difficulty) and imposing ever greater restrictions to continue competing. Ability Value: 3,000 gp.
Iron Wyrm Vault
Tactile Trapsmith
You can rely on your rapid reflexes and nimble fingers instead of your intellect when searching a room or when disabling a trap. Benefit: You add your Dexterity bonus (rather than your Intelligence bonus) on all Search and Disable Device checks. In addition, you receive no penalty on these checks for darkness or blindness. This feat first appeared in Complete Adventurer.
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CHAPTER 6
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Scoundrel adventures
The lifeblood of a nation—tax gold, imperial heirlooms, the spoils of forgotten wars—all flows here to the ultimate in security, the iron wyrm vault. This treasure trove of a centuries-old dynasty is every thief’s dream, and countless such dreamers have lost their lives reaching for their fantasy. Lore: Characters with ranks in Knowledge (nobility and royalty) can research the iron wyrm vault to learn more about it. When a character succeeds on a skill check, the following lore is revealed, including the information from lower DCs. DC 10: The rulers of the nation keep their most precious treasures in an ancient trove called the iron wyrm vault. DC 15: Countless traps, magical wards, and undying guardians protect the iron wyrm vault, their numbers expanding with the innovations of each new generation. DC 20: Members of the royal family know how to circumvent the defenses of the iron wyrm vault. DC 25: The iron wyrm vault is named for its most obvious decoration, which is also rumored to be its strongest guardian. Description: While the entire compound that houses the iron wyrm vault is known by that name, the actual vault is a hall of interconnected chambers that include lavishly appointed salons, display rooms of glittering artifacts, and repositories brimming with loose coins. Above the entire complex hangs a sculpture of exquisite quality, an amazingly lifelike dragon the size of a great wyrm shaped from pure adamantine. Within the iron wyrm vault, dazzling treasures collect dust. The smells of old air and mild decay mingle with the static charge of magical protections so numerous and powerful as to be palpable. Those who enter feel as though they’re being watched. Some of the relics stored here are kept hidden away out of fear, and other ancient treasures even have minds and agendas all their own. The DM should populate the iron wyrm vault with magic traps and guardians appropriate for the levels of the characters infiltrating it. (Avoid protections that would
damage the valuables, such as a fireball trap in a room filled with priceless paintings.) Against epic-level characters, the great sculpture might be an ironwyrm golem of immense size (Draconomicon 165). Prerequisite: A character must successfully navigate the protections of the iron wyrm vault to claim its benefit. Location Activation: Simply breaking into the iron wyrm vault without the knowledge or consent of the place’s royal owners isn’t quite enough to make the burglar a legend. Only claiming an item from the iron wyrm vault as proof of its infiltration activates the location’s benefit. At the DM’s option, those captured after reaching the vault might gain the location’s benefit even if they have nothing to show for their visit, as tales of their daring act—and perhaps even subsequent trial—spread through word of mouth. Recharge: Any character who enters the iron wyrm vault, successfully passes its countless guardians and trials, and returns with proof of his accomplishment gains the location’s benefit. Special Ability (Ex): Breaching the iron wyrm vault grants the thief great insights into his own powers of stealth and thievery. The character gains one of the following as a bonus feat: Nimble Fingers, Skill Focus (Disable Device, Hide, Move Silently, Open Lock, or Search), Stealthy, or Tactile Trapsmith (see the sidebar). Furthermore, the successful burglar gains a +2 bonus on Diplomacy and Gather Information checks made to influence or gain information from any thief, freedom fighter, or other opponent of the nation that controls the iron wyrm vault (as long as the character’s escapade is known to them). However, he takes a –2 penalty on the same checks made in conjunction with guards, members of the noble class, and other “respectable” sorts within that nation. These benefits are in addition to any treasure the character might have stolen from the iron wyrm vault. Duration: Having infiltrated one of the most heavily guarded treasure troves in the land makes a thief a legend for life, so the effects of the iron wyrm vault are permanent. Variation: The iron wyrm vault might be any heavily guarded trove of any kind of treasure, perhaps the storehouse of an influential religion, crime syndicate, or powerful monster. Likewise, what is stored within also might be anything of value, such as a library of arcane tomes, an arsenal of powerful weapons, or even a prison filled with dissidents. The DM should alter the groups affected by the location’s benefit to better fit any modifications. Additionally, the skill check modifiers granted by this location might vary depending on what a character takes from the vault. One who steals the crown of the nation’s founder, for example, might receive a +5 bonus (and –5 penalty) instead of the normal +2/–2. Ability Value: 3,000 gp.
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