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I'm looking to put together a list of all the classic dungeon traps for a new campaign I'm starting this weekend. What I'm looking for is concepts, not mechanics here. I'm running 4E and I'm looking to translate traps into a strategic as opposed to tactical threat, generally by having them attack your healing surge total or inflict conditions using the disease track. I'm also looking to make them somewhat rare. Not so common that the PCs test every flagstone with a pole, but just rare enough that its worth risking being careless.
Tomb of Horrors - That's wizard's 3.5 conversion, but if you just want ideas, its as good a place as any to start.
__________________ All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re not unreasonable; I mean, no one’s gonna eat your eyes
All we want to do is eat your brains
We’re at an impasse here; maybe we should compromise:
If you open up the doors
We’ll all come inside and eat your brains
The compacting room is always a great "Oh God It's Going To Kill Us!" trap. Nothing instills panic like the walls coming in.
Spear traps, pit traps, arrow and needle traps are all staples. Don't forget about portcullises that drop and split the party, or traps that release / animate creatures against a lone party member.
__________________ 4th Ed Chars Fallen:
Spoiler:
Gavin Ward - Male Human Warlord 1 - The party started a bar fight. The fellow who escaped brought his bandit buddies back and they killed Gavin (and nearly three other party members). He bled out while lying on the floor.
4th Ed Kills:
Spoiler:
Cornell Butterworth - Male Human Wizard 1 - Knocked unconscious by a kobold dragonshield the fighter ignored, then done in by the kobold wyrmpriest's acid breath.
Lithia - Female Elven Ranger 11 - Contracted mummy rot, which eventually did her in.
Brendan Stetlan - Male Human Fighter 4 - Knocked unconscious in combat, then thrown to the wolves.
Vindicator Mindartis Valenae - Eladrin Paladin 5 - Dropped by a githzerai monk (L6 elite), and killed when the rogue threw him off the balcony to try and get his body to safety.
Vongar - Male Dwarf Paladin 1 - Fell in battle after defeating Irontooth, but not his bodyguard.
Straef - Male Elf Ranger 1 - Fell in battle to Irontooth's Wyrmpriest.
__________________ I'm thinking you're totally out to lunch on this one. Find another form of foreplay that doesn't involve 3 hours of explanation and a pocket calculator.
Those are so sadistic, even the ones you wouldn't use are funny. Like the trap that traps you underwater but leaves you one little air pocket at the top. That's filled with sleep gas.
Looking through the 3.5E DMG and the free Tomb of Horrors PDF(thank you), I have the following list:
Cave in trap
Wall/Ceiling crusher(this one would have to be a skill challenge)
Pits(all shapes, sizes and contents)
poison needle
blade trap
arrow trap
spear trap
snare trap
booby trap(interesting object that punishes you for disturbing it--one of my personal faves)
Fire Jet trap
Falling Rock trap
Poison Gas trap
Isolation Trap(isolate one party member and then sic a monster on the PC)
The 1e DMG lists all the classic traps, and this list has yet to be improved upon (IMHO).
RC
__________________ [A]ny good dungeon will have undiscovered treasures in areas that have been explored by the players, simply because it is impossible to expect that they will find every one of them.
RCFG - My free mostly-OGC OGL game! RCFG is intended to be a fusion between OS & NS playstyles, giving the advantages of SRD-based gaming coupled with quick character and adventure generation and an Old School feel.
A upward sloping passage that peaks and then slopes down again. Filled (naturally or purposely) with Gas (that naturally floats up and is therefore trapped in the peak area of the passage) -- that either A.) explodes on contact with flame or B.) forces Fort save vs. unconsiousness.
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