a + 5 bonus to the attack roU and dealing 11 (2dl0)
s lashing damage on a hit.
Crushing Pillars (Initiative 10). Each creature in the
SO-foot-long area b eyond the first^80 feet o f the hall-
way mus t make a D C 15 Dexte rity saving throw. On
a failed save, a creature takes 11 (2d10) bludgeoning
damage and is knocke d prone. O n a successful save,
the creature takes half as m uch damage and is n't
knoc ked pro ne.
Rune of Fear (Initiative 10). Each creature in the
30-foot-lo ng a rea beyond the Crushing Pilla rs mus t
make a D C 15 Wisdom saving throw. On a faile d
saving throw, the creature becomes frighte ne d by
the rune, and it mus t imme diately use its reaction
to m ove its speed in the direction of the pilla rs. The
frighte ne d creature can't move closer to the far end
of the h allway until it uses its action to make a D C
15 Wis do m saving throw, which end s the frighten e d
condit io n on itself on a s uccess.
Dynamic Elements. The blades and the rune become
more dangerous the longer the tra p remains active.
Blades Accelerate. The blades move with inc reasing
s peed, s lowing only whe n they hit a target. Each
time the blades miss with an attack, their next at-
tack becomes harde r to avoid. After each miss, the
blades ' attack bonus inc reases by 2, and their dam-
age increases by 3 (ld6). These be ne fits apply until
the blades hit a target, a fte r w hic h the values return
to normal.
Rune's Defense. Tampering with the Rune of Fear in-
creases the trap's power. Eac h s uccessful check o n
a n attempt to dis able t he rune increases the damage
of the blades a nd the crushing pillars by 5 (ldlO)
and inc reases the rune's saving throw DC by 1.
Constant Elements. T he Whirling Blades and the
Rune of Fear a ffect each creature that e nds its turn in
a n a rea affected by these e le ments.
Whirling Blades. Any c reature that e nds its turn in
the blades' area is targeted by an attack: +5 attack
bonus; 5 (ldlO) slashing damage o n a hi t.
Rune of Fear. Any c reature that ends its turn within
30 feet of the far end of the corrid o r must ma ke a
saving throw agains t the Rune of Fear effect.
Countermeasures. Each of the trap's active ele ments
can be thwarte d by particula r countermeasures.
Whirling Blades. C harac te rs can s mash t he bla des,
damage the ir components, or discern how to
avoid them. The blades are disabled if their attack
bonus is reduced to -8. Ways to reduce it are de-
scribed below.
Intelligence (In vestigation), D C 15. As an actio n, a
c reature that can see the blades can attempt an In-
telligence (Investigation) check. A s uccessful check
means that the c harac ter bas learned how to antici-
pate the blades' movement, imposi ng disad vantage
on the blades' attacks agains t the creature w hile it
isn't incapacitated.
Attack. A creature in the area can ready a n attack to
strike at one of t he bla des as it goes by. The bla degains advantage on its attack against the c reature.
The creature then attacks. Each blade has AC 15
and 15 hit points. Destroying a blade r educes the
Whirling B lades attack bonus by 2.
Dexterity check using thieves' tools, DC 15. Creatures
can use thieves' tools in t he a r e a attacked by the
blades to foil their mecha nis m. A successful check
reduces the Whirling Blades a ttack bonus by 2.
Crushing Pillars. The pillars are not s usceptible to
countermeasures.
Rune of Fear. T he rune can be d isabled with three
successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) checks.
Each check requires an action. A c reature must be
at the e nd of the hallway to attempt the check, and
only one creatur e can work o n this task at once.
Once a creature attempts a check for this purpose,
no other character can do so until the end of tha t
creature's next turn. A lternatively, the rune can be
disable d w ith three s uccessful castings of dispel
magic (DC 13) targeting the rune.SPHERE OF CRUSHING DOOM
Complex.trap (level 5 - 10 , deadly threat)
The court jester devised a dead ly trap to foil anyone who
soug ht to steal h is magic fool's cap. The jester's tomb
is located at the end of a^10 -foot-wide, 150-foot-long
hallway that descends sharply from north to south. The
entrance to the tomb is a door on the eastern wall at the
bottom of th e slope, at the south e nd of the hall.
Trigger. This trap activates as soon as the door lead-
ing to the jester's coffin is opened. A magic portal opens
at the northern end of the ha! I way a nd disgorges a n
enormous steel sphe r e, which hurtles down the slope.
Whe n it reaches the bottom of t he slope, a second portalCHAPTER 2 J DUNGEON MASTER'S TOOLS