Deadly, Undetectable Traps

[Elephant]

I was reading a module in Dungeon magazine today, and it had some traps that got me to thinking.

If an adventure contains a hut, and some evil wizard inscribes a Symbol of Death on the inside of the doorway (trigger: Pass through portal bearing rune), is there any method by the RAW for it to be found and disabled before it goes off?

The PHB says that DC 33 Search and Disable Device checks can be used to thwart the spell, but I find it hard to swallow that you could search the inside of a doorway without stepping through it.

The same goes for a Symbol set to activate when someone looks at it. In that case, other than by spotting it from 65+ feet away (out of range), how do you manage to find it and disable it without looking at it in the process?

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

Detect Magic?

But, yeah, I always wondered why anyone would put glyphs on the outside of the door when you could just put it on the inside (out of sight).

However, it's probably overkill to do so for a lethal trap...

 

[lonesoldier]

I'm not sure about the first one, but ya, looks undetectable (w/o magic). As for the second, the 'look' trigger, I pose a question:

Does looking at it through a mirror count?

 

[Jack Simth]

I was reading a module in Dungeon magazine today, and it had some traps that got me to thinking.

If an adventure contains a hut, and some evil wizard inscribes a Symbol of Death on the inside of the doorway (trigger: Pass through portal bearing rune), is there any method by the RAW for it to be found and disabled before it goes off?

The PHB says that DC 33 Search and Disable Device checks can be used to thwart the spell, but I find it hard to swallow that you could search the inside of a doorway without stepping through it.

So... it's hard to swallow that you can't open the door, then look at the doorframe without stepping through it? Or perhaps, the spell waits until you are through the door, so being partyway through doesn't trigger it, permitting the thief to stand in the doorway itself and examine it.

The same goes for a Symbol set to activate when someone looks at it. In that case, other than by spotting it from 65+ feet away (out of range), how do you manage to find it and disable it without looking at it in the process?

Non-magically? You don't. With magic, there are a few ways to detect something without seeing it. It's pretty simple to house rule that a rogue knows about such types of traps, however, and has stock countermeasures that make it possible.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Undetectible traps are why Thieves' Guilds have excellent health care packages including multiple options for getting brought back from the dead (depending on what coverage the thief chooses).

 

[ThirdWizard]

Fire Trap on the inside of a door.

 

[Ogrork the Mighty]

So... it's hard to swallow that you can't open the door, then look at the doorframe without stepping through it?

No. But the trap goes off as soon as you open the door...

 

[Jack Simth]

The one he specifically asked about, and I was referring to, had a trigger condition of "pass through portal" which is common amongst the Symbols.

 

[anon]

I generally try NOT to think about the details of how traps work too much. I think it ends up in the same very messy territory as evaluating how magic works. There is a game mechanic in place which allows rogue's to detect (magical) traps. It is difficult for us (or at least me) to imagine how specifically they would be able to detect these traps. But at the same time if I try to imagine the specifics of many spells they too are difficult to imagine.

My own advice would be that if the rogue can make the roll then let the rogue's Find Traps ability work.

 

[two]

It's easy.

If a rogue makes a really hard check (like 30+) he realizes by a tingling in his coccyx that if he opens the door, a horrible, just horrible thing will happen. Well, what is it? It has the "feel" of a symbol of X, or perhaps the Rogue looks through a window back towards the door for confirmation, and figures out how to disarm it, etc.

Or if the rogue makes the check force the ROGUE to come up with some explanation about how he/she suceeded, however ludicrous it is.

Hand-waving works and is fun. Plus, there are so many movie/literary precedents.

Hero's always get tingly feelings and don't open the car door which, had they opened it, would have killed them.