Stinking Cloud

You can use a permanent stinking cloud very much like solid fog, but it’s important to keep the stuff as far away from your stronghold as possible. After all, you don’t want to make yourself or your people sick with your own spells.

A stinking cloud is dispersed more easily than solid fog—a moderate wind (11+ mph) breaks it up in 4 rounds, while a strong wind (21+ mph) does the job in 1 round—making it not as consistently useful when it comes to obscuring a view. Still, it can prove even handier at blocking off a pass.

As with solid fog, stinking cloud works best in conjunction with an alarm spell. This can alert you to the intruders’ presence as they enter the stinking cloud, allowing you to deal with the hindered victims as they emerge.

Some heroes (and some not so noble people) install a permanent stinking cloud inside a (sealed) prison cell. Nausea generally overcomes any prisoners placed in the room, making them unable to cast spells, use skills, or come up with much more of a plan for a breakout than “Let’s get out of here!”

Casting: 150 gp (Wiz5) or 180 gp (Sor6)

Permanent: 8,050 gp (11th)