CR these obstacles for me, please

[Bullgrit]

For a D&D3.5 game, what would you say the CR of these obstacles/hazards are:

1. A long, 10’-wide tunnel, split all the way across by a 5’ wide gap up through which flames and heat arise. Passing through the flames and heat causes 2d6 fire damage.

2. A room with a “curtain” of electricity across the far end. When you enter the room, the curtain slowly moves forward until it reaches the near side, at which point it ends and restarts back at the far end. Passing through the electricity causes 2d6 electrical damage and you must make a Fort save DC 18 or be stunned for one round.

Bullgrit

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

1. A long, 10’-wide tunnel, split all the way across by a 5’ wide gap up through which flames and heat arise. Passing through the flames and heat causes 2d6 fire damage.

2. A room with a “curtain” of electricity across the far end. When you enter the room, the curtain slowly moves forward until it reaches the near side, at which point it ends and restarts back at the far end. Passing through the electricity causes 2d6 electrical damage and you must make a Fort save DC 18 or be stunned for one round.

In either case, it really depends on how many times you expect the damage to apply. Can the PCs cross the hall or the room in one go?

 

[Bullgrit]

In either case, it really depends on how many times you expect the damage to apply. Can the PCs cross the hall or the room in one go?

My expectation for these obstacles was for the PCs to cross/overcome/bypass/whatever them once going in through the dungeon.

Of course, if they leave the dungeon by going back out the way they came in, they'd have to cross them again, but surely that doesn't affect the obstacle CR, right?

Bullgrit

 

[freyar]

Well, if I think of these as traps, they seem about CR 2. Maybe even CR 1, but you don't seem to allow them to be disabled or saves vs the damage, which might be worth a boost to CR 2.

 

[Wulf Ratbane]

Definitely no more than CR1 if you allow Reflex: half, not more than CR2 if you don't.

But I think traps are over-CR'ed in the RAW-- if you want a more strict adherence, call it CR2 and CR4.

Think of it this way: If you allow a save, the average damage is going to be 3-4 points of damage to every PC who crosses through-- that's almost guaranteed to be more than 25% for most of them, representing a serious chunk of their resources.

Definitely somewhere between CR1 and CR2.

 

[Bullgrit]

Thanks, guys.

I had looked at the traps for comparison: a 20' pit trap (2d6 damage) is CR1. Even though these obstacles aren't really traps (can obviously see them, and can prepare energy resistance or protection), and the PCs can't really disable them (with a skill check).

But then when I saw how complicated they turned out to be, and that a 6th-level PC died in each of them, I thought I had badly misjudged their challenge.

Bullgrit