Equipment

Give a trap a special payload, coat a door, floor, or wall with a little something extra, or let a low level NPC drive heavy equipment are some good ways to make the world a dangerous place. What follows is Open Game Content from the SRD that can be copied into a DM's adventure notes.

Slimes, Molds, and Fungus

Green Slime (CR4): A single patch of green slime deals 1d6 points of temporary Constitution damage per round while it devours flesh. On the first round of contact, the slime can be scraped off a creature (most likely destroying the scraping device), but after that it must be frozen, burned, or cut away (applying damage to the victim as well). Extreme cold or heat, sunlight, or a remove disease spell destroys a patch of green slime. Against wood or metal, green slime deals 2d6 points of damage per round, ignoring metal’s hardness but not that of wood. It does not harm stone.

Yellow Mold (CR 6): If disturbed, a patch of this mold bursts forth with a cloud of poisonous spores. All within 10 feet of the mold must make a Fortitude save (DC 15) or take 1d6 points of temporary Constitution damage. Another Fortitude save (DC 15) is required 1 minute laterâ€"even by those who succeeded at the first saveâ€"to avoid taking 2d6 points of temporary Constitution damage. Fire destroys yellow mold, and sunlight renders it dormant.

Brown Mold (CR 2): Brown mold feeds on warmth, drawing heat from anything around it. It normally comes in patches 2 to 3 feet in diameter, and the temperature is always cold in the area surrounding it. Living creatures within 5 feet of it take 3d6 points of cold subdual damage. Fire brought within 5 feet of the mold causes it to instantly double in size. Cold damage, such as from a cone of cold, instantly destroys it.

*- Ability score damage is temporary unless marked with an asterisk (*).

Equipment

Lock: A lock is worked with a large, bulky key. The DC to open this kind of lock with the Open Locks skill depends on the lock's quality: very simple (DC 20), average (DC 25), good (DC 30), amazingly good (DC 40).

Manacles and Manacles, Masterwork: These manacles can bind a Medium-size creature. The manacled character can use the Escape Artist skill to slip free (DC 30, or DC 35 for masterwork manacles). To break the manacles requires success at a Strength check (DC 26, or DC 28 for masterwork manacles). Manacles have a hardness of 10 and 10 hit points. Most manacles have locks; add the cost of the lock to the cost of the manacles.

Caltrops: Caltrops resemble large metal jacks with sharpened points rather than balls on the ends of their arms. They are essentially iron spikes designed so that one point is always facing up. Scatter them on the ground in the hope that enemies step on them or are at least forced to slow down to avoid them. One bag of caltrops (the 2-pound unit listed on Table: Goods and Services) covers an area 5 feet square. Each time a creature moves into an area covered by caltrops (or spends a round fighting while standing in such an area), the creature may step on one. The caltrops make an attack roll (base attack bonus +0) against the creature. For this attack, the creature's shield, armor, and deflection bonus do not count. (Deflection averts blows as they approach, but it does not prevent a character from touching something dangerous.) If the creature is wearing shoes or other footwear, it gets a +2 armor bonus to AC. If the caltrops succeed at the attack, the creature has stepped on one. The caltrop deals 1 point of damage, and the creature's speed is reduced by one-half because its foot is wounded. This movement penalty lasts for 1 day, until the creature is successfully treated with the Heal skill (DC 15), or until it receives at least 1 point of magical curing. A charging or running creature must immediately stop if it steps on a caltrop. Any creature moving at half speed or slower can pick its way through a bed of caltrops with no trouble.

Grenadelike Weapons

*Grenadelike weapons require no proficiency to use. See text for full details on using these weapons.
**Grenadelike weapons deal splash damage to all creatures within 5 feet of where they land.

Acid: Throw a flask of acid as a grenadelike weapon.

Alchemist's Fire: Alchemist's fire is a sticky, adhesive substance that ignites when exposed to air. Throw a flask of alchemist's fire as a grenadelike weapon.

On the round following a direct hit, the target takes an additional 1d6 points of damage. The target can take a full-round action to attempt to extinguish the flames before taking this additional damage. It takes a successful Reflex saving throw (DC 15) to extinguish the flames. Rolling on the ground allows the character a +2 bonus. Leaping into a lake or magically extinguishing the flames automatically smothers the flames.

Holy Water: Holy water damages undead and evil outsiders almost as if it were acid. Typically, a flask of holy water deals 2d4 points of damage to an undead creature or an evil outsider on a direct hit or 1 point of damage if it splashes such a creature. Also, holy water is considered blessed, which means it has special effects on certain creatures. A flask of holy water can be thrown as a grenadelike weapon. A flask breaks if thrown against the body of a corporeal creature, but against an incorporeal creature, the flask must be opened and the holy water poured out onto it. Thus, a character can only douse an incorporeal creature with holy water if he or she is adjacent to it. Doing so is a ranged touch attack that does not provoke attacks of opportunity.

Temples to good deities sell holy water at cost (making no profit) because they are happy to supply people with what they need to battle evil.

Tanglefoot Bag: Throw this round leather bag full of alchemical goo as a grenadelike weapon. When the bag is thrown against a creature (as a ranged touch attack), the bag comes apart and the goo bursts out, entangling the target and then becoming tough and resilient on exposure to air. An entangled creature suffers a -2 penalty to attack rolls and a -4 penalty to effective Dexterity. The entangled character must make a Reflex save (DC 15) or be glued to the floor, unable to move. Even with a successful save, it can only move at half speed.

A character who is glued to the floor can break free with a successful Strength check (DC 27) or by dealing 15 points of damage to the goo with a slashing weapon. A character trying to scrape goo off himself, or another character assisting, does not need to make an attack roll; hitting the goo is automatic, after which the character who hit makes a damage roll to see how much of the goo he happened to scrape off. Once free, a character can move at half speed. A character capable of spellcasting who is bound by the goo must make a Concentration check (DC 15) to cast a spell. The goo becomes brittle and fragile after 10 minutes.

Thunderstone: Throw this stone as a grenadelike weapon. When it strikes a hard surface (or is struck hard), it creates a deafening bang (a sonic attack). Creatures within a 10-foot radius must make Fortitude saves (DC 15) or be deafened. Deaf creatures, in addition to the obvious effects, suffer a -4 penalty on initiative and a 20% chance to miscast and lose any spell with a verbal (V) component that they try to cast.

Smokestick: This alchemically treated wooden stick instantly creates thick, opaque smoke when ignited. The smoke fills a 10-foot cube. The stick is consumed after 1 round, and the smoke dissipates naturally.

Siege Engines

Catapult, Heavy: A heavy catapult is a large engine capable of throwing rocks or heavy objects with great force. When fired, one of the crew makes a Profession (siege engineer) check (DC 20). If successful, where the object actually lands is determined by rolling 1d12 and consulting the Deviation (10 Ft. to 16 Ft.) Diagram on page 68 of the DMG. The center is the desired target. If the check is failed, the DM secretly rolls and consults the same deviation diagram. The result is now where the catapult is actually aimed. This new result is used as the center to determine the actual deviation of the attack. For example, a catapult is used to attack a stone tower. The Profession (siege engineer) check fails, so the DM rolls 1d12 and gets an 11. By consulting the diagram, she determines that the actual target is 10 feet from the desired target, behind and to the left. Now, a crew member rolls 1d12 and gets an 8. After consulting the Deviation (10 Ft. to 16 Ft.) Diagram on page 68 to see where the object goes, the DM ascertains that it falls 10 feet short and to the left of the actual target, which is 20 feet to the left of the desired target.

Loading the catapult and preparing it to fire takes the full crew 8 full rounds. Initially aiming (or re-aiming) takes 10 minutes in addition to loading and preparation time. Three to four crew members can operate the device in three times this time. Fewer than three crew members cannot operate the device.

Catapult, Light: This is a smaller, lighter version of the heavy catapult (see that entry for how to operate it). Two crew members can load and prepare this device in 5 full rounds and aim (or re-aim) in 5 minutes. One person can crew the engine, but it takes three times the time to aim and prepare.

Ballista: The ballista is essentially a very large crossbow. It makes attacks with a straight attack roll (1d20) with no modifications (no character base attack bonuses, ability modifiers, etc.) except for range. Loading and cocking a ballista is 3 full-round actions.

Ram: This heavy pole is suspended from a movable scaffold that allows the crew to swing it back and forth against construction. Make an unmodified attack roll against the AC of the construction, with failed attempts dealing no significant damage. The ram can be used to make an attack every 3 rounds if fully crewed. With five to nine people, it can be used every 6 rounds. Fewer than five people cannot operate it.

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