Not all traps are deadly, some are just insidious. The kobolds of Zobeck have long since grown weary of manlings stealing away their carefully mined silver. To discourage the big folk, a consortium of devious kobolds versed in clockworks and alchemy recently created a substance called “Silverlust” to trap their silver troves with, an alchemical substance invented for the sole purpose of punishing greedy humanoids. [More…]

Silverlust traps are often covered by a dummy trap that is intentionally simple to detect and disarm, with the hope that a brash thief will disarm the faux trap and hastily trigger the Silverlust trap beneath. Wary thieves quickly learn to worry if a kobold trap seems too easily disarmed.

When a Silverlust trap fires, a cloud of Silverlust powder fills the air. This powder scorches the face of the would-be thief with an alchemical burn and also blinds the thief for several days as the Silverlust granules burn his eyes. Finally, the Silverlust powder also turns the thief’s skin a deep shade of blue if inhaled or if it comes into contact with bare skin (similar to colloidal silver poisoning) that can last for weeks. Anyone bearing this blue complexion is instantly recognizable to kobolds as a silver thief, and kobolds are automatically hostile to that person.

Flushing one’s eyes with milk cuts the duration of the blindness in half, and a heal spell cures both the blindness and skin discoloration. Kobolds and other lizard-like creatures are immune to Silverlust, so savvy thieves have begun wearing snakeskin masks and gloves to ward off such traps. The cunning kobolds are not so easily undone however, and have begun secretly manufacturing snakeskin masks lined with Silverlust powder to sell by proxy.

If a Silverlust trap is triggered, read the following aloud:

From inside the vault’s door, the whirring sound of oiled gears can be heard. Suddenly, a hidden aperture snaps open and a cloud of gossamer silver powder is shot forth with an audible puffing sound, smothering you. Almost immediately, the powder begins to sear your flesh, eyes, and lungs, and the last thing you see is a glimmering haze before all goes dark.

“DUMMY” TRAP: USUALLY POISON DART TRAP CR 1
Type mechanical; Search DC 18*; Disable Device DC 16*

EFFECTS
Trigger location; Reset manual
Effect Atk +8 ranged (1d4 plus poison, dart); poison (bloodroot, DC 12 Fortitude save resists, 0/1d4 Con plus 1d3 Wis)
Price 500 gp*.
*The DCs for a “Dummy” trap are intentionally lower, and the trap is also cheaper than usual.

SILVERLUST TRAP CR 3
Type mechanical; Search DC 27; Disable Device DC 27

EFFECTS
Trigger touch; Reset manual
Effect 1d6 acid to everyone in a 15 ft. cone, DC 12 Reflex save half damage; blindness spell effect (blindness/deafness, 3rd level wizard, 15 ft. cone, effect lasts 1d6 days, DC 14 Reflex save resists); blue skin discoloration (alter self, 3rd level wizard, 15 ft. cone, effect lasts 1d6 weeks, DC 15 Fortitude save resists).
Cost 4,535 gp, 40 XP.