The Silver Throat | Fantasy Hazard Generated by CharGen

The hazard

The Silver Throat is a surviving temple defense that combines a mundane volley mechanism with a ward that guides the shots toward intruders. It is built for a narrow corridor, where a single careless step can turn the passage into a kill lane.

Magical
Mechanical
Temple
Invasion relic

Stealth: The trap is concealed in plain sight. Its mechanism is built into the walls and floor; dust, battle debris, and decorative silver inlay obscure its function.
Trigger: A creature weighing at least 20 pounds crosses the silver ward-line in the corridor.
Disable: A creature within reach of a guardian face can use an action to make a Intelligence (Investigation) check to find the release catch, then a Dexterity check using thieves' tools to disable it. On a failed check, the trap triggers. Dispel magic can suppress or permanently disable the ward as described under Countermeasures.
Initiative: The trap has no initiative. It activates immediately when triggered.
Routine: When triggered, the trap fires once as described in Last Stand Volley. It does not take further actions unless it resets and is triggered again.
Reset: The mechanism resets after 1 minute, once the bronze shutters close and the ward-line relights. It can then trigger again.

Damage

Immunities

Poison damage, Psychic damage

Weaknesses

The silver ward-line can be disrupted by scraping away or covering a continuous 5-foot section, which suppresses the trap until the line is repaired.

Effects

1

Last Stand Volley
DC 15
When triggered, bronze shutters snap open and spectral spearheads lance through the corridor in a 30-foot-long, 10-foot-wide line. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The damage is magical. A creature that fails the save is also knocked prone.

Special rules

Indiscriminate Ward.The trap targets every creature in its line, including creatures that are hidden or invisible. The ward detects movement across the silver line, not identity or allegiance.

Kill Lane.The volley travels in a straight line through the corridor. A creature behind total cover from the guardian mouths is unaffected.

Spotting it

Discovery

The trap is detectable with a Wisdom (Perception) check.

Perception

Wisdom (Perception) to notice the floor's silver ward-line or the narrow launch ports in the bronze guardian faces.

Stop it

Signs of dangerA fine silver line crosses the floor between the guardian faces. · Old spearheads are embedded in the opposite wall at chest height. · The bronze mouths are blackened inside, but their edges are polished from repeated movement. · A faded wall painting shows defenders ushering civilians across the corridor while spears cross behind them.

Countermeasures

DC 15A creature that succeeds on a Wisdom (Perception) check notices the silver ward-line and can cross the corridor by stepping over it.
DC 15A creature can use an action to wedge a solid object into one guardian mouth with a Dexterity check using thieves' tools or a suitable tool. Success prevents the trap from firing; failure triggers it.
DC 15A creature can use an action to disrupt the wall mechanism with a Intelligence (Investigation) check followed by a Dexterity check using thieves' tools. Both checks must succeed.
Dispel magic cast on the ward-line suppresses the trap for 10 minutes. If cast using a 4th-level or higher spell slot, it disables the trap permanently.
The trap can be destroyed: it has AC 17, 30 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.

In short

Spot the silver ward-line, avoid crossing it, or interrupt the linked ward mechanism.

Its story

What it looks like

A row of bronze guardian faces is set into the temple walls.

Why it is here

To halt invaders in a narrow approach and give temple defenders time to retreat behind the inner sanctum doors.

Who made it

The temple's last war-priests and bronze-workers, during the invasion that ended their order.

Lore

As invaders breached the temple, the defenders sealed the inner halls and activated every surviving ward.

Where it is found

A temple dungeon corridor, especially near a sanctuary entrance, armory, or inner refuge.

Variants

The temple's defenders altered one guardian face to fire blunt stone bolts, dealing bludgeoning damage and knocking creatures backward instead of prone.

A damaged ward fires only when a creature moves quickly across the line. Walking slowly or crawling across it avoids triggering the trap, but takes twice as long.

An intact command sigil lets a creature bearing a temple holy symbol pass safely. The symbol is hidden beneath rubble in a nearby guard post.

Plot hooks

A surviving temple acolyte knows a verse that identifies which guardian face contains the release catch, but asks the party to recover a relic before sharing it.

The ward's target recognition has degraded. A ghostly defender appears in the corridor and may be struck by the volley if the party triggers it.

The invading army's descendants are searching for a hidden banner in the sanctuary and believe the trap's mechanism contains a key to the temple vault.

Media

0 images

No images yet.

Visual sheet

Turn The Silver Throat into a sheet

A high-res, share-ready sheet you can post or print.