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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Jehosephat" data-source="post: 1375995" data-attributes="member: 14128"><p>Thanks for the replys folks.  It seems to me that how the traps go, so goes the DM.  Any DM ought to be able to kill off a party, esp. with adventures like Rappan Athuk or Tomb of Horrors.  Not that these are bad mind you, they just have a high mortality rate and require players to be on their toes (and perhaps a bit lucky) IMO.  Tombs generally do come with a good supply of deathtraps after all.  I agree with what you said, Ottergame, about it being the sign of a poor DM.  I also think that what Trainz said about them being absolutely necessary a higher levels has merit to.  The consensus is that the purpose of the game is to have fun I think, and no one likes having to roll up a new guy every session.  So where do you balance it, being fair with the players and giving them a chance to at least save for less damage and having the players being careful and somewhat fearful of the traps.  It seems like if the players know their DM won't instantly kill them it makes them relax.  In other words a trap is only as good as the possibility of death behind it.  It is, IMO, easy to cop out and kill everyone.  It shows more skill as a DM, on the other hand, to have the players always fear traps, and think that they are just a die toss away from going to that big dungeon in the sky.  So, how do you do it?</p></blockquote><p></p>