Dance of Death

Complex Hazard 16, Haunt

Pathfinder 2e (Remaster)

An eerie orchestra compels all who hear it to dance until they collapse from exhaustion.

  • Complex
  • Haunt
Level
16
Complexity
Complex
Kind
Haunt
Traits
Complex, Haunt
Stealth
+32 (master)
Disable
DC 42 Intimidation (expert) three times to frighten dancers and spectral musicians alike away from participating in the deadly performance, DC 40 Performance (master) twice to produce a tune discordant enough to disrupt the compulsion, or DC 42 Religion (master) three times to banish the spirits with prayers
Attack
DC 41 Will save
Reset
The eerie orchestra spends an hour retuning its phantasmal instruments, after which it is ready to begin its routine again.

Prelude (Reaction)

  • Auditory
  • Incapacitation
  • Mental
  • Occult

Trigger A creature approaches within 30 feet of the orchestra; Effect The orchestra compels all creatures that can hear it to begin dancing. Each creature must attempt a DC 41 Will save, with the following effects. The haunt then rolls initiative.

Critical Success
The creature is unaffected.
Success
The creature is off-guard and cannot use reactions. Additionally, it must spend 1 of its actions each round dancing. Dancing is a move action that allows the creature to Stride up to half its Speed.
Failure
As success, except the creature must spend 2 of its actions each round dancing.
Critical Failure
As failure, except the creature must spend 3 of its actions each round dancing.

Routine

(1 action; auditory, incapacitation, mental, occult) The orchestra performs a raucous tune, compelling all creatures that can hear it to spend actions dancing. Each round, creature must attempt a DC 37 Will save; the results of this save modify the number of actions that the creature must spend dancing each round. If this would cause the creature to spend more actions dancing than it can use on its turn, the creature takes 10d6 damage (or double that on a critical failure) from moving faster than its body can manage.

Critical Success
The creature decreases the number of actions it must spend dancing by 1.
Success
No effect.
Failure
The creature increases the actions it must spend dancing by 1.
Critical Failure
The creature increases the actions it must spend dancing by 2.

Reset

The eerie orchestra spends an hour retuning its phantasmal instruments, after which it is ready to begin its routine again.

Source: Pathfinder GM Core, p. 106

Bring Dance of Death into a Pathfinder 2e game with The DM Screen.

Open The DM Screen

Free in your browser. No account needed to start.

This product is licensed under the ORC License to be held in the Library of Congress and available online at various locations including paizo.com/orclicense, azoralaw.com/orclicense, and others. All warranties are disclaimed as set forth therein. This product is based on the following Licensed Material: Pathfinder Player Core © 2023 Paizo Inc., Designed by Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, and Mark Seifter. Authors: Alexander Augunas, Kate Baker, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, Carlos Cabrera, Calder CaDavid, James Case, Eleanor Ferron, Steven Hammond, Joan Hong, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Jenny Jarzabski, Erik Keith, Dustin Knight, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Patchen Mortimer, Dennis Muldoon, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Mikhail Rekun, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Kendra Leigh Speedling, Mark Thompson, Clark Valentine, Andrew White, Landon Winkler, and Linda Zayas-Palmer Pathfinder Player Core 2 © 2024, Paizo Inc.; Authors: Amirali Attar Olyaee, Alexander Augunas, Brian Bauman, Joshua Birdsong, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, James Case, Jessica Catalan, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Jesse Decker, Eleanor Ferron, Fabby Garza Marroquín, Steven Hammond, Sasha Laranoa Harving, Joan Hong, Nicolas Hornyak, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Jason Keeley, Dustin Knight, Avi Kool, Lyz Liddell, Nicolas Logue, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Patchen Mortimer, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Jessica Redekop, Mikhail Rekun, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, Jason Tondro, Clark Valentine, Andrew White, Landon Winkler, and Tonya Woldridge. Pathfinder Monster Core © 2024 Paizo Inc., Authors: Alexander Augunas, Dennis Baker, Kate Baker, Joshua Birdsong, Joseph Blomquist, Logan Bonner, Jason Bulmahn, James Case, John Compton, Paris Crenshaw, Adam Daigle, Darrin Drader, Brian Duckwitz, Robert N. Emerson, Scott Fernandez, Eleanor Ferron, Leo Glass, Matthew Goodall, BJ Hensley, Thurston Hillman, Vanessa Hoskins, James Jacobs, Jenny Jarzabski, Miko Kallio, Jason Keeley, Jeff Lee, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Robert G. McCreary, Philippe-Antoine Menard, Jacob W. Michaels, Dave Nelson, Jason Nelson, Tim Nightengale, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, Mikhail Rekun, Patrick Renie, Alex Riggs, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Chris S. Sims, Amber Stewart, Jeffrey Swank, William Thompson, Jason Tondro, Clark Valentine, Landon Winkler, Tonya Woldridge, and Linda Zayas-Palmer Pathfinder GM Core © 2023 Paizo Inc., Designed by Logan Bonner and Mark Seifter. Authors: Amirali Attar Olyaee, Logan Bonner, Creighton Broadhurst, Jason Bulmahn, James Case, Jesse Decker, Eleanor Ferron, Fabby Garza Marroquín, Jaym Gates, Matthew Goetz, James Jacobs, Brian R. James, Jenny Jarzabski, Dustin Knight, Jason LeMaitre, Lyz Liddell, Luis Loza, Ron Lundeen, Stephen Radney-MacFarland, David N. Ross, Michael Sayre, Mark Seifter, Owen K.C. Stephens, Amber Stewart, Clark Valentine, Landon Winkler, and Linda Zayas-Palmer

Licensed under Open RPG Creative License (ORC).