Type mechanical; Perception DC 28; Disable Device DC 29 Trigger location; Reset repair
Effect 15d6 damage and gain the pinned condition, DC 28 Reflex Save negates. If pinned, a DC 28 StrengthorEscape Artist check is required
Common items which are harmless to normal sized characters become downright deadly when the characters are very small. This mouse trap was discarded in the woods and set. The cheese was long ago removed, and the vegetation has made this trap very hard to spot, even for small characters.
Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 30 Trigger location; Reset automatic (for 2d6+1 minutes) Effects Atk +15 melee (10d6 bludgeoning); multiple targets (all targets not directly under cover); knocked prone (1d6 cold per round; DC 20 Escape Artist, Strength, or CMB check to escape; immunity to falling hail damage; DC 25 Reflex negates); treat area as difficult terrain; flooding after 6 rounds (see below)
Normal weather effects become deadly when the PCs are the size of a copper piece; should they be caught out in the open, the hail trap might do them in if they can’t find shelter! Though become trapped under a piece of ice from the hail trap is unpleasant, it offers some protection and can also be destroyed (hardness 1, 20 hp). After 6 rounds the area under the effects of the hail trap becomes flooded, requiring DC 15 Swim checks to stay afloat (creatures hit by the hail trap while swimming are not trapped.)
[Submitted by Rory Toma! Tune in on Meta Thursday to read this month’ s special rules for extremely small adventurers!]
Tar Pit Trap CR 10 Type magic; Perception DC 34; Disable Device DC 34 Trigger proximity (30 ft.); Reset 1 day Effect target gains the tarred condition (DC 28 Reflex negates)
Tarred: Spells that target you instead affect a random target within 30 feet (no save) and have a 10% chance per caster level of triggering a random effect from the list below. The tarred condition can only be removed via dispel magic (CL 18th), heal, limited wish, miracle, or a wish. After 2d4+1 days the tarred condition alleviates itself as the substance crumbles away. 1 – Splay: targeted spell now affects all targets within 30 ft. of the original target 2 – Negate: targeted spell is negated and has no effect 3 – Damaging: targeted spell does twice the damage (in the case of spells that do not deal damage, double duration) 4 – Penetrating: targeted spell grants its caster a +10 circumstance bonus to bypass spell resistance 5 – Tricky: the saving throw DC(s) for the targeted spell are increased by +5 6 – Rebound: targeted spell also rebounds back on its caster
The Transgression affects everything in the Scorched Lands. Sometimes a portion of the tar pits in the Grave Morass become perverted, superheated into monstrous swathes of bitumen that cause magic to behave erratically. This sludge animates when a creature approaches it, coating them in a thick layer of disruptive tar.
As the party settles into Ravine’s Parched Pilgrim Tavern for the evening, their adversaries have a small surprise waiting for them—sometime in the middle of the night, the P.R.A.N.K.S.T.ER.S. launch a twilight ambush on the sleeping adventurers! The attack starts when the majority (if not all) of the spellcasting PCs are asleep. Creatures that are still slumbering are targeted with a nightmare spell (DC 18 Will negates). Immediately thereafter, ten P.R.A.N.K.S.T.E.R. hirelings teleport into the area and attack. The assault is mainly a diversion—the cabal’s agents in the Grave Morass are observing the combat, taking note of the tactics and spells used by the party in order to optimize their own defenses for a conflict they’ve decided is inevitable. This offensive has an ulterior motive, however; each hireling has a wand of hostile morass (2 charges) which the criminals try to use on each party member at least once (DC 18 Will save negates). Agents in the Grave Morass are watching from afar with a scry spell (DC 24 Perception check to notice) and take note of any special attacks used by the party, preparing their defenses accordingly.
The P.R.A.N.K.S.T.E.R.S. specifically developed the special hostile morass spell and provided the wands to these hirelings.
HOSTILE MORASS School abjuration [evil]; Level sorcerer/wizard 4 Casting Time 1 standard action Range close (25 ft. + 5 ft. / 2 caster levels) Target creature touched Duration 1/day per caster level Saving Throw Will negates; Spell Resistance yes Hostile morass is only active while the target is in the Grave Morass of the Scorched Lands. While in the Grave Morass, a creature that fails its Will save suffers the following effects: Attract Ash The creature attracts the ash from the Grave Morass, taking a -2 penalty to Dexterity-based abilities and effects, treats all terrain is treated as difficult terrain, and their base movement rate is halved. The ash can be removed with a full round action but 1d6+1 rounds later it accumulates again. Attract Oil The creature attracts the oil from the Grave Morass, coating their body in a thin layer of the viscous liquid. Any open flames or fire-based effects that happen within 5 ft. of the creature cause it to catch on fire (taking 1d6 points of fire damage each round). It takes a full-round action to extinguish the flames. Attract Sand The creature attracts the sand from the Grave Morass, taking a -4 penalty to concentration checks. These effects cannot be dispelled, but they can be removed with a break enchantment, limited wish, miracle, remove curse, or wish spell.
5E Rules
The P.R.A.N.K.S.T.E.R.S. cast dream instead of nightmare. Locating the sensor of the scrying spell requires a DC 30 Wisdom (Perception) check.
HOSTILE MORASS 5th-level abjuration Casting Time: 1 action Range: 60 feet Components: V, S Duration: 1 week You wrap a creature in energies that draw upon the primal fundament of the Grave Morass, causing it to attract the very landscape of that region in the Scorched Lands of Aventyr. A creature targeted by this spell must succeed on a Charisma saving throw or suffer from the following effects: The creature attracts ash from the Grave Morass, reducing its movement speeds by half. Removing the ash requires an action and it accumulates again after 1d4 rounds. Oil coats the creature, causing it to ignite and take 1d6 points of fire damage each turn until it or another creature spends an action putting out the flames. Sand inexorably draws toward the creature, causing it to take disadvantage on Perception checks. These effects cannot be removed with dispel magic, but they can be removed with a remove curse or wish spell.
XP 4,800 CN haunt (15-ft.-radius centered around humanoid ash pile) Caster Level 8th Notice Perception DC 28 (to see a humanoid pile of cinders subtly move) hp 16; Trigger proximity; Reset 1d4 days
Effect The ashen corpse haunt targets the first creature to approach within 15 feet of the pile of cinders. The ashen corpse rises and the nearest creature to the haunt must make a DC 22 Will save or switch souls with the deceased creature (otherwise this effect functions as the magic jar spell). The effect lasts until the ashen corpse haunt resets 1d4 days later, the ashen corpse is destroyed, or the pile of cinders is scattered by a wind effect of 50 mph or greater.
Destruction The ashen corpse haunt can be permanently destroyed by scattering the remains of the ashen corpse with a 50 mph or greater wind effect as they are cleansed by a fire-based effect (such as burning hands, fireball, and other fire-based spells with an area of effect). Once disrupted or destroyed any soul trapped in the ashen corpse is returned to his body.
The ashen corpse haunt is a relic made by one of many victims to fall to the Transgression’s deadly passing, an unfortunate soul cursed to rise as a horror of cinders every 1d4 days only to suffer its death again and again. Driven mad, the ashen corpse seeks any escape—even if only temporary—and attempts to possess any creature that wanders near it.
Type magic; Perception DC 18; Disable Device DC 40 Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day Effect possession by nascent psyche of the dead god (DC 30 Will save or targets are compelled for 1d4+1 hours; turn blue, +8 luck bonus to Charisma-based skill checks); multiple targets (all targets within 120 ft.) Creatures compelled by the dead god psyche trap assume superiority over anyone else and demand worship whenever asked for cooperation (fighting anyone that opposes their dominance).
The psyche of the dead god hid in the very base of its decaying brain, waiting for a suitable vessel to possess—none happened by and when its form is completely destroyed it uses the dead god psyche trap to harbor itself in as many creatures as possible.