Ghost Trap
Although the air is still, the sound of howling wind fills the room. Atop a lectern rests a book, its pages whipping back and forth as if blown by gusts of wind.
A creature that touches the book or begins its turn carrying the book triggers a Failure.
Exploration. A creature that makes an Arcana or Religion check senses the presence of unquiet spirits. On a critical success, the creature realizes the book on the lectern is possessed by a ghost. The book is a rare tome titled On Immortality and is worth 250 gp. A detect magic spell cast on the book reveals an aura of necromancy, while a detect evil and good spell reveals the presence of undead.
Possession. A Success is triggered if Turn Undead, dispel evil and good , or a similar effect is used to drive the ghost from its host, if the ghost chooses to leave its host, or if the host drops to 0 hit points.
If a possessed creature takes damage, it makes a Charisma
saving throw
. On a success, a Success is triggered.
- If the book is destroyed or is the target of Turn Undead, banishment , dispel evil and good , or dispel magic while inhabited by the ghost, the ghost appears within 5 feet of it. If the ghost is reduced to 0 hit points, the ghost is destroyed. The book is an object with AC 11, 15 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
Potential Outcomes
Critical Failure or Failure. The triggering creature makes a Charisma saving throw . On a failure, the ghost that inhabits the book possesses the creature, and the trap is disabled.
The possessed creature is unconscious . The ghost enters the creature’s body and takes control of it. The ghost can be targeted only by effects that turn undead, and it retains its Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. It grants its host body immunity to being charmed and frightened . It otherwise uses the possessed creature’s statistics and actions instead of its own. It doesn’t gain access to the creature’s memories but does gain access to its proficiencies, nonmagical class features and traits, and nonmagical actions. The ghost can’t use limited-use abilities or class traits that require spending a resource.
Success or Critical Success. The ghost leaves its host. If the book is within 60 feet, the ghost is forced back into it, and the trap resets. Otherwise, the ghost appears next to the target. The target is then immune to this ghost’s Possession for 24 hours.