Bloodwood Floor

A simple magical floor hazard formed from living bloodwood and alchemically awakened crimson sap. Cracked channels divide the floor into irregular islands of safe footing. The sap burns exposed flesh and armor alike, then creeps toward fresh blood as though the floor itself is tasting its intruders.

Hazard EntryMagical floor hazardLevelModerateSimple

Bloodwood Floor

ModerateLevelUncommonRarityAncient temples, corrupted forest shrines, subterranean courts, bloodwood sanctums, and chambers claimed by the Obsidian TribunalEnvironment
MagicalEnvironmentalFireNecroticOrganicRitual
LevelModerate
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HP45
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AC15
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TypeMagical floor hazard
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ComplexitySimple
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RarityUncommon

Defenses

AC15
Hard10
HP45
BT 10
Fort+Not applicable
Ref+DC 15 Dexterity saving throw when a creature ends its turn in an exposed channel
Will+Not applicable
Immune
Poison damage, Psychic damage, The poisoned condition, The frightened condition
Resist
Cold damage, except when used to harden a channel, Bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks
Weak
Cold damage can temporarily harden the sap, Radiant damage dealt to the root-knot ignores its resistance, The central root-knot can be exposed and severed, The channels can be safely covered with suitable nonflammable material
MagicalEnvironmentalFireNecroticOrganicRitual

Detection

PerDC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the active channels before entering them. The check is made with advantage if the creature has seen the hazard activate or is searching specifically for magical flooring.
StlThe hazard is concealed in the floor but not actively hidden. Before it activates, a creature searching the room can notice it with a DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check. In dim light, the check is made with disadvantage unless the creature has darkvision or another means of clearly seeing the floor.
InitThe hazard acts on initiative count 20, losing initiative ties. It does not make attack rolls or take actions except as described in its routine.

The floor is made from dark, polished bloodwood, its grain twisted into shapes resembling veins beneath skin. Cracked sap channels cross the planks in branching patterns, each filled with slow-moving crimson resin. The sap gives off a bitter, metallic scent and glows faintly whenever someone steps nearby. Tiny wisps of red vapor curl above the deepest channels, while the wood feels warm and faintly sticky underfoot.

Standard Engagement

Trigger

The hazard activates when a creature steps on an exposed sap channel, spills blood onto the floor, or crosses the central judgment mark without speaking the chamber’s designated passphrase.

Routine

On initiative count 20, the sap pulses through every exposed channel. Each creature currently standing in a channel resolves Crimson Sap Burn. A creature that was pulled by Hungry Channels during the previous round is pulled only once per round, even if it remains adjacent to multiple channels.

Reset

The exposed channels remain active. Covered or hardened sections become active again after 1 minute or when damaged by fire. If the root-knot is severed, the hazard is permanently disabled, though the floor remains dangerously hot for 10 minutes.

Crimson Sap Burn

When a creature ends its turn in an exposed sap channel, it must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 3d6 fire damage and 3d6 necrotic damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. A creature that fails the save also has its speed reduced by 10 feet until the end of its next turn as the sap clings to its feet.

Hungry Channels

When a creature takes damage from Crimson Sap Burn, the sap briefly reaches toward the nearest creature within 5 feet that has blood or ichor in its body. That creature must succeed on a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw or be pulled 5 feet toward the channel, provided it is not Huge or larger.

Safe Footing

A creature can cross a channel without making a saving throw if it moves at least 10 feet during its turn and does not end its turn in the channel. A creature that is pushed, pulled, knocked prone, or otherwise forced into a channel resolves the hazard immediately and does not wait for initiative count 20.

Branching Channels

The channels are 2 to 6 inches wide and cross the floor in branching paths. A creature can jump over a channel normally if it has enough movement to do so. A creature wearing heavy armor has disadvantage on any ability check made to maintain balance while moving across the floor, but not on the saving throw against the sap.

Blood for Silence

If a creature pours at least 1 pint of fresh blood into a channel, the sap quiets in a 10-foot section for 1 minute. The offering also causes the floor to reveal a hidden sigil, map, or inscription chosen by the DM.

Description

A simple magical floor hazard formed from living bloodwood and alchemically awakened crimson sap. Cracked channels divide the floor into irregular islands of safe footing. The sap burns exposed flesh and armor alike, then creeps toward fresh blood as though the floor itself is tasting its intruders.

Discovery

The hazard is discovered when a creature notices the channels, the faint red glow beneath the cracks, or the smell of hot iron and bitter resin. A creature that examines a channel and succeeds on a DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) or Intelligence (Arcana) check recognizes that the sap is magically reactive and should not be touched.

Archival Lore

The bloodwood was grown from a tree rooted in a condemned soul’s burial pit. Tribunal ritualists carved channels through the living timber and filled them with sap mixed with powdered soul-anchors. The floor was designed to punish prisoners who attempted to cross a courtroom before judgment. Some surviving chambers still react to spoken verdicts, causing the channels to brighten when a creature is declared guilty.

Environment
Ancient temples, corrupted forest shrines, subterranean courts, bloodwood sanctums, and chambers claimed by the Obsidian Tribunal
Theme
Judgment made physical, corrupted nature, living wood, and punishment through blood-bound ritual
Creator
An unnamed bloodwood cult that served the Obsidian Tribunal
Purpose
To confine prisoners, punish unauthorized movement, and create a ritual boundary around a chamber of judgment.
Game System
D&D 5E
Art Style
Cinematic dark fantasy, ancient bloodwood architecture, crimson bioluminescent sap, shadowed ritual chamber, tactile organic detail, high-contrast torchlight
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