

Cheers, Loz and Pete used to amaze me, now I think I am beginning to expect it!

Edited July 31, 2020 by Bill the barbarian

[Atgxtg]

1 hour ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Ah, but what if the quicksand not only is sentient but is also hungry...

Then I dated it in high school.

1 hour ago, Bill the barbarian said:

 huh, is ya callin us stoopid?

No, you found the quicksand!

1 hour ago, Bill the barbarian said:

It does have to, and yes it was! As soon as ya said pulp, I opened my copy of ... Design Mechanism’s Mythras’s "Monster Island" page 123.

They weren't kidding about the Formidable Perception roll, it took over 24 hours for someone to find it! If we ever end up gaming together I want you on point.

BTW, Congratulations for for being the first one to find Quicksand. 

 

 

 

[Bill the barbarian]

4 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

They weren't kidding about the Formidable Perception roll, it took over 24 hours for someone to find it! If we ever end up gaming together I want you on point.

 

It would be wise.

[Ian Absentia]

1 minute ago, Bill the barbarian said:

It would be wise.

Yeah, see?  While he may have made his Perception roll to spot the quicksand, I'm beginning to worry he's failed his save to keep off the slippery slope of hubris and he's going in anyway.

!i!

[Atgxtg]

5 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

It would be wise.

BTW, what sniper rifle do you prefer? No sense waiting until the monsters get into the same time zone.

[Bill the barbarian]

5 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Yeah, see?  While he may have made his Perception roll to spot the quicksand, I'm beginning to worry he's failed his save to keep off the slippery slope of hubris and he's going in anyway.

 

And I was about to boast how I would’ve been much faster if it was not for the podcast and contest. :)

 

1 minute ago, Atgxtg said:

BTW, what sniper rifle do you prefer? No sense waiting until the monsters get into the same time zone.

I am more in the frame of mind of the marine in Aliens of “Nuke ‘em from orbit, man, it’s the only way to be sure!"

[Atgxtg]

6 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

I am more in the frame of mind of the marine in Aliens of “Nuke ‘em from orbit, man, it’s the only way to be sure!"

LOL! The first time I watched Aliens I said that about five minutes into he film, before Ripley, and had my firend (who had already seen the film) rolling on the floor. 

Hmm, how do you feel about phasers and the color red? 

[Atgxtg]

17 minutes ago, Ian Absentia said:

Yeah, see?  While he may have made his Perception roll to spot the quicksand, I'm beginning to worry he's failed his save to keep off the slippery slope of hubris and he's going in anyway.

!i!

Don't worry, some things rise to the top.

[Bill the barbarian]

1 minute ago, Atgxtg said:

Hmm, how do you feel about phasers and the color red? 

Love em both, just don’t hand me a red shirt and a phaser and expect me to follow you.

[Atgxtg]

4 minutes ago, Bill the barbarian said:

Love em both, just don’t hand me a red shirt and a phaser and expect me to follow you.

Well, I ususally don't quote myself but...

33 minutes ago, Atgxtg said:

 If we ever end up gaming together I want you on point.

[Zit]

there should be some rules in RQ2 Borderlands as well I think, in the scenario with the Duck bandits.

[Brootse]

On 7/30/2020 at 10:43 PM, Atgxtg said:

I'm drawing a blank. Does anyone recall rules for quicksand in any BRP product? I figure it must have shown up in an adventure somewhere, probably a Call of Cthulhu adventure, but I can't recall seeing it anywhere. Does anyone else recall seeing rules for quicksand anywhere?

No answers? Okay, has anyone seen quicksand in any RPG? I can't be the first GM to think of using quicksand?

In the RuneQuest Borderlands & Beyond p.75:

If a character remains standing straight up, he will not sink above his head unless he is carrying more ENC than he has SIZ. If totally unencumbered, the character will only sink up to his waist. If half encumbered, he will sink up to his upper chest. A standing character cannot move sideways. Momentum will carry a victim at least two meters into a pool before he realizes what he’s fallen into. If characters want to pull a fallen partner out of the quicksand, they can pull him one meter towards shore every melee round on which they make a roll of STR versus victim’s SIZ plus ENC on the resistance table.

Edited August 1, 2020 by Brootse

[seneschal]

Not related to BRP rules, but we've seen this scene in innumerable horror, mystery and jungle adventure films.  Our intrepid heroes (the PCs) are caught in quicksand, helpless to evade the crocodile/giant snake/bog monster/spectral hound that is pursuing them.  The adventurers sloshed right into the stuff and became trapped.  The hungry monster moonwalks/does the Batusi across the mire as if its a sidewalk.  What's the deal?

[Atgxtg]

2 hours ago, Brootse said:

In the RuneQuest Borderlands & Beyond p.75:

If a character remains standing straight up, he will not sink above his head unless he is carrying more ENC than he has SIZ. If totally unencumbered, the character will only sink up to his waist. If half encumbered, he will sink up to his upper chest. A standing character cannot move sideways. Momentum will carry a victim at least two meters into a pool before he realizes what he’s fallen into. If characters want to pull a fallen partner out of the quicksand, they can pull him one meter towards shore every melee round on which they make a roll of STR versus victim’s SIZ plus ENC on the resistance table.

Yea, another instace, and this one from RQ. You come in second and get the silver medal.

[Atgxtg]

48 minutes ago, seneschal said:

Not related to BRP rules, but we've seen this scene in innumerable horror, mystery and jungle adventure films.

I know. It was such a trope in the 60s that apparently 3% of all films during that time had someone falling into quicksand. 

48 minutes ago, seneschal said:

Our intrepid heroes (the PCs) are caught in quicksand, helpless to evade the crocodile/giant snake/bog monster/spectral hound that is pursuing them.  The adventurers sloshed right into the stuff and became trapped.  The hungry monster moonwalks/does the Batusi across the mire as if its a sidewalk.  What's the deal?

The writer was playing favorites.

In my case I'm working on an adventure where the players have to track down an evil bad guy to his secret lair in the jungle and, after going over the usually tropes for such a setting, thought "Quicksand? Do I have rules for quicksand There must be quicksand rules somewhere. Cthulhu? Pulp Cthulu,??BRP BGB???" And thus the hunt began. But while looking for quicksand I got stuck in the mud. Thanks again to BIll the Barbarian and Brootse for locating some patches of quicksand for me. I'd give them both Library Use checks, but I'm not sure it that would violate the "Barbarian Code" or something.