Ashen Witness
The Ashen Witness is a temple ward that punishes those who disturb a ceremonial basin. When triggered, the blindfolded saint exhales a wave of gray ash that clings to living creatures, briefly stealing their sight and filling their minds with the sensation of being watched.
Ashen Witness
Defenses
Detection
“A shallow stone basin sits beneath a cracked relief of a blindfolded saint. The basin is dry except for a thumb-deep layer of gray dust. Fine copper wires disappear into the relief's carved eyes and run beneath the surrounding flagstones.”
Standard Engagement
A creature places at least 10 pounds of weight on the central flagstone before the basin or touches the saint's relief without first disabling the pressure plate.
When triggered, the Ashen Witness releases one burst of supernatural ash. It does not act again until it resets.
The hazard resets after 10 minutes as the magical ash retreats into the basin. The pressure plate resets immediately if it was not wedged.
The triggered character and all creatures in a 10-foot emanation must attempt a DC 21 Fortitude save. Critical Success: The creature is unaffected. Success: The creature is dazzled for 1 round. Failure: The creature is blinded for 1 round and dazzled for 1 minute. Critical Failure: The creature is blinded for 1 round, dazzled for 1 minute, and frightened 1.
The basin and relief are part of the same magical ward. A creature adjacent to the basin can attempt to disable the hazard, but manipulating the basin or touching the relief without first securing the pressure plate triggers the hazard.
The ash briefly clings to creatures that fail their save, making them easy to track. Until the dazzled condition ends, affected creatures leave faint gray footprints visible in dim light.
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