How do you handle this situation?

[TarionzCousin]

Kill the [-]adventurers[/-] disguised monsters and take their stuff.

 

[Wik]

So, does freeing the gem disable the trap, or is the gem the thing doing it?

Yes, freeing the gem breaks the spell. However, in so doing, it develops a rather large crack which makes it less valuable. If you can find an appropriate collector, you might make as much as 200 g.p.

 

[Dice4Hire]

Whoever's player did not show up tonight 'volunteers' to touch the gem.

Hey, it works!

 

[Tymophil]

What is the POINT of this trap ? Why would anyone bother to set such a trap ? What is its purpose ?

 

[Lanefan]

My first thought on reading the original setup started and ended with:

Loot with extreme prejudice.

I mean really. Adventurers are usually wealthy; and these ones are just lying around waiting to be looted!

Not mentioned in the preamble is whether we are here specifically to retrieve this gem; if we are, the fallen adventurers are also our opponents as we are competing for the same resources (the gem) and we're here to win. Restrain them all. If impossible, slit some throats.

Once I'm done dealing with the fallen, I'll give some thought to the gem. At 3rd level our handy MU might have Levitate to move it...or Unseen Servant to fetch it...or, if we don't care if the gem survives, the party strongitharm can lasso the pedestal the gem is sitting on and topple the whole thing over...

Lan-"even odds my new PC was one of the adventurers I just killed"-efan

 

[Jhaelen]

What is the POINT of this trap ? Why would anyone bother to set such a trap ? What is its purpose ?

The dungeon was created to test adventurers. There's an annual event lasting a week at which adventurers from all over the world congregate to be let into the dungeon.

When the week is over, the dungeon is sealed and the surviving adventurers get trophies based on the amount of loot they managed to take with them from the dungeon.

Then the dungeon's creator starts preparing the dungeon for next year's contest.

 

[Wik]

What is the POINT of this trap ? Why would anyone bother to set such a trap ? What is its purpose ?

A magical gem that creates a "circuit" for anyone touching it, causing them to go to sleep? Just sounds like standard sword and sorcery fare, to me. I mean, I got the idea from a picture from the 2e PHB, so it's not like it's really original.

 

[MortalPlague]

This is a neat trap... I like it. The strangeness of it all will definitely make PCs sit up and take notice!

 

[Holy Bovine]

I'm not really gonna keep going from there, because I think the trick's been figured out. Any advice on how to make it better? More fiendish?

Have a pint of oil and a lit torch next to every asleep adventurer.




What?

 

[ExploderWizard]

Have a pint of oil and a lit torch next to every asleep adventurer.

What do you like to do to helpless adventurers Ronald?