Drowned Forge Vent
This hazard is a concealed steam vent system built into old forge halls, bathhouses, or foundries. When stepped on incorrectly, it erupts in scalding pressure and blasts creatures off balance. The blast is loud enough to drown speech, the air smells of hot iron and wet stone, and the room fills with a choking cloud that lingers in the throat.
Drowned Forge Vent
Defenses
Detection
“A waist-high ring of black iron grates set into the floor, warm to the touch and crusted with pale mineral salts. Every few moments, a faint shudder passes through the metal, and a ribbon of wet heat hisses from the seams like a sleeping beast exhaling through its teeth.”
Standard Engagement
A Medium or larger creature weighing at least 100 pounds steps onto one of the pressure plates hidden beneath the grates, or more than 200 pounds of total weight rests on the vented floor section.
On initiative count 20, if the hazard is armed and not disabled, it checks for pressure. Any creature standing on or moving across the grates must make the Dexterity save to avoid the burst. If no creature is in the trigger zone, the vent releases a harmless plume of heat and remains armed.
The hazard resets after 1 minute if its valves remain intact and the pressure chamber is not jammed.
When the hazard is triggered, it erupts in a 15-foot-radius burst centered on the grates. Each creature in the area must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw. On a failed save, a creature takes 3d10 fire damage and 2d6 bludgeoning damage, and is knocked prone. On a successful save, it takes half damage and is not knocked prone.
The burst leaves the area heavily obscured by steam until the start of the hazard's next turn. Creatures that begin their turn in the area must succeed on a DC 13 Constitution saving throw or have disadvantage on the next attack roll or ability check they make before the end of that turn.
A creature that moves at half speed and avoids dashing across the grates has advantage on checks made to notice or bypass the hazard.
If a creature is shoved or teleported onto the grates, it triggers immediately even if the hazard has already been activated this round.
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