D&D 5E 5e Trap Making

[Vincent Blackwater]

For the last few months I've been working on a new crafting system for 5e. I've built quite a few already and figured I was done and ready to play test them in our games. However a new player has joined the game and is a Rock Gnome, so I'm attempting to make a Tinker Craft section. Within the section would actually cover 2 types of crafting; Clockwork Mechanics and Trap Making.

Currently I'm starting to work on Trap Making but I'm hoping to get some ideas for triggers and mechanisms.

For example, how would a moving wall work mechanically? What would be required to make it move?

Other than pressure plates, trip wires, levers, door handles, or trap doors would anyone have any unique ideas for triggers to set off traps that are strictly mechanical? And how would they work?

 

[jgsugden]

Look for old copies of Grimtooth's Books of Traps. There were a series of them that provided DMs with trap ideas and covered some of the mechanics of how they'd work. They are edition/game agnostic.

 

[Warmaster Horus]

Moving wall - the wall itself is 12" thick and has a false, thin veneer at it's bottom that conceals a 10" diameter stone roller which crumbles away when the wall begins to move. The wall is pushed forward by three powerful iron screws that are powered by poised counterweights and connecting gearing it's other side. Trigger would be a sand hourglass type actuated by opening the door - sand flows down a tube to a plate, which when the weight of the sand gets to certain point, activates the trap. Hidden iron bars drop to seal the door and the wall begins to move.

 

[Vincent Blackwater]

Look for old copies of Grimtooth's Books of Traps. There were a series of them that provided DMs with trap ideas and covered some of the mechanics of how they'd work. They are edition/game agnostic.

Thanks! I'll take a look at that!

 

[Vincent Blackwater]

Moving wall - the wall itself is 12" thick and has a false, thin veneer at it's bottom that conceals a 10" diameter stone roller which crumbles away when the wall begins to move. The wall is pushed forward by three powerful iron screws that are powered by poised counterweights and connecting gearing it's other side. Trigger would be a sand hourglass type actuated by opening the door - sand flows down a tube to a plate, which when the weight of the sand gets to certain point, activates the trap. Hidden iron bars drop to seal the door and the wall begins to move.

That's fantastic! I was kind of wracking my brain on this one!