Third Pulse Shard | Fantasy Hazard Generated by CharGen

The hazard

This battlefield hazard is the focus of the encounter known as “Stop the third shard pulse.” Its first two waves are warnings as much as attacks: the shard is gathering force, and the third pulse will strike everyone exposed in the open. The party can fight through the danger, but stopping the sequence before that final burst is the surest way to protect the battlefield.

Complex
Magical
Occult

Stealth: (trained) to notice the shard's magical resonance before it activates; once active, it is plainly visible and audible.
Trigger: The hazard activates when a creature approaches within 30 feet of the plinth or when the shard is deliberately energized. It rolls initiative and begins its three-pulse sequence.
Disable: Arcana, Occultism, or Thievery to disrupt the pulse sequence. Two total successes disable the hazard. Alternatively, a creature adjacent to the plinth can use 2 actions and attempt a Athletics check to wrench out the anchor. On a success, the hazard is disabled. Each failed attempt to disrupt the sequence deals force damage to the acting creature.
Initiative: +18
Routine: On its initiative, the shard releases the next pulse in its sequence, centered on itself. The first pulse occurs on the first round after activation, the second on the following round, and the third on the third round. After the third pulse, the hazard becomes inert.
Reset: The hazard does not reset after the third pulse or after being disabled. It can be reactivated only by repairing and recharging the shard, which takes substantial downtime and specialized occult expertise.

Damage

Immunities

critical hits, object immunities, precision

Resistances

physical 10 (except adamantine)

Weaknesses

adamantine 10

Effects

2

First and Second Pulses
DC 26
The shard releases a 30-foot emanation. Creatures in the area attempt a basic Reflex save, taking force damage. The pulse rattles equipment and briefly distorts sound.
Third Pulse
DC 26
On the third pulse, creatures in a 30-foot emanation attempt a basic Reflex save, taking force damage. A creature that fails is also pushed 10 feet away from the shard. This is the hazard's final pulse, after which it becomes inert.

Special rules

Three-Beat Sequence.The shard's sequence is tracked by the GM. It begins with the first pulse on the hazard's first turn after activation. If disabled before the third pulse, it releases no further waves.

Unselective Resonance.The pulses affect creatures in the emanation regardless of allegiance. The shard is the center of the emanation, and the effect is blocked by solid cover that blocks line of effect.

Spotting it

Discovery

A creature that Searches the battlefield can attempt a Perception check to notice the shard and its growing pulse pattern.

Perception

+18

Stop it

Signs of dangerThe shard emits a low note that rises in pitch with each pulse. · Loose stones and metal fragments hop in concentric rings around the plinth. · The light in the shard brightens from violet to white, then briefly dims before each wave.

Countermeasures

DC 28A creature adjacent to the plinth can use 2 actions to attempt a Arcana, Occultism, or Thievery check to disrupt the sequence. Two total successes disable the hazard; each failed check deals force damage to the acting creature.
DC 28A creature can use 2 actions to attempt a Athletics check to wrench the shard's anchor from the plinth. On a success, the hazard is disabled, but the creature takes force damage.
Destroying the shard or its anchor disables the hazard.
A creature behind solid cover that blocks line of effect from the shard is unaffected by its pulses.

In short

Interrupt the shard's rhythm with Arcana, Occultism, or Thievery, or destroy its exposed anchor.

Its story

What it looks like

A fist-sized crystal shard hangs above a cracked plinth, rotating once each time it pulses.

Why it is here

To deny control of the battlefield and punish creatures who fail to stop the shard before its third pulse.

Who made it

An unknown occult engineer, likely working for the faction that planted the shard in the battlefield.

Lore

The shard is a resonant focus that converts repeated magical energy into a widening force wave.

Where it is found

An open battlefield, ruined courtyard, or similarly exposed combat area with the shard's plinth near the center of the fighting.

Variants

A storm-forged shard deals electricity damage instead of force damage, and the pulses leave brief arcs of lightning between nearby metal objects.

A corrupted shard fills its emanation with drifting glass motes. The area is difficult terrain until the start of the hazard's next turn after each pulse.

A defensive shard can be tuned to exclude its creator's marked allies, but doing so requires identifying and exploiting the mark with a DC 28 Arcana or Occultism check.

Plot hooks

The shard bears a maker's mark matching a device recovered from a previous battlefield, tying this encounter to a larger campaign of engineered magical assaults.

After the fight, the shard's surviving fragments point toward a hidden storehouse where more pulse devices are being prepared.

An ally on the battlefield knows the pulse pattern but is pinned down, forcing the party to choose between rescuing them and reaching the plinth.

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn Third Pulse Shard into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.