Pool of Narcissism

Pool of Narcissism     CR 7
XP 3,200
CE haunt ( 20 ft. radius)
Caster Level 7th
Notice Perception DC 25 (to hear the faint smug laughter of a man)
HP 14Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect A pleasantly looking pool beckons the thirsty traveler with its cool, clear water. When a person approaches the pool they must specifically state that they do not look at their own reflection; if not, they are still allowed a Will save to avoid the effects (see below). Looking at one’s own reflection reveals a fantastically good-looking version staring back—a DC 19 Will save negates the effects of a smug narcissismspell, but otherwise it has a duration of 1 hour. The haunt itself has a special duration and tries to affect anyone approaching the pool and seeing their reflection within five minutes of the first person to do so. Making or failing the save renders the person immune to the haunt for 48 hours.

Škocjan_Caves_lake

Destruction The bones of Gaston Grassion must be retrieved from the bottom of the pool and buried in consecrated ground in a temple dedicated to the goddess of beauty.

Adventure Hook Gaston Grassion was a vain manan artist, a seducer, and caring for no one but himselfand considered himself above kings and priests, quickly making a fair share of enemies. On one fateful day as Gaston was fleeing yet another city after seducing the ruling duke’s daughter, he stopped to fill his waterskin in the pool. Upon seeing his reflection in the pool he stopped to admire this visage of perfection, and his enemies caught up with him. The duke himself snuck up behind Gaston while he gazed at the pool’s surface, grabbing him in a stranglehold and pushing the dilettante beneath the surface to drown. Gaston has haunted the pool ever since. 

SMUG NARCISSISM
School enchantment (compulsion) [emotion, mind-affecting]; Level bard 3, sorcerer/wizard 5, witch 5
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a tiny shard of a mirror)
Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target one creature
Duration instantaneous
Duration 10 minute/level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes
You cause your target to become overwhelmed by its own importance, talents, and attractiveness. The target cannot help but look at itself in every reflective surface at every possible opportunity. In social situations, the target always tries to comment about how attractive it is or how ugly someone else is by comparison. The target remains constantly distracted, always looking for a reflective surface to gaze upon (such as a mirror, pool of water, a polished shield, and so on). The distraction gives the target a –2 penalty on all skill checks. In combat, the target worries about enemies damaging its appearance, and focuses on defense rather than offense (casting defensive spells rather than offensive spells, using the fight defensively or total defense action, and so on).

 

Do you have a chilling idea for a haunt or cursed item? Send it along to us at submit (at) adventureaweek.com, but please, bear the following in mind before you submit anything for review:

1. Anyone can submit an entry.
2. One entry per person at any one time. An entry must be your own work, not being published previously or considered by any other publisher, and it must original and not infringe upon copyrighted material.
3. All entries become property of Adventureaweek.com, LLP.
4. By submitting an entry you authorize the use of your name and likeness without additional compensation for promotion and advertising purposes in all media.
5. Adventureaweek.com, LLP reserves the right to withdraw or terminate this endeavor at any time without prior notice.
6. All decisions of Adventureaweek.com, LLP and their arbiters are final.
7. There is no compensation provided – any entries are given freely by their creators for use by Adventureaweek.com, LLP in perpetuity.
8. Your statblock must be properly formatted (compare to similar content on the AaWBlog for correct formatting).

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Shopping Cart
Scroll to Top
×