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What do you do to make traps more interesting?
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<blockquote data-quote="papastebu" data-source="post: 3437679" data-attributes="member: 40894"><p>When the Joker or the Riddler set up a trap for Batman, they can hardly resist monitoring his reactions, responses, and seeing "those wonderful toys!" Maybe your villains could do this, too, living for the effect that his insanity has on those toward whom he aims it.</p><p>Another thing that I've seen done is giving special attention to details. Describe exactly how the trap acts, giving some idea in the process as to how it might be thwarted. To me, that's what makes any aspect of a role-playing game come alive, bringing out the flavor of the situation. If you can't get your head into the situation, then it could leave you feeling a little flat, as a player or a DM.</p><p>Kind of a non-sequitur, but I once described to one of my players the exact details of what saved him from the fear-inducing effects of a "roar" by a lizard man. His character was a wizard, and he made his save roll, but just barely.</p><p>"For an instant," I told him, "you are terrified. But then, your inquisitive and studious wizard's mind suddenly takes in just how wide the creature's jaws have distended to release that enormous volume of sound. You become interested rather than afraid, and suddenly the whole fight is reduced to observation for you."</p><p>Maybe not the best example, and definitely not about traps, but the concept is the same. It helped my player, whose attention had been wandering a bit, get his head back into a combat that was running a bit long. <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="papastebu, post: 3437679, member: 40894"] When the Joker or the Riddler set up a trap for Batman, they can hardly resist monitoring his reactions, responses, and seeing "those wonderful toys!" Maybe your villains could do this, too, living for the effect that his insanity has on those toward whom he aims it. Another thing that I've seen done is giving special attention to details. Describe exactly how the trap acts, giving some idea in the process as to how it might be thwarted. To me, that's what makes any aspect of a role-playing game come alive, bringing out the flavor of the situation. If you can't get your head into the situation, then it could leave you feeling a little flat, as a player or a DM. Kind of a non-sequitur, but I once described to one of my players the exact details of what saved him from the fear-inducing effects of a "roar" by a lizard man. His character was a wizard, and he made his save roll, but just barely. "For an instant," I told him, "you are terrified. But then, your inquisitive and studious wizard's mind suddenly takes in just how wide the creature's jaws have distended to release that enormous volume of sound. You become interested rather than afraid, and suddenly the whole fight is reduced to observation for you." Maybe not the best example, and definitely not about traps, but the concept is the same. It helped my player, whose attention had been wandering a bit, get his head back into a combat that was running a bit long. :) [/QUOTE]
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What do you do to make traps more interesting?
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