Dungeon Dressing: Sarcophagi
Wealthy or powerful individuals may have elaborately decorated sarcophagi dripping with gemstones, precious metals and other decorations. These treasure-filled tombs are certain to be guarded with fiendish traps or deadly guardians to keep out would-be grave robbers.
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Major Features
The sarcophagus is aligned towards a significant site such as a religious site, secret city or unimaginable treasure. It could also point toward a secret door.
The corpse inside is buried face-down.
The sarcophagus stands up on end.
A secret door is linked to the sarcophagus’s friezes.
The sarcophagus is sealed with a stone shape spell.
The sarcophagus radiates a sanctuary spell-type effect.
The room holding the sarcophagus is cold.
The room holding the sarcophagus is freezing cold.
The sarcophagus appears to be occupied by an unadorned skeleton. A perceptive character notices a false bottom which leads to the occupant’s real burial.
The inside of the lid is marred by scratches made by the interred individual’s fingernails.
The sarcophagus stands on a 20-foot high plinth.
A lifelike likeness of the buried creature is carved into the sarcophagus’ lid.
The sarcophagus is plated in precious metals worth 50 gp. It takes one hour to scrape it all off.
The sarcophagus is covered with gemstones worth 2,000 gp. It takes one hour to remove them without cracking or otherwise damaging them.
A life-sized statue of a horse and rider stand atop the sarcophagus.
The Aklo carvings on the sarcophagus list a series of trite, hackneyed riddles.
Carvings on the sarcophagus depict bloody battles between elves and goblins. The goblins are winning.
The sarcophagus is jammed unceremoniously at an angle into a burial niche.
Several gutted candles have dribbled dried wax over the sarcophagus’s lid.
The lid is ajar and the sarcophagus is empty.
Minor Features & Dressing
Six telekinetic spheres, each filled with the remains of a single family, float serenely about this chamber, illuminated with continual flame spells.
One at a time, the nails from this makeshift coffin work their way loose while the characters watch. Once free, they fall to the floor with an audible “plink.”
This sarcophagus is constructed of a cubic mesh of spider webs. The webs have 10 hit points and burn away in one minute if exposed to fire. A fire incinerates the dry cadaver and its grave goods.
A pair of identical tombs lies here. Both of the tombs are trapped diversions. A third, invisible tomb stands in a dusty corner of the chamber, holding the buried creature’s remains.
This sarcophagus is covered with an elaborate set of locking gears and wheels.
This knight’s corpse is buried within the exposed ribcage of a dead red dragon. Both the knight and the dragon are preserved by magic and their wounds appear fresh; the pool of dragon blood in which the knight’s body lies is not even coagulated yet.
This goblin cairn is built from dog and horse bones. The body—a giant goblin—entombed inside has several bites taken from it with goblin teeth.
This sarcophagus is a burial niche carved into the floor and covered with a sheet of magically hardened glass.
Drops of fresh blood lead to the coffin.
Some huge creature has torn apart this stone sarcophagus, leaving its remains strewn around the chamber. There is no sign of the body or grave goods.
This ossuary, hiding a 30 foot x 30 foot extradimensional space, contains over four thousand human skeletons. Each of the individuals was killed by an identical piercing wound to the skull.
The inside of the lid is marred by scratches made by the interred individual’s fingernails.
The perfectly preserved corpse in this sarcophagus is a duplicate body ready for activation by a clone spell.
A creature who touches this tomb takes on the appearance of the occupant for ten minutes.
This simple pine coffin contains a one-foot-deep layer of soil, and is owned by a vampire.
Thirty empty, recently completed, coffins line the walls. A sheaf of paper sitting on top of one of the coffins contains a detailed delivery manifest.
This marble sarcophagus is shot with red veins. If the marble is damaged, the stone bleeds blood.
A single one-inch-high jade statuette of a jaguar sits atop this otherwise plain stone coffer.
This corpse is entirely encased in a rough lump of translucent amber.
This tomb is filled with shiny blue gewgaws and baubles, and may belong to a tengu.
Credit
This is a short system-neutral extract from GM’s Miscellany: Dungeon Dressing. The book is available in 5e, System Neutral and Pathfinder 1 editions. The OSR edition will be available in early 2023.
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