RULES EXPANSION

TERRIFYING D&D

W
hy is D&D so easy these days? How can
Game Master’s compete with the slew
of incredible abilities given to players
as early as level 1? How do we craft a
compelling game when it feels players are given
tools for every imaginable situation?

The answer is simple, we must remember that

Hit Points are not a hero’s only resource! In fact,
they are arguably the least important resource
in the game, seeing as a hero is 100% functional
whether they have full HP or are down to their
final one. So, why does almost every trap and
monster in the game exclusively target a hero’s
Hit Points? It’s like trying to take down a fully
operational Death Star, it’ll never work. Instead,
you can use these truly fiendish traps, curses, and
monsters to whittle down each player’s resources
so when they step into the arena with the Big
Bad, they’re in a position to feel true terror!

ARTIST: RICHA RD NG UYEN

THE GM’S SECRET WEAPON 16

Draining Encounter:
The Magitech Engine

T
he magitech engine is a simple encoun-
ter that gives your spellcasting heroes
a choice and an opportunity to work
together. You can adapt this concept
to any number of traps or puzzles, but the core
magitech engine encounter works like so:

The heroes stumble into a large, open room

while venturing through a dungeon, and an
iron portcullis slams shut behind them; they’re
locked in! In the center of the room is a colossal
machine, belching thick smoke and jets of flame.
This is the Magitech Engine, and it has been
overclocked by the denizens of the dungeon; it’s
going to explode in 3 rounds, dealing Xd10 fire
damage to all heroes in the room (X equals the
average player level).

Magitech Engines can be dampened by magic,

however. Any spellcaster can use their turn to
cast any spell targeting the machine. It takes no
damage, but the level of the spell slot expended
will dampen magitech’s power, reducing the
damage of its explosion by 1d10.

Thus, a party of level 5 heroes can expend 5

levels of spells (a 3rd level spell + two 1st level
spells, for example) to reduce the explosion
damage to 0. If they choose not to use any spells
to reduce the explosion, all heroes will take 5d10
fire damage as the engine bursts.

This challenge forces spellcasting heroes to

evaluate the value of their spell slots, potentially
burning precious resources to ensure an already Hard Mode: Magitech Engine
injured party can survive the trap. Encounter
The core magitech engine trap is a simple
non-combat encounter to spice up a dungeon,
but if you want to REALLY ratchet up the threat,
consider also throwing a few monsters for the
party to battle at the same time.

Now, non-spellcasting heroes have something

to do, and spellcasters will be forced to either
use their magic to aid in defeating the monsters,
or cooling down the machine that will burst
in 3 rounds, dealing catastrophic damage to
everyone.

THE GM’S SECRET WEAPON 17

Draining Encounter: Soul Tearing Spirit

T
oo few monsters in D&D hit players where it REALLY hurts. Sure, striking at Hit Points is all
well and good, but the Soul Tearing Spirit aims to destroy a far more precious resource. If you
want to really make your players sweat, throw a couple of Soul Tearing Spirits their way across
your next adventure, either early in a dungeon to strip them of resources swiftly, or alongside
the Big Bad to give them something really nasty to worry about beyond big damage.

Soul Tearing Spirit

Medium undead, unaligned

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 44 (8d8 + 8)
Speed 0 ft., fly 40 ft. (hover)

STR DEX CON INT WIS CHA

7 (-2) 15 (+2) 12 (+1) 6 (−2) 12 (+1) 18 (+4)

Damage Resistances Bludgeoning, Piercing, and

Slashing from nonmagical attacks
Condition Immunities Charmed, Exhaustion,
Frightened, Grappled, Paralyzed, Petrified,
Poisoned, Prone, Restrained
Senses Darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 11
Languages --
Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Incorporeal Movement. The spirit can move

through other creatures and objects as if they
were difficult terrain. It takes 5 (1d10) force Bonus Actions
damage if it ends its turn inside an object.
Soul Thief. The spirit can expend 1 Soul Point
Actions (see Soul Tear action) to take one of the following
bonus actions:
Soul Tear. Melee Weapon Attack: +6 to hit, reach 5
ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) necrotic damage, • Geist Wind. The spirit takes the Disengage
the spirit gains 1 Soul Point, and the target and Dash actions.
loses one use of a species trait or class/subclass
feature (the GM chooses the trait or feature lost). • Magic Resistance. The spirit has advantage
For example, a Fighter may lose a use of their on saving throws against spells and other
Action Surge, a Monk may lose a Focus Point, a magical effects until the end of its next turn.
Sorcerer may lose a use of their Innate Sorcery,
or a Warlock may lose a use of their Magical • Surge. The spirit makes a Soul Tear attack.
Cunning. A creature can lose a use of a species
trait or class/subclass feature in this way only • Warding Magic. The spirit casts the Shield of
once per turn. Faith spell, targeting itself (+2 AC).

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Draining Curses

A great way to add an extra challenge to a

hero is with a good old fashioned curse.
Curses are fantastic because they offer a
simple way to add a temporary restrictive
mechanic to a dungeon or adventure. The
following curses are examples that might impair
a hero for a single session, and fade after a long
rest. The intent of curses like this is to restrict a
heroes options in some way, forcing the players
to adopt new strategies, try new things, grow,
explore, and, yeah, maybe sweat a little bit!

These curses could be triggered in any number

of ways: perhaps a player attunes to a cursed
item, perhaps they fail a saving throw against a
magical rune trap, or maybe they slept with the
wrong temptation demon (we’ve all been there,
right?)

Curse: Overwhelming Selfishness

A hero bearing this curse becomes overwhelmed
with concern for their own preservation. They
cannot target any creature aside from themselves
with beneficial spells, features, or traits. For
example, a Cleric bearing this curse who casts
the Bless or Aid spell can be the only beneficiary
of those spells. Similarly, a Paladin cannot use
their Lay on Hands feature on any creature but
themselves.

Curse: Lethargy Tether

A hero bearing this curse becomes magically
tethered to an allied creature within 300 feet.
The two remain tethered until the cursed hero
finishes a Long Rest. The pair share a single
source of energy, between the two they can only
cast a single levelled spell, take a single Attack
action, move a total of 30 feet, and take a single
reaction per round.

Curse: Magical Taxation

A hero bearing this curse is strained with magical
lethargy. Whenever they cast a spell using a spell
slot, they must expend an additional spell slot of
any level, otherwise the spell fails.

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