Deadly Traps/Tomb of Horrors

[jontherev]

Howdy. I'd like to beef up the Tomb of Horrors to use when my PCs are more along the lines of 17th level, possibly even higher.

What's the best book out there for higher CR traps? I know there's Traps and Treachery, but I think that was 3.0. I guess 3rd party stuff's ok since I'm the DM.

Has anyone else done this...if so any suggestions? I already have the Lich written up as a CR 25, but the rest of the monsters and mostly the traps I will need help with. Thanks!

 

[Siegfried Niemand]

Dungeonscape actually has some decent rules for high level traps. It's also got new "encounter traps" but, since my players went out of their way to avoid the ones I made for Return to the Tomb of Horrors, I don't know yet how well those really play...

 

[Land Outcast]

A pair of threads on challenging high level PCs witht he ToH...

Adventures - Need advice on traps [Tomb of Horrors] [NOT for my players]
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=197552

Adventures - I'm gonna run The Tomb of Horrors for level 15-17 chars...
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=197062

 

[Amuk]

Alternatively, you could likely avoid the whole "familiar with the text" problem entirely by running them through 'The Mud Sorcerer's Tomb' in Dungeon #138. It was directly inspired by ToH but has pretty much no traps or puzzles in common with it. There are even a couple of points where I'd say that trying to metagame by thinking in ToH terms would get a PC or two killed.

It says it's for 13-20th level, so you could probably run it for your 17th level party with little or no refitting.

 

[jontherev]

Thanks for the tips! I'll check out those other threads for more advice.

 

[jontherev]

By the way, I plan to change the big room full of pillars or columns into a chess board. Years ago a DM did this when I was a player, but it was using a completely customized version of rolemaster.

How, in 3.5 D&D, would you make PC's enter into a game of chess (with themselves as game pieces)? Basically, I want them to play a game of chess against the lich. Every time they move into an occupied square, they must single-handedly defeat the monster there. I would use basic pawns to fill the rest of the squares (only have 7 PCs). Would a powerful Geas/Quest work? If anyone doesn't follow the rules on either side, they get sucked into the sphere of annhilation. I remember this as being quite fun as a player and very suspenseful because you had one on one battles. Basically, the winner is just like in chess. The Lich does not participate in the game itself, it's just a bunch of different undead.

 

[Celebrim]

...If anyone doesn't follow the rules on either side, they get sucked into the sphere of annhilation...

Whenever they step on an illegal square, they are struck by a maximized empowered lightning bolt, and a Bigby's interposing hand appears to block further progress?

 

[jontherev]

Whenever they step on an illegal square, they are struck by a maximized empowered lightning bolt, and a Bigby's interposing hand appears to block further progress?

Good idea, but what about the geas/quest to get them to agree to the game terms? Is that in the power of the spell? Maybe I should post this part over in the rules section. I think the players would agree out of character, although some would not like the idea of fighting one on one.

 

[Mark CMG]

You could also stripmine ideas from online freebies -

http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=154448

 

[Land Outcast]

Well, I did something about a chessboard...

Returning
Valiant Knights
And Crafty Mages
After nights
Side by side travel together
For two ages
Until at half past eight
RULES BREAK
​

They enter through a tunnel with Deeper Darkness and Solid Fog, arriving to a black landing where a small chessboard awaits them. Further ahead lies a gigantic chessboard, with a white landing opposite to where the PCs arrived.

A creature has to position itself on the position of a cleric (crafty mages) from the red side, and other on the position of the adjacent knight (valiant knights). White figures will represent them on the small chessboard. (note: a search check DC 30 on the small chessboard will reveal the tiles to be an illusion, beneath which hides a lit coal basin).
Progression has to abide by the rules of chess, with one adittional restriction, Knight and Cleric have to be on adjacent squares (side by side they travel together) after every move by both pieces.
If the middle of the chessboard (half past eight) is crossed by half of the playing pieces after two moves (two ages) by each piece, the creatures in the room are free to exit through an opening at the white side’s wall, which starts closing, and shuts at the count of 5.

Failing to follow the rules (includes touching the white landing before the moves are completed) causes 1 Con permanent drain to all creatures within the room and returns any creature in the room the red landing.

The chessboard dissappears in an antimagic field, a river of lava rund under it.

--

Ask for clarifications if you need them. My players loved it.