Then they are poorly designed traps.
And I've never seen a resource that really makes a well-designed trap, but you seem more intent on judging games I have been in rather than anything about the points I'm making.
I don't cater the world to my players. People don't suddenly stop using a lock because there's an expert lockpicker in town.
Once I create something, its based off of the world and the story I'm telling. I still have some DC 10 checks in my high level adventures and I don't know if it will be useless or not. Because rogues die, wizards can get wish penalties, and fighters can be frightened I don't make assumptions.
Right but, passive checks, you succeed, why bother doing more than mentioning it?
I mean, I don't sit there when a DM presents me with a challenge I can't possibly fail and think "wow, I'm so glad this is so realistic and the DM didn't cater to the party" I'm usually thinking "Why am I bothering to roll this and waste time"
So, if the purpose of the trap is to be seen and avoided... just let it be seen and avoided. Oh, I understand that the fictional people who made the fictional trap in the fictional world had the fictional purpose of stopping intruders. But the reality at the table is that you placed a trap that has no chance of doing anything except being a waste of time. Unless the players "make a mistake" and then it is a disaster. So, of course, they try even harder to never make a mistake... meaning that the trap is again just a waste of time and effort.
Those DM's did those clerics a disservice. Suddenly ambush-type creatures don't ambush anymore because the cleric is too sharp? Then what's the point of making your cleric sharp?
... To avoid traps and ambushes? I'm not saying it is the best solution, but if the cleric is going to spot every trap, and see every ambush then there is also a point where adding those into the game is just putting them in so you can tell the cleric that they are about to be ambushed.
The whole point was to notice stuff but since the DM is upset that the players protected themselves, he threw up his hands and said screw it. Its petty and a hate when DMs do that.
Besides, high Perception doesn't beat ambushes and traps for the whole group, it just has the cleric notice those things that are off in the environment.
And they then tell the party... You do let the party communicate right?
He sees an odd glare in his path but he has to look closer to determine if its a shard of glass or a tripwire.
So... having a high enough passive perception to see a trap just means I get to roll perception to see if I see the trap? Isn't that an utter waste of time? It almost comes across like wanting a roll so the player can fail and then not see the thing they saw.