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| Realms of Chaos04-08-06, 11:13 PM | In all of the dungeons around nowadays, I see creatures, traps, bridges, and other traditional stuff of this sort. What I don't see are other additions. New minerals, sludge, slimes, molds, etc. This thread is for those extra ideas. Ideas made to give a campaign or dungeon more flavor. I think that I'll kick off this thread by beginning this list. 1: Loft rock: This brilliant, violet stone lifts against gravity. Veins are normally around 10 by 20 feet but smaller and larger ones are nowhere near unknown. When found in the ground, it fights to get out. Any checks made to pry it out have their DCs halved and some patches are volatile enough to be triggered by weight. Some creatures have learned to stay away from them and think of them as natural traps. Creatures mining them either need the ability to climb (making it common among creatures with a climb speed) or simply set up nets along the ground to catch it as it rises. Any weapon made from it costs 200 more GP, has it’s weight halved, and suffers a –1 penalty to attack rolls due to its tug upward (this penalty is doubled for double weapons or two handed weapons). Any armor made from it adds their armor penalty bonus to jump and climb checks rather than subtracting it and double that amount to swim checks made to stay afloat (although they receive double the normal penalty on swim checks meant to go beneath water). Anyone who carries their weight or more in loft rock items is lifted up as if by a reverse gravity spell. 2: Creeping slime: This pale grey slime actively seeks out targets. It doesn’t do this out of intelligence or instinct but of its very design. When is detects heat, it moves towards its source at a rate of 40 ft. per round. When it finds the source, it starts burning it away with its acidic composition by entering its space. This deals 1d6 damage but it can only damage organic material. If it is dealt at least 1 hit point of damage, it collapses into a pile of useless sludge. Creeping slime sometimes runs rampant in natural dungeons but intelligent undead (who are incapable of attracting its attention due to their lack of body heat) sometimes collect them as garbage disposals or traps. 3: Black Lotus: This large black flower is the source from which black lotus extract is… extracted. When touched or ingested by a creature, that creature must save against Black lotus extract (although its save DC is increased by 5). Black Lotuses can grow just about anywhere where ample moisture exists, making them prized crops among evil outsiders and undead, as well as the few others depraved enough to make a profit selling it to one of the former. Unfortunately, if root systems of two many Black Lotuses interact, they send out spores. If 5 or more black lotuses are within 30 feet of each other, they exhale a cloud of spores that spreads in a 30 foot radius, forcing all who breathe in the area to make a save each round to avoid poisoning. 4: Sleep root: This special herb is valued by the few botanists who can find them as a surefire cure for insomnia. Anyone who eats a sleeproot must make a dc 10 will save or fall deeply asleep (they may voluntarily choose to fail this save). This sleep lasts for 8 hours although they can be awakened as normal. While asleep, their natural healing speeds up to twice the normal rate. 5: Name stones: these oddities can only be found deep under mountains and in the elemental plane of earth. Each one is the basic size and shape of a normal geode. When cracked, however, it splits in 2, revealing the name of someone who was, is, or will be on one half. If anyone finds and claims possession of the one with their name inscribed on it, they receive a +2 luck bonus on all saving throws. These stones are normally found in small pockets of 3d4 called libraries. 6: Soundstone. This cursed rock can only be mined on Pandemonium where large tunnels made of it exist. They constantly repeat noises that have been made within 60 feet of them. The noises may be thousands of years old or an imitation of something just said. A DC 20 will save allows someone to recognize that a generated noise is not genuine. Due to their origin, most Soundstone spends much time replaying the unbearable sound of the wind, imitating all of its mind-debilitating effects. 7: Sinkstone: more than anything else, sinkstone is a trap waiting to happen. When submerged in any amount of water, sinkstone doubles in mass and its weight is multiplied by 8. Each pound of sinkstone carried by a creature gives them a –1 penalty on swim checks made to swim through water. 8: Tangleweed: This weed has an unimpressive appearance but it’s not what’s seen that matters. Underneath the ground, tangleweed produces a mile wide radius of roots that can bury as far as 1 mile deep and grow at an amazing rate, 10 feet per day. Whenever a character steps within 60 feet of tangleweed, the ground gives away due to the immense series of tunnels underneath. The character must make DC 15 reflex save or fall 20 feet down and become entangled by the roots. For reasons unknown to botanists thus far, the roots of Tangleweed never interfere with any other root system, occupying every free space instead. 9: Stulian water: Named after the adventurer that first discovered it, Stulian water provides nourishment in addition to hydration. Drinking 1 gallon of Stulian water provides enough nourishment to last a medium creature for one day. Stulian water is quite rare and is only found naturally in a few places in the world where it bubbles up to the surface to form wells. 10: Humming stone: This small, polished rock lazily floats through the air noiselessly. When snatched, it starts orbiting around the snatcher as soon as it is released. Although it may appear to be an ioun stone, it provides no bonuses. Actually, it orbits so quickly that it constantly hums, providing a –5 penalty to move silently and hide checks. After it starts orbiting, catching it requires a dc 16 strength check and it will continue spinning as soon as it is released once more. 11: Shadow matter: in the deepest and darkest subterranean dungeons as well as on the plane of shadows, the darkened shadows sometimes create tangible forms. These forms may just be tools or weapons, or random shapes but they could just as easily be a creature or tree. Despite the form that shadow matter may take, it always appears warped (keeping it from ever being masterwork) and it can never be magical, denying creation of a magic item and denying any created creatures from having any spell-like abilities. If any shadow matter is brought either into daylight or into complete darkness, it is utterly obliterated. A creature created by this spell is always considered to be true neutral and is aware that light and darkness can destroy it (even if it is in the form of a mindless creature). 12. Groven: This small bulb grows deep in caves among moist fungus. When eaten, it extends the adaptability of a creature to temperature. The creature is protected as if by an endure element spell for 24 hours. In addition, that creature also gains fire and cold resistance 1 for the same duration. 13. Brown Sludge: This strange, thick sludge does not hamper movement as much as slow it. Anyone walking through the sludge can only proceed on one direction by 5 ft. and sinks by 5 ft. Unlike most forms of sludge, this is mostly solid but changes its shape at a very slow rate. As such, it is possible to actually climb or burrow your way out of the sludge but not swim in it. To climb up required a dc15 climb check for each 5 ft. that they wish to climb. Because they only start to shrink after they move onto it, a character can make their first movement onto the sludge at their full speed, possibly passing the entire thing. 14. Heart Rock: This rough, fist-sized rock is prized for its ability to bolster endurance and heal small wounds. Anyone who crushes one in their hands (with a dc 15 strength check) regains hit points as if they had rested for a night. In addition, they gain a +2 enhancement bonus to their constitution for 1 hour. 15. Blood Sludge: This Necromantically-charged sludge is created from half-coagulated blood of tortured victims. It shares the same consistency as water and anyone can swim through it or drown in it just as easily. The sludge, however, pulls down on anyone who possesses a wound and any living creature with less then full hit points finds that the dcs of swim checks increases by 2. The Blood Sludge is, however, very harmful to living beings. Anyone who comes into physical conflict with Blood Sludge takes 1d6 constitution damage, anyone who drinks it takes 2d6 constitution damage, and anyone who submerges themselves in it (such as swimming through it or bathing in it) takes 3d6 constitution damage per round (DC 20 fortitude save halves this damage in all 3 cases). As such, Blood Sludge can be applied to a weapon like poison, risking exposure as normal but dealing an extra point of constitution damage with a successful attack (a dc 20 fortitude save negates). Any Spellcaster who submerges themselves in Blood Sludge (taking normal damage for doing so) casts necromancy spells at +1 caster level for 24 hours. Lastly, the first time that an undead comes into contact with blood water, it gains an extra hit point for each HD that it possesses. Later exposure heals that undead by the same amount. 16. Heat Stone: This Unique form of stone stores any heat indefinitely, even sunlight absorbed millennia ago. As such, they are blazingly hot. These stones are rarely found on their own, in 40x20 foot patches and they occasionally create entire caverns, especially common on the elemental plane of fire (from which some sages guess all heat stone originated). Walking in an area covered in Heat Stone or flying under 20 over the Heat Stone results in 5d6 fire damage. In addition, all metal held on the creature is heated as if through a heat metal spell (although it only starts to cool down 3 rounds after the creature leaves the Heat Stone. 17. Echoing Winds: This supernatural winds echo anything said to an enormous degree. Anything said in the midst of the wind is repeated 1 round later and can be heard clearly by anyone within 100 feet and can be understood by anyone within that range, regardless of the language in which it is spoken. The wind is incorporeal and carries sound through solid objects and (amazingly) force. Anyone who would be able to hear the sound from further away can still do so. 18. Acidroot: This subterranean plant grows a large root system that reaches up to the surface, creating a patch of roots. Anyone who enters these roots must make a grapple check against the Acidroot as their roots move to entrap potential food (the roots’ grapple bonus is +8). On following rounds, they continue grappling and secrete an acid from their roots that deals 1d4 acid damage each round. The damage only stops when the character escapes the grapple and leaves the area of the roots. 19. Sogram: This Common grass grows only in underground caverns and passageways. It provides proper nutrition to support herbivorous or carnivorous life without anything else to supplement their diet. Subsisting off of Sogram is bad for a creature’s eyesight, however. After subsisting off of Sogram for at least a week, they gain life sensitivity, becoming dazed whenever they are exposed to bright light. This lasts until they go for a month without eating Sogram 20: Airlock Fungus: This purple fungus grows thickly in a 5x5 ft. square. It secretes a slightly acidic coat that deals 1 damage to anyone who steps in the square. In addition, whenever anyone steps into its square or deals at least one damage to it, it secretes special spores in a 10 ft. radius cloud that lasts for 10 minutes. Anyone who inhales the cloud must make a DC 25 fortitude save or lose the ability to breathe for 10 minutes. 21. Tellpath: This unique moss appears in most circumstances to be mundane. If pressure is actively applied to it, it glows with the approximate strength of a candle for 1 hour. Among other uses, this can be used to mark a path (hence its name). 22. Soa: This pearly white stone is taken from planes with the positive energy trait. As long as a living creature is in contact with Soa, it gains fast healing 1 (an undead creature takes 1 damage each round). If a living creature is ever at full health while in contact with Soa, they must make a dc 20 fortitude save each round or explode from positive energy, healing all adjacent living creatures by 1d8 (and damaging undead by the same amount). 23. Kao: This pith-black stone is taken from planes with the negative energy trait. As long as an undead creature is in contact with Koa, it gains fast healing 1 (a living creature takes 1 damage each round). If an undead creature is ever at full health while in contact with Kao, they must make a dc20 Will save each round or explode from negative energy, healing all adjacent undead creatures by 1d8 (and damaging living creatures by the same amount) 24. Deepbreath: this rare seaweed is indigenous to the Elemental Plane of Water. They process carbon dioxide into water incredibly quickly. When picked and inserted into someone’s mouth, it continues to process carbon dioxide into oxygen for the next 30 minutes, allowing him to survive in an airless environment for that time. 25. Elvarian Clover: A practical joke of more powerful fey, this magical clover is often left in the middle of an open pasture to grow. An Elvarian Clover never ages, wilts, dies, or reproduced. If picked by a mortal, it instantly disappears and the mortal has their innermost wish granted, in the worst possible way. From that point on, the mortal ages at twice the normal rate. If an immortal creature picks it, it disappears and appears elsewhere without granting a wish. 26. Whisper Gates: Despite its name, Whisper Gates are no form of portal. Rather, they are areas where low voices can always be heard whispering. Each creature to listen hears different voices whispering. The nature of the whispering creatures and the exact subject of the whispers is random. Although a creature can sleep normally in this area, they gain none of the benefits normally associated with sleep. In addition, each hour that a character stays in a Whisper Gate, the whispers seem to intensify requiring that the subject makes a will save (DC 15+the number of hours spent in the Whisper Gate) or go insane (as the insanity spell, cast by a 20th level caster). 27. True-Mirror: This rare, reflective element has a bad habit of appearing on almost any plane (although it is rumored to have originated on the legendary plane of mirrors). When anyone looks into it, they see a reflection of their true self. As long as a creature carries at least 1 pound of True-Mirror on their person, they gain a +2 insight bonus on will saves. In addition, if anyone under the effects of a charm or compulsion spell looks into at least one pound of True-Mirror, they gain a single second will save to break free of the effect at the same DC (this effect doesn’t stack with the bonus save provided by the slippery mind class feature). 28. Summon-bane crystal: The bane of summoners and most fiends, any creature summoned within 100 feet of this crystal is permanently summoned and breaks control of its summoner over it. 29. Sonicbane: this crystal is delicate in form and vibrates at the slightest noise. Whenever it would take even a single point of sonic damage, it shatters and deals 3d6 damage to each creature within 10 feet (DC 15 reflex save for half) 30. Forlasion Springs: These strange, magical springs seem to erupt from anywhere at any time, including from thin air or on the elemental plane of fire. The water that it produces does not naturally evaporate but the springs rarely last long. Anyone who drinks from the well benefits from the effects of a random potion (each creature may get different results). Water from a Forlasion Spring can be bottled away but the water loses its magical properties 24 hours later. Each spring typically lasts just long enough to produce 5d4 doses of potion, although some produce less and there are a couple select few that have simply never sealed up, constantly producing more potion. Any additions are welcome. |
| FloppyLlama04-09-06, 08:04 AM | You have alot of great material in that list. As a suggestion, it'll be alot easier to read if you create spaces between numbers, and maybe even paragraph breaks. :) |
| Realms of Chaos04-09-06, 10:57 AM | Thanks for the compliment. I spent awhile coming up with those. Does anyone else have anything else to add to the list? |
| IceStella04-09-06, 02:20 PM | I once created a fungus/mold type thing that was found near deposits of oil. If a PC touched it, even brushed against it, it transferred to them, creeping across the natural oily secretions of the skin, until the PC was covered with a soft white downy fur. This had no real effect, except a penalty to charisma based checks, it's hard to seduce someone when you're all furry...lol. Also it could be scrapped off the skin, but then grow back. The only way to permanently cleanse the mold is to scrub skin with soap and water. Like I said, no real effects, but interesting from an rp standpoint. |
| Cthulhu312504-09-06, 02:28 PM | Before I read the entire entry for number 30, the initial image that popped into my head was a party suddenly being marauded by a huge mass of viciously sharp slinkies that had erupted from nowhere. |
| Prophet Pax04-09-06, 02:31 PM | The slinkies would be a trap that is activated at the bottom of a narrow stair case. The only warning would be a strange noise approaching from the top of the stairs. Before I read the entire entry for number 30, the initial image that popped into my head was a party suddenly being marauded by a huge mass of viciously sharp slinkies that had erupted from nowhere. |
| WoT Fan04-09-06, 06:42 PM | Although I have no ideas of what to put in here, I have come to offer Kudos to a job well done. Great ideas, keep them up :clap: :clap: |
| Realms of Chaos04-09-06, 08:02 PM | Continuing on with the list... 31. Crag Dust: this fine dust litters the floor of some dungeons (and more often mines where recent excavation has taken place). This dust absorbs heat and forms hard layers on different surfaces. Anyone who lives in an area with crag dust for 1 week's time without bathing develops a coat of crag dust thick enough for game effects, as does anyone who spends a full-round action rolling around in the dust, provoking attacks of opportunity. Doing so provides a +1 enhancement bonus to that creature's natural armor and allows them to survive comfortably in temperatures down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, Crag Dust is highly combustable. As such, if anyone bearing a layer of crag dust is hit by a flame of any sort, they take double damage as the layer of dust is completely burnt off. Crag Dust can not be removed through scraping or vigorous shaking. Only being dowsed in at least 5 gallons of water or being burnt removes the dust. 32. Feild of Kernak: Named after the first bloodthirsty tyrant to recognize these unwholesome places, these feilds have been found solely in the material plane but in almost any environment. Within these feilds (which normally contain 100 5-foot squares in any configuration), anyone who succeeds on a coup de grace becomes younger by one year. The closest ally, acquaintance, or loved one of whoever gains this benefit, however, starts to age at twice the normal rate. A single person may benefit from several coup de graces in this area, each time becoming one year younger and targeting their next closest ally. As Kernak and many others discovered, there was an additional price. If anyone makes a coup de grace in this cursed feild and possesses no living allies, acqaintances, or loved ones, they quickly age to death within 1 minute. Portions of a feild of Kernak can be suppressed by consecrating them. The only way that it can be permanently removed is if the entire area is hallowed (requiring multiple castings of the spell) 33. Vitanullus: This necromantic stone is often found in tunnels underneath graveyards or similar locations. Highly prized by necromancers, anyone who dies while in contact with Vitanullus is instantly reanimated as a zombie or skeleton, depending on their condition. The undead is not automatically under any control, though it can be turned or rebuked normally. If the undead comes out of contact with the Vitanullus for a number of rounds equal to their HD, they crumble into dust. Vitanullus has the same statistics as normal stone and can be destroyed, shaped, or utilized as such (necromancers enjoy making vitanullus amulets for their victims). Vitanullus costs 400 gp per pound. 34. Deathpull: Despite their names, deathpulls are actually useful to clerics of good deities or ideals. They are simply areas where the bridge between life and death is more clear cut. They possess 2 functions. The first is that they attract undead within a 1-mile radius and all undead within that area know exactly where it is. They receive no compulsion to do so but a mindless undead under no control would instantly head for it and an intelligent undead like a lich may make a plan to "visit it when it gets the chance". The second function that it tugs on the animating force of undead, providing a +4 sacred bonus on all turning checks and a -4 sacred penalty on all rebuking checks. Clerics of good deities often search them out to find large conglomerations of easily destroyed undead. Clerics of evil deities either risk the penalty to rebuking to collect large amount of undead or seek them out and destroy them (through a casting of an unhallow spell on the site). 35. Everflow Creeks: These small trickling creeks, as the name suggests, never run out of water. At its base, water bubbles up from a small hole into the elemental plane of water, ranging between 1 inch and 2 feet in diameter. These portals are completely normal and natural (although they sometimes provide entranceways for small extraplanar creatures). 36. Liquid Change: This rare substance is a tangible form of change and transformation. This liquid, when applied to a creature or item, transforms it. Whenever a creature completely submerges in it, they turn into a random race (as if through a reincarnate spell). Whenever a solid object is submerged, roll on the accompanying table to see what it becomes. However, items created in this way are not held in anything, so money created becomes scattered, scrolls become smudge and illegible, and potions mix with the Liquid Change. D% 1-40: nothing. The item either turns into something completely intagible, is sent to another plane of existance, or is subject to entropy, becoming nothing more than heat. 41-50: the item turns into its weight in coins. The coins are all of the same variety: 1-25: copper 26-50: silver 51-75: gold 76-100: platinum 51-60: The item turns into a random gem worth 10d% gp. 61-70: The item turns into a random mundane item 71-80: The item turns into a random minor magic item 81-90: The item turns into a random medium magic item 91-99: The item turns into a random major magic item 100: the item becomes a random major magic item that is intelligent. reroll until the result is a type of magic item that can be intelligent. 37: Theiver Spiders. While more of a creature than a dungeon feature, small creatures not deserving of statistics also deserve mention here. Theiver spiders are small, muscular spiders that can subsist on just about anything. They are, despite their fine size, capable of lifting up any unatended item weighing no more than 5 pounds and walking off at a speed of 5 ft. per round individually. Their small burrows are often filled with small jewelery and other knick-knacks. 38: Royalbloom: This rare plant can only be found in the largest of druid groves as it is highly treasured. The yellow flower of the Royalbloom measures 50 feet across and all parts of the flower are delicious and sweet, almost like honey. The Flower is also nutritious and capable of feeding up to 20 people. All who spend an hour eating from the flower gain the benefits of a Heroes' Feast spell. The rest of the plant, however, is bitter, sour, and slightly poisonous. Anyone who tries eating anything but the flower must make a dc 20 fortitude save or become sickened for 1 hour. Royalbloom require a moderate amount of dampness, rich soil, and almost no light at all. 39: Ropevine: This relatively common vine appears unimpressive but is actually twice as strong as a normal hemp rope, supporting twice as much weight. In addition, small, dry leaves protruding every foot or so make climbing slightly easier, reducing climb dcs made to climb it by 2. After it is cut, however, it rots into a pile of mulch 24 hours later. 40: Stony Prison: These large stone spheres more or less function as their name suggests. Anyone who touches it must succeed on a DC 25 will save or suffer an Imprisonment spell as the victim is pulled bodily into the stone. After a Stony Prison has imprisoned a creature, it loses all magical properties until the prisoner is freed (if they are freed). 41: Calcenite: Mined inside many of the cubes of Acheron, Calcenite is an metal that seems to have absorbed the lust for battle that the entire plane embodies. Weapons made from it are all treated as masterwork, have their threat range doubled (this does not stack with any other doubling), have a +4 bonus on attack rolls meant to confirm critical hits that stacks with the +! bonus from it being masterwork, and deal an extra 1d6 damage on critical hits. Calcenite weapons also strike as adamantine weapons for the purpose of ignoring hardness and defeating damage reduction. Calcenite Weapons cost 3,000 more GP then their normal counterparts. Well, I've made it up to number 41. Come on guys. I can't reach 1001 on my own. I need your help. :weep: |
| LordArkan04-14-06, 01:43 PM | :bump: |