Source Horror Realms pg. 63
CR 9; XP 6,400
N persistent variant haunt (up to 45-ft.-square room)
Caster Level 9th
Notice Perception DC 30 (to hear a faint humming)
hp 40; Weakness harmed by Disable Device DC 24 (immune to positive energy); Trigger proximity; Reset 1 day
Effect On the first round, a network of lasers detects all corporeal Diminutive or larger creatures in the area, excluding invisible creatures. Heavy blast doors drop to bar creatures from exiting the room (break DC 35). On the second round, one laser activates for each creature detected and fires concentrated beams at its targets (+12 touch, 5d6 points of fire damage). The lasers fire each round for 5 rounds unless disabled or destroyed. Destroying the lasers without disabling the surge is difficult—each laser has 10 hardness and 20 hp. The blast doors reopen if the surge is disabled or if all of the laser guns are destroyed.
Destruction Disabling the surge is sufficient to stop the network from reactivating.
DescriptionThe wards guarding priceless artifacts can persist long after the treasures they protect have faded into obscurity. Whatever safety measures once kept these ancient wards in check are long forgotten, and those foolhardy enough to explore the ruins of technologically advanced civilizations face the remnants of their defenses.Technological Surges
Advanced technology remains a mystery to most denizens of Golarion. In places where these wonders lie abandoned, such as the wrecks of the starships that crashed on Numerian soil or the mysterious halls of the Empty Lands of Apostae, strange interactions with unstable power sources can coax circuits back to life. GMs might consider using these same rules to handle other advanced magic and technology, such as a malfunctioning Shory sky city or a newly uncovered marvel of Azlanti electro-thaumaturgy.
The animating force behind technological surges is not life energy, but electricity. As such, technological surges cannot be harmed with positive or negative energy. Instead, stopping them requires shutting down their function. Anyone trained in Disable Device can use the skill to attempt to disrupt the surge, and characters with the Technologist feat can use Knowledge (engineering) instead and gain a +5 bonus on either skill check. The DC of the skill check is equal to 15 + the haunt’s CR. Each successful check deals 5 points of damage plus 1 additional point of damage per point by which the result exceeds the DC. A discharge or greater discharge spell that targets a technological surge inflicts damage equal to the spell’s caster level (for discharge) or 1d4 points per caster level (for greater discharge). Electromagnetic effects, such as those caused by an EMP pistol or rifle, inflict normal damage to a technological surge. Other similar effects may well have an impact on a surge at the GM’s discretion.
A technological surge’s caster level represents its strength. Technological surges are completely nonmagical. Their effects cannot be disrupted with antimagic field, dispel magic, or similar abilities, even when they replicate spell effects. All technological surges are neutral aligned.
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