Upon triggering, all exits seal up, holes in the wall open, and water rushes in, quickly flooding the area. The water only comes up to about mid-chest height on a human, then freezes solid in an instant. Characters are trapped, and possibly freezing to death.
The ice is kept frozen magically, b...
A pair of apparently finely-made armored boots provide +1 AC. Apparent value is 400 GP (DC 20 to realise that the boots are a cheap imitation).
The boots remain sturdy and comfortable until combat, when they fall apart upon the wearer's first turn, cutting into the wearer's legs, dealing 1d6 d...
Few game systems match the apathy and brutality of Dead Earth. If you're a fan of Fallout, Rage, Mad Max, and all things post-apocalyptic, this game is one you must try.
And I do mean try, because surviving Dead Earth is by no means guaranteed. Dead Earth is just that cruel. As the game int...
This is an item for spellcasters. It will appear as a large jewel-encrusted brooch of a type often used to close cloaks and capes. It will radiate magic, if tested. All checks will indicate that this item endows the wearer with the power to see invisible creatures. There is no activation process fo...
I was first introduced to role-playing games in Spring of 1978. At the time, I was spending most of my free hours at a local comic shop, hanging out with friends. One of these was a guy named Crash. That was the only name anyone knew him by for a long time. It turned out, he had some gangster/Mafio...
This talisman causes its owner to appear and detect as undead to all non-evil non-undead (effectively -8 CHA, or minimum 0 total CHA modifier). Most good-aligned creatures may attack the player, believing them to be undead, supernatural, or evil in some way.
However, it has no such perceptual e...
This will appear as a silver ring of great craftsmanship. Magical testing will reveal it to have the power to sustain the wearer without food or drink for an indefinite period of time.
The curse has a cumulative 05% chance per day of taking hold (GM rolls once per day), whereupon it will start...
An ornate, clear, crystalline statuette with a gemstone at its core is in fact made of bitter ice.
If touched, it adheres to the hand, dealing 1d3 cold damage per round.
If forcefully removed, it deals an additional 1d6 damage.
If melted, the process deals 1d6 fire damage.
Pourin...
A huge tapestry of an ancient battlefield hangs on the wall. It appears to depict an army that is facing the viewer. Archers, spear men, battlefield wizards, and even siege weapons are in evidence.
Passing in front of the tapestry activates the trap, and the characters become targets of the sol...
As the characters proceed, the other end of the corridor or room never seems to get any closer. Try as they might, it always extends further away to the exact same degree that the characters proceed. This has a surreal, almost hallucinatory appearance, sometimes leading characters to believe it's a...
This appears as a well-crafted metal torch with magical runes on it. If deciphered, the runes reveal a keyword. Upon testing, it will be learned that if the torch is held by someone, and that person speaks the keyword, it will ignite and burn like a normal one, but never burn out. Only if the holde...
A weighted hallway which, when players have crossed the center line, releases two iron bars from the walls, in a scissor-like motion in an attempt to break the players's legs. Players take 1d8 damage and move at half speed for 10 minutes.
Reflex save DC 15 halves damage and negates speed reduc...
Characters enter a room or corridor, and see what appears to be themselves way down at the other end, just then exiting. If they call to other group, the party will hear it, and, looking back, will see themselves way back where they just were. These are not copies, nor is this an illusion; space ha...
When read by a player, magical runes trigger a catapulting floorboard that propels any creature within a 15 ft radius through the air. Thrown players are propelled 1d20 ft into the air for 1d6 +5 damage. If they hit the ceiling, then they also take 1d6 bludgeoning damage.
Public domain catap...
Less a cursed item than a difficult and dangerous one to use, this will appear to be a carefully carved piece of flint, complete with runic characters, and a thin piece of steel, also bearing runes. They will come in a small wooden box with matching symbols.
Upon inspection, these two items, wh...
Upon triggering, the GM has everyone roll dice, and writes down the result. Low number loses, but this is not shared immediately. The victim has been inflicted with creeping paranoia.
It takes time to manifest, but slowly, as the game session goes along, the GM passes the player notes (either...