Gaping Maw | Fantasy Hazard Generated by CharGen

The hazard

The Gaping Maw is a planar gateway hidden in a corrupted stretch of river. Its current grows stronger as travelers approach, drawing them toward the void at the center. Each pulse threatens to batter and drown the unwary, but the opening is also a passage: those swept through arrive in a hostile realm beyond. The gateway does not distinguish between willing travelers and victims.

Complex
Magical
Planar
Water

Stealth: +18 (trained) to notice the gateway's planar distortion; the current and rocks are otherwise apparent once a creature is within 60 feet.
Trigger: The hazard rolls initiative when a creature enters the river within 30 feet of the gateway, or when a creature in the river attempts to cross the basin against the current.
Disable: Three total successes are required to Disable the gateway, using Thievery, Nature, or Occultism checks. Each attempt takes two actions and must be made adjacent to one of the marked root-stones or from the bank while manipulating a secured line. A failure deals void damage to the acting creature; a critical failure also pulls it 10 feet toward the maw. Alternatively, destroy a root-stone as described in Countermeasures.
Initiative: +18
Routine: The hazard uses The River Takes, then Rim of Teeth. Resolve The River Takes first. A creature transported through the gateway is removed from the basin and arrives at the established destination, typically prone in shallow water or on a slick bank.
Reset: The gateway is continuously active. If disabled by skill checks, it remains dormant for 1 hour, then reactivates unless its root-stones have been destroyed or the corruption sustaining it has been removed.

Damage

Immunities

critical hits, object immunities, precision damage

Resistances

10 physical, except bludgeoning

Weaknesses

Cold iron 10

Effects

2

The River Takes
DC 26
The current yanks creatures toward the opening. Each creature in the river within 30 feet of the center must attempt a Reflex save. On a failure, it is pulled 15 feet toward the center; on a critical failure, it is pulled 30 feet. A creature pulled into the maw is transported to the gateway's destination.
Rim of Teeth
DC 26
A creature that begins its turn in the river within 10 feet of the center takes bludgeoning damage from the jagged stones and violent water, with a basic Reflex save. A creature that fails this save is also grabbed by the current until the start of the next routine.

Special rules

A Passage, Not an End.The maw is a 20-foot-wide gateway at the center of a 60-foot-wide basin. A creature that enters the gateway is transported immediately to the hostile realm beyond, arriving at a corresponding exit point. The gateway does not deal damage merely for transporting a creature.

Unnatural Current.The current counts as difficult terrain for creatures swimming within 30 feet of the gateway. A creature that is grabbed by the current can Escape against , or be carried by the next use of The River Takes.

Spotting it

Discovery

A character who succeeds at a Perception check notices that drifting leaves circle the basin against the apparent direction of the water, and that the current tugs at loose objects from unusually far away.

Perception

+18

Stop it

Signs of dangerThe river runs dark red beneath the surface, though no blood is visible upstream. · Foam and leaves spin toward the center even when the current seems to flow away from it. · The rocks around the basin are polished smooth on their upstream faces and scored with fresh gouges on their inner edges.

Countermeasures

DC 26A creature that succeeds at a Athletics check to Swim can move against the current instead of being pulled toward the maw that round. On a critical success, it can also move 10 feet toward shore.
A creature adjacent to a stable bank or rock can spend an Interact action to secure a rope, piton, or similar anchor. While anchored, it is not pulled by the current unless the anchor breaks or is removed.
DC 26Three successful checks to Disable a Device with Thievery, Nature, or Occultism disable the gateway. Each check requires two actions; each failure deals void damage to the acting creature, and a critical failure also pulls it 10 feet toward the maw.
Breaking a marked root-stone requires dealing 60 damage to it, with Hardness 15 and resistance 10 to physical damage except bludgeoning. Destroying it disables the hazard, but the collapse triggers one final current pulse.

In short

Characters can fight the current, secure themselves to the banks, or disable the gateway by disrupting its rooted stones and severing its occult flow.

Its story

What it looks like

A basin of black water churns between knife-edged stones.

Why it is here

To serve as a dangerous passage from Bloodleaf Valley into a hostile realm, whether travelers choose to enter or are swept through against their will.

Who made it

Unknown.

Lore

The water does not fall into the maw.

Where it is found

A corrupted river basin in Bloodleaf Valley, surrounded by jagged rocks and darkened foliage.

Variants

Red Throat: The gateway's rim is veined with glowing red roots. Its current deals 4d8 bludgeoning damage plus 2d6 poison damage, but its root-stones are easier to identify, reducing the Perception DC to 22.

The Borrowed Mouth: The gateway opens only during a storm or when the river is fed by blood. It leads to a different destination each time it activates.

The Patient Maw: The gateway is dormant until a creature speaks a name into the water. Once awakened, it remains active for 10 minutes and pulls only creatures that have heard the name.

Plot hooks

The Avengers intend to let the current carry them through the gateway, but an injured ally or important item is swept toward the rim first.

A scout returned from the far side claiming the gateway has begun opening onto different places, and that something there is learning the rhythm of its pulses.

The root-stones bear the same marks as a forgotten shrine elsewhere in the valley, suggesting the gateway can be redirected rather than destroyed.

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