Ash Sneeze Vent
This hazard exhales a choking burst of hot ash and cinders from hidden bellows beneath the floor. The first pulse stings the eyes, the second fills lungs and ruins footing, and the third can leave even a hardened adventurer stumbling and blinded by tears.
Ash Sneeze Vent
Defenses
Detection
“A squat iron grate set into the floor breathes warm air in slow, uneven pulses. When it wakes, a shimmer of ash lifts from the slats and the grate clicks like teeth behind a closed door.”
Standard Engagement
A weight of 30 pounds or more stepping within 10 feet of the grate, a creature tampering with the floor, or any loud impact in the chamber can trigger the vent.
On initiative count 20, if at least one creature is within 10 feet of the grate and the hazard is active, it releases an ash burst. After the burst, the floor stays hot and smoky until the next round, lightly obscuring the area around the vent.
The hazard resets 1 minute after being triggered, or sooner if the bellows are manually pumped.
Each creature within 10 feet of the grate must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw. On a failure, the creature takes 2d6 fire damage and is pushed 5 feet away from the grate by the sudden blast. On a success, the creature takes half damage and is not pushed.
A creature that fails the Dexterity saving throw by 5 or more is also blinded until the end of its next turn as hot ash clings to its eyes and lashes.
The area within 10 feet of the vent is lightly obscured until the end of the hazard's next turn after it triggers.
A creature with advantage on checks related to smoke, furnaces, or underground machinery recognizes that the vent can be baited. If a creature spends an action to throw a torch, lantern, or other bright flame into the blast area, the next activation deals an extra 1d6 fire damage to creatures that fail the save, but also ends the hazard immediately after the burst.
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