ry's Threats, Rewards, Assets, and Problems (TRAPs)

[Ry]

Threat: The Chuul is hungry and quite canny. It has taken a pile of shiny (but worthless) objects and placed them on the opposite side of its pool, trying to tempt adventurers into the water. If they take the bait, the Chuul takes great advantage of its ability to grapple opponents underwater.

Problem: The stones around the Chuul's pool are very smooth, slippery, and loose, requiring Balance checks at a DC of 13.

Resource: The water in the back of the cave is quite safe to drink, so long as it's not polluted by the Chuul's decaying body.

 

[Ry]

It's not a bad idea to have several possibilities ready for the PCs before the game - things do go smoothly if you prepare at least some of the TRAPs in advance.

 

[Ry]

That time with the bear:

Threat: At the circus, a bear on a chain clobbers dwarf handler.

Reward: Free pie from two dozen grateful mothers.

Asset: Picnic tables, tents, chairs cause bear to move at half-speed. Also a 10 foot chain around the bear's neck.

Problem: Children sitting right in front of the stage with the bear.

 

[Ry]

I'm now going to soften my initial position: Clearly, there's need to develop context. When a player creates a cleric, they ask what the deities are, and while you could call the deities resources, it's a bit of a stretch.

I'm going to re-justify, though, by saying that the context you develop should point back to TRAPs. For example, if you say that Vogg, destructive god of wildfire, is the brother of Kaen, but they oppose each other, I'd say you should follow that up with at least some possible TRAPs.

 

[Emryys]

This is useful stuff for any RPG

You should make a pdf and maybe post this over at Treasure Tables

 

[Ry]

Thanks Emryys! Like E6 I think it has to go through a few iterations before it's well-explained enough for people to get it on the first pass. Once I explain it well enough it'll be ready for the free pdf "big time"

 

[Slapzilla]

It took me 20 minutes to map out the next two sessions I'm going to run. I tend to think holisticly about dungeons but the TRAP system helped add dimension to it. I'd have been able to go further but I found that the decisions the characters make must drive the next set of TRAPs (if you don't want to railroad them... and you don't). Not so much decisions about whether or not to give the golden idol they just retrieved out of the trap filled cave to the waiting thief and his band of natives outside (because that is probably just a fight), but more like whether or not to hand it over to the collector for the reward, melt it down for the raw gold or sell to the highest bidder. Easy to think of TRAP sets for each scenario. Going a couple of TRAP sets down the path you think they won't take is a good idea just in case, but I suppose if you feel you know your PCs you can go as far as you need to.

 

[Ry]

Here's some I did for Shark's tavern thread.

Threat: A foreign alchemist has been treated badly by the locals, and after being swindled is filled with rage. He carries a bottle of enchanted oil which can conjure a fire elemental in the fireplace of the inn.

Reward: The innkeeper's private stash includes two 100gp bottles of Earthlove, potent (DC 20 Will save 1d3 int (min 3) 1d8 wis (min 1)) ales from a dwarven brewery that was destroyed by unknown forces over two hundred years ago. These could be given or shared with the party but only if the PCs win the normally dour man's trust and he wishes to celebrate.

Asset: There is one room at the inn where you can clearly hear people talking in the darkest corner of the common room.

Problem: Two men whisper to each other, clearly engaged in some kind of heated argument in the darkest corner of the common room. In truth, they plan to kill a certain foreign alchemist, fearing (incorrectly) that he will turn them over to the local authorities.

 

[Ry]

Problem: Throughout the city sewers, a long periods without maintenance have weakened the stones. While the roads and buildings above are largely safe, within the sewers themselves loose stones and mudslides are a frequent hazard.

Threat: An aboleth has sent skum and cannibal dopplegangers into the sewers below the city. Their purpose here is to find a colony of standard dopplegangers that hides in the city - the aboleths want to capture them to be transformed into their most useful thralls.

Resource: Yano Mattas, head guardsman of the city watch, has let the doppleganger colony live in secret under his protection. He knows of the quiet invasion and will try to get the player characters involved and aid them without revealing the normal dopplegangers' presence.

Reward: Yano Mattas can promise the PCs that they will have an invaluable information source, but he cannot reveal it because doing so would endanger the sources. He is sincere, although this network of contacts does not take requests.

 

[Ry]

Asset: Ratfolk dwelling under the city know many paths connecting the sewers and ruins beneath the surface. Many of these locations are practically impossible to find for outsiders, but the ratfolk are willing to deal in the two commodities they value most: Meat, and protection from the city guard.

Problem: A normally lethargic tribe of troglodytes that live in the caverns beneath the city have become aggressive, driving ratfolk from their nests and even making a rare surface raid. An aboleth and its skum retinue have moved into the area, and convinced the troglodytes that the aboleth is their long-forgotten progenitor.

Threat: When the players near a ratfolk nest, troglodytes wielding longspears, skum warlocks, and a Chuul sent by the aboleth are in the process of attacking the nest.

Reward: The lead troglodyte is a chieftain, and he wields a set of 4 returning javelins +1.