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Powder Moth

by Jamie Baty

SCMC
(CR 10): These tiny insects swarm together and build breeding-nests inside caches of smokepowder. They consume the vermeil contained in the smokepowder, quickly spoiling it. The moths are so small that individual moths cannot be seen unless a detect invisibility is used. Large swarms of them can be seen with a DC 20 Spot check. After the mating season is over, the insects leave the spoiled powder (rendering it totally useless).
The insects in and of themselves do not pose a threat to any living creature. However, the presence of these insects indicates a large quantity of unstable smokepowder is within 10ft. Any vibrations or movement could cause the unstable powder to detonate. Every creature moving within 10ft of the smokepowder keg must make a Reflex save vs DC 15 or vibrate the powder enough to cause an explosion. This save must be made for every keg within 10ft of the creature. Typically there are 1d12 kegs in a stash.
Each keg of infested smokepowder causes 10d6 +10 fire damage to those within 10ft of it; those within 20 ft suffer half damage. In both cases, a Reflex save vs DC 12 can be made for half damage. Every keg of smokepowder within 20ft of the blast will also explode in a fiery chain reaction.
In addition to fire damage, any Inheritors within the blast have any cinnabryl they carry depleted at the rate of one week's protection for every 8 points of damage inflicted. Thus a 36 point blast would deplete 4 weeks of cinnabryl.