Save vs Wands: 20 Themed Traps

Part Three of the Traps series: 20 themed traps around Save vs Wands.

Saving vs Wands is arguably the most challenging of the five original saves in terms of coming up with non-standard challenges. Wands are very specific items with very specific effects - and though the application of different saves to different, non-specified hazards is a tried and true practice (e.g. - does this trap produce an area effect, like a rain of acid or a belch of flame? Dragon's breath! Does this trap mutate the victim into an eldritch being? Spells!) what constitutes a "wand?" I've seen people who use wands to save against stream or otherwise indirect, but targeted attacks - shaft of light attacks, bursts of projectiles, streams of sand (see that one below) - but in some other products, those style attacks roll against AC to hit, same as a targeted attack would. I've seen other people use wands exclusively to refer to traps that emulate wand effects (e.g. - a trap emulating a Wand of Cancellation would use the Wands save) - but in so doing, what happens when the trap emulates a Wand of Paralyzation?

In any case, I've tried below to walk the line - but the point being to inspire you, the reader, to main or kill your player characters with inspired and novel traps, it was more important to me to provide something interesting and challenging. As always, pilfer, modify, or whatnot as needed to improve the quality of your game - and feedback is always welcome!

1d%	Result
1	Prismatic Shard A translucent gem of considerable size lies on a pedestal, covered. If any light hits the gem, it is refracted - sending a beam out in each direction: any character touched by a beam is affected according to the color: Red (Decrepitude): target ages 2d6 years immediately. Orange (Circumspection): target doubles their rate of trap detection, but moves at half speed - both exploring and in combat - for 2d4 turns. Yellow (Malady): target loses 1d4 points of Constitution. Save again in 24 hours or damage is permanent. Green (Matriculation): target, distracted by minutia in the environment, becomes doubly likely to be surprised, suffers a -2 penalty to reaction rolls, and cannot maintain eye contact. Save again in 24 hours or condition is permanent until removed with Remove Curse spell. Blue (Probity): target is unable to speak falsely, engage in deception, or utilize abilities leading to misdirection until they have had a full night's sleep. Indigo (Hallowing): target becomes incorporeal, unable to interact with the physical world, but still visible, for 1d4 hours. Violet (Enigma): target may not use class abilities for 1d4 hours. Missed! If an 8 is rolled, the fortunate character is in-between beams and is unaffected.
2	Microwave Platform A circle of light is visible on the floor, projecting from three sources high above. If a character breaches the light, a whirring can be heard emanating from the projection source. A character who remains in the light - or who breaches the light a second time before the whirring can die down (a round or so) activates the trap must save or take 1d6 damage - 1d8 if in metal armor. If the damage dealt is greater than than the margin of failure - that is, if the character needed a 14 to save, rolled a 12, and took 3 points of damage (14 less 3 being 11), they likewise suffer 1d4 points of permanent Wisdom drain: as the trap has fried their circuits.
3	Sand Blast Embedded in the walls to the left and right are several nozzles connected to a pressurized chamber. When a touch-plate is triggered, a restriction device is deactivated on the in flow: allowing huge amounts of partially hydrated sand to blast out of the nozzles in a crossed pattern. Characters in the area of effect must save: on failure, they take 1d8 damage and are blinded for 1 turn; on success, the damage is halved and no blindness is suffered.
4	Circadian Pillar A pedestal with a button on it stands in the center of the room. Around it are four daises - one the moon, one the sun, one a sunrise, and one a moon rise. If the button is pressed, four beams emit from the ceiling above the pedestal, exposing any characters on one of the daises to the trap: Characters on the moon dais saves or is affected by the spell Continual Darkness. Characters on the moon rise dais or is affected by the spell Continual Darkness temporarily: 2d4 turns. Characters on the sun dais saves or is affected by the spell Continual Light. Characters on the sun rise dais saves or is affected by the spell Continual Light temporarily: 2d4 turns.
5	Mystic Dog Fence Four rods are hidden in the ground and ceiling, barring passage through an area. Characters nearing the threshold may notice an odd whining - or characters with metal armor or otherwise bedecked may notice their hair start to stand as they grow closer. Passing the threshold activates a trap wherein an electric shock arcs between two or more of the rods. Affected characters must save or suffer 1d4 points of damage. Characters in primarily metal armor suffer a -2 penalty to the save roll.
6	Frightful Watcher Hidden in the eye of a statue overlooking a junction of corridors, a Wand of Fear has been fixed such that its cone of effect is positioned to cover said junction. A tiled floor reveals a two-tone patchwork of tiles: preferring dark over light: the inverse of a soccer ball. A character stepping on one of the tiles of non-preferred coloration activates the trap; any character in the target area must save or flee, per the Wand of Fear magic item (X49), presuming the statue to be its source. The referee is encouraged to consider the number of exits to the junction when gauging the impact of this trap: a party of 6 characters, for example, coming up on a junction of 6 corridors may end up fleeing down a separate corridor each! The manner of this arbitration is, of course, at the referee's discretion.
7	Beam of Entropy Along a narrow tunnel - no greater than five feet wide by five feet tall - a detection plate has been placed halfway through. If a character steps on the plate and triggers the trap, a rust-colored beam with what appears to be a helix cloud around it spirals down the space: any character in the tunnel must save or lose 1d3 x 25% of their organic consumable items: rations, unguents, wooden projectile ammunition, etc. Consumables that are magic in nature - such as potions - should receive a separate individual save.
8	Displacement Ray By a locked door, gate, or heavy chest (one which cannot be easily hauled off), a shimmering veil of light cascades before it in sheets. A character attempting to access the door - such as by forcing it or by using a key - must save or the member used to interact with the door is affected: producing several fractured reflections of the interactive member, as though looking at it in a broken mirror. There is, of course, only one article: it simply becomes difficult to use it. The interactive article might be inanimate - a key, a ram or pole, an axe or hammer, etc. - or animate - such as the hands of a lock-picker. An inanimate object, when the user attempts to pick it up, suffers a 10% failure rate: the character has grasped at thin air - additionally, when using the item (such as striking with an affected weapon) suffers a -2 penalty to hit, due to the same uncertainty of where the item actually is. A character that is physically affected suffers a -2 penalty to hit and a 10% failure chance, or -10% chance as appropriate, when performing a delicate or measured action with the affected portion of their anatomy. A character that is picking the lock - which does require the full turn - suffers a -10% chance, due to trying to avoid the curtain of magic - and must save 1d4 times, total, during the process or be affected. In any case, it will wear off in 1d4 hours.
9	Mute Shrine A statue holding out both hands and kneeling, head slightly bowed, perhaps before a doorway or another item, its eyes closed, its mouth covered in a mask. A character coming within 20 feet of the statue draws its attention: at which point it begins humming a lullaby. At the end of the lullaby, two lasers are produced from the statue's chest, extending left and right in a 20 foot arc then coming together as scissors. Any character within the area of effect must save or become mute - unable to speak, unable to cast spells - for the next 2d4 turns.
10	Wave of Suppression Five convex hemispheric orbs are placed equidistant from one another around a concave hemispheric depression in the center. When the trap is triggered, a pulse erupts from the central hemisphere, extending out 25 feet. Any character within the radius must save or be suppressed: any character
11	Stream of Ants The floor is cobbled, with sandy ant mounds of various sizes along the way. A foot-path is made by alternating slates, roughly a foot in diameter, each, and leading towards the other side of the space. One of these plates, just beyond two significantly larger ant hills that flank the path, is a pressure plate. If a character activates the trap, all characters in the tripping character's rank of the marching order must save or be covered in ants. If at least one character succeeds this save, the following rank must also save or be covered in ants. A character that is covered in ants will be bitten by the ants until they or an ally can get them off - the method of which is a challenge for the player and the difficulty of which is the discretion of the referee. After 1d4 rounds, the character begins to go into shock: rolling a Constitution check or going unresponsive; every 1d4 rounds thereafter until such time as the character can be cleared of ants, the character must roll a Constitution check again or die.
12	Sleep Ray A spotlight slowly circles the floor of a padded room: pillows lining the wall. The spotlight will seek characters that enter, but a crafty character may be able to walk around it. Any character that is touched by the spotlight must save or fall into a deep sleep for 1d4 turns. Note, a sleeping character, if touched by the circling spotlight again, must save again or have the turn count reset.
13	The Bridge Washer Concealed along the decidedly low handrails on a narrow bridge are several water cannon. The "rails" are comprised of cord hung between alternating posts, such that a long-armed fellow could alternate grasping the posts as he stepped - and the bridge, itself, is perforated and slightly angled inward, with some signs of mildew and rust. A character who does not grasp the post adjacent to the trap - which acts as a retarder - will trigger it. Affected characters must save or be blasted off the bridge into whatever lies below by a sudden and powerful jet of water.
14	Time Flies On the floor is the face of an analogue clock, 20 feet in diameter. All three hands are moving at a clip to be expected of them - the last yard or so of each arm is glowing. If the glowing section passes by a character they must save or be affected: characters facing the clockwise rotation, such that the arm approaches them from the rear as it turns, are shunted into the future; characters facing against it, such that the arm approaches them from the front as it turns, are shunted into the past: 1d4 rounds for the second hand; 1d4 turns for the minute hand, and 1d4 hours for the hour hand. (In terms of refereeing this trap, while pushing players into the future is somewhat easy - you can wait to see what the party does, holding the player in suspense until you can portray accurately what they see - pushing players into the past might be somewhat tricky. My gut would try to re-read some description, or repeat some explanation, that the players had asked for or encountered, essentially having the party play the past version of themselves - potentially interacting with present versions of their comrades, if the times line up. Though I'd be curious to hear other thoughts or methods!)
15	Rod of Tongues Along a wall is a large carved mouth; no nose, no eyes - just lips and a tongue hanging down from a dark recess therein. Where the uvula would be hangs a rod - around six feet recessed. A character that attempts to retrieve said rod may set off the trap; a character that expressly interacts with the tongue does. When triggered, all characters in a 30 foot cone before the mouth must save or have the languages they know - including the common tongue - randomly replaced. Thus, a character knowing three languages - say; Common, Elfish, and Goblinese - would know three corresponding randomly determined languages: perhaps then; Dwarfish, Law, and the tongue of Giants. These languages can be taken from the book or generated as appropriate from your setting. If successfully wrested from the trap, the rod, itself, may be - at referee discretion - looted as a magic item: once removed, consider it a Wand that produces the above effect with  2d4 charges remaining.
16	Laser Show An even number of lasers comb the floor, back and forth in two waves such that one set is combing left to right at the same time another set is combing right to left - back and forth. Any character caught in the beams suffers 2d6 damage as though from fire. A crafty character may evade the beams, or a save can be made to pass the gauntlet; characters wearing plate or other particularly or potentially reflective armor gain a +2 bonus to the saving throw.
17	Geyser Room The floor of the room is evenly checkerboarded with nozzles - eight by eight in approximately five foot squares - flush with the floor, pointing up. The room smells acidic and the characters' eyes may water. When sufficient weight is place on any portion of the floor, a guard mechanic activates: randomly spraying 1d3 times, determining which nozzles activate by rolling 1d8/8 - with one d8 representing the X axis and the other the Y axis, accordingly. A character standing in (or reasonably in) an activated space must save or be blasted from below with a fountain of acid. This acid does nothing initially, but will deal 1d4 points of damage per round for 1d8 rounds or until neutralized. A character which is doused a second time in this manner does not suffer multiple 1d4 damage increments, but the referee is encouraged instead to roll a second 1d8, replacing the duration of the acid burn effect with the higher of the roll or its current value. For characters standing in spaces that erupt twice in a single turn, the referee - at their discretion - can choose to impose a -2 penalty on the save; or to roll 2d8, applying the higher of the two for duration on a failed save; or both; or a separate discretionary effect - you're the referee, after all.
18	Forgetting Ray A brain sits on a pedestal, facing the door. Roll 1d6-1 on entry - that proportion of the brain appears to be damaged, having crumbled to a dry material and fallen to the floor: thus, a roll of 3 would mean 2/6 - or, a third - of the brain is crumbled. The remaining number are the charges in the trap. Any character which opens the door may trigger the trap - specifically, one which approaches it from an angle along the axis perpendicular to the corpus callosum - at which point they must save or lose a memory. A spellcaster may remove one of their memorized spells, a mapper may erase 1d3 rooms and their connecting corridors from the map they are keeping, or in the absence of other creative consequences, the target may lose 1d6 x 100 XP. On each memory lost in this manner, a charge is expended from the brain and 1/6 more of it seems to crumble. When all six charges are spent, the trap can be considered disarmed.
19	Alchemist's Transmutation The way is crossed by a pool of mercury a few inches deep, running the length and breadth of a room. Several small walkways, wide enough for one, lead through - but follow an odd pattern. In the center of the walls facing cardinal directions are the symbols for gold, silver, lead, and tin - which glow faintly. Characters who disturb the mercury in any way activate the trap and must save or have a randomly determined metal item of 1d10 x 10 coins in weight or less transmuted: precious metals are transmuted into non-precious ones; non-precious metals are transmuted into precious ones - the effect on effectiveness for those items is at the discretion of the referee.
20	Jolt of the Ectotherm The likeness of a three-headed creature - the heads being a turtle, a frog, and a lizard - is carved into the wall. The eyes of the creatures follow the three characters closest to the engraving. If the trap is triggered, each of those three characters must save as the eyes of the creature light up: on failure, they become cold blooded, suggested consequences for which could be as follows: In ambient temperatures of 85 degrees or greater, there are no consequences. In ambient temperatures of 75 degrees or greater, the character suffers a 30' (10') reduction in movement rates and -1 to Initiative, if individual initiative is used. In ambient temperatures of 65 degrees or greater, in addition to the above, the character suffers a -2 on to hit rolls, a -10% reduction in success chances for appropriate skills, and a 10% flat chance of spell failure. In ambient temperatures of 55 degrees or greater, the character's movement penalty increases to 60' (20'), initiative penalty to -2, to-hit penalty to -4, skill success chance to -20%, a 20% net flat chance to spell failure, and the character's chance of being surprised is doubled. In ambient temperatures below 55 degrees, the character falls asleep and cannot meaningfully be roused. Being in direct sunlight or being exposed to a consistent equivalent heat source will knock a character up one point on the temperature effect scale. How warm a dungeon is by default is at the discretion of the referee, based on the environment - but should typically correlate to the level of the dungeon: i.e. how far underground it is. A Remove Curse or similar magic is required to reverse this effect.

Happy trapping!

Public domain art retrieved from ReusableArt.com, the National Gallery of Art, or OldBookIllustrations.com and adapted for thematic use. Attribution in alt text.

Licensed photo, Water Fountain 6178 by Wikimedia Commons user Dori, retrieved from Wikimedia Commons on 11/18/2020 and adapted for thematic use. Water Fountain 6178 is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 and under U.S. Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 - in accordance with said license, the adapted version herein - identified and attributed via alt text, same as public domain pieces - was created and utilized without the knowledge, consent, nor endorsement of the original author and is itself, specifically, released under the same licenses.

Shields, Bucklers, and Parrying

Earlier this season, I'd posted a houserule regarding Dual Wielding, or Fighting with Two Weapons. Some peripheral discussion outside the post resulting from its mathematic justification lent to speculation on how to make shields simply better than dual wielding: the difference between fighting with two weapons and fighting with a two-handed weapon was very evident, but the difference between parrying with two weapons and with using a shield was less so. So I did some more math and came up with this rule, changing up shields and introducing the buckler:

Shields & Bucklers

Shields grant a flat bonus of +2 to Armor Class. Shields are strapped to one arm and consume its full use.

Bucklers, smaller metal round shields, are available for purchase. Bucklers may be worn on one arm or carried in one hand.

• If carried, the buckler takes up the full use of the arm - as a shield - but can be used as a 1d3 weapon with the Fighting with Two Weapons house rule.
  
• If strapped, the buckler cannot be used when Fighting with Two Weapons, but also does not take up the full use of the arm. Thus, a character using a buckler could also be holding a torch, or wielding a two handed weapon, including ranged weapons.
  
• In either case - carried or strapped - a buckler, on a round where the wearer does not make an attack, ranged or otherwise, grants a flat +1 AC, both to melee and ranged attacks made against the user from a direction that a shield would be applicable - making the assumption that the user is fighting defensively.
  

If using Shields Shall Be Sundered optionally, a buckler should not be able to be sundered. A generous referee might allow a sunder, but only negate half of the damage that would be inflicted by the hit - lest bucklers eclipse two weapon fighting in effectiveness.

The rule above is based on the historical use of bucklers as companion weapons, with an eye towards synergy with preceding house rules.

How Does This Affect Combat?

As already established in the dual-weapons article, the value of a single point of Armor Class, using the Fighting Man THAC0 tiers, is - based on the weapon being used - as follows:

	d4	d6	d8	d10
Dmg. Delta:	-0.125	-0.175	-0.225	-0.275

This is consistent across the board: so, if wearing chainmail and being attacked by a monster of - say - 2 hit dice (THAC0 17) with an attack dealing 1d8 damage, a hero can expect to take 2.025 damage per round until the enemy can be eliminated (see appended chart at the end of the post).

• The hero, if fighting defensively with two weapons or fighting defensively with a buckler, would expect to take 1.8 damage per round instead.
• If the hero was using a buckler and made no attacks during the round, they would expect to likewise take 1.8 damage per round instead: including against - say - a 2 HD archer with a 1d8 ranged attack.
• The hero, if fighting with a buckler and a two-handed sword, would be able to to opt in to 1.8 damage per round, as well, by not making an attack - but would expect to take 2.025 again if they press the attack.
  
• A character using a shield, regardless of their stance, would expect to take 1.575 damage per round.
  

This would at first glance imply that - over short engagements - there is little advantage to be had. Over 10 rounds fighting defensively in melee, a character with a buckler would expect to take barely 3 points of damage more than if they used a shield. However - consider that most combat-focused characters aren't going to be hit every round - especially if coupling the shield with plate armor. Instead, most low level enemies have a better chance of missing than they do of hitting - our hero from above will likely not be hit for three or four combat rounds before being hit for 4 or 5 in one strike! In a game where protracted combats work against the good of the party - hit points being one resource to manage: a resource that is in ever-short supply - being able to forestall the likelihood of being hit even one more round while the damage dealers are able to knock out enough monsters to shake their morale may be the difference between spending those precious hit points and preserving them. Based on the the likelihood to be hit at a given Armor Class, the number of rounds a character can expect to go per hit taken breaks down as follows:

	Armor Class
THAC0	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
19	1.82	2.00	2.22	2.50	2.86	3.33	4.00	5.00
17	1.54	1.67	1.82	2.00	2.22	2.50	2.86	3.33
14	1.25	1.33	1.43	1.54	1.67	1.82	2.00	2.22
12	1.11	1.18	1.25	1.33	1.43	1.54	1.67	1.82
10	1.05	1.05	1.11	1.18	1.25	1.33	1.43	1.54

Versus a 2 HD monster, a character with chainmail only will, on average, expect to be hit no fewer than once every three rounds of combat in which they are participating. With a buckler fighting defensively, this increases to just over every third round; with a shield, the same character is likely to be hit every fourth round. Of course, this is per monster - so, fighting against three or four monsters increases the odds, but knowing the above - would your party prefer 2 chances to kill the enemy before it wounds your Fighting Man at AC 5 or would your party prefer 4 chances at AC 3?

For completeness, as follows is a table containing the % chance of scoring a hit at each level tier and the damage per round that will be inflicted by a competing Fighting Man - bonuses from high Strength or magic weaponry excluded - of a given level using a given damage die.

Delve on, readers!

Expected Damage and Hit Likelihood; by Tier, AC, and Damage Die

		Armor Class
Ftr. Tier	THAC0	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	0
		Chance to Hit
1-3	19	55%	50%	45%	40%	35%	30%	25%	20%	15%	10%
4-6	17	65%	60%	55%	50%	45%	40%	35%	30%	25%	20%
7-9	14	80%	75%	70%	65%	60%	55%	50%	45%	40%	35%
10-12	12	90%	85%	80%	75%	70%	65%	60%	55%	50%	45%
13-15	10	95%	95%	90%	85%	80%	75%	70%	65%	60%	55%
		Rounds Passing per Expected Hit
1-3	19	1.82	2.00	2.22	2.50	2.86	3.33	4.00	5.00	6.67	10.00
4-6	17	1.54	1.67	1.82	2.00	2.22	2.50	2.86	3.33	4.00	5.00
7-9	14	1.25	1.33	1.43	1.54	1.67	1.82	2.00	2.22	2.50	2.86
10-12	12	1.11	1.18	1.25	1.33	1.43	1.54	1.67	1.82	2.00	2.22
13-15	10	1.05	1.05	1.11	1.18	1.25	1.33	1.43	1.54	1.67	1.82
		Damage per Round, D4
1-3	19	1.375	1.25	1.125	1	0.875	0.75	0.625	0.5	0.375	0.25
4-6	17	1.625	1.5	1.375	1.25	1.125	1	0.875	0.75	0.625	0.5
7-9	14	2	1.875	1.75	1.625	1.5	1.375	1.25	1.125	1	0.875
10-12	12	2.25	2.125	2	1.875	1.75	1.625	1.5	1.375	1.25	1.125
13-15	10	2.375	2.375	2.25	2.125	2	1.875	1.75	1.625	1.5	1.375
		Damage per Round, D6
1-3	19	1.925	1.75	1.575	1.4	1.225	1.05	0.875	0.7	0.525	0.35
4-6	17	2.275	2.1	1.925	1.75	1.575	1.4	1.225	1.05	0.875	0.7
7-9	14	2.8	2.625	2.45	2.275	2.1	1.925	1.75	1.575	1.4	1.225
10-12	12	3.15	2.975	2.8	2.625	2.45	2.275	2.1	1.925	1.75	1.575
13-15	10	3.325	3.325	3.15	2.975	2.8	2.625	2.45	2.275	2.1	1.925
		Damage per Round, D8
1-3	19	2.475	2.25	2.025	1.8	1.575	1.35	1.125	0.9	0.675	0.45
4-6	17	2.925	2.7	2.475	2.25	2.025	1.8	1.575	1.35	1.125	0.9
7-9	14	3.6	3.375	3.15	2.925	2.7	2.475	2.25	2.025	1.8	1.575
10-12	12	4.05	3.825	3.6	3.375	3.15	2.925	2.7	2.475	2.25	2.025
13-15	10	4.275	4.275	4.05	3.825	3.6	3.375	3.15	2.925	2.7	2.475
		Damage per Round, D10
1-3	19	3.025	2.75	2.475	2.2	1.925	1.65	1.375	1.1	0.825	0.55
4-6	17	3.575	3.3	3.025	2.75	2.475	2.2	1.925	1.65	1.375	1.1
7-9	14	4.4	4.125	3.85	3.575	3.3	3.025	2.75	2.475	2.2	1.925
10-12	12	4.95	4.675	4.4	4.125	3.85	3.575	3.3	3.025	2.75	2.475
13-15	10	5.225	5.225	4.95	4.675	4.4	4.125	3.85	3.575	3.3	3.025

Public domain art lovingly pilfered from OldBookIllustrations.com and adapted for thematic use. Attribution in alt text.

Save vs Spells: 20 Themed Traps

Part two of a five part series that I started in April and promptly forgot about for seven months, a list of 20 traps, tricks, and hazards which were inspired by thinking about what could prompt a character to Save vs. Spells. 

Mix and match, pilfer and edit - but either way, don't forget to abuse your player characters while protecting the treasure at the bottom of the dungeon!

1d20	Result
1	Mosaic of the Mesmer Along a wall is a thick curtain, secured in the center with a knotted cord. Behind the curtain is the mosaic - two figures, one standing over the other, who is falling to a knee. If the mosaic is exposed to light, such as a party with torches opening the curtain, the kneeling character will shift "inward" - seeming to fade against the background coloration, and the standing character's eyes shift, focusing on anyone in line of sight. All characters seeing the eyes of the standing figure must save - the closest character saving at a -2 penalty, the figure making direct eye contact with them - or become mesmerized (unable to act) for 2d4 turns. A significant event - such as a torch going out or an unfazed ally shaking them - allows an affected character another save to shake the transfixation; however if a wandering monster appears and there are no waking characters, a victim of the trap is at the encounter's mercy.
2	Mist of Nubility A corridor, longer than it is wide, extends before you. Along the walls near are trappings of youth - nearer one end, elements that would appeal to a teenager; nearer the other, elements that would appeal to an infant. In the ceiling are poke holes, four of them in total, alternating left and right side of the corridor. Walking too closely to the holes may trigger the trap: spraying a fine mist over an affected victim: who must then save or reduce their age by 1d10 years. The change is permanent and cumulative if a character is affected more than once.
3	Sinking Trap On the floor, a square of stone - cut as though a trapdoor, but with no hinge. Upon stepping into the square, a flash of dark light and the stepper must save or fade, halfway, from existence for 1d4 rounds. When incorporeal as such, the character cannot touch material items around them and will start "falling" through the floor: potentially re-materializing on a lower level... or inside of solid rock.
4	Flesh to Vines The trapped item - door, chest, whatever - is covered in spiked brambles, midnight blue in color. If a character is nicked by the brambles, they feel a strange rushing sensation - out of themselves and into the bramble, followed by a pinprick at the site. Upon being so pricked, the victim must save up to three times over 3 turns: Failing the first time, the character's hairs change into thin fronds, like a fern. Failing the second time, the character's internals begin to change, reducing movement by half as tendons stiffen, granting +1 Armor Class as the skin hardens, forcing the character to act last in a melee and lending 50% failure chance to delicate activities, such as picking a lock or casting a spell. Failing a third time, the transformation is complete: the character takes root as a newly acquired house plant. Magic such as a Dispel or Remove Curse will, if applied during this transformation, counteract it entirely.
5	Anti-Magic Orb The character sees a circular relief, hinged and ringed as though to rotate, the center of which is a deep black orb. If the relief is turned, it begins to whine; if the turning persists, it emits a high pitched sound that deafens all within 15 feet for 1 round. The black orb is burst - removed from existence with no trace it was ever there - and all characters within five feet of it must save or be affected by an anti-magic field. No magical effects will affect them, nor will magical items work for them, for 1d4 days.
6	Gateway Gills A grate or gateway - the bars of which are, upon examination, forged to look like twisting kelp, the hinges are sea shells, and the entry gate, is a fish with legs. Attempting to pass by the gate will activate the trap - wherein the affected party must save or have their lungs transitioned into gills: meaning they will survive handily in water, but will suffocate outside of water in 2 turns, plus any Constitution modifier they may have. The effect lasts for one hour.
7	Spiked Ceiling Trap In a rotunda, encased by portico, the domed ceiling consists of dozens of iron spikes, forged to appear jagged: stalactites from a nightmare. Under the dome - but within the square space encased by columns - are two blue concentric circles: one significantly smaller than the other. Stepping into the inner circle activates the trap: all characters within the outer circle must save or fall upward to be impaled on the spikes, before dropping back to the floor. For alternative flavor, consider whether or not the triggering character in the inner circle is subjected to the magic or just his compatriots.
8	Shocking Fangs A large statue of an eel - tall enough that a man might stand beneath it - stands with two gold fangs protruding down from its open maw. The pupils of its eyes are lightning bolts. A character which  touches both fangs at the same time must save or be electrocuted - taking 2d8 points of damage. The referee is encouraged to use this trap in conjunction with another secret - perhaps, connecting the nodes will cause a gate to open or a secret to be revealed - as then it poses an obstacle, not a silly and somewhat trite "gotcha" moment.
9	Arcane Diffuser The guarded element - a trapdoor, a chest, what have you - is under a wire cage, closely woven as a sieve. Surrounding it - at the cardinal directions - are erect staves, embedded in the floor, with spearheads on them that rotate to face the nearest living being. By crossing the threshold of two or more of these staves where the faces both follow the same target, the trap is activated: the stave-heads flash and the target must save or be turned into a gaseous form, as the potion, for 2d4 turns.
10	Inanimate Magnetism The player is confronted by a steel ball floating between iron needles extending from the floor and the ceiling - the ball is flawless in its shape and smoothness. If they approach it, they feel drawn to it; more so, if they wear ferromagnetic materials - such as is commonly found in weapons or armor. If the character touches the orb, they activate the trap. Affected characters must save or become, themselves, highly magnetic. Affected characters wearing armor suffers immediate damage equal to 2d4 minus the descending Armor Class provided by the armor as it crushes against them. Affected characters and their allies within 10 feet of an affected character suffer a -2 on attack rolls with primarily metal weapons, including ranged weapons, for the duration as their magnetic field retards the attempt. Other metal equipment - such as iron spikes or hand mirrors - can be affected, but would be at the discretion of the referee: a mirror, for example, in the hand of a magnetic character would function as normal, as it would stick to the hand; whereas a spike might be harder to use, as it would be drawn to the spiker. Miscellaneous metal items within 10 feet will be drawn to the character; with larger objects potentially causing damage or increasing character encumbrance. This effect lasts for one hour.
11	Inanimate Anti-Magnetism As Inanimate Magenetism, excepting that the character repulses ferromagnetic materials! Primarily metal armor balloons out - like a loose shirt being blown upwards with a fan: the player should roll 1d10 - if the result is less than the AC provided by the armor, something snaps and the armor is repulsed off of the body of the magnetized wearer. Primarily metal weapons become difficult to hold as they are pushed away: the player should roll under Strength initially and whenever a significant event occurs or drop the weapon - which will be forced distant from the character if they attempt to pick it up. Other metal equipment - such as iron spikes or hand mirrors - will likewise try to repulse; the exact effect to be arbitrated by the referee. Miscellaneous metal items within 10 feet will be likewise repulsed to a minimum distance of 10 feet from the affected character. Magic armor, or magic equipment, should have a bonus to resist this effect, at the discretion of the Referee.
12	Headstone of Vampiric Redistribution Embedded in a wall is a holy symbol - as might mark a grave - but on it is a face, twisted, eyes black. Touching the eyes activates a trap - wherein the victim must save or lose one experience level. An ethereal spray then emanates from the mouth of the statue in a fifteen foot cone - any characters other than the drained victim who are caught in the cone must save or gain experience points on the spot equal to 1/5 of the total necessary for the victim to advance back to where they had been before.
13	Decrepitude Curse At the entrance to a treasure horde, barred or locked by a portcullis, a lever on the floor takes on the appearance of a walking cane, under an inscription, "Wealth cannot buy fortitude." The walking cane can be pulled, and in so doing it will come loose and unlock the horde, however the puller must save or suffer decrepitude - reducing their Strength and Constitution scores to 3 until such time as Remove Curse or similar magic can be used to lift the burden.
14	The Love Tunnel A narrow passage, the walls grimy with an organic material which absorbs light - all light sources inside it have their illuminated radius halved. The passage seems straight, but if a character walks into it, they appear to go around a curve from the exterior - but as soon as they reach the extent of their normal light, such that they can no longer see the entrance, they see an exit in front of them - which will turn out to be the entrance that they came in from. A character that exits the tunnel via the mystic loop activates the trap; a character turning around and exiting the way from which they came does not. A character subjected to the trap must save or become enamored of a randomly determined party member. The effect lasts 1d6 hours - during that time, obnoxious role play aside - the character will be distracted, being twice as likely to be surprised, suffering an automatic 25% failure chance on any skill checks or spellcasting attempted, and if the affected character is the party's mapper, the referee is encouraged to be scant on the details, perhaps talking about the target of affection instead, if asked specifics regarding the dimensions of a room.
15	The Dazzler Ball Hanging from the ceiling to around face height, a silver ball - not round, but made of dozens of polygons together - awaits the party. As the party enters, music begins to faintly play and the ball slowly rises towards the ceiling. If allowed to reach the ceiling, it will flatten itself into a hemisphere and issue a pulse of entropy: any characters that can see the wave must save, and any characters close enough to have heard the music must likewise save, but may re-roll if they fail on the first try. Characters that fail the save by seeing are blinded for 1d6 turns, they - themselves - perceiving their head to be caught inside a ball of mirrors, capable of seeing only themselves; characters that fail the save by hearing are effectively deafened for 1d6 turns, hearing only the repeating music.
16	Truth Horn A horn with a bellow affixed to the mouthpiece hangs across a narrow entry point. Crossing the threshold activates the item - at which point the bellow depresses and the horn sounds. The referee should immediately check for a wandering monster - and all characters must save or be illuminated based on their alignment: lawful characters radiate a warm yellow; chaotic ones a cool blue; neutral characters have an odd anti-glow, wherein light seems to suck into them rather than reflect off. For the next 1d6 hours, reaction rolls made should be modified based on alignment: up to -2 for differing alignment, up to +2 for lawful to lawful, and a plus or minus in secret for chaotic to chaotic, based on opportunity perceived by the reacting party.
17	Mother of Locusts A burlap sack in the shape of a person hangs from the ceiling. Tied by the hands, feet, and top of the head, it slowly drips caterpillars, locusts, and cockroaches. If the party opens the sack-person, setting them "free," or otherwise significantly disturbs the sack person, the burlap falls apart in their hands, dousing the handler or handlers with a black smoke-like semi-liquid and forcing them to save. On failure, an affected character belches insect vermin for 1d4 rounds; taking 1d4 points of damage and summoning a single Insect Swarm (B37) on each of affected round.
18	Beast Allure A crystal flask with rubber stopper, filled with a swirling mauve cloud: it might be placed obviously or perched atop a door or other hidden place to drop on an unwary victim. When significantly disturbed, un-stoppered, or broken, a series of sparks emits from the flask - seeking the trachea. Any character within 20 feet must save or, after 1d4 turns, begin to sweat a strange, powdery mauve substance - the sweating lasting 1d8 turns. For the duration of the effect, the rate of wandering monsters should be tripled.
19	Flesh to Brass Three masks trailing black curtains bound to appear as robes look down onto a dais containing a pedestal with guarded item. On the dais are 1d3-1 metal adventurers: absolute realistic in their depiction. A character that comes too close to the dais may note the masks begin to follow them - and a character who dallies too long on it, or who attempts to directly acquire the guarded item, will activate the trap. The masks begin to oscillate warm colors and any character - up to three at a time, as there are three masks - at whom the masks are staring must save once per round for as long as visual contact can be made: Failing once causes the skin to become irritated and scaly, cool to the touch. The target suffers -1 to reaction rolls going forward. Exterior worn metal items begin to shift to a more organic material - reducing their effectiveness, per referee discretion. Failing a second save causes the skin to harden, reducing movement speed by 10 feet and imposing a -1 penalty on attacks or a -10% success chance on fine motor actions, but granting a +1 to Armor Class. Worn metal items become wholly disconnected flesh: becoming largely useless for their intended function. Magic items should receive a separate save against the effect. Failing a third save freezes the character in place. They are unable to move, trapped within a metal shell once their skin. The effect is permanent, unless Remove Curse or similar magic can reverse the effect.
20	Curse of the Puppeteer Strings hang from a ceiling too far in the darkness to be seen, as though holding invisible marionettes. If a character touches one, it gives them a buzzing sensation. If a character touches two or more at a time, they must save or become entangled in them - the ropes taking hold in their wrists and ankles.  The ropes then begin to move, dancing the character about the room and potentially threatening others with being struck. The character will feel at peace - as though this is the natural order - and after 2d3 rounds, they will no longer struggle against it and - if freed by their allies, will walk listlessly and react only to stimuli or particularly confident commands. The duration of the effect is at the discretion of the referee.

Happy Trapping!

Public domain artwork retrieved from OldBookIllustrations.com between September and November, 2020, and adapted for thematic use. Attribution in alt text.

Hollow of the Broken Face

Scale: 10 ft.
Click here for a PDF version of this adventure!

A - Hall Victorious

A1 - Main Hall

A downward-sloping natural cavern opens into a large, hewn room. 15 feet from the east and west walls, at 10 foot increments inside the room, are black metal sconces: empty. At the northern half of the room is a moai - 8 feet wide by 12 feet tall. The eyes, nose, and mouth appear to have been fitted with something, but the pieces are missing.

The pieces are hidden through the dungeon; or - depending on your milieu, perhaps they have been looted and are hidden nearby. If all pieces are inserted correctly, a platform on which the moai sits will sink into the floor, dropping eight feet, revealing access to A2. To close the ingress to A2, one or more of the moai features can be removed. The opening and shutting process of the lift takes 3 rounds.

However, the moai is trapped twice over:

The correct order of the eyes is blue on the right; red on the left. If the right eye and left eye are inserted incorrectly, the right into the left socket and vice versa, a light will emerge from them: red from the left eye and blue from the right eye: approximately in 45 degree arcs from each. Characters caught in the blue light only must Save vs Petrification or turn to salt; characters caught in the red light must Save vs Spells or be aged to venerability: reducing all ability scores by half. Characters caught in the middle - both at once - must Save vs Death or be disintegrated.

If the false nose is placed into the nose socket, the chin of the moai will fall, causing the mouth to fall out, if inserted, and releasing a toxic gas that hangs low to the ground. Any character within 15 feet of the statue must Save vs Poison; any character within 30 that is not able to retreat from it likewise must Save vs Poison on the following round, but benefits from a +2 bonus to the save. Any character at or outside 45 feet is not close enough to be affected. After three rounds, the poison sinks into the floor. Dwarves and Halflings save at a -2 penalty due to their stature.

The east door is stuck, but not locked. The west door is neither.

A2 - Horde Gate

Three doors to three rooms beyond this room are wrought iron, inlaid into a wall of bars: a character would not be able to slip through, but can see through into the darkness. The north door is not locked; the east and west doors are chained shut with large, ostentatious seals: the seals can be broken without much effort. 

A3 - Sword of the Forgotten King

In this room is a pedestal holding a sword; around it, lining the walls, are several chests. If the sword is handled, the chests begin to lose their corporeality - unable to be grasped; if the chests are emptied, the sword begins to slide into the pedestal - unable to be freed. Inside the chests are 800 silver pieces, 600 gold pieces, and three fire-opals worth 50 gold pieces each. On the west wall is a relief carving depicting the sun.

The sword is a +1 longsword, +3 versus undead. Adjacent to it are three gems: a small moon sapphire, 100 gp, and two large garnets (500 gp each).

A4 - Throne Sepulcher

A stone chair with a desiccated corpse - mummified by time and dry rather than intention - slouched against it; the corpse appearing to have fallen from its original posting. It wears a tunic and a visor - the visor is made of wood and silver, worth 450 gold pieces to a collector. It has a scabbard in its belt, its right hand is empty, and in its left hand, it clutches a key.

A5 - False Horde

In this room are several half-dissolved wooden chests and a Gray Ooze (B36). The chests contain some lead figurines, some mostly-rotted books, and dust. On the east wall is a relief carving depicting the moon, complete with facial features, that the man-in-the-moon appears sleeping. If the key held by the corpse in A4 is inserted into the nose of the man-in-the-moon, the door to A6 will open.

A6 - The King's Horde

The walls of this room are adorned with dyed curtains, aged - but heavy. They are adorned with gold fittings worth 800 gp. There are two chests on the north and south walls, each, and each contains 2,000 silver pieces. In the center of the east wall, there is a glass case containing two crowns, similar to the one worn by the mummy, but one is gold with citrines, the other silver with diamonds. Both are worth 1,200 gold pieces. In addition can be found an ivory scepter with platinum topper (700 gp), an electrum torc (600 gp), and a sash made of thin linked plates - silver, with gold trim - (900 gp).

The chests are sealed and must be forced open. The glass case is locked and trapped with a poison needle - though the needle does not activate if the glass is simply broken.

B - Western Passages

B1 - The West Way

The west door leads to what appears to be a closet; though the floor is damp - a hint to the presence of a secret door - upon entry. Just to the south, a group of 4 Neanderthals (B39) are audibly fighting with a group of 6 Giant Rats (B41).

B2 - Guards' Tomb

In the center of the room is a dining table - chairs missing. Ringing the table on each face except south are stone coffins, three to the north and two each to the east and west, respectively. On the dining table is a silverware set worth 100 gold pieces.

Inside each sarcophagus is a Skeleton (B42) in repose. If any sarcophagus is opened, all skeletons will attempt to open their sarcophagi and attack. The lids, however, are heavy: and each skeleton only has a 2-in-6 chance of opening the lid each round. A referee is encouraged to modify this chance if the players are clever (or foolish) in their response: that is, placing additional weight on the lids may buy them time or prevent the inhabitant of the weighted coffin from escaping entirely.

B3 - Nose Creek

Doors exiting this room are obvious from the inside, and easy to open. A crack in the ceiling drips sparkling water into a groove in the floor running south-west to north-east. There is an abundance of lichen growing along where this water seems to slowly drain eastward. In the south-west corner, there is a deeper pool, formed by some debris: in this pool is the nose of the moai.

The nose of the moai is obsidian, with black pearls for nostrils. On its own, it would be worth 1,500 gold pieces: but it would be difficult to find a buyer.

The lichen has curative properties, if applied to a wound or injury causing a Save vs Poison, will allow the user to re-roll a failed save. If eaten, it restores 1 hit point. There is enough lichen, if harvested, for 2d3 doses. The water tastes good, but has no other affects.

B4 - The Narrow Way The door to B5 is made of wood and is locked. A skeleton sits, propped against the north east corner of the alcove into which the door is set. Four Cave Locust (B32) are milling about in the narrows of the hallway. The secret door to the north is a concealed sliding door, opening towards the west, with a sliding clasp hidden just above a man's average height in a nook in the stone to unlock it.

B5 - A False Nose On the northern and southern extents of this room are several large vases, each filled with flowers. The flowers have long since desiccated. In the center of the room is a pedestal with what appears to be a large nose - made of basalt - with a ridge on the rear side, as though a hanger. Scattered around the floor in a circle around the pedestal is 1,000 silver pieces. This nose is a false nose. If inserted, it will activate the moai's mouth trap. On its own, it has little or no value if sold.

C - The Eastern Corridor

C1 - Tribute to the Moai

In a nook on the northern wall is a smaller moai wearing an expression of disgust. It is facing slightly off, slightly south-west instead of south as might have been implied, as though jarred by a passing body. To the east of the moai statue is growing a set of fungi stalks, red in color and between three and four feet tall - they are harmless.

Behind the moai is a secret door, through the grooves of which, a moderately repugnant smell is emanating. This smell is only detectable if a character is close enough to the moai to interact with it, and thus would be noticed if a character explicitly investigates the statue. The door, itself, is concealed by a simple inlay into the pattern of the hewn walls and will slide inward if even pressure is applied to three of its four corners.

C2 - Ogre's Cave

An Ogre occupies this space, wearing the mouth of the statue in his own mouth, as a set of wax lips: chuckling and thinking himself dreadfully clever for so doing. In addition, he has auspiciously hanging from the walls a diamond necklace (1200 gp), a gold chain inlaid with alternating aquamarine and zircon (900 gp), a sapphire bracelet (1,100 gp; slightly damaged: he might have tried it on), a set of topaz earrings (1,100 gp for the set), and 2,000 gold pieces.

The mouth, itself, has a peg or ridge in the back that will allow it to fit into the mouth of the moai in A1. Its lips are obsidian; its teeth are nacre. It would be difficult to sell, but is worth 2,000 gold pieces.

C3 - The Iron Ballroom

Along the north and south walls of this room are nooks wherein candelabra may be placed. Hanging from the ceiling - roughly in the middle, east to west, and 10 feet north from the southern wall, is a chandelier made from glinting steel. In each of the two nooks in the northern wall, where the hallway from C1 terminates, is a Living Statue, Iron (B37), which will attack on sight. Any character entering from the north is likely to be surprised; any character entering from the west door is unlikely to be surprised.

The door in the west wall is heavy (counts as stuck), as though made for strong arms, but is not locked.

Inside the chandelier - but hidden from view from below - is the left eye of the moai in A1: which is ringed with obsidian, a nacre white, and a ruby pupil. Alone, it is worth 1,000 gold pieces, but would be difficult to sell.

C4 - Bloody Store

In the south west corner of the room are a set of barrels - empty, dry. In the north west corner, empty crates. In the center of the room is a freshly dead adventurer clutching an open satchel while lying in a pool of drying blood. The adventurer is wearing leather and carrying some random equipment (rope, rations, torches, etc. - the referee is encouraged to ad lib) - notably absent, however, is any metal equipment at all on his person.

The north door is locked. The south door is heavy (counts as stuck), but not locked.

C5 - A Room to Cavern, Reclaiming

The ceiling of this room drips and is overgrown with hanging plants. The walls are hewn, but the floor is in decay - broken, with rubble and rocks from where the ceiling has collapsed. There is an earthy scent to the room and a 20% chance the party will be attacked by 2-8 centipedes dropping from the ceiling: as Centipede, Giant (B33) excepting that their attack - on hit - requires a Save vs Poison: on failure, 1 point of Wisdom is temporarily drained. Drained Wisdom lost in this manner will heal at a rate of 1 point per day.

The east door is stuck.

The secret door is a pocket door, sliding into the wall when a character activates an unlocking mechanism in a nook that is covered in moss.

D - The Southern Chambers

 D1 - The Old Refectory

This space is barren - though the floor has a discolored look to it, as though there once was a table in the center, rotted away from age or perhaps stolen. In the ceiling is a horde of normal bats (B30) which, if a party gets too close, will panic and take flight.

The door to B4 is stuck, but not locked. 

The door to D2 is not locked. 

There is a pit trap 20 feet deep in the hallway leading east.

D2 - House of the Blue Eye

The north door is not locked. In each corner of the room are large brass sconces, empty. Along the floor, however, is emblazoned a large Celtic knot in a green mosaic pattern. At each cardinal point - north, south, east, and west, an emerald is inlaid in the floor (400 gp each, if pried out) - and in the center, the right eye of the moai.

The eye is facing upward, emitting a dim blue glow as though a light were shining beneath it. It is ringed by obsidian, the white is nacre, and the pupil and iris are a large sapphire. If the eye is removed from its hole, a portcullis drops at the door, trapping whomever is inside the room. If the eye is replaced, the portcullis will lift.

On its own, the eye would be worth 1,000 gold pieces, but may pose a challenge to sell.

D3 - The Coin Pool

A circle of raised brick forms a concave center to this room. The circle is partly full of stagnant, but clear water. In the water, almost as a wishing fountain, are 500 silver pieces.

On the west wall is an amulet portraying the moon - made of electrum with opal inlays - worth 1,100 gold pieces; on the east wall is a headdress, gold, that appears to portray the sun, along with emerald inlay. The headdress is worth 1,200 gold pieces.

Public domain artwork retrieved from OldBookIllustrations.com, ReusableArt.com, and the National Gallery of Art and adapted for thematic use. Attribution in alt text.