They repeated the process two more times before they had to stop for the day. Daylight was fading and both Fadin and his apprentice, Ghannes, were tired from the work. Fadin eyed the bar of metal as the heat fled from it. Tomorrow they would finish the work. Together they would create a legendary blade, something every smith dreamed of.

Fadin woke feeling tired, and as he and Ghannes broke their fast together, he couldn’t but help notice how pale the boy looked. Together they headed to the smithy but never made it there. Ghannes threw up his breakfast and more. Bloody spittle covered his mouth as the boy retched repeatedly. Fadin took the boy to the local healer before returning to his forge. Today would be the day that he finished the blade. Removing the fate of the boy from his thoughts, Fadin fired up the forge and shoved the metal deep into the flames. All day Fadin worked the forge, hammering and reheating as the metal bar took on the shape of a sword. Pleased with the result, Fadin thrust the finished blade deep into water to harden it. Clouds of steam rose from the water and then a terrible crack echoed throughout the area as the blade shattered.

Fadin was found dead, near a neat pile of shattered metal pieces. Small lacerations covered Fadin’s body, but the healer determined that they were not deep enough to have killed him. Ghannes never recovered from his illness—it consumed him within a few days. The smithy was sold and things returned to normal until the new blacksmith received a commission to create a blade. The blacksmith was found dead, slumped over his anvil, the commissioned blade lying, half finished on the ground. Since then the smithy is considered haunted and now stands derelict.

Fadin’s Fuming Forge         CR 5
XP 1,600
LE haunt (25-ft.-diameter area)
Caster Level 5th
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear the faint crackling of flames and metal striking metal)
hp 10; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 week
Effect The haunt triggers whenever anyone nears the smithy’s forge. The forge springs to life with roaring flames and poisonous fumes flow from it. All creatures in the area of effect are targeted by a cloudkill spell (partial DC 17 Fortitude save); the cloud disappears after 1 round.
Destruction The haunt can be destroyed by rounding up all the shards of Fadin’s shattered blade, which were turned into nails by the unfortunate blacksmith that bought the smithy. The nails must be forged into a blade.

About the Author
Maurice de Mare, trapsmith, hauntsmith, and sometime freelancer, would like to thank Todd Gdula for showing him the dangers of chromium and zinc.

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(Illustration by Chris McFann)

There are places where the border between realities is thin, places where the energies of the inner planes can easily pour through: places like volcanoes and the Blood Caves.

[previously]

The Thing That Cuts

The thinning of the veil trap and the healer’s touch trap need something, someone, to activate their effects. Channor the Cruel, Champion of Hunger, can easily fulfill that need.

Channor the Cruel (CR 5)

XP 2400
Ghoul antipaladin 4
CE Medium undead
Init +5; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +12
Aura cowardice (10 ft.) …

DEFENSE
AC 22, touch 17, flat-footed 16 (+3 armor, +1 deflection, +5 Dex, +1 Dodge, +2 natural)
hp 55 (2d8+4d10+24)
Fort +12, Ref +10, Will +14
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2, unholy resilience +4

OFFENSE
Speed 30 ft.
Melee bite +10 (1d6+2 plus disease and paralysis) and 2 claws +10 (1d8+2 plus paralysis)
Ranged dart +10 (1d4+2)
Special Attacks paralysis (1d4+1 rounds, DC 13, elves are immune to this effect), smite good (2/day, +4 attack and AC, +4 damage)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 4th; concentration +8)
At Will—detect good
Antipaladin Spells Prepared (CL 1st; concentration +5)
1st—disguise self

TACTICS
Before Combat Channor uses disguise self to appear more benign, enabling him to get closer to his targets.
During Combat Channor attacks paladins and clerics first as they represent the greatest threat to him.
Morale Channor fears his second death. When brought under 20 hp, he tries to flee.

STATISTICS
Str 15, Dex 20, Con —, Int 13, Wis 16, Cha 18
Base Atk +5; CMB +7; CMD 22
Feats Dodge, Improved Natural Attack (claws), Weapon Finesse
Skills Acrobatics +9, Climb +11, Knowledge (religion) +10, Perception +12, Stealth +14
Languages Common
SQ aura of evil, channel negative energy (DC 16, 2d6), cruelty (fatigued), plague bringer, touch of corruption (2d6, 6/day)
Gear 6 darts, dust of illusion, masterwork studded leather, ring of protection +1, small centipede poison (10 doses), 300 gp

SPECIAL ABILITIES
Disease (Su) Ghoul Fever: bite—injury; save Fort DC 15; onset 1 day; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Con and 1d3 Dex damage; cure 2 consecutive saves. The save DC is Charisma-based. A humanoid who dies of ghoul fever rises as a ghoul at the next midnight. A humanoid who becomes a ghoul in this way retains none of the abilities it possessed in life. It is not under the control of any other ghouls, but it hungers for the flesh of the living and behaves like a normal ghoul in all respects. A humanoid of 4 Hit Dice or more rises as a ghast.

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(Illustration by Chris McFann)

There are places where the border between realities is thin, places where the energies of the inner planes can easily pour through: places like volcanoes and the Blood Caves.

The Blood Caves

A gateway between the surface and the night below, the Blood Caves are made more dangerous due to the negative energy that suffuses the caves, an energy that gives the caves their name. While within, bound wounds start to haemorrhage once more, and healing magic sometimes fails to work. Blood flows easily in these caves.

Thinning of the Veil Trap (CR 2)

Type magic; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 25
Trigger touch; Reset automatic …
Effect impeded healing magic (casting spells from the healing subschool is more difficult; to cast these spells, you must make a concentration check (DC 15 + the level of the spell); on a failure, the spell does not function but is still lost as a prepared spell or spell slot; on a success, the spell functions normally)
Effect spell effect (bleed, DC 10 Will save negates)

Due to its nature, the thinning of the veil trap cannot be fully disabled, only suppressed for 1d4+1 ×10 minutes on a successful Disable Device check. Inscribing a rune of life on the cave’s walls invokes the Plane of Positive Energy, which momentarily balances out the negative influence.

Lost Souls

The Blood Caves have claimed many a soul through the ages, some of these souls never escape the negative maelstrom of the caves, these souls are doomed to relive their last actions until they are set free.

Lanore swayed on her feet, she was bleeding badly from several wounds. These damned caves interfered with her magic. She had  already lost one of her healing spells. She stumbled toward her brother, who lay crumpled upon the cave’s floor. Her magic stopped his bleeding, but then the wounds reopened. She tried again, but with her magic fizzling, she could only watch as her brother slipped away.

Healer’s Touch             CR 2

XP 600
LG haunt (100 ft diameter area); persistent
Caster Level 2nd
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear fervent prayer and cries for help)
hp 9; Trigger special; Reset 1 week
Effect The haunt triggers whenever a living creature reaches −1 hp. A female apparition manifests, stumbling toward the dying creature. Any creature touched by the apparition receives the effects of a stabilize spell.
Destruction Disabling the thinning of the veil trap and channelling enough positive energy to dismiss the apparition destroys the haunt.

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“Pinkskins! Pinkskins in the warren!” The shouts woke Kiro from his slumber. Again and again, the call was repeated. Grabbing his spear, he raced to the cave entrance where several other warriors joined up with him. He glanced at his comrades: their tails wagging with excitement, their teeth bared.

They surged into a corridor and came face to face with the pinkskins, those strange pinkskin eyes shining brightly in the flickering torch light and shadows racing over their pinkskin faces. “Big. They are so very big,” thought Kiro, his stride faltering. “Attack!” yipped one of his comrades, and they surged forward with spears stretched out before them, barreling toward the pinkskin with the greatclub. The pinkskin grimaced and screamed something before he swung his club. Two kobolds to Kiro’s left were suddenly no longer there, but Kiro did not care, for he felt how his spear sank deep into the pinkskin. Kiro yipped with joy. And then the pinkskin’s backswing hit him…

Pain. His chest was on fire, and he couldn’t catch his breath. Lying on his stomach, he could hear the pinkskin chatter nearby. Kiro tried to crawl away, but his strength had left him; his claws scratched feebly over the cave’s floor. Someone was tugging on his belt, going through the pouches. Roughly he was rolled upon his back, and a halfling came into view whose tiny delicate hands moved swiftly though his pockets. The halfling found his shiny rock, Kiro tried to interfere, but his limbs would not answer him. The halfling showed the shiny rock to the others; they cheered.

Breathing was a little easier now. The pinkskins left, venturing deeper into the warren, leaving Kiro with his thoughts: “they took my shiny rock, they took…”

Delving deep into kobold warrens, and dispensing death to all. It is the adventurers’ way, but sometimes, the dead don’t allow you to escape with their treasure. Sometimes they come back.

Kiro’s Revenge (CR 2)

XP 600
LE haunt (10-ft.-diameter area); persistent
Caster Level 2nd
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear labored breathing and soft yipping in Draconic)
hp 9; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 week
Effect When this haunt is triggered, a kobold with a crushed chest manifests. The apparition reaches into its chest and throws blood at any target; if a nearby target has Kiro’s shiny stone, he or she is the haunt’s primary target. Treat the blood as acid splash (+4 ranged touch attack, 1d3 acid damage).
Destruction Burying Kiro with his shiny stone destroys the haunt.

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Journal Entry #1

Today was a glorious day! I encountered my very first haunt, and even though the bleeding walls and faint sobbing were somewhat disturbing—I am not ashamed to admit that I fled Lord Cauton’s wine cellar with utmost haste—I could see beyond the blood and dread. I’ve seen the future of trapsmithing. If a haunt can catch me unaware, then thieves won’t stand a chance.

Journal Entry #5

I’ve completed my research on haunts. There are some documented cases that provide hints on how the are created, but apparently, I am the only one that wants to create a haunt on purpose. When I suggested it to Maester Welhant as something I have an interest in, he abruptly ended our meeting and informed me that he couldn’t help me further. I think the way forward is to engage in practical experimentation…

Journal Entry #7

We have found a deserted farm and claimed it as our base of operations. I have claimed the farmhouse as my laboratory, and the old barn has been turned into a makeshift holding pen. The men grumble about not having a roof over their heads, but that is why they brought tents. I have high hopes that our search for research specimens will soon yield results. An old trapper informed me that goblins frequent the nearby woods.

Journal Entry #14

This experiment has been a complete and utter failure. It just cannot be done, it seems. I’ve done things to these goblins. Wicked, terrible, some would say evil things. I’ve brought pain, despair, suffering, and still… nothing. All that effort, all for naught. Not a single manifestation. There are several documented cases where only a single death was required to trigger a haunt. One death! I’ve killed dozens of goblins and nothing. I am beginning to suspect that goblins were a terrible choice in source material.

Otto’s Abandoned Farm

A depilated farmhouse stands alone on a low hill. An old barn stands nearby. A Knowledge (engineering) or Profession (carpenter) (DC 13) check reveals that the barn was remodelled into a makeshift prison.

Entering the barn triggers the holding pen haunt.

The Holding Pen (CR 3)

XP 800
CE haunt (10-ft.-by-20-ft. area)
Caster Level 3th
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear the creaking of wood, the shuffling of many feet, and in Goblin: “Not me, not me,” a sentence that is repeated again and again)
hp 10; Weakness slow (manifest at initiative rank 0); Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day;
Effect When this haunt is triggered, the affected area is filled with the stench of excrement, sweat and palpable fear. All creatures in the area of effect are targeted by the crushing despair spell (DC 16).
Destruction Burning down the barn and consecrating the area destroys the haunt.

The farmhouse is abandoned. A steep staircase leads down to the cellar, and a stuck, simple wooden door at the bottom of the staircase bars further progress. It requires a break check (DC 13) to open. Once the door is opened, it reveals a dark cellar with a low roof. On the far wall, a set of manacles dangles limply. The area near the manacles is deeply stained; a Heal check (DC 13) reveals that blood caused the stains. Entering the cellar is quite safe, leaving it triggers the frustrating failure haunt.

Frustrating Failure (CR 5)

XP 1,600
CE haunt (10-ft.-by-15-ft. area)
Caster Level 5th
Notice Perception DC 15 (to hear a litany of curses)
hp 10; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 hour;
Effect When this haunt is triggered, the manacles attached to the wall levitate into the air. Dust swirls around the manacles, forming a Small twisting form. The creature leaving the cellar is affected by a confusion spell (DC 16).
Destruction The haunt can be destroyed by removing the manacles from the wall and melting them down. The cellar’s stains need to be washed away with holy water.

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“When a tree falls in the forest, who is there to witness its fall?” asked Thorvall the ranger through gritted teeth. A jolt of pain in his leg momentarily halted his philosophical musings. “Who else but thrice cursed me!”

Thorvall assessed the situation: it was bad, extremely bad. His ruined left leg was stuck under the dead weight of a rotted oak. He was lying on his belly in a bed of autumn leaves, and his prized axe was just out of reach. The axe would have made the job of freeing himself a whole lot easier, but at least he still had his dagger. That would get the job done.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling of leaves, the sound of something flying through the air, and pain. Horrible pain as something landed heavily on the fallen oak. The extra weight pressing on his ruined leg was excruciating.

“Tell me, meat,” a voice growled. “How does it feel to be prey?”

With an effort, Thorvall looked over his shoulder and saw a worg looming over him, and his fingers tightened around the dagger’s hilt. Thorvall was not at all surprised when two more worgs strode into view. “Thrice cursed” Thorvall spat “thrice cursed…”

The moss-covered remains of a fallen oak is the center of the dead man’s tree haunt. Nearby a cold iron axehead can be discovered (Perception DC 15).

Dead Man’s Tree (CR 6)

XP 2,400
CE haunt (15-ft. diameter area); persistent
Caster Level 6th
Notice Perception DC 25 (to hear growling followed by the sound of flesh being ripped into)
hp 27; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect When this haunt is triggered, the wraithlike head of a wolf appears and attacks a random target in the affected area. Treat the head as a spiritual weapon spell (Atk +7, 1d8+2 damage).
Destruction Burning the fallen oak destroys the haunt.

Thrice Cursed Dead Man’s Tree (CR 10)

XP 9,600
CE haunt (30-ft. diameter area); persistent
Caster Level 10th
Notice Perception DC 28 (to hear growling followed by the sound of tearing flesh)
hp 45; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect When this haunt is triggered, three wraithlike wolves’ heads appear and attack a single target in the affected area. Treat each head as a spiritual weapon spell (Atk +9/+4, 1d8+3 damage).
Destruction Burning the fallen oak destroys the haunt.

In Your Game

• An old trapper boasts he has touched the trunk of the dead man’s tree, and he dares a PC to do the same.

• The duke has organized a hunt, and the PCs are invited. They are on the trail of a majestic white stag; the stag cunningly leads them to the haunt.

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These haunts were inspired by Tom Allman’s Haunted Hovel and fit nicely into that scenario.

__

Sigard the Woodsman was a doting father. Ever since his wife was taken by the Black Death, his children have been his whole world. But, of course, this was before the brain mold…

He could hear them laughing inside their modest home, preparing for the evening meal. They took his wife. Faster and faster, he kicked the rotating grindstone.

He could hear them mocking him over the bustle of the dinner dishes. His axe, the tool of his trade, was now razor sharp. Sigard rose from the whetstone. It was time to silence the laughter.

The table was almost set for the evening meal when the door was flung open and father stepped inside. The laughter died on the children’s lips—they could see the madness in Sigard’s eyes…

Last Supper (CR 4)

XP 1,200
CE haunt (20-ft.-diameter area)
Caster Level 5th
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear the laugher of children turn silent, followed by an wrathful howl)
hp 8; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect When this haunt is triggered, the affected area is filled with the rich smells of freshly cooked food. All creatures in the area of effect are targeted by a bestow curse (save DC 14) spell. All affected creatures are cursed to not feel hunger or the need to drink; this exposes them to the dangers of starvation and thirst (see Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook).
Destruction The casting of heroes’ feast destroys the haunt.

Little Siegfried narrowly dodged his father’s axe and—together with his sister—fled into the bedroom. Sigard’s axe eagerly bit into the bedroom’s flimsy door, turning it into tinder. It didn’t take long before the axe tasted flesh.

Sigard’s Bloody Axe (CR 11)

XP 12,800
CE haunt (55-ft-diameter area), persistent
Caster Level 13th
Notice Perception DC 25 (to hear the sound of wood being chopped, the last few chops sound different)
hp 49; Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect When this haunt is triggered, splashes of blood appear on the walls and a ghostly axe slowly appears, dripping with blood. All creatures in the area of effect are targeted by a mage’s sword (atk +19).
Destruction Bringing Sigard’s real axe into the room and breaking it ends the haunting.

Finding Sigard’s axe is an adventure in itself. It has changed hands many times since the death of Sigard. It is currently wielded by Hrothar the Bloody, a barbarian with a particular mean streak.

[previously]

The Laughing Dolphin is a popular inn not far from the harbor, and the innkeeper, Kolven, is a former sailor who said goodbye to the waves at the behest of his wife. Kolven recently acquired a rusted anchor for decoration, but he is unaware this particular anchor is haunted. It carries the souls of the men and women of the Blessed Wind, a ship swallowed by the waves when it was caught by hurricane winds on the open sea.

Kolven uses the anchor as an impromptu chandelier; two lanterns hang from its arms, providing an abundance of light after sunset. The anchor hangs from the roof of the inn by a stout rope…

Soul-Weighted Anchor (CR 8 )

XP 4,800
CE haunt (40-ft.-diameter area), persistent
Caster Level 8th
Notice Perception DC 20 (to hear the sound of wooden beams snapping and the crash of waves)
hp 36; Trigger the presence of severe or stronger wind; Reset 1 week
Effect When this haunt is triggered, the souls of the drowned sailors burst from the anchor and attach themselves to all living creatures in the area. Water rains down from the anchor, coalescing into a sphere of water. All creatures in the area of effect are targeted by confusion (DC 16) and aqueous orb (DC 14) spells. (See Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Advanced Player’s Guide for aqueous orb).
Destruction The anchor must be blessed and buried.

Using the Soul-Weighted Anchor in Your Game

• The PCs are about to embark on a lengthy sea voyage or have just disembarked. They need a place to stay, and the Laughing Dolphin comes highly recommended. Before entering the inn, they see a storm brewing on the horizon.

• While staying at the Laughing Dolphin, one of the lanterns falls from the anchor’s arms. As flames leak from the lantern, a nearby mage tries to help by casting a gust of wind spell…

[previously]

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