Descent into Avernus

(Nancy Kaufman) #1

GILDED DEATH ARMO R
Gold stolen or bartered from the archdevil Mammon


plates the vehicle's exterior. This gold can't be removed


without destroying the vehicle and turns to dust when


the infernal war machine drops to 0 hit points. Gilded


death armor grants the infernal war machine resistance


to bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage.


SOUL SPIKE ARMOR


The vehicle is covered with spikes inscribed with blas-


phemous symbols. Luminous, ghostly figures impaled


on these spikes wail and reach out in agony.


If a creature that isn't a devil dies within 30 feet of the


infernal war machine, its soul (if it has one) is torn from


its body and joins the wailing throng impaled on the


spikes. As long as its soul remains trapped, a creature


can't be raised from the dead by any means. A trapped
soul is freed if the vehicle is destroyed, if the spike an-


choring it is the target of a remove curse spell or similar


magic, or if the spike is destroyed. Each spike is a Small


object with AC 19, 15 hit points, and resistance to all


damage except radiant damage.


MAGICAL GADGETS


Devils like to bedeck their infernal war machines with


fiendish gadgets to bedevil foes. Such gadgets are usu-


ally activated from the helm station.


NECROTIC SMOKE SCREEN


The vehicle's driver can activate this magical device as


a bonus action, causing the vehicle to expel a 30-foot
cube of opaque smoke directly in front of it or behind it.


The cloud is stationary and lasts for 1 minute. The area


within it is heavily obscured. Any creature that e nters


the cloud for the first time on a turn or starts its turn


there takes 21 (6d6) necrotic damage. A strong wind


disperses the cloud. This device needs 24 hours to re-


charge before it can be used again.


TELEPORTER


The vehicle's driver can activate this magical device as a


bonus action, causing the vehicle to teleport to an unoc-


cupied space that the driver can see up to 300 feet away


from the vehicle's current position. All creatures and


objects in contact with the vehicle are teleported along


with it. This device needs 24 hours to recharge before it


can be used again.


CHASES O N AVERNUS


Using the guidelines in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Mas-


ter's Guide and the Avernus Chase Complications table,


you can build a chase that incorporates hazards unique


to Avernus. Use an infernal war machine's Constitution


modifier to determine how many times it can Dash


during a chase.


When a chase complication forces the vehicle to make


an ability check, or the driver to make an ability check


using the vehicle's ability, a mishap occurs if the check

fails by 5 or more (see "Mishaps," page 220).


APPENDIX 1l I INFERNAL WAR MACHINES


A VERNUS CHASE COMPLICATIONS
d20 Complication
1-2 You drive past a creature native to Avernus, and it
chases after you. The OM chooses the creature.
3 A fire tornado, 300 feet high and 30 feet wide at
its base, crosses your path. The vehicle avoids the
tornado with a successful DC 15 Dexterity saving
throw. Otherwise, the tornado envelops the vehicle,
and each creature on or inside it that doesn't have
total cover must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving
throw, taking 99 (18dl0) fire damage on a failed
save, or half as much damage on a successful one.
4 A swirling cloud of dust envelops the vehicle. Any
creature on or inside the vehicle that doesn't have
total cover is blinded by the dust until the start of its
next turn unless it's us ing some kind of protective
eyewear.
5 Natural pillars of rock can grant cover as the
vehicle swerves between them. The driver of the
vehicle can make a DC 15 Dexterity check using the
vehicle's Dexterity. On a success, the pillars provide
three-quarters cover against attacks from other
vehicles until the start of the driver's next turn.
6 Your vehicle drives into a herd oflemures, manes,
or other fiends. The vehicle must make a DC 15
Strength or Dexterity check (driver's choice) to plow
through the herd unimpeded. On a failed check, the
herd counts as 30 feet of difficult terrain.
7 The vehicle drives off a 10-foot-high ledge and
comes crashing down. Any unsecured creature on
the outside of the vehicle must succeed on a DC 15
Dexterity saving throw or tumble off, taking normal
damage from the fall and landing prone in an
unoccupied space on the ground.
8 Uneven ground threatens to slow your vehicle's
progress. The vehicle must make a DC 10 Dexterity
check to navigate the area. On a failed check, the
ground counts as 60 feet of difficult terrain.
9 Derelict infernal war machines dot the landscape,
rusted beyond repair and half buried in the dust.
If the vehicle uses Dash this turn, the driver must
succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity check using the
vehicle's Dexterity or crash into one of the derelict
infernal war machines (see "Crashing," page 221).
10 Part of the ground gives way underneath the
vehicle, causing it to roll over. The vehicle must
succeed on a DC l 0 Dexterity saving throw. On a
success, the vehicle rolls into an upright position
and can continuing moving. On a failure, the vehicle
lands prone, either upside down or on its side, after
coming to a dead stop. When the vehicle rolls, any
unsecured creature holding on to the outside of it
must succeed on a DC 20 Strength saving throw or
tumble off, landing prone in an unoccupied space
within 20 feet of the overturned vehicle.
11-20 No complication.
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