For generations, the tomb has endured as the most iconic and menacing of adventure sites. Countless campaigns have been carried out in search of relics and lore secreted away, and few creatures inspire such terror as the undead, which wait forever in a disquieting stillness and silence. However, the rumors spread by adroit explorers and loquacious bards warn of threats more perilous than the touch of a wight or the stench of a ghoul.

Traps. Devices devious and deadly. Understood to be a crypt’s most treacherous wards. Many so ghastly they become emblematic of a particular tomb’s history and character.

In the spirit of preserving the tomb’s reputation as a place of unparalleled danger, this article series offers 10 macabre new traps for use in tomb adventures at any tier of play. The first is just behind the jump!

What the Dust Hides

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Colorless dust sprays from the mouth of a silver skull, eating away your light source and plunging your allies into darkness.

Dust of Candle Snuffing

Level 1 Blaster XP 100

Trap A trigger you define releases a cloud of dust that destroys mundane items that shed light, such as torches, lanterns, and sunrods.

Perception
DC 10—You notice the nozzle that sprays the dust.
DC 20—You identify the trap’s trigger, if possible.

Additional Skill (Thievery)
DC 15—You recognize the nature of the residual dust left by the trap.

Trigger When the trap is triggered, it attacks.

Attack
Immediate Interrupt                      Close blast 3
Targets Creatures in blast.
Attack +4 vs. Reflex.
Hit The target is blinded until the end of its next turn. In addition, any active mundane light sources the target is carrying are destroyed.

Countermeasures

• A character in or adjacent to the trigger or the nozzle can disable it with a Thievery check (DC 20).
• Dealing 15 damage to the nozzle disables the trap (AC 12; Fortitude 9, Reflex 6).

Upgrade to Elite (Elite XP)

• Increase the DCs for Perception and Thievery by 2.
• Increase the trap’s attack rolls by 2.