Poison Dart Wall Trap (DMG)

[twisted.fate]

So, I want to toss this trap into an encounter, but have a question about disabling the trap.

It says that it is activated when someone hits the tripwire, then fires 2d4 darts each round on its initiative, on random targets in range 20. As a countermeasure, a character adjacent to the tripwire can use a DC 30 Thievery check to disable the tripwire. There is no other listed countermeasure.

I understand that disabling the tripwire prevents the trap from going off, but does it also stop the trap from firing again after it's been set off? Logically, I would think not, but then there's no other way to disable the trap (as written, anyway).

Any thoughts or fixes?

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Well, what would be the ways to do it? Presumably the thing is just spitting out darts sort of at random. A character could stuff up the hole the darts exit from, or position something directly in the way, etc. Any of these solutions shouldn't really need a check.

 

[eriktheguy]

Perhaps the player finds a way to reverse the trigger from the point of the tripwire.

If they don't check the tripwire when they try to disarm it, but try something else instead, you could still give them a thievery check. Overall if the action they describe is sensible, and they complete the number of skill checks required to disable the trap in the description, it should be disarmed.

After all, the trap's entry doesn't preclude every possibility. The player might decide that they want to pry a panel off where the darts are firing and break the mechanisms inside. In theory that is a sensible way to disarm the trap, and ruling that it fails because the trap's description doesn't mention that idea is a nasty way to say NO.

Moreover, if a player tries something that doesn't make sense (trying to jam one of the dart slots hoping it will disable the entire trap, for example) you might tell them how the trap CAN be disarmed (provided they rolled a success).

 

[twisted.fate]

Perhaps the player finds a way to reverse the trigger from the point of the tripwire.

If they don't check the tripwire when they try to disarm it, but try something else instead, you could still give them a thievery check. Overall if the action they describe is sensible, and they complete the number of skill checks required to disable the trap in the description, it should be disarmed.

After all, the trap's entry doesn't preclude every possibility. The player might decide that they want to pry a panel off where the darts are firing and break the mechanisms inside. In theory that is a sensible way to disarm the trap, and ruling that it fails because the trap's description doesn't mention that idea is a nasty way to say NO.

Moreover, if a player tries something that doesn't make sense (trying to jam one of the dart slots hoping it will disable the entire trap, for example) you might tell them how the trap CAN be disarmed (provided they rolled a success).

I definitely, definitely don't want to shut the players down if they have clever ideas. I'm going to be customizing the trap a little bit anyway to make it fit the flavor of the dungeon better, so I'm going to allow ad hoc checks to shut it down...was just curious if anyone had any specific thoughts on the topic. Thanks =)