DM Implementation Tips

• Have a separate version of the battle map with colour-coded zones showing where each passive object is located.
• Keep it simple—limit to 4–5 passive object zones per map to avoid slowing gameplay.
• Let players roll Perception or Survival as a bonus action to spot beneficial or hazardous zones.
• Don’t overcomplicate. Use these as tools to add immersion, not extra mental load.

Zi-Chin's Tip

Let players use Passive Object zones tactically. For example, they may bait enemies into mud or use clumped trees for defence. This shapes encounters, adds tension, and rewards clever thinking.

Passive Object Examples

D8	Object Type	Effect
1	Clumped Trees	Grants half cover for any creatures within the trees.
2	Tall Grass	Advantage on Stealth; Creatures make ranged attacks with Disadvantage while inside the area.
3	Slippery Ice	–2 Dex saves; half-damage affects knock characters prone.
4	Smoke/Fog	Disadvantage on Perception and ranged attack rolls while inside the cloud, but gain half cover from outside attacks.
5	Muddy Ground	–10 ft. speed; Upon starting their turn in the area, a creature must roll a DC10 Dex save or reduce movement speed by 20ft.
6	Rocky Rubble	–2 Dex saves, standing up from prone takes an additional 5ft of movement.
7	Bright Light	Direct sunlight or bright torchlight imposes Disadvantage on Stealth within 10 ft.
8	Shallow Water	Half cover against ranged attacks if prone; vulnerable to freezing effects.

1. Shatterpoint Elements

When it comes to Shatterpoint Elements, they require the team to work together. A piece of scenery using this element is assigned a health pool that players can deal damage to either on their own or as a team. While working in a team, the total health pool for the object is reduced (Halved for each additional member beyond the initial attacker). They aren’t impossible to do solo, but are made much easier when in a team.

To work in a team, players can ready actions on their turn in preparation for the maneuver and can help by not only using their strength, but also their mind, looking for weak points to strike, or guiding a blade with a careful Mage Hand. If a team fails to destroy the element on a single turn, the health total is restored to the maximum, but the damage dealt still remains, making the next attempt easier to complete

Example 2: Precarious Cliff Edge

• Stats: Armour Class 10, Hit Points 80.
• Weakpoint: A cracked, unstable section near the edge. A creature can identify the best spot to strike with a DC 14 Nature check. Once noticed, players can declare attacks against the weak point, which has an Armour Class of 14. Damage against the weak point is doubled. Additionally, any thunder damage dealt to the cliff is doubled.
• Effect of destruction: The edge collapses in a 20-ft line. Creatures below must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 3d6 bludgeoning and becomes restrained under rubble on a failed save, or half as much damage and is not restrained on a successful save.

Zi-Chin's Tip

When players are trying to break the object, if they fail to beat the hit points and are close (within 5 hit points), consider allowing them to sacrifice spells or class abilities to deal the last bit of damage to lead to a satisfying conclusion.

Example 1: Arcane Conduit

• Object: They notice a stone pillar pulsing with energy, with runes along the sides running down the pillar.
• Skill Checks: Players can roll a DC 13 Arcana check to partially decipher the runes, which read “may the elements be with those who have mastered them.” The players may struggle to understand what this means, so they make a DC 14 history check to recall that the previous line is from an old tale of elemental sorcerers who were known for channelling their magic through objects.
• Object Ability: Different elements interact with the pillar in unique ways, such as: A druid who casts Call Lightning upon the pillar provides their allies additional lightning damage when using metal weapons. Or a sorcerer who casts Fireball at the pillar causes another, secondary explosion to occur around the pillar at the end of the turn.

Example 2: Alchemical Gas Vein

• Object: Bubbling, sulphuric crack emits faint wisps of gas that stretches underground.
• Skill Checks: Players can roll a DC 14 Survival or Nature check to learn that this sulphuric material runs deep underground, and that it is extremely volatile. The players can further roll a DC 12 Intelligence check to determine what it might take to cause combustion within the vein.
• Object Ability: Small sources of fire (i.e. a torch or tinderbox) cause the vein to burst into fire briefly, damaging all creatures nearby for 2d4+4 fire damage (on a failed DC12 Dex saving throw). However, larger sources of fire (i.e. Create Bonfire, Fireball, or Alchemist's Fire) cause the entire vein to ignite and combust, causing any creatures within 10ft of the 20ft line to make a DC 15 Dex saving throw, or else take 3d8+12 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much on a successful save

Zi-Chin's Tip

With these, it is good to have a general idea of what checks are needed for the object, but also allow players to suggest them and why that would fit for their character and knowledge.

Passive Objects:

1. Clump of Trees: +2 AC for anyone within due to cover and visual interference.
2. Muddy Patches: Reduces speed, requires Strength saves to avoid getting stuck.
3. Campfire Smoke: Disadvantage on Perception and ranged attacks within radius.

Interactive Objects:

4. Tree Stump Jump: As part of making an attack, players can sacrifice a bonus action to jump off a tree stump to add +2 to their attack roll.
5. Log Smash: A Barbarian may pick up a fallen tree to slam into enemies as a one-time use burst of massive damage that requires a DC 15 strength check to achieve.
6. Helpful Animals: The druid can sacrifice a spell slot to communicate with nearby animals to gain temporary allies.
7. Vines: The rogue could sacrifice cunning action to throw the vine around an enemy's neck and knock the creature unconscious if they fail an opposed athletics check.

Interactive Scenery: Shatterpoint Element

8. Weak Tree: A Large tree near a cliff is shown to be unstable (a bird lands on it and it shifts ominously). AC 13 and 60 hitpoints. Its roots are weak, and any spell, action, or ability that is used to uproot the tree and pull it off the cliff will additionally reduce the health pool by 15 points. The players can make more of an impact with the tree by: Luring enemies underneath, or a player can grapple an enemy underneath the tree, ready to take the damage in return for ensuring the enemy is also injured.

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Interactive Scenery: Intuitive Element

9. Strangers Cart: The players notice a strange light coming from damaged crates near a broken cart. Passing a DC 14 Nature or Survival check helps them learn that there are herbs, roots and flowers that each have unique properties to them.

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Object	Description
Glowing Spores	When destroyed, a 10-foot cube cloud of spores is created around the point of destruction, lasting for two rounds. When a creature enters the area or starts their turn inside the cube, they must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution Saving throw, or receive the poisoned condition.
Fireblossoms	Fireblossoms emit a constant low light in a 5ft radius. When destroyed, they explode, dealing 1d4 fire damage in a 5ft radius.
Mossy Bark	Bark with bright green moss. Consuming the moss heals a creature for 1d4 hitpoints but also deals 1d4 of poison damage.

Each class is meaningful, the environment becomes a weapon, and the scene feels alive.

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Below is an annotated map for use of the DM to guide where each object is.

Thraxis the Betrayed

(Cave Fight)

Interactive objects:

3. Stalagmites: Can push an enemy off higher ground onto them below, dealing an additional 2d4 damage.
4. Mushroom: A collection of poisonous mushrooms; if ingested, the creature must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or become poisoned for 1 minute.
5. Boulder: A barbarian can pick up a boulder and throw it, spending a rage slot to do so and dealing 3d8+STR bludgeoning damage to the target.
6. Bones: Expending a ki/focus point, a monk can pick up bones scattered on the ground to throw at a target creature, dealing 3d4+DEX piercing damage.

Interactive Scenery: Shatterpoint Element

7. Dirt Bridge: There is no support holding up the bridge, making it very unstable.AC 10, hit point 60. Its weakness is thunder damage or any effect that would manipulate the earth. When it is destroyed, any creature within a 10ft sphere from the centre of the bridge must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 3d6 bludgeoning and is submerged in the water on a failed save, or half as much damage and avoids the water on a successful save.

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Interactive Scenery: Intuitive Element

8. Sulphuric Cracks: The players enter the cave and are greeted by a disgusting smell of rotten eggs. As the players walk through they notice white cracks along the ground. If a player investigates they can make a Nature or Survival check DC 14 to determine that this is sulphur. It is highly flammable. If enough heat is applied the cracks can blow up, creatures on the crack must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 2d6 fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful save. During the second phase of the boss when it enters its extreme heat moment, the players can roll an intelligence check to learn that they should avoid being near these cracks as the heat from the gorgon could blow the cracks up.

Passive objects:

1. Sandbags: Provides half cover when firing from behind them.
2. Rubble: Standing on the rubble imposes disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws.
3. Unlit torches: At the back of the cathedral are unlit torches hiding enemies; any ranged attacks made against enemies in the dark are made with disadvantage.

Interactive objects:

4. Dirt in your eyes: players can damage the bags and send dirt flying into creatures eyes who are 5 feet behind the bags.
5. Banners: Players can cut down the banners and use them to grapple opponents, either one large or two to three smaller creatures.
6. Extra gear: A fighter could use their bonus action to throw a sword from the weapons rack into an enemy.
7. Chains: A rogue can use cunning action to swing 15 feet across and avoid opportunity attacks.
8. Barrel of water: A druid can use a spell slot to create mini sharp icicles from the barrel of water and attack a creature, dealing 3d4 cold damage to them.
9. Super kick: A barbarian can use a rage slot to kick the table into a group of enemies, dealing 1d6 damage.

Interactive Scenery: Shatterpoint Element

10. Damaged Pillar: The pillar can be knocked down by the players. AC 14, hit points 80. The pillar collapses in a 20-ft line. Creatures below must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw. A target takes 3d6 bludgeoning and becomes restrained under the pillar on a failed save, or half as much damage and avoids the pillar on a successful save.

Interactive Scenery: Intuitive Element

11. Unusual Pot: The players discover a pot with green liquid and smoke pouring out of it. Using an Investigation check DC 13, the players spot a nearby notebook. When reading it using Arcana or Nature check DC 15, they learn that this liquid is a potion that, when mixed with the right chemical, can become an airborne toxin. The players can lure enemies nearby and throw that material into the pot to cause any creature inside a 15-foot sphere at the start of their turn to make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or take 2d6 poison damage.

Map 2

Passive objects:

1. Echoes: the corners of the rooms create an echo when someone speaks there. It makes any sound-based spells more deadly when cast in that area, dealing double damage and dazing an enemy if they fail a DC 14 Constitution saving throw.
2. Graves: a creature who breaks an intact grave is targeted by an undead creature who rises from that grave.

Interactive Objects:

3. Vines: The minotaur can charge at a creature, and if the minotaur misses, the player targeted has a chance to sacrifice an ability or class resource to push the minotaur into the vines, causing it to get stuck. The minotaur can break out with a DC 15 athletics check, but uses its action to do so.

Ambush

(Bottom Layer)

(Middle Layer)

(Top Layer)

Map 1

Map 1 (Interactive Scenery Used)

Map 2