Surface of the Sun

D&D 2024 hazard: Surface of the Sun. Source: The Book of Many Things. hazard type Magical Trap Thick vines cover the walls of this high-ceilinged chamber. The chamber splits into three long, parallel hallways separated by brick walls that don't quite reach the ceiling. The ceiling emits a scorching, fiery light. At the far end of the rightmost hall, a large golden key is mounted on a sword rack. At the end of the middle hall is a pedestal shaped like a bird's upraised talon holding a silver orb. The wall at the end of the leftmost hall is molded into the shape of a large skull whose nose cavity looks like a keyhole. Characters must use the large key to unlock the skull door. The silver orb is an enticing treasure, but it's out of the way, and every second of delay means more time spent under the ceiling's heat. Each hallway is 15 feet wide and 100 feet long. The ceiling is 50 feet high, and the brick walls are 40 feet tall. Sun Damage The blazing light that fills this trap room deals damage to every creature in the area. On initiative count 20 (losing ties), each creature in the area takes 5 (1d10) radiant damage. Talons Pedestal The silver orb, which is 1 foot in diameter, can't be removed while the talons clutch it. The pedestal is trapped. Touching the silver orb causes the talons to snap closed. A creature that tries to take the orb takes 11 (2d10) slashing damage and has the grappled condition (escape 15) as the talons grab hold of it, releasing the orb. The talons have an AC of 19, 10 hit points, and immunity to poison and psychic damage. With a successful 12 Wisdom (Perception) check, a character can spot the pressure plate that activates the talons through a narrow slit on the east side of the pedestal. A character can disable the pressure plate with a successful 13 Dexterity check using thieves' tools, which causes the talons to open. A Medium or Small creature grappled by the talons can't reach this pressure plate. Undamaged, the silver orb is a valuabl...