Issue

Steampunk
Avenging Gadgets and Gear
Archetypes Living at the Edge
of Night
I Heard You
Like Monsters
 Welcome!
G
reetings, salutations, and welcome
to the Gate Pass Gazette, the official Credits
publication for all things Level Up:
Editor:
Advanced 5 th Edition! This issue includes
Savannah Broadway
a power-packed set of new archetypes, a
trove of Steampunk-style equipment and Cover Art:
magic items, and two new Backgrounds Ellis Goodson
and a Destiny with a gothic horror flair.
Interior Art:
Rounding out the issue is a set of unusual Ellis Goodson, Phil Stone,
monsters Narrators can use to puzzle even pixabay.com
experienced players, as well as some brief
settings that show them to best effect. Graphic Design:
Xanditz
And of course future issues will feature
a variety of articles, including intriguing Gate Pass Logo:
Xanditz
items, new heritages and cultures, and some
fantastic material we just couldn’t cram into EN Publishing - PO Box 1945
our other publications, such as Adventures SOUTHAMPTON, SO18 9QW
in ZEITGEIST. So stick around to find
everything you’ll need to…
Level Up!
©2022 EN Publishing

- Savannah Broadway

Tab l e o f Co n t e n t s
Avenging Arche t y p es by Mike Myler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 5
Well- Equip p e d : St eamp u n k G ad ge t s a n d Gea r by Peter N Martin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 10
Liv ing at t h e Ed ge of Ni ght by Rachel Williamson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... 1 5
I Heard You Li k e M on st e rs by Ryan Nock .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 1 9

3
4
By Mike Myler
Avenging Archetypes
W hen fate has dealt the world a dire hand
and everything is on the table, only the
most capable warriors can be relied upon to
save the day. Whether protecting teammates
as they fight across the battlefield, distracting
foes as they rain down blows, taking out
enemies with pinpoint precision, or grasping
magic itself in their hands, the avenging
adventurers that use these disciplines and
practices will go down in history for their
incredible deeds.
Charging Shield (Fighter)
Though primarily an armament for defense,
in the hands of a properly trained combatant
a shield can become a powerful weapon.
Charging Shield warriors are thus terrifying
to behold in battle, battering away the blows
of their foes while surging through combat to
deliver shattering strikes at the edge of their
chosen tool of war. Such a sight only inspires
their allies, and many great military heroes
were forged in this proud combat discipline.
Shield Fighting
At 3rd level when you select this archetype,
you gain proficiency with shields as weapons.
In addition, you gain proficiency with
the Charge maneuver, and when you are
wielding a shield and no other weapons you
do not have to spend exertion to activate it.
Inspiring Traditions
Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in
one of the following combat traditions of
your choice: Biting Zephyr, Rapid Current,
Tempered Iron. When you gain this feature
you can choose one of the maneuvers you
know and replace it with another maneuver
of the same degree or lower from your newly
chosen combat tradition.
Shield Throwing
Starting at 7th level, you treat all shields except
tower shields as having the throwing property
(light 60/120 feet, medium 50/100 feet, heavy
40/80 feet). In addition, you gain proficiency
with the Ricochet combat maneuver, and when
you use a shield with it you do not have to
spend exertion to activate it.
Galvanizing Charger
At 10th level, your brave example inspires your
allies. Whenever you use the Charge maneuver
and are wielding a shield and no other weapons,
choose one creature within 60 feet that can see you.
The chosen creature gains temporary hit points
5
equal your fighter level and an expertise die on its
next saving throw. Once a creature has benefited
from this feature, it cannot benefit from Galvanizing
Charger again until it finishes a long rest.
Stalwart Aegis
Beginning at 15th level, you become as
hardened as the armament you champion.
You gain advantage on saving throws to resist
becoming charmed, frightened, or any spell or
effect of the compulsion school.
Additionally, your unarmed strikes and
attacks made using a shield deal an extra 1d6
bludgeoning damage.
Epic Charge
At 18th level, you can break the defensive lines
of the most hardened armies with nothing
more than your shield and skill. You can use
an action and move at least 20 feet to make an
epic charge. While making an epic charge, you
can move through the spaces of creatures and
objects of up to one size larger than you without
provoking opportunity attacks. When you move
into a creature’s space it makes a Dexterity
saving throw against your maneuver DC (with
disadvantage if it is your size or smaller),
taking 36 (8d8) bludgeoning damage and falling
prone on a failed save, or half as much damage
and remaining standing on a success.
Once you have used this feature, you cannot
use it again until you finish a short or long rest.
Fantastic Fletcher (Ranger)
The bow is one of the simplest of weapons, yet the
mastery of its use can only be attained by archers
with ingenuity as well as skill. It is the purvey
of the most superb sharpshooters to fire more
complicated ammunition than the humble arrow—
though they are certainly good at that—and
their creative bent can lead them to make strange
missiles unlike any other seen flying above the
battlefield. While the ammunition below references
arrows, many who follow this path use crossbow
bolts, and a rare few craft specialized sling bullets.
Fighting Style: Archery
Starting at 3rd level when you select this
archetype, you gain a +2 bonus to attack rolls
you make with ranged weapons.
6
Augmented Arrows
Also at 3rd level, you learn how to craft
ammunition for the job at hand. At the
end of each short rest, you can craft a
number of augmented arrows equal to
twice your proficiency bonus, each costing
1sp of materials and an equal amount of
ammunition. When you craft each augmented
arrow, choose bludgeoning, piercing, or
slashing damage. On a successful hit, the
ammunition deals the usual amount of
damage, but of the chosen type.
Additionally, you can use a bonus action
to affix an item of Tiny size that weighs
3 pounds or less and can be used as an
improvised weapon (such as an acid vial,
alchemist’s fire, or unstable arcanum) to the
end of a piece of ammunition. This increases
the item’s range to that of your weapon’s
normal range and allows you to roll as though
it were a ranged attack with which you are
proficient, though it only deals the damage
and effects of the item, not the ammunition
utilized.
Simple Trick Arrows
Beginning at 7th level, you figure out how to
shoot arrows that a common archer couldn’t
even pull back properly. At the end of each
short rest, you can craft a number of trick
arrows equal to your proficiency bonus,
each costing 1 gold worth of raw materials,
as well as an equal amount of ammunition
(augmented arrows cannot be used for this
purpose). When you craft each trick arrow,
choose acid, cold, fire, lightning, or thunder.
On a successful hit, a trick arrow deals 1d8
damage of the chosen type (which counts
as magical for the purposes of overcoming
resistance and immunity) in addition to that of
the ammunition.
Due to their bulky nature, you can only
use one trick arrow per attack action (though
you can still make your remaining shots
with normal ammunition) and can only hit
targets within your weapon’s normal range.
Additionally, the materials of a trick arrow
are unstable and lose their efficacy when you
next take a short rest, though the materials
can be repurposed for a new trick arrow.
Advanced Trick Arrows
Starting at 11th level, your understanding of
the art of archery yields even more incredible
weaponry. When you craft a trick arrow, you
may choose from force, necrotic, or radiant
damage. In addition, on a critical hit the
damage dice of extra damage from a trick
missile increases from d8 to d12.
Impossible Shots
At 15th level, you gain an additional number
of uses for your Accuracy Bonus equal to
your proficiency bonus. In addition, you can
gain your Accuracy Bonus as a free action.
Quickstepper (Adept)
There’s something spectacular about dodging
an enthusiastic blow, an amazing sense of
exhilaration that only comes after a well-
delivered taunt drives a foe to make a strike
they are likely to miss. The mixture of
fast feet and quick wits is a unique talent,
however, and only those who train to develop
these peculiar skills can utilize them to
maximum effect.
Quips
When you choose this archetype at 3rd
level, you learn how to get in the heads of
your opponents. After you have observed a
creature in combat for at least 1 round, you
can make a quip at it. Make an Intimidation
check opposed by the Wisdom saving throw
of a creature within 30 feet that can hear
and understand you. On a failed save the
creature is compelled to attack you. On its
turn, the creature moves towards you and
makes as many attacks against you as it
can. If the creature failed its saving throw
by 5 or more, it has disadvantage on these
attack rolls. Additionally, you do not have to
spend exertion to use Patient Defense while a
creature is under this effect.
The effects of this feature end after the
creature hits you with an attack, when you
attack a different creature, or if the creature
is unable to attack you. Once you have used
this feature a number of times equal to your
Wisdom modifier, you cannot do so again
until you finish a long rest.
Taunter
Also at 3rd level, you gain proficiency in
Intimidation. If you are already proficient,
you gain an expertise die. In addition, you
may always choose to use Wisdom when
making an Intimidation check.
Deft Steps
Beginning at 6th level, you gain proficiency
with the Expert Tumble combat maneuver, do
not need to spend exertion to activate it, and
can benefit from its effects even if you only
move half your speed. In addition, you gain
proficiency in Acrobatics. If you are already
proficient, you gain an expertise die.
Entangling Throw
At 11th level, you become a master of
channeling your momentum to quickly
whip cords, vines, ropes, or whatever length
of material is at hand to wrap around and
restrict an opponent.
At the end of each short rest, you can
put together a number of bundles of such
materials equal to your proficiency bonus,
each costing 5 silver worth of raw materials.
Alternatively, if the Narrator determines the
environment is suitable, you can collect the
maximum amount of such materials at no cost
on a successful Survival check to Hunt and
Gather, while gaining half the usual amount
of supply (rounded down).
Once each turn, you can spend 1 exertion to
make an entangling throw at a target within
20 feet with a ranged weapon attack you are
considered proficient at, either expending a
bundle of material or using what is available
in the environment (at Narrator discretion).
You do not have disadvantage from making
an entangling throw at a creature you have
hit with a melee weapon attack since the
start of your last turn from being within its
reach. On a hit, the target makes a Strength
check against your maneuver DC or becomes
grappled. At the start of each of its turns, the
target repeats the check, ending the effect
on itself on a success. The material from the
entangling throw can also be destroyed (AC
equal to your maneuver DC, hit points equal
to your adept level).
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 Once you have used this feature a number
of times equal to your Wisdom modifier, you
cannot do so again until you finish a long rest.
Sharpened Tongue
Also at 11th level, your capacity for dissecting
an opponent becomes easier to call upon.
You regain the use of Quips at the end of a
short or long rest. In addition, you gain an
expertise die on Intimidation checks.
Deadly Momentum
At 17th level, you can seize upon your
experience with energetic combat to explode
with a dizzying and rapid assault of incredible
swiftness. You can use an action and spend
8 exertion to make a melee weapon attack
against a number of creatures equal to your
Wisdom modifier within 30 feet of you,
making a separate attack roll for each target.
8
For each subsequent hit after the first, you deal
an additional 1d6 damage. This still counts as
a single Attack action for the purpose of Flurry
of Blows or similar abilities.
Tireless
Also at 17th level, movement is not so much a
strain to you as an exhilaration. Choose one of
the following:
• Your speed increases as though you had
taken the Adept Speed technique.
• You gain the Instant Step technique (as
long as you meet the prerequisites).
• You only need to spend 2 exertion to use
the Instant Step technique (if you have
previously chosen it).
Additionally, once per short rest when you
would gain a level of fatigue, you can choose
not to gain that level of fatigue.

Mutant (Warlock)
Not every patron is a sentient thing—at least
as far as mortal minds are able to comprehend.
Such warlocks are born seemingly without any
agreement made by those who sired or birthed
them, yet inside these children is the capacity to
bond with magic itself and play with the probability
of the universe. Their supernatural nature remains
unknown until they reach maturity and choose to
explore this peculiar bond from within.
Mutant Expanded Spells
Spell Level
1st shield, thunderwave
2nd blur, force of will
3rd blink, haste
4th freedom of movement, stoneskin
5th storm kick, warrior’s instincts
Specialized Spellcasting
As your power stems from your inherent aberrancy
and force of personality, you must choose Charisma
as your spellcasting ability for this class. In addition,
when you choose your Pact Boon at 3rd level, you
can only choose from Pact of the Blade or Pact of the
Tome, with the following alterations:
Pact of the Blade. When you summon
your pact weapon it is infused into one
of your hands and cannot be disarmed or
removed until you dismiss it.
Pact of the Tome. You do not have a
physical Book of Shadows but otherwise
gain the benefits of this pact boon.
Catch Magic
Starting at 1st level when you choose this
archetype, you gain the ability to touch magic
itself and change its structure. When you are hit
by a spell attack, you can use your reaction to
absorb it, distilling it into a primal form of magic
called mana, which you can eventually learn
to harness. Make a spellcasting ability check
opposed by the spellcaster. On a success, you
negate the spell and convert it into a number
of mana points equal to the level of the spell,
regardless of the level of the spell slot it was
cast with. Cantrips count as first level spells for
this purpose. On a failure, or if you are unable
to absorb the mana points that would be gained
from the spell, it resolves normally.
The maximum number of mana points you
can absorb equals your proficiency bonus.
This resets at the end of a long rest and any
remaining mana points disappear.
Infused Blasts
Starting at 6th level, you learn how to harness
the power you’ve stolen. Once each round
when you use eldritch blast, you can expend
1 mana point to alter its structure as a free
action. Choose one of the following:
• You can push more power into the ability,
increasing your eldritch blast’s damage by
one die.
• You can alter the probability around the
target. In addition to taking damage from
the eldritch blast, it has disadvantage on
its next roll.
If the attack is unsuccessful, the mana is lost.
Expending mana does not allow you to absorb
any additional mana points. These effects stack
with any Eldritch Invocations you can use
(though the damage is added and not multiplied
in the case of abilities like Eldritch Squall).
Magical Manipulation
Starting at 10th level, your ability to affect
magic and probability increases. When you or
any ally you can see within 30 feet must make
a saving throw as the result of a spell attack
or effect, you can use your reaction to grant
that creature advantage on the saving throw.
One you have used this feature a number
of times equal to half your proficiency bonus,
you cannot use it again until you have
finished a short or long rest.
Inflict Aberrance
At 14th level you can, for just a moment, pull
at the fabric of a creature’s very being. When
you hit a creature with an attack, you can let
it experience a taste of your patron’s power—
with none of your experience. It takes 10d10
psychic or radiant damage (your choice)
as its mind or body is overloaded with the
sensation of pure magic. Once you have used
this feature, you cannot do so again until you
have finished a long rest.
9
by Peter N Martin
Well-Equipped: Steampunk Gadgets and Gear
S teampunk is a common companion to
fantasy that is looking to get outside the
box. Its basis in Victorian-era technology and
the early science fiction of the day allows for
a much higher level of technology than the
usual medieval/Renaissance baseline, while
still being “retro” enough to feel interestingly
old-fashioned.
Level Up: Adventures in ZEITGEIST provides
a plethora of such content, from firearms to
arcanotechnological innovations, and this
article can be used either to supplement a
ZEITGEIST game or to add some sepia-toned
flair to any setting.
Mundane Equipment
Assassin’s Teapot. This innocuous-looking
teapot has two internal chambers. You can
choose which chamber to pour from simply
by covering the corresponding hole in the
handle with your finger or thumb. True
to its name, a common use of this device
is to surreptitiously serve poisoned tea to
someone, though benign uses are not unheard
of. Pouring a cup of liquid (poisoned or not)
from the teapot takes an action. (10 gp, 1 lb.)
10
Autominer. A dwarven invention, the
autominer consists of a backpack with a
small clockwork engine and two arms: a
control arm and a working arm. The control
arm has several small buttons and levers
and is used to set the operation of the
working arm.
The working arm is typically fitted with
a mining pick with the breaker (stone)
property, which deals 2d6 piercing damage
on a successful hit. Axe variants, which
have the breaker (wood) property and
deal slashing damage, are popular with
lumberjacks and adventurers alike.
To use the autominer, the clockwork
engine must first be wound as an action
either by you or another creature, enabling
it to operate for 1 hour. Then, you must
spend an action to target an adjacent
square. Immediately after, the autominer
begins making a single attack per round
on your turn against whatever is in the
square, using an attack bonus of 4 + your
proficiency bonus. Any creature passing
through the square is also attacked once as
if it had provoked an opportunity attack
(there is no limit to the number of times
this can happen). Attacks against creatures,
including opportunity attacks, are made
with disadvantage.
Once the autominer’s target is set, it
swings continuously until its hour runtime
is expended or the kill switch is activated.
This happens automatically if you use any
movement, on account of the autominer’s
safety feature. You can also trigger it
manually as a reaction, which can prevent
the opportunity attack above. Retargeting
requires another action. While the arm is
swinging, you effectively only have the use
of one hand. (175 gp, 60 lbs.)
Folding Glider. This set of folding wings
is worn as a backpack. You can extend or
retract the wings as an action. While the
wings are extended, you can move 30 feet
horizontally for every 15 feet you descend
vertically and cannot gain altitude. They
are typically used to glide safely down
from cliffs, airships, or high structures, and
occasionally for reconnaissance. (40 gp, 30
lbs.)
Parasol. A cousin of the rain umbrella,
parasols are smaller, lightweight folding
shelters primarily used to keep the sun off.
You gain an expertise die on saving throws
due to extreme heat or sun exposure while
using a parasol. You can open or close it as
an action. (8 sp, 1 lb.)
Spring-Heeled Boots. These obviously-
mechanical boots have a set of extremely
high-powered springs built into them.
While wearing them your jumping distance
increases 5 feet vertically and 10 feet
horizontally. Additionally, you gain an
expertise die on checks to reduce falling
damage. (50 gp, 10 lbs.)
Straight Razor. Popular with barbers and
killers alike, a straight razor is a small
folding shaving razor. If you use it as a
weapon, it deals 1d4 slashing damage and
has the finesse property. It is considered a
simple weapon. (2 gp, 1/2 lb.)
Sword Cane. The weapon of choice for
those of high status who wish to be armed
but not cause a scene, a sword cane is a
stout wooden cane with a rapier concealed
inside. The cane is clearly sturdy, but is
frequently overlooked by security checks as
a status symbol or fashion accessory. If you
have the Cosmopolitan culture, you can
increase the size of the expertise die granted
by your Discreetly Armed ability by one
step for checks related to retaining your
sword cane. The head of the cane forms the
pommel of the sword when drawn, and is
often carved or otherwise decorated.
With the sword inside it, the cane counts as
a mace with the stealthy property. Once the
rapier is drawn, the scabbard counts as a
club with the finesse property. Some users
wield the scabbard and sword as paired
weapons, others drop or cast it aside. (125
gp, 6 lbs)
New Vehicle Mechanics
Medium Size: A Medium vehicle has
Strength and Constitution scores of 12 (+1),
can carry up to 2 passengers along with the
driver, up to 15 supply, and up to 5 bulky
items in addition to 500 lbs. of carrying
capacity. If a collision occurs, medium
vehicles deal and take 2d6 points of damage.
However, a medium vehicle must be
specifically created for occupants of at least
a size smaller than the vehicle itself to hold
passengers. If it instead has the personal
property, a driver of the same size as the
vehicle can operate it without penalty, while
those one size smaller or larger than the
vehicle must use an action to take the Drive
or Maneuver vehicle actions. Creatures
beyond that size range cannot operate it at all
Small Size: A Small vehicle has Strength and
Constitution scores of 10 (+0), can carry up to
2 passengers along with the driver, up to 10
supply, and up to 2 bulky items in addition
to 300 lbs. of carrying capacity. If a collision
occurs, small vehicles deal and take 1d6
points of damage.
However, a small vehicle must be
specifically created for occupants of at least
a size smaller than the vehicle itself to hold
passengers. If it instead has the personal
property, a driver of the same size as the
vehicle can operate it without penalty, while
those one size smaller or larger than the
vehicle must use an action to take the Drive
or Maneuver vehicle actions. Creatures
beyond that size range cannot operate it at all
Muscle-Powered. A muscle-powered vehicle
relies on the strength of its rider for propulsion,
11
 Table: Land Vehicles
Vehicle Size AC HP Speed Crew Cost Supply Weight Special
Bicycle (medium) Medium 12 15 Muscle-Powered (x2) 1 50 gp 4 20 lbs. Personal
Bicycle (small) Small 13 10 Muscle-Powered(x2) 1 45 gp 2 10 lbs Personal

so its movement speed is determined by that

of the driver, except in the case of particularly
ponderous vehicles. Multiply the base walking
speed of the driver by the indicated value to
get the speed of the vehicle, rounding the result
down to the nearest 10 feet. For example, a
muscle-powered (x3) vehicle operated by a
creature with a speed of 35 has a speed of 100
ft/ 10mph. Most such vehicles are built to be
operated by bipedal creatures.
Because these vehicles rely on physical
strength to move, their carrying capacity is
limited to double that of the driver unless
otherwise specified. This limit includes any gear
the driver or any passengers are carrying but not
that of the creatures themselves. Most muscle-
powered vehicles are personal and follow the
carrying-capacity rules for that property. In the
rare cases they can have passengers, muscle- a +1 light shield and the handle transforms into
powered vehicles can only carry half the amount a +1 rapier. You count as already wielding both
of supply and bulky items their size otherwise and are considered proficient as long as you
allows (rounded down). are attuned to the defensive umbrella. You can
return the sword and shield to umbrella form
Special: Muscle-powered vehicles do not as an action by bringing the two parts together
have a standard journey speed. Instead, treat and speaking the command word. Opening or
any journeying as a forced march with no DC closing the umbrella requires an action.
increase for a normal pace and +1 for a fast/
mounted pace. Additionally, the driver gains
an expertise die on checks made to avoid Bicycle Bell of Flight
fatigue on such a forced march. Any relevant Wondrous Item, rare (cost 3,500 gp)
benefits the driver has, such as the Forced Crafting Components: A bicycle bell made of
Marcher exploration knack, apply. fine mithral and inlaid with gold filigree

Enchanted Gear This beautifully-filigreed bell can turn into

Higher levels of technology do not preclude
enchantments, and new technologies provide
new opportunities (and dangers) for the
enterprising enchanter.
Defensive Umbrella
Wondrous item, rare (requires attunement; cost 1,800 gp)
Crafting Components: Shards of a +1 weapon
This is an unassuming-looking black umbrella,
but it can provide impressive protection when
needed. As a bonus action when the umbrella is
open, you can press a button in the handle. The
canopy immediately flattens and hardens into
a mundane bicycle of Small or Medium size
(chosen at the time of creation) when you
activate it as an action. Returning the bicycle
to bell form also requires an action.
While riding this bicycle, you can ring its bell
to gain a flying speed of 50 feet and the ability
to hover. You can use the bike to fly for 2
hours, expending at least 10 minutes worth of
time with each use. If you are flying when the
time runs out, you fall at a rate of 60 feet and
take no damage from landing. The bell regains
1 hour of flying time for every 12 hours it is
not in use, regardless of which form it is in.
Curse. While far from malicious, the magic of
the bell is exuberant to a fault. While you are

12
using its flying speed it frequently rings of
its own accord, giving you disadvantage on
Stealth checks.
Murderous Straight Razor
Weapon (straight razor), rare (requires
attunement; cost 3,500 gp),
Crafting Components: A vial of blood taken
by force from an innocent
This otherwise gleaming implement
has dark stains that cannot be polished or
scrubbed off. You gain a +2 bonus to attack and
damage rolls made with this razor. A number
of times per day equal to half your proficiency
bonus, when you hit with a melee attack you can
use a bonus action to channel the inherent hatred
of the razor, dealing 2d6 necrotic damage.
Curse. Once attuned to this weapon, you
are cursed until you are targeted by remove
curse or similar magic. Your appearance and
manner have a hint of murderous rage at all
times, giving you disadvantage on Charisma
checks and making beasts hostile towards
you. Additionally, you have disadvantage
on attack rolls with any other weapon
and must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving
throw to willingly part with the razor, even
temporarily.
Spectral Camera
Wondrous item, uncommon (cost 500 gp)
Crafting Components: A glass lens tempered
on the Ethereal Plane
Favored by those who deal with hauntings,
a spectral camera can capture the image of
spirits on film. Any creature with incorporeal
movement or on the Ethereal Plane (visible or
not) that passes in front of the camera’s open
aperture (up to 30 feet away) will trigger the
camera to immediately take a monochrome
picture. This has no effect on creatures
affected by an invisibility spell. You can also
take a picture manually as a reaction. Once a
picture is taken, you must spend an action to
prepare the camera for another.
Unlike physical objects, incorporeal beings
do not need to stay still to appear on the
resulting photo, though the entire process
takes 1 minute to complete. Such photos do
not need to be developed and show ghostly
subjects in crisp detail, while all mundane
aspects (chairs, corporeal creatures, etc.) are
at best mildly blurry.
Each picture taken with a spectral camera
costs 2 gp in materials, which are significantly
rarer than those for a mundane photograph.
(300 gp, 15 lbs.)
Spirit-Trapping Camera
Wondrous item, very rare (cost 50,000 gp)
Crafting Components: Glass lens immersed
in holy water on a Celestial Plane for at least
a year and a day, then blessed by a celestial
associated with a god of life or protection.
Not to be mistaken for a simple spectral
camera, this plain-looking but obviously
finely-made piece gives off a subtle but
reassuring feeling of peace. As an action, you
can use one charge to focus the camera’s lens
on a single creature within 30 feet and take its
picture. If the targeted creature is an undead
or a fiend, it must make a DC 17 Charisma
saving throw or be instantly captured in a
glass photographic plate. If the target is not
an undead or fiendish creature the charge
is wasted. Any other creatures shown in the
13
 photograph are unaffected, even if they are
undead or fiends. The spirit-trapping camera
can produce as many plates as it has charges,
though each must be removed as a bonus
action before you can use another charge.
A trapped creature can be released by
breaking the plate or it can be sent to its final
judgment (in the case of an undead creature)
or back to its native plane (in the case of a
fiend) by immersing the plate in holy water
for 1 hour, at which point it disappears.
Creatures banished in this way cannot return
to the plane they were sent away from for a
year and a day by any means short of divine
intervention. If neither of these actions are
performed within 24 hours of the photograph
being taken, the creature is banished as
above, though it has no limitations on
returning.
The spirit-trapping camera has 3 charges and
regains 1 each dawn. When the last charge
is expended, roll a d20. On a 1, it becomes
a mundane photochemical camera (see
Adventures in ZEITGEIST or a5e.tools).

the extradimensional space. Retrieving an

Useful Top Hat
Wondrous item, uncommon (cost 250 gp)
Crafting Components: Hatband made of
giant spider silk.
This stylish and sturdy top hat conceals a
useful feature: a small pocket dimension. You
may store up to 50 pounds worth of items in
item stowed this way requires a bonus action
(to remove the hat) and an action (to retrieve
the item). If you have never interacted with a
specific useful top hat before, the first time you
use it, it requires 1d4 rounds to take stock of
its contents before anything can be retrieved
from the bag.
As with all extra-dimensional storage,
food or drink placed inside immediately and
permanently loses its nourishing qualities, and
a body placed in it cannot be restored to life by
resurrection, revivify, or similar magic. Living
creatures cannot be placed in the space and are
merely stowed as though in a mundane top hat
if it is attempted. The pocket dimension cannot
be accessed until the creature is removed. The
hat cannot hold any item that would not fit in
a normal hat of its apparent size or any item
with the Bulky quality. If the hat is punctured,
torn, or otherwise structurally damaged, it
ruptures and is destroyed, and the contents are
scattered throughout the Astral Plane.
Placing a useful top hat inside another
extradimensional storage device such as a bag of
holding results in planar rift that destroys both
items and pulls everything within 10 feet into the
Astral Plane. The rift then closes and disappears.

14
by Rachel Williamson
Living at the Edge of Night
I
n the evenings, as the sun retreats and
shadows grow, tales are told of those who
live—and die—in the darkness. We write
poetry and stories, songs and movies about lives,
trials, and sacrifices. The Kingdom of Night, a
cursed land controlled by a sinister immortal
ruler, is the backdrop of many such stories, but
you can find these adventurers in settings of
all kinds. Below are two backgrounds and one
destiny specifically designed for those who walk
that twilit path, literally or figuratively.
Cursed (Background)
Perhaps you broke an oath or angered a god,
or your parents promised their child’s soul to
a fiend. Whatever caused it, you are cursed.
The power that laid this upon you has not
necessarily made itself known, but its effects
are felt regardless. It has shaped your life and
interactions with others, made you wary and
careful. A tiny slip, a failed moment of etiquette,
a dirty glance—any may trigger the curse.
How did you become cursed? Are there
those who sympathize with your plight? What
transgressions might trigger the curse’s worst
effects? What does the curse do?
Ability Score Increase: +1 Charisma and one
other ability score.
Skill Proficiencies: Perception, and either
Arcana, Nature, or Religion based on the source
of your curse.
Languages: Two of your choice.
Suggested Equipment (Cost 4 gold): 4 days of
rations, one person tent, traveler’s clothes
Feature: Accursed
Your curse can flare up at any time,
but it’s especially likely during times of
stress. Whenever you fail at a Deception or
Persuasion check, your curse manifests in a
manner that you work out with your Narrator
ahead of time. The failed check is ignored, and
you immediately roll an Intimidation check
with which you have expertise, taking the new
roll. However, even a successful Intimidation
check does not necessarily produce the result
you originally intended, as the creatures
around you may recoil in fear and distrust. At
15
 the Narrator’s discretion, you may keep the
expertise die to Intimidation until the end of
the scene.
Adventures and Advancement
The entity responsible for your curse may
press you to complete specific tasks, such as
transporting a mysterious item, defeating a
hated enemy, or stealing important documents.
Work with your Narrator to determine how
your curse is leveraged in these situations.
After you complete several such tasks, your
infamy grows. You are known by all people
within 100 miles of your Prestige Center, many
of whom hold you in fearful respect. You
and your companions are given a moderate
lifestyle in settlements within this area by those
who dare not risk your curse.
Connection and Memento. Roll 1d10, choose,
or make up your own.
Cursed Connections
1. Your parent who made the deal and left you
cursed for their own ends.
2. A cultist devoted to the entity that cursed
you and who reveres you as well.
3. Your childhood romantic interest, ultimately
marked in some way by your curse.
4. A childhood friend who pulled away from
you when they realized you were cursed.
5. The entity that cursed you.
6. A priest or sage who tried—and failed—to
break your curse years ago.
7. The kindly family that took you in out of
pity.
8. The law enforcers who see you as a
dangerous troublemaker.
9. Another accursed individual with whom you
sometimes commiserate.
10. A scholar or researcher obsessed with the
entity that cursed you.
Cursed Memento
1. A locket or ring once owned by someone
who was killed when your curse first
manifested.
2. A childhood toy, well worn, which has
always been soothing.
3. A torn piece of parchment which may lead
you to the person who can break your curse.
16
4. A weapon or piece of ammunition set aside
for the entity that cursed you.
5. A unique scar, discoloration, or other mark
on your body which shows your curse.
6. Nightmares brought on by the curse which
often wake you, screaming.
7. A charm meant to keep your curse contained.
You haven’t noticed an effect.
8. An artistic rendering of the entity that cursed
you.
9. A flask once given to you as well-meaning
consolation.
10. A small knife you used as a child to protect
yourself, because no one else would.
Customizing Your Curse
Whether it’s bleeding from the eyes, ancient
runes appearing on your skin, or plants
withering and dying in your presence,
work with your Narrator to pick out a
visual effect that best fits your curse and
what causes it to manifest. Druidcraft,
prestidigitation, and thaumaturgy have some
great examples of harmless, low-scale
effects that can still be very unnerving
to the people around you. Potential
triggers include performing an evil act (as
interpreted by the one who laid the curse),
being rude, trying to speak of your curse or
the entity, or trying to violate the deal the
curse resulted from.
During character creation, work with
your Narrator to decide what entity was
responsible for this curse and what they
likely expect from you (or ask that they
decide on certain aspects privately if you
enjoy finding out organically). Possible
entities could range from a righteously
angry deity to a smooth-talking devil to the
local hag whose vegetables you stole.
Regardless of the mortality of this entity,
your curse is persistent and it should take at
least a series of harrowing adventures to lift.
If you do manage this, choose a Background
that represents a different facet of your pre-
adventuring life and replace your Accursed
feature with that of the new Background.
At your Narrator’s discretion you may still
be affected by the reputation you’ve built
around your curse, for good or ill.

Haunted (Background)
Spirits exist. It’s a simple fact of reality that most
people forget until the specter of some long-
forgotten soul appears before them. But for you,
it’s a constant reality. For some, the spirit that
follows them has been there since childhood, as
an imaginary friend or a monster in the dark. For
others, the dead come at a later date, often in the
wake of a terrible tragedy.
How did you become haunted and who is it
that drifts in your wake? How has their presence
affected your life? Do you adventure because
you are an outcast whose spirit occasionally
manifests in the presence of others? Or perhaps
worse, remains invisible, forcing you to argue
with thin air? Do you seek to merely break your
bond or to send them to their final reward?
Ability Score Increase: +1 Wisdom and one
other ability score of your choice.
Skill Proficiencies: Religion, and any one skill of
your choice that the spirit has imparted to you.
Languages: Two of your choice, one of which is
the spirit’s native language.
Suggested Equipment (Cost 16 gold): 2 days
worth of rations, bell, 5 candles, ink, ink pen,
10 sheets of paper, 5 pieces of chalk, traveler’s
clothes
Feature: Silent Aid
Being in tune with your spirit allows them to
point out something you might have missed,
if only for their own purposes. You gain a +2
to your choice of your passive Perception,
Investigation, or Insight score, depending on
your spirit’s skills.
If you banish, free, or otherwise lose your
spirit, consult with the Narrator to choose an
appropriate feature from another background.
Alternatively, the Narrator may rule that
you’ve become a beacon for the supernatural
and another spirit has taken up haunting you.
Adventures and Advancement
Whether you seek to violently banish the
restless dead or help them to peacefully pass
on, you will gain a reputation as a spirit-
speaker. Common folk and nobility alike are
likely to approach you for advice and aid with
everything from hereditary curses to irritable
poltergeists to speaking with a dead relative
about a lost treasure.
After you have solved several such
problems, you’ve become known to those who
deal in certain kinds of esoteric knowledge and
gain access to their private libraries. These vast
personal collections contain esoteric mysteries,
such as those answerable with a DC 25 Arcana,
History, or Religion check. While using such
a library your host will provide you and
your companions a moderate or rich lifestyle,
depending on their means and how impressed
they are by your exploits.
Connection and Memento. Roll 1d10, choose,
or make up your own.
Haunted Connections
1. A descendant of your spirit who blames
them for current misfortunes.
2. Another haunted individual who came to
you seeking help with their spirit in a time of
crisis.
3. The murderer who killed your spirit.
4. A ghost who has consulted your spirit
during a time of need.
5. The bereaved spouse your spirit left behind
who will do nearly anything to speak with
their lost love.
6. Your spirit, a childhood friend or a romantic
partner before tragedy struck.
7. Your spirits, a gaggle of bickering ancestors
trying to use you to right a terrible wrong.
8. A relative of your spirit who killed them in
order to inherit a fortune.
9. Your spirit, a hateful enemy of your family
who is bound to you through a quirk of
misfortune.
10. Your spirit, who haunts their own body after
you stole it and took up residence.
Haunted Memento
1. A personal item (jewelry, tools, weapon, ect)
once owned by your spirit. You can’t seem to
get rid of it.
2. A locket containing the image of the one
who haunts you.
3. The scent of your spirit’s favored cologne or
perfume that clings to you.
4. A small pouch of soil taken from your
spirit’s grave.
5. A letter of introduction penned by your
spirit, giving you their blessing.
17
 6. Journals of your spirit’s life.
7. An innocuous nonmagical item that your
spirit tells you is of dire importance.
8. The manacles that shackled your spirit
before their death.
9. A cryptic note written by your spirit who has
no memory of its existence.
10. The signet ring of your spirit, who you claim
as your parent or ancestor.
Slayer (Destiny)
There are many in the world who fight terrible
evils to protect others. They battle back the
clutching hand of death for another day, then
enjoy a well-earned, peaceful retirement. For
the Slayer, however, these battles are their
calling—whether they like it or not. Such people
may be fated to battle a powerful being and
their minions, a specific kind of monster, like
werewolves, or an entire category of creature,
such as the undead. Consult with the Narrator
to come up with a foe suitable to the setting and
campaign.
18
Source of Inspiration: War of Attrition
You gain Inspiration whenever you strike a
blow against an especially powerful creature
related to your destiny (but not necessarily
your specific destined foe).
Force the powerful enemy’s retreat, obtain an
item important to their defeat, gain a significant
insight into their location or intentions, defeat one
of their trusted lieutenants.
Inspiration Feature: Slayer’s Gift
Fighting the creatures of darkness hones both
your mental and physical prowess. After you roll
an ability check, attack roll, or saving throw but
before you know the outcome, you may spend
your inspiration to add a +5 bonus to that roll.
Fulfilling Your Destiny
You fulfill your destiny as a Slayer when
you defeat a specific and powerful creature
connected to your fate.
Destroy Vashika, Queen of the Vampires, thwart
the aboleth Birgamoz’s terrible plans of domination,
imprison the Dread Knight Maza Dunn.
Fulfillment Feature: Eyes of the Slayer
You have stared the darkness in the eye and
now few can meet your gaze. While you are
not incapacitated, you can use a bonus action
to fix any hostile creature within 20 feet of you
with an unsettling look, seeming to stare into
its very soul. The creature makes a Wisdom
saving throw with a DC equal to your passive
Intimidation score. On a failure, it is frightened
until the end of its next turn. On a success, it is
immune to this ability for 24 hours.
Table: Slayer Destiny
d6 Motivation
Live a Normal Life: You don’t wish to be a
1
Slayer, but are forced by circumstance.
Lost a Loved One: Someone you cared for
2
deeply was slain by your destined foe.
Former Ally: Someone you cared for has
3 turned against you, and it’s up to you to
stop them.
Guardian: You embrace your destiny to
4
protect as many people as possible.
Tragic Hero: You took the role of Slayer
5
because you do not value your life.
Accidental Champion: You keep finding these
6
enemies when you’re not looking for them.
by Ryan Nock
I Heard You Like Monsters
T
he wizard Fengbald advertised himself as
the Minister of Joy, for he always made his
clients happy. His clients? Tyrants who
wanted their strongholds guarded by ghastly
beasts; death priests seeking peculiar constructs;
and mad liches who needed horrors to prowl their
laboratory-tombs that wouldn’t die from the scores
of diabolical traps.
But the blasted adventurers kept killing all
the monsters anyway. And then they killed his
clients.
Finally, Fengbald decided to switch tactics:
if he could not overpower the adventures, he
would delight in making them regret their
success. Since then, every creature he has sold
to new clients has had another, nastier, monster
inside it. What follows are only a few examples
of his deviousness, set in equally devious
encounters that can be added to any adventure.
A Bad Knight
Level 1 Hard Encounter
Fengbald often devised his monsters with a
vulnerability in mind, not out of a sense of
fair play, but more because he relished the
frustration of would-be heroes realizing after
the fact that their own lack of ingenuity had
caused them grief. So it is with the bad knight,
a suit of animated armor (page 23 in Monstrous
Menagerie) enchanted so that, when destroyed,
Fengbald would receive a mental alarm.
The wizard would seed rumors in local towns
of mild peril and modest riches at some remote
ruin to lure amateur treasure hunters. Whatever
the location, the windows are shuttered and
the doors secured with arcane lock. Inside, the
armor stands to one side of the entrance, a
mundane replica on the other. Within, the entry
19
area would invariably be filled with prominent
standing mirrors, enchanted with a custom
scrying spell so Fengbald could watch his
trickery play out.
Most novice adventurers can easily handle a
mere suit of animated armor, but few know to take
the time to inspect the armor before attacking. If
they did (Perception DC 10), they’d likely hear a
hollow moan coming from within or might even
(Perception DC 14) notice lightly glowing runes on
the armor’s plates, the purpose of which (Religion
DC 15) is to bind an incorporeal undead.
When the hero boldly shatters the armor
(reducing it to 0 hit points), instead of basking
in their victory, they will receive the rude
surprise of unleashing a specter (page 396
in Monstrous Menagerie, 396) and Fengbald’s
laughter wheezing from a nearby mirror. After
a quick attack to drain the foolish intruder’s life,
the specter can then slip incorporeally through a
wall, fade to invisibility, and harass those already
weakened by the animated armor’s attacks.
Clever Alternatives
Cautious explorers, of course, might have come
in during the day, and thought to open the
shuttered windows to let in the sunlight, which
could be reflected by the numerous mirrors to
render the specter vulnerable and unable to slip
through walls.
Great minds could even use a grappling
hook to drag the armor out into the daylit open
before attacking, so that the specter would have
nowhere to run.
The Coup de Gras
Level 4 Hard Encounter
In an archaic dialect of the Common tongue, coup
de grâce is a ‘blow of mercy,’ to finish someone off.
Fengbald is fluent enough to make a bad pun.
This creation works best in some necropolis
or mausoleum, walls lined with jagged spears
or stony spikes (dealing 1d4 piercing damage
to any creature forced into a space adjacent to
the wall). Mirrors hang in the corners, standing
out as newer additions. But the party is likely
drawn to the skeleton lying on the floor with
its skull shattered and one arm outstretched.
With grand theatricality, red paint on the floor
meant to resemble a dying blood scrawl reads,
“Coup de gras.”
20
A character who makes a DC 10 check
translates this as ‘blow of fat.’ Beyond the
warning, an oddly-wide sarcophagus stands
upright and alone, awaiting inspection by
curious archaeologists and childishly naïve
dungeon delvers.
Trapped Sarcophagus Challenge 4
1st tier (constructed) (1,100 XP)
DC 15/14
Area Immediate
Surely there must be something valuable inside.
Falling Doors. When the pressure plate is
triggered, both doorways into the room
are blocked by heavy stone doors, each
weighing 2,000 lbs. The switch to raise
them again is inside the sarcophagus.
Sarcophagus Lid. When the pressure plate is
triggered, the lid explodes off in an intense
gust of wind. Any creature on the pressure
plate takes 4d10 bludgeoning damage and
is knocked prone and pushed back 5 feet.
A DC 15 Dexterity save halves the damage
and avoids the other effects.
Trap. This trap can be detected by a passive
Perception of 15 or with a Perception check
to notice the plate. If the trap is not detected,
it automatically triggers a critical failure.
Possible Solutions
Even if the adventurers notice the trap,
there are multiple parts to this puzzle.
Rolling or sliding something heavy enough
(30 pounds or more) onto the plate will
safely trigger the lid portion, but the falling
doors still drop without a successful DC
14 Engineering or thieves’ tools check to
disarm them.
Critical Failure: The adventurer who
stepped onto the plate must roll to avoid
the sarcophagus lid. Failure on the saving
throw also causes a level of fatigue.
Failure: The adventurer who stepped
onto the plate must roll to avoid the
sarcophagus lid.
Success: The adventurer disarms the trap.
Critical Success: The adventurer disarm the
trap but have the option to leave the trap
active for someone else to deal with.
 Once triggered, cloud of dust and sand fills
a 10-foot radius around the sarcophagus.
Immediately, the mummy within (page 338
in Monstrous Menagerie) emerges and attacks,
coils of air swirling dust around the cursed
creature. As the mummy shambles forward,
its cloth wrappings bulge outward like they’re
holding in some great pressure. This gives
the mummy a chubby, almost comical shape.
While its bandages remain intact, the mummy
has disadvantage on all checks to avoid or
escape a grapple maneuver.
Most heroes presented with a turgid corpse
will gleefully set it on fire, slice it apart,
or shove it onto the enticing wall spikes.
However, when the undead foe is bloodied
(reduced to half its HP), the remaining
cloth wrappings are torn apart as the air
elemental trapped inside (191 in Monstrous
Menagerie) bursts free, leaving the dessicated
corpse of the mummy still standing. After
this initial assault, Fengbald’s face appears
in one of the mirrors. Between guffaws he
says, “You should have just put the fat man
back in the box!”
The elemental looks like a tornado, and if the
doors are open it attempts to flee. If the doors are
still closed, it will use whirlwind to pick up PCs
and drag them into the spikes on the wall, then
deposit them beside the mummy so it can punch
and curse them.
A DC 14 Perception check locates the
mechanism to reopen the room’s doors inside
the sarcophagus.
Clever Alternatives
Instead of fighting the mummy, the party can
try to grapple it and to shove it back into the
sarcophagus, then put the lid back in place.
Replacing the lid requires a DC 14 Athletics
check and activates the mechanism in the rim of
the sarcophagus that lifts the doors.,
The Stuffed Crab
Level 6 Deadly Encounter
Inevitably, Fengbald expects some adventurers
who survive one of his tricks to want to get back
at him, so he leaves well-seasoned breadcrumbs.
Former underlings, either his own or those of
villains the party has vanquished, have quite a
few tales about “that weird wizard.”
While yes, he was as evil, he also was stuffed
with idiosyncratic behaviors. He would reside
at the edge of dungeons that were under
construction, and would ask to collect the skulls
of any workers who perished in accidents. He’d
try to calm down short-tempered overlords
whenever they were on the verge of executing
a minion for a mistake, only to recommend far
more gruesome and slow punishments.
And one thing everyone remembers is how
he’d always keep a supply of stuffed soft-shell
crabs to munch while he was workshopping
ideas or assembling monsters. It seems the
Minister of Joy himself found great joy in coastal
cuisine, and he’d occasionally mention needing
to return to ‘the shack’ for supplies. He’d chalk
up a teleportation circle, vanish for an hour, and
return with a fresh case.
Upon exploring any given site where
Fengbald’s monsters are installed (including
those above) adventurers can find the partial
remains of the sigils for the teleportation circle,
and a maker’s mark on the wooden case that
held the stuffed crabs says “Partasti Seafood
Shack, Pine Island. It’s all about presentation!”
With a DC 15 Arcana (to infer a location) or
Culture (to recognize the town) check, it’s not
hard to track down Fengbald’s favorite foodie
spot down a dark swampside road at the edge of
Pine Island.
The restaurant has a small staff who are
actively rude to patrons, and shortly after the
party arrives, one old gnome cook slips away
(Perception DC 14) and takes a path out to a
decrepit warehouse at the edge of the water,
elevated on wooden pilings. Alternately,
staff asked about Fengbald will mention he’s
frequented the aforementioned warehouse.
The warehouse is 30 foot wide and 70 feet
long, and the interior is dark and smells of
rotting fish. Chains dangle from the 30-foot
ceiling, meant to help haul seafood catches in for
processing. In the center two rows of 3 sluices:
5-foot patches of the floor are open to the swamp
below so fish guts can be swept into the water.
In the far corner, stairs lead up to an elevated
office that overlooks the warehouse floor, and
lantern light within casts the shadow of moving
figures. Below it is a second office with darkened
windows.
Operated Trap. The gnome cook is standing
by in the second floor office to drop a portcullis
21
 over the door once the party enters. The
apparatus can be spotted before entry with a
Passive Perception of 15 or a Perception check Possible Solutions
and can be disabled with a DC 14 Engineering or An Acrobatics or Athletics check allows
theives’ tools check. an adventurer to safely drop to the
Whether the party finds and disables the trap, swamp below. On a failure they fall and
magical lights flare around the room and a take 7 (2d6) damage.
large mirror lowers from the ceiling. Fengbald’s Critical Failure: The adventurer falls and
face appears, grinning. “I hope you’re hungry, takes 7 (2d6) piercing damage from the
because I’ve got some stuffed crab for ya!” spikes and rolls the saving throw for
Smashing the mirror reveals it is a mimic (page noxious stench at disadvantage.
333 in Monstrous Menagerie).
Failure: The adventurer falls and takes 7
That’s when the stuffed crab (see below) bursts (2d6) piercing damage from the spikes.
out of the lower office and scuttles toward them.
Success: The adventurer successfully
True to Fengbald’s word, the crab is stuffed—
navigates the spikes.
with 7 ghouls (page 229 in Monstrous Menagerie).
Critical Success: The adventurer
Due to the huge crab’s state of decay, the
successfully navigates the spikes and
location struck matters. Creatures who attack it
rolls the saving throw for noxious
must choose one of the squares it occupies that
stench with advantage.
they can target. On a successful hit, a ghoul falls
prone into that space. If, by chance, that space
happens to be over one of the gaps in the floor,
the ghoul will fall through with a yelp, taking 7 However, even if an adventurer manages
(2d6) damage in the process. to drop down safely, the outer edge of this
basement level is ringed with rusted metal
wire. Clearing a space wide enough to
Fouled Sluice Challenge 4 squeeze through requires spending an action
1st tier (constructed) (1,100 XP) and a successful DC 10 Strength check. The
crab can and will reach through the holes in
the floor to pincer would-be escapees and pull
DC 15/14
them back up to the warehouse level.
Area Immediate
When the crab is reduced to 0 hit points,
Fengbald doesn’t want anyone to miss out on
any ghoul still inside takes crawls out on its
the “fun.”
turn. Should the party stand their ground and
survive, Fengbald tells them he can’t wait
Noxious Stench. Regardless of outcome, to do this again, and laughs until the party
all adventurers must make a DC 13 leaves or smashes the mirror.
Constitution saving throw or be poisoned
for 1 round by the awful smell of rotting
seafood.
Solo Challenge. Each adventurer decides for
themselves how to navigate the sluice.
Swampy. The area under the floor is
considered difficult terrain.
Trap. This trap can be detected by a passive
Perception of 15 or with a Perception
check to notice the plate. If the trap is not
detected, it automatically triggers a critical
failure.

22
 ACTIONS
Stuffed Crab Challenge 6
Huge undead (2,300 XP) Multiattack. The huge skeletal crab makes
two pincer attacks.
Armor Class 14 (natural armor) Pincer. Melee Weapon Attack: +8 to hit; reach
HP 104 (16d12; bloodied 52) 10 ft., one target. Hit: 17 (3d8 + 5) slashing
damage. On a success, the target must
Speed 40 ft., swim 40 ft..
make a DC 16 Strength or Dexterity saving
STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA throw or become grabbed (escape DC 16).
The crab can grab up to two creatures..
20(+5) 4(-3) 10 (+0) 10 (+0) 1(-5) 8(-1)
BONUS ACTIONS
Proficiency +3; Maneuver DC 16
Damage Immunities poison
Stuffing. If the crab has a Medium or smaller
Damage Resistances necrotic creature grappled, it stuffs the creature into
Damage Vulnerabilities bludgeoning its shell, taking 5 points of damage itself
but trapping its target. The creature moves
Condition Immunities fatigued, poisoned
with the crab, but is considered restrained
Senses blindsight 30 ft., darkvision 60 ft., (escape DC 16). Every turn the creature
passive Perception 9 remains restrained, each ghoul that is still
inside the crab can make an attack against it
with disadvantage.
Combat The crab prioritizes grappling
creatures and stuffing them into its
exoskeleton, despite the damage it takes.

23
 Legal Information
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc (“Wizards”).
All Rights Reserved.
1. Definitions: (a)”Contributors” means the copyright and/
or trademark owners who have contributed Open Game
Content;(b)”Derivative Material” means copyrighted material
including derivative works and translations (including into other
computer languages, potation, modification, correction, addition,
extension, upgrade, improvement, compilation, abridgment or
other form in which an existing work may be recast, transformed
or adapted; (c) “Distribute” means to reproduce, license, rent,
lease, sell, broadcast, publicly display, transmit or otherwise
distribute; (d)”Open Game Content” means the game mechanic
and includes the methods, procedures, processes and routines
to the extent such content does not embody the Product
Identity and is an enhancement over the prior art and any
additional content clearly identified as Open Game Content by
the Contributor, and means any work covered by this License,
including translations and derivative works under copyright law,
but specifically excludes Product Identity. (e) “Product Identity”
means product and product line names, logos and identifying
marks including trade dress; artifacts; creatures characters;
stories, storylines, plots, thematic elements, dialogue, incidents,
language, artwork, symbols, designs, depictions, likenesses,
formats, poses, concepts, themes and graphic, photographic and
other visual or audio representations; names and descriptions of
characters, spells, enchantments, personalities, teams, personas,
likenesses and special abilities; places, locations, environments,
creatures, equipment, magical or supernatural abilities or effects,
logos, symbols, or graphic designs; and any other trademark or
registered trademark clearly identified as Product identity by the
owner of the Product Identity, and which specifically excludes
the Open Game Content; (f) “Trademark” means the logos,
names, mark, sign, motto, designs that are used by a Contributor
to identify itself or its products or the associated products
contributed to the Open Game License by the Contributor
(g) “Use”, “Used” or “Using” means to use, Distribute, copy,
edit, format, modify, translate and otherwise create Derivative
Material of Open Game Content. (h) “You” or “Your” means the
licensee in terms of this agreement.
2. The License: This License applies to any Open Game Content
that contains a notice indicating that the Open Game Content
may only be Used under and in terms of this License. You
must affix such a notice to any Open Game Content that
you Use. No terms may be added to or subtracted from this
License except as described by the License itself. No other
terms or conditions may be applied to any Open Game
Content distributed using this License.
3. Offer and Acceptance: By Using the Open Game Content You
indicate Your acceptance of the terms of this License.
4. Grant and Consideration: In consideration for agreeing to
use this License, the Contributors grant You a perpetual,
worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive license with the exact
terms of this License to Use, the Open Game Content.
5. Representation of Authority to Contribute: If You are contributing
original material as Open Game Content, You represent that
Your Contributions are Your original creation and/or You have
sufficient rights to grant the rights conveyed by this License.
6. Notice of License Copyright: You must update the
COPYRIGHT NOTICE portion of this License to include the
exact text of the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any Open Game
Content You are copying, modifying or distributing, and
You must add the title, the copyright date, and the copyright
holder’s name to the COPYRIGHT NOTICE of any original
Open Game Content you Distribute.
7. Use of Product Identity: You agree not to Use any Product
Identity, including as an indication as to compatibility, except as
expressly licensed in another, independent Agreement with the
owner of each element of that Product Identity. You agree not
to indicate compatibility or co-adaptability with any Trademark
24
or Registered Trademark in conjunction with a work containing
Open Game Content except as expressly licensed in another,
independent Agreement with the owner of such Trademark or
Registered Trademark. The use of any Product Identity in Open
Game Content does not constitute a challenge to the ownership
of that Product Identity. The owner of any Product Identity
used in Open Game Content shall retain all rights, title and
interest in and to that Product Identity.
8. Identification: If you distribute Open Game Content You
must clearly indicate which portions of the work that you are
distributing are Open Game Content.
9. Updating the License: Wizards or its designated Agents
may publish updated versions of this License. You may use
any authorized version of this License to copy, modify and
distribute any Open Game Content originally distributed
under any version of this License.
10. Copy of this License: You MUST include a copy of this License
with every copy of the Open Game Content You Distribute.
11. Use of Contributor Credits: You may not market or advertise the
Open Game Content using the name of any Contributor unless
You have written permission from the Contributor to do so.
12. Inability to Comply: If it is impossible for You to comply
with any of the terms of this License with respect to some or
all of the Open Game Content due to statute, judicial order,
or governmental regulation then You may not Use any Open
Game Material so affected.
13. Termination: This License will terminate automatically if
You fail to comply with all terms herein and fail to cure such
breach within 30 days of becoming aware of the breach. All
sublicenses shall survive the termination of this License.
14. Reformation: If any provision of this License is held to be
unenforceable, such provision shall be reformed only to the
extent necessary to make it enforceable.
15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Adventurer’s Guide. Copyright
2021, EN Publishing. www.levelup5e.com
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Trials & Treasures. Copyright 2021,
EN Publishing. www.levelup5e.com
Level Up: Advanced 5th Edition Monstrous Menagerie. Copyright
2021, EN Publishing. www.levelup5e.com
Level Up: Advanced Fifth Edition Gate Pass Gazette #2. Copyright
2021, EN Publishing. www.levelup5e.com
System Reference Document. Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast,
Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on
material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
System Reference Document 5.0 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the
Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins,
Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb,
Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on
original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document. © 2011, Paizo
Publishing, LLC; Author: Paizo Publishing, LLC.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook. © 2009, Paizo
Publishing, LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by
Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Bestiary. © 2009, Paizo Publishing,
LLC; Author: Jason Bulmahn, based on material by Jonathan Tweet,
Monte Cook, and Skip Williams.
Tome of Horrors. © 2002, Necromancer Games, Inc.; Authors: Scott
Greene, with Clark Peterson, Erica Balsley, Kevin Baase, Casey
Christofferson, Lance Hawvermale, Travis Hawvermale, Patrick
Lawinger, and Bill Webb; Based on original content from TSR.
DECLARATION OF OPEN GAMING CONTENT
Please see the System Reference Documents on the official website
for details of what constitutes Open Gaming Content.
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