4E Tricks

From ENWiki

Tricks are minor traps. They are designed to harass and annoy rather than cause damage, or otherwise they are hastily prepared snares and pitfalls that are less effective than standard traps.

Like minions, they are worth one quarter of a standard trap for that level.

Trick Designing tricks

• Skill DCs to detect or disarm a trick is 2 less than a standard trap for that level. (Example: DC 20 Perception to spot a level 5 pressure plate.)
• Damage caused is the minimum possible for that level. (Example: A level 5 trick causing limited medium damage causes 7 damage, as this is the minimum roll for 3d8+4)
• Tricks that can be physically attacked, like minions, have 1 hit point but are never damaged by a missed attack.

Example tricks

Covered Pothole (Level 1 trick, 25 XP)

• Trick: Two squares contain camouflaged potholes, each a few feet deep.
• Perception: DC 18: The character notices the fake floor.
• Trigger: The trick attacks when a creature enters either of the trick's squares.
• Immediate reaction, Melee
• Target: The creature that triggered the trick.
• Attack: +4 vs. Reflex
• Hit: The target stumbles into the pothole, takes 1 point of damage.
• Miss: The target returns to the last square it occupies.
• Effect: The target ends its move action immediately. The square containing the pothole becomes difficult terrain.
• Countermeasures:
  • An adjacent character can trigger the trick as a standard action; DC 8 thievery.
  • A pothole can be jumped over; DC 6 (running) or DC 11 (from standing) athletics.

Brick Drop (level 1 trick, 25 XP)

• Trick: Bricks held in a net in the ceiling fall onto a target square and make a burst 1 attack.
• Perception:
  • DC 18: The character notices the net suspended from the ceiling.
  • DC 20: The character notices peg and wire in the target square.
• Trigger: The trick attacks when a creature enters the target square, knocking the peg and wire.
• Immediate reaction, Close burst 1
• Targets: creatures in burst.
• Attack: +4 vs. Reflex
• Hit: 4 damage
• Miss: 2 damage
• Countermeasures: An adjacent character can either trigger (DC 8 thievery) or disable (DC 23 thievery) the trick as a standard action.