Grave of Garukhan | Fantasy Hazard Generated by CharGen

The hazard

Garukhan and the Stone of Earth lie twenty feet beneath the roots at the center of this secluded clearing. The grave's guardians do not strike at visitors simply for entering. They awaken when someone digs, hacks at the roots, or tries to wrench open the altar's hidden seal. The roots then seize intruders and drag them down, defending the grave without revealing its exact location.

complex
magical
plant

Stealth: (expert) to notice the root network's unnatural pattern before disturbing the clearing
Trigger: A creature digs, chops at a root, forces the altar, or otherwise attempts to excavate toward the grave within the clearing.
Disable: Three successful checks are required to disable the hazard, with each check taking 2 actions. A character adjacent to the altar can use Nature, Religion, or Thievery. Each success counts toward the total; a critical success counts as 2 successes, while a critical failure triggers the hazard. The hazard can also be disabled for 1 hour by a successful 3-action countermeasure at the altar. Destroying the altar alone does not disable the roots.
Initiative: +18 Perception
Routine: The root network uses 3 actions each round. It uses Grasping Root twice, targeting different creatures if possible, then uses Root-Sunk Earth once. The hazard cannot target the same creature with both Grasping Root actions in the same round unless no other valid target is available.
Reset: The hazard resets automatically at the start of the next round if no creature is disturbing the grave. A creature that disables it using the altar countermeasure suppresses it for 1 hour. It is permanently disabled only by completing the three-check disable process or otherwise severing its connection to the root-heart.

Damage

Immunities

critical hits, object immunities, precision

Resistances

physical 5 (except slashing)

Weaknesses

fire 5

Effects

2

Grasping Root
DC 26
The root lashes up at a creature within 30 feet. The target attempts a Reflex save. On a failure, it takes bludgeoning damage and is grabbed by the root. On a critical failure, it also falls prone. A grabbed creature can Escape against . The root releases its target at the start of the next routine.
Root-Sunk Earth
DC 26
A 10-foot-square patch of earth within 30 feet collapses into a shallow pit. Creatures in the area attempt a Reflex save. On a failure, a creature takes bludgeoning damage and falls prone; on a critical failure, it also becomes immobilized beneath tangled roots until it Escapes against . The pit is difficult terrain until filled or cleared.

Special rules

Root Network.The hazard occupies the clearing's root network, a 30-foot-radius area centered on the altar. Its effects can originate from any point in that area. It has no single physical body, though the altar anchors its animating force.

Disturbing the Grave.Walking through the clearing, touching the altar gently, or examining the trees does not trigger the hazard. Digging, chopping roots, forcing the altar, or attempting to excavate toward the grave does. Vamir's careful method avoided these actions.

Spotting it

Discovery

A character who Searches the clearing and succeeds at a Perception check notices that the roots form a radial pattern centered on the altar and that patches of earth shift against the wind.

Perception

+18

Stop it

Signs of dangerThe clearing is unusually quiet, even when the surrounding forest is loud. · Small stones near the altar shift a finger's width when someone digs or strikes the ground. · A character standing still can feel a slow pulse beneath the soil.

Countermeasures

DC 26A creature that succeeds at a Nature check to Recall Knowledge can identify that the roots respond to force and digging, and that careful, noninvasive movement is safer.
DC 26A character can spend 2 actions to make a Nature or Thievery check to redirect a visible root without triggering it. On a success, one creature can cross a 10-foot section of the clearing safely that round. On a critical failure, the hazard triggers.
DC 26A character adjacent to the altar can spend 3 actions to make a Religion, Nature, or Thievery check to quiet the root-heart. On a success, the hazard is disabled for 1 hour; on a critical success, it is permanently disabled.
DC 26Breaking a root does not disable the hazard, but a creature can use 2 actions to attempt a Athletics check to snap one. On a success, the target root cannot lash until the end of the next round.

In short

The roots react to disturbance, not mere presence.

Its story

What it looks like

A waist-high altar of gray stone stands among immense, twisted trees.

Why it is here

Protect Garukhan's grave and the Stone of Earth while keeping the burial place concealed beneath an undisturbed forest floor.

Who made it

The keepers of Garukhan's grave, who bound the forest's oldest roots to guard the Stone of Earth without exposing the burial place.

Lore

Garukhan was buried with the Stone of Earth beneath the old trees.

Where it is found

A secluded forest clearing centered on a weathered altar and ancient, gnarled trees.

Variants

For a more aggressive ward, the roots also trigger when a creature carries a metal digging tool into the clearing.

For a tragic variation, the roots recognize Garukhan's descendants and allow them to pass unless they carry the Stone of Earth.

For a damaged ward, reduce the hazard to 2 actions per round, but have every failed disable check cause the ground to shudder and reveal a new clue about the grave's location.

Plot hooks

Vamir's method of awakening the roots without disturbing the grave may be reproducible, but the clue is hidden in the altar's worn handprint.

The roots have begun to respond to a nearby quarry or road crew, putting the grave at risk of an accidental awakening.

The Stone of Earth is still buried below the clearing, but removing it may cause the roots to forget their original purpose.

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