Caltrops

Adventuring Gear

Price: 1 gp (common), 2 gp (cold iron), 451 gp (hollow), 451 gp (serrated), 400 gp (shrapnel), 50 gp (vicious)
Weight: 2 lbs. (common, cold iron, hollow, serrated, shrapnel), 4 lbs. (vicious)

Description

A caltrop is a four-pronged metal spike crafted so that one prong always faces up no matter how the caltrop comes to rest. You scatter caltrops on the ground in the hope that your enemies step on them or are at least forced to slow down to avoid them. One 2-pound bag of caltrops covers an area 5 feet square.

Each time a creature moves into an area covered by caltrops (or spends a round fighting while standing in such an area), it runs the risk of stepping on one. Make an attack roll for the caltrops (base attack bonus +0) against the creature. For this attack, the creature’s Shield Bonus, Armor Bonus, and Deflection Bonus do not count. If the creature is wearing shoes or other footwear, it gets a +2 Armor Bonus to AC. If the attack succeeds, the creature has stepped on a caltrop. The caltrop deals 1 point of damage, and the creature’s speed is reduced by half because its foot is wounded. This Movement penalty lasts for 24 hours, until the creature is successfully treated with a DC 15 Heal check, or until it receives at least 1 point of magical healing. A charging or running creature must immediately stop if it steps on a caltrop. Any creature moving at half speed or slower can pick its way through a bed of caltrops with no trouble.

Caltrops may not work against unusual opponents.

Cold Iron Caltrops: These caltrops function as normal caltrops, but are made of Cold Iron, and affect creatures with Damage Reduction Cold Iron accordingly.

Hollow Caltrops: Hollow caltrops each have a hidden chamber built inside them. Hollow caltrops work just like normal caltrops, except they are considered masterwork weapons (+1 bonus on attack rolls), and they can be filled with poison. A single dose of poison can be applied to an entire 2-pound bag of caltrops after 10 minutes of work. Doing so requires a delicate hand, and there is a 5% chance of poisoning yourself unless you have the poison use class feature or a similar ability. Hollow caltrops can be further enchanted as per melee weapons, treating one 2-pound bag as a single melee weapon. If any of the magic caltrops are lost, all the caltrops lose any magic abilities until the missing caltrops are returned or replaced. Hollow caltrops can’t have the serrated special feature or the shrapnel special feature.

Serrated Caltrops: Often used by ogres, bugbears, and other creatures that delight in causing excruciating pain to others, these caltrops have serrated edges that leave rough wounds that are difficult to heal. Serrated caltrops work just like normal caltrops, except they are considered masterwork weapons (+1 bonus on attack rolls), deal 1 point of Bleed damage on a successful hit in addition to the caltrop’s usual damage, and possess a critical threat range of 19–20. On a confirmed critical hit, the Bleed damage increases to 1d2 points. A successful DC 15 Heal check or any amount of magical healing ends the Bleed as well as the normal Movement penalty a caltrop causes. Serrated caltrops can be further enchanted as per melee weapons, treating one 2-pound bag as a single melee weapon. If any of the magic caltrops are lost, all the caltrops lose any magic abilities until the missing caltrops are returned or replaced. Serrated caltrops can’t have the hollow special feature or the shrapnel special feature.

Shrapnel Caltrops: Shrapnel caltrops shatter into fragments that embed themselves into a creature’s body when stepped on. Shrapnel caltrops work just like normal caltrops, except they are considered masterwork weapons (+1 bonus on attack rolls). Creatures damaged by a shrapnel caltrop must succeed at a DC 15 Reflex Save or take 1d2 points of Dexterity damage in addition to the caltrop’s usual damage. The Movement penalty inflicted by a shrapnel caltrop cannot be removed until all Dexterity damage dealt by the caltrop is healed, even if the creature receives magical healing or is treated with a successful Heal check. Shrapnel caltrops are destroyed after making one attack rolls. Shrapnel caltrops can’t have the hollow special feature or the serrated special feature.

Vicious Caltrops: These specially modified caltrops have clusters of needle-sharp spines that are slightly longer and more brittle than those on normal caltrops. Like standard caltrops, a 2-pound bag of vicious caltrops covers a 5-foot-square area. Vicious caltrops work just like normal caltrops, save that they have an attack bonus of +4, do 1d2 points of damage, and require a DC 20 Heal check to fully treat.