Gavin chewed thoughtfully on some exquisite squirrel jerky as he monitored the bounty hunters’ approach. They clearly knew his reputation because they were moving slowly and methodically checking their surroundings for hidden surprises. Yes, they knew who and what he was. This was going to be fun.
Taking off his right boot, Gavin collected his sock and, with his knife, cut off a length of rope. He dismantled his morningstar, taking the head and whittling a sharp point on the haft. With some regret he laid aside some of the jerky.
Expectations are there to be met. When they expect a trap, you give them a trap. But the rule of misdirection always applies, so give them a trap they expect and one they might not. Putting some jerky on a sharp pole creates the jerky stake. Touching the jerky launches the stake upward, which is very nasty against animal and vermin heads, but greedy hands can suffer as well. The seeing stars trap targets two-legged vermin. You dig a hole and use the sock to vertically launch the morningstar head, hopefully hitting something tender. To the rope, you attach a hefty stone, which swings down upon the distressed target.
Jerky Stake Trap CR 1
Type mechanical; Perception DC 15; Disable Device DC 20
Trigger touch; Reset none
Effect Stake (+15 melee, 3d6 damage)
Seeing Stars Trap CR 5
Type mechanical; Perception DC 28; Disable Device DC 20
Trigger location; Reset none
Effect Star Strike (+10 ranged touch, 1d6+3 damage and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become nauseated for 1d4+2 rounds)
Effect Stone Strike (+10 ranged touch, 1d6+3 damage and the target must succeed on a DC 15 Fortitude save or become stunned for 1d4+2 rounds)
Next Installment
What can Gavin do with a shard from a mirror, a kobold’s tail, the inner workings of a cuckoo clock, and a mortar with pestle.
The Challenge
Name four adventuring items and receive a murderous trap in return.
