D&D 5E Mage Hand and Trap Avoidance

[Reynard]

I've agreed with you on this more than once.
Are you just looking for people to agree with you or did you want a conversation and maybe some advice or general commentary?
That's the part of this that i must not be getting.

Boring traps are boring and boring players are boring and boring spells are boring.
But as a DM i can honestly say that boring DMs that present boring players with boring traps knowing that they will use a boring spell to overcome the obstacle might also be boring.

Sometimes we play the game and sometimes the game plays us.

This may be the bit that is not coming across: in this instance, I am not asking for advice. Or looking for a deep discussion on the philosophy of traps in D&D. I'm ranting.

Sometimes you just gotta let it out in a safe space, you know?

 

[KYRON45]

I think that's a cop out at this point. Designers who have been working on D&D adventures for awhile should definitely know that a basic trap disarmed via mage hand is both expected, and boring, and they should be striving to do something different.

Of course experienced DMs know that they have to modify adventures, but why do we have to do it ALL the time? Is it too much to ask for some work on the part of the designer to provide something a little more original?

I would think we have to do it all the time because a group of engineers plays the game differently than a group of 12 year olds.

 

[Reynard]

And you feel all of that should be taken into account and provided for in an adventure? I don't buy adventures so you're probably right.
We play the game differently.

Do you know what benchmarks are and what they are used for?

 

[KYRON45]

This may be the bit that is not coming across: in this instance, I am not asking for advice. Or looking for a deep discussion on the philosophy of traps in D&D. I'm ranting.

Sometimes you just gotta let it out in a safe space, you know?

Ok, but when you say something in public, people are going to reply. The button is even labeled "reply".

 

[Sorinth]

After the Big Fight, the PCs needed a long rest and so they locked themselves in a room. They thought the whole dungeon was cleared except the one room marked DANGER and locked from the outside. They forgot about one goblin they had seen lock himself in the pantry and did not know about another.

While they rested, one goblin slipped out of the dungeon, after opening the DANGER door and letting the zombie out (which the PCs had to fight after their rest). The other goblin tried to get to the (now dead by PC) boss' treasure chest -- which was trapped. That is how they found the treasure chest, with a dead goblin twisted by rigor in front of it.

The finding the trap and examining the corpse was all fun and engaging. But the climax of popping off the trap from across the room was boring and, like I said, since mage hand is a cantrip it did not even cost the PCs anything to do it. Boring.

If I were to rewrite that trap and wanted it to matter, I think I would make opening the chest drawer caused the door to the room to slam closed and lock, and the poison gas would be enough to fill the room (rather than just the immediate space of the chest). But then, like I said, I like big complex traps that present REAL danger.

I get that this was a pre-made adventure so it is what it is, but sounds very much like the trap itself wasn't meant to be a danger given that it was telegraphed as it was. And I suppose you could've had the chest be locked and had the attempt to pick the lock risk triggering the trap if you wanted to up the danger levels. But given that examining the corpse/investigating the chest was fun/engaging for the PCs I would say the trap did it's job already and how it's easily bypassed once all the investigative part is concluded is essentially irrelevant.

 

[KYRON45]

Do you know what benchmarks are and what they are used for?

I'm not sure where the hostility is coming from.
You don't like lame traps and neither do I.

 

[Reynard]

MOST traps are garbage.

If you're talking about a tripwire across the floor that fires a hidden bolt that might hit a character and do 4 points of damage, you know, the easiest thing to do is just ignore that. I've run published adventures for years and didn't have the time or inclination to edit them too much. Also, I wouldn't have the time to keep running "non-challenges" for the group.

To me, it's not just that they found an easy way to bypass a challenge. That, by itself, is awesome and clever. It's when it is used over and over again that it ceases to be awesome or clever. At that point, either cut out those challenges or make the repeated method stop working.

If you're going to keep the bland traps, combine them with combat encounters. That way your wizard has to choose between mage hand to disarm the trap OR blasting the goblin with a firebolt.

I agree with all that. I was just running the adventure as written (except having decided that the goblin was going to try for the loot since the boss was dead). And I was reminded how dumb simple boring traps are and wanted to rant about it.

 

[KYRON45]

I agree with all that. I was just running the adventure as written (except having decided that the goblin was going to try for the loot since the boss was dead). And I was reminded how dumb simple boring traps are and wanted to rant about it.

It seems like most of us are agreeing with you my friend.

 

[Reynard]

But as a DM i can honestly say that boring DMs that present boring players with boring traps knowing that they will use a boring spell to overcome the obstacle might also be boring.

Sometimes we play the game and sometimes the game plays us.

And you feel all of that should be taken into account and provided for in an adventure? I don't buy adventures so you're probably right.
We play the game differently.

I'm not sure where the hostility is coming from.

You don't say.

 

[TiQuinn]

I would think we have to do it all the time because a group of engineers plays the game differently than a group of 12 year olds.

That's why they have frequent starter sets. It does not have to be in every adventure.