Arcane Sight to View Magical Traps

[Nail]

The great limitation of Arcane Sight is it's most obvious: It requires that you see the thing that is magical. So...what do you suppose you can do so that seeing the magical trap is not a given?

...at least, it's not a given until you stumble upon the trap?


Yep: limit the line of sight to be within the trigger range of the trap (e.g. within 60 ft of a Symbol).

Easy.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Ah.

Well, that's a different question, isn't it? Answer these two questions for me:

First: Will the player have more fun if you give him a harder time?

Second: How hard do you want to make it?

First, the player enjoys a challenge. Limiting it to line of sight is good.

Second, I would enjoy a range from fairly tricky to almost impossible. That would give me options further on in the campaign.

Third, if the trap is one the handle of a door, wouldn't he be able to see it when he looks at the door? Assume he looks at it carefully, not just walking up to it and trying to open it.

I would think that his Arcane Sight would be able to see the aura of the spell within the keyhole of the locking mechanism--at least, that's what I ruled last night during the game.

 

[Plane Sailing]

Some classic things are magic traps which are only visible to those with magic that you want to foil - for instance, a nasty symbol which is covered by an illusion (e.g. illusionary wall). Most people can't see it, but someone with true seeing (which you are afraid of) will see through the illusion and get zapped by the symbol.

Invisible medusae/basalisks can perform similarly well for folks with permanent see invisible.

 

[Jack Simth]

Magic Aura will foil Arcane Sight very, very well.

 

[frankthedm]

In my current game, the rogue has Arcane Sight as a permanent effect. Hence my desire to make things more difficult for him.

Well unless the rogue did this with UMD, the arcane sight can not be perm'ed. Unless he did use UMD, time for the effect to fade away.

Also his eyes are glowing blue. How about very few NPCs talk or deal with him? Those who don't know what effect that is are going to fear it. Those who do know will react badly to that invasion of their abilties. And if he dismisses the effect, that is it. It never comes back.

 

[Nail]

... if the trap is one the handle of a door, wouldn't he be able to see it when he looks at the door?

Yep.

So don't put the trap on the door handle. Put a magical Symbol on a wall behind the door -- once the door is openned, they see the symbol and are zapped.

Or, put the symbol on the door -- but have the hallway to the door turn a corner first.

Or, magically trap the door -- but put a mechanical (non-magical) floor trap 15 feet in front of that magically trapped door.

Etc.

Misdirection and/pr cover: you pretty much can't fail to get the PC. ....which is exactly the problem, and why traps are ulimately un-fun. The DM can always make the traps almost impossible to find, and that will make the player paranoid....

.....and.....slow.....the......game....down....to....a.....crawl.

 

[TarionzCousin]

I don't want to slow the game down to a crawl. I agree with Nail et al. who have pointed out the potential for that with traps.

Perhaps I should have mentioned up front that the "rogue" is a 12th level gestalt character who can become incorporeal at will. His Arcane Sight ability is the result of a template and so is innate. He is actually not just a Rogue, per se.

I don't want to punish him; I just want to challenge him occasionally. So far, I've gotten some great ideas from this thread. Thanks, all.

 

[nittanytbone]

Throw down some magic mouths, light spells, and other "clutter" to slow him up. While the party is wasting valuable time trying to "disarm" a magic mouth, have the guards/monster respond to their dallying by activating mechanical traps or sallying forth.

 

[Nail]

Perhaps I should have mentioned up front that the "rogue" is a 12th level gestalt character who can become incorporeal at will. His Arcane Sight ability is the result of a template and so is innate. He is actually not just a Rogue, per se.

Indeed.

That incorporality trait makes me think "Manifest" spell as part of the trap set up. Or Walls of Force (et al.), of course. You'll have to telegraph to the player that some foes are on to his powers....otherwise the arbitrariness will seem unfair. IMO.