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THE COUNTERWEIGHT DOOR

Environments Designed by Speedy
Tier
2
Type
Event
Difficulty
14
Impulses
Hold fast punish haste wake what sleeps behind it

Environment overview

A sealed imperial vault door, held shut by four linked counterweights, each seized in its own way.

Potential adversaries

Vault Warden Ruined Builder Mechs

Features

Passives

passive
  • Linked Chains

    Raising any one weight lowers the other three and grinds the door tighter. The door opens only when all four weights rise at once.

    Questions
    • What does the door sound like when one chain is pulled?
    • Who figures out the trick first?
  • Seized Stations

    Each counterweight must be freed before the pull. Any PC can attempt any station:

    • Rusted gearing: a Strength Roll.

    • A trapped release housing: a Finesse Roll. On a failure, the spring blade deals 2d6+3 physical damage.

    • Chain overgrown with crystal: a Strength Roll to shatter it, or an Instinct Roll to find the seam. On a failure, the PC marks a Stress as the crystal cuts.

    • A pulley on a high ledge: an Agility Roll to climb. The PC stays up there to hold it.

    Questions
    • Why was this vault sealed this way?
    • Who was it built to keep out, or keep in?

Actions

action
  • Groaning Iron
    Fear 1

    Spend a Fear. A freed weight slips. The PC at that station must succeed on a Strength Reaction Roll, or take 2d6+3 physical damage as the chain whips loose and the station seizes again.

    Questions
    • Where does the chain strike?
    • Who shouts the warning?

Reactions

reaction
  • The Pull

    When all four stations are freed, the party makes a group action roll to raise the weights together. On a success, the door rolls open quietly and the first PC to act in the chamber has advantage. On a failure, the door jams halfway, the party squeezes through, and you gain 2 Fear as the chamber wakes.

    Questions
    • Who calls the count?
    • What stirs when the light spills in?

About this environment

THE COUNTERWEIGHT DOOR

Tier 2 Event

A sealed imperial vault door, held shut by four linked counterweights, each seized in its own way.

Impulses: Hold fast, punish haste, wake what sleeps behind it

Difficulty: 14

Potential Adversaries: Vault Warden, Ruined Builder Mechs

Features

Linked Chains - Passive: Raising any one weight lowers the other three and grinds the door tighter. The door opens only when all four weights rise at once.
  • What does the door sound like when one chain is pulled?
  • Who figures out the trick first?
Seized Stations - Passive: Each counterweight must be freed before the pull. Any PC can attempt any station:

  • Rusted gearing: a Strength Roll.

  • A trapped release housing: a Finesse Roll. On a failure, the spring blade deals 2d6+3 physical damage.

  • Chain overgrown with crystal: a Strength Roll to shatter it, or an Instinct Roll to find the seam. On a failure, the PC marks a Stress as the crystal cuts.

  • A pulley on a high ledge: an Agility Roll to climb. The PC stays up there to hold it.

  • Why was this vault sealed this way?
  • Who was it built to keep out, or keep in?
Groaning Iron - Action: Spend a Fear. A freed weight slips. The PC at that station must succeed on a Strength Reaction Roll, or take 2d6+3 physical damage as the chain whips loose and the station seizes again.
  • Where does the chain strike?
  • Who shouts the warning?
The Pull - Reaction: When all four stations are freed, the party makes a group action roll to raise the weights together. On a success, the door rolls open quietly and the first PC to act in the chamber has advantage. On a failure, the door jams halfway, the party squeezes through, and you gain 2 Fear as the chamber wakes.
  • Who calls the count?
  • What stirs when the light spills in?

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