D&D 5E Conditions and Traps

[Cadriel]

Looking at the list of conditions in the PHB suggests some great traps to me. Here's some preliminary brainstorming with this idea, more is appreciated.

• Blinded. Traps that emit an extremely bright light can blind victims who fail a saving throw.
• Deafened. Extremely loud noises can temporarily inflict deafened on characters; I'm not even sure if I'd always allow a save for this one.
• Frightened. A powerful artifact might cause a save versus this condition unless the PCs leave its presence. This would be interesting in a monster lair if there was a fight where the PCs got it inflicted on them.
• Grappled. A trap simulating a grappler might inflict this instead of Restrained for a turn.
• Paralyzed. A good one for magical traps, also an alternate type of poison.
• Petrified. This is over-powered for most traps, unless the PCs have access to spells that can reverse it.
• Poisoned. Lots of traps use poison, it's a natural.
• Prone. This is great for a 1-2 punch: the trap knocks the PCs prone, then the monsters come in to take advantage of the fact.
• Restrained. This is the default for falling nets, spiderwebs, and ultra-sticky substances used as traps.
• Stunned. Like Prone, this is best if used immediately before attack. Maybe alchemical stun bombs that inflict this for a number of turns.

That's most of the conditions. I'd be interested if anybody's used anything like this or has other ideas for using conditions as triggers in traps.

 

[wrenofwar]

I agree that traps and conditions go together naturally! I haven't been making traps with specific conditions in mind, but they definitely come into play when I design a trap.

As an example, I will describe a kobold-designed corridor my PCs went through. It was waist high with oil, making it difficult terrain. When they are in the middle of the corridor, two kobolds shot a firework through hidden arrow slits. Besides setting the oil (and PCs) on fire, they had to make saves to avoid being temporarily blinded and/or deafened by the bright, loud explosion in a dark, silent corridor. I think most of them made that save. If they failed the DC by five or more, they would have been stunned as well, but that didn't happen (I set the DC low, 10 or less, I think).

At the end of the corridor is a hunting trap, but the doorway is so low they have to crawl (therefore prone) under it and on top of the hunting trap to get out of the fiery corridor. The first person was prone and restrained by the hunting trap and kobolds descended on him. The doorways to the archers' rooms (did I mention that the kobolds who shot the fireworks from the ways proceeded to pelt the PCs with poisoned arrows as they ran down the corridor?) had a poisoned doorknob that gave the poisoned condition. There was a stairway beyond the doors to get to the archers that the kobold archers could turn into a ramp that led to a spiked pit, and these spikes were covered with a more severe poison that paralyzed unlucky adventurers.

Long winded, but that is one way I incorporated various conditions into a trap. I am really looking forward to how the DMG treats traps, as it is one of my favorite parts to design in a dungeon, though it may not always be my players'!

 

[Cadriel]

That sounds terrific, wrenofwar! Tucker's Kobolds really shine in 5e. I like how you used the effects to create a cumulative danger, particularly the hunting trap at the end.