Honoring Pit Traps

[Bullgrit]

Would you say the pit trap is an iconic part of the D&D experience. Has every D&D player experienced a pit trap? Is it something every D&D player should experience?

Are pit traps high art? Are pit traps to dungeon dangers what puns are to humor? What is the most common reaction of Players to having a PC fall in a pit trap? Is it “Oh no!” or <facepalm> or WTF? or “Well played, sir.”

What are the most iconic or memorable *published* pit traps in D&D history?

Some that come to my mind immediately is the pit trap in the entry hall to the kobold lair in the Caves of Chaos of Keep on the Borderland, the one that drops PCs into a cold pool in Quasqueton of In Search of the Unknown, and the much more dangerous poison-spike pit traps in the Tomb of Horrors.

Bullgrit

 

[Hand of Evil]

Have to say yes, they are. My love, standard dead fall on spikes.

I don't remember the module but a fancy one was the balanced hallway, once the party past the middle, the hallway would start to tilt. The players would then slide to their deaths. Add to this, that the other end would then release acid to follow the players...

 

[ExploderWizard]

Have to say yes, they are. My love, standard dead fall on spikes.

I don't remember the module but a fancy one was the balanced hallway, once the party past the middle, the hallway would start to tilt. The players would then slide to their deaths. Add to this, that the other end would then release acid to follow the players...

There was a pit similar to this in Tomb of Horrors except the hallway dumped its victims into a fire rather than splashing acid on them.

 

[Bullgrit]

I don't remember the module but a fancy one was the balanced hallway, once the party past the middle, the hallway would start to tilt. The players would then slide to their deaths. Add to this, that the other end would then release acid to follow the players...

I believe that is in Grimtooth's Traps Too -- a collection of various traps. That's "published," but I was thinking more of "published in an adventure."

Bullgrit

 

[Infiniti2000]

I like the teleport pit trap in Banewarrens. I don't have the reference on hand, but it was definitely deadly.

 

[Celebrim]

Would you say the pit trap is an iconic part of the
D&D experience.

Yes.

Has every D&D player experienced a pit trap?

If they haven't, then they should. If they experience no other trap in their career, they should at least experience a pit trap.

Is it something every D&D player should experience?

Yes.

Are pit traps high art?

They can be.

Are pit traps to dungeon dangers what puns are to humor?

No. A pit trap is to dungeon dangers as the pratfall is to humor. The pit trap is low brow trap design which can, by virtue of showmanship and devotion to ones craft, be developed into a high art.

Incidently, I believe that the pun is the highest form of humor.

What is the most common reaction of Players to having a PC fall in a pit trap? Is it “Oh no!” or <facepalm> or WTF? or “Well played, sir.”

Novice Players (who don't look for them when they should): "On no!"
Experienced Players (who are hard to catch in such a simple trap): "Well played, sir."

What are the most iconic or memorable *published* pit traps in D&D history?

The deep pit near the box on the wall in the entry corridor of the tomb of horrors. I don't think any other pit trap comes close, and to the extent that any do, it's the generic pit traps in the same module. Though I'd be willing to bet that most peoples most memorable pit trap experiences are homebrew. While the 3.0 DMG declares that the pit trap never exceeds CR 10, the true master knows that a pit trap can be constructed of arbitrarily high CR.

Some that come to my mind immediately is the pit trap in the entry hall to the kobold lair in the Caves of Chaos of Keep on the Borderland...

That would be my #2 most iconic one.

The sub-genera of pit trap - the chute trap - is also a rich one.

 

[Plane Sailing]

The meanest traps I've used (or come across) in 1e were:

the 30ft deep pit which was exactly the size of a gelationous cube. And had a cube at the bottom to break their fall.

The 30ft deep pit affectionately known as a 'cornish wafer' trap. The bottom ten feet of the trap was a series of 15 thin slates, propped by spacers so there was 6" between each slate. Falling into the pit means crashing through a succession of slates. Each of which contained a glyph of warding that was activated by the slate being broken. Ouch.

Cheers

 

[Phaezen]

Some of my favourite pit traps

The first is a simple 10' wide pit trap, poisoned spikes at the bottom and an invisible wall of force half way across.

Second is what appears to be a 10' wide pit trap, but is infact a 20' wide pit trap with the far end covered in an illusion.

On a similar theme is a 20' wide pit trap, the far end appearing to be solid floor, but is only strong enough to hold a non-armoured person.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Bottomless pits (via teleportation or planer gates) are always fun also.

Every adventurer should encounter a pit trap.

 

[steeldragons]

I can't give the reference, but am almost positive it is from a published module, a standard pit trap (I'm thinking only 20 or 30 feet or so) with green slime (or was it grey ooze?) at the bottom.

Also, wasn't there a pit trap in White Plume Mountain that dropped you (I don't know how far) into lava?

--SD