D&D 5E How do you Handle P.C's trying to design Traps in 5E?

[sgtscott658]

Ok, got a rogue in the group, so he decides to design a trap in conjunction with the rest of the PC's laying in ambush. In 3.5 you had Disable Devise which you can conceivably use as a possible skill base to build a trap at the DM's discretion of course. In 5E it is not as cut and dry, the DM will need to decide what skill applies and the only skill I could find that came close was maybe survival, so I set a high DC 18 with no proficient mods, the player argues that he has Thieves tools and he should get some kind of bonus. I relent and let him add his Prof bonus mods. and of course he rolls a nat 20. So the Trap is set. It kind of worked out in the encounter but I was none to happy about the serious lack of guidance from the rules to help me determine if setting such a trap was even possible.

So how do you guys handle such player shenanigans? Really really trying very hard to stick with 5e but its an uphill battle.

Scott

 

[dd.stevenson]

Ok, got a rogue in the group, so he decides to design a trap in conjunction with the rest of the PC's laying in ambush. In 3.5 you had Disable Devise which you can conceivably use as a possible skill base to build a trap at the DM's discretion of course. In 5E it is not as cut and dry, the DM will need to decide what skill applies and the only skill I could find that came close was maybe survival, so I set a high DC 18 with no proficient mods, the player argues that he has Thieves tools and he should get some kind of bonus. I relent and let him add his Prof bonus mods. and of course he rolls a nat 20. So the Trap is set. It kind of worked out in the encounter but I was none to happy about the serious lack of guidance from the rules to help me determine if setting such a trap was even possible.

So how do you guys handle such player shenanigans? Really really trying very hard to stick with 5e but its an uphill battle.

What kind of trap was it? It seems clear that one would ask for a tools proficiency check based on whatever tools they're using to construct the trap. (e.g., carpenter tools, stoneworking tools, etc.)

 

[mips42]

One GM's opinion: Depending upon the type of trap, Thieves Tools are for picking locks and disarming traps, not for creating them. If you wanted to apply a skill, again depending up the type of trap, I'd probably choose Athletics (lifting, pulling, etc), Nature (finding the raw materials needed) or Survival.
Most likely, though, unless it's a something simple like a tripwire or net trap or something, you'd need the time and a combination of those skills to create the trap.
Use your best judgement and find a way to enable their creativity. Then have a wandering Owlbear eat them.

 

[Paraxis]

Step 1: Ask the player what the goal of the trap is? Damage, a status effect like stunned, grappled, poisoned, deafened, etc.. or a combination of things. This will help me set the DC of the skill check to make it.

Step 2: What does the trap look like, what is it made out of? This will give me an idea of what skill or skills to check against for creating the trap, and how long it would take to make.

Step 3: Figure out what skills to use, I would probably go with Int + related craft/thieves tools/survival depending on a variety of things but mostly answers to questions in the first two steps.

Step 4: Set the DC, 15 or 20 depending on amount of damage and or status effects. If he exceeds the DC by more than 5 I would make the trap harder to spot, if he fails it would not work right, if he fails by 5 or more I might have the trap go off while he is building it affecting him and using up some raw materials. Time to make it might get altered a bit depending on how high or low the result is.

Step 5: Have fun.

 

[77IM]

I'd mostly do this as a sort of delayed contest: the player's check result becomes the Perception DC and/or Dex save DC of the next monster who stumbles along. So there's no "failure," you just might craft a trap that's easy to get past. I'd allow a trade-off between the Perception and Dex save DCs, up to +/- 3.

It would probably be an Int+tools Proficiency roll and 10 minutes of work. Advantage if you've got a really great place for a trap. Disadvantage if you want it to deal real damage or deliver a poison, unless you're willing to spend 1d4 hours on the trap.