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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AbdulAlhazred" data-source="post: 8285475" data-attributes="member: 82106">OK, lets begin again... First of all I went back and did the actual mass calculations. A 1000 cu ft block of stone is 2.83x10^7 cm^3 at 2.5g/cm^3 (typical rock, some is up to 3.0) = 70.5 metric tons. So my guess was 'close enough for government work' (thank you D&D, The Dragon article "How Much Does My Giant Weigh" taught me all this back in 7th grade). So, now, the Internet says a 2" manilla rope has a minimum breaking strength of 24 metric tons, roughly. Thus a braid of say 5 2" ropes would clearly hold our block in place (maybe not to engineering safety margins we would accept, but it should hold with some margin).Beyond that, we can easily redesign the mechanism such that the block is NOT held by the 'trigger rope' at all. I can think of several variations on such a mechanism without even breaking a sweat, so this is well-within our design parameters. Thus I suggest that the actual trigger rope is probably a simple 1/4" manilla rope. This will also give us a plausible burn-through time, as a braid thicker than a man's leg, no matter what it is coated with, isn't going to burn through without a minute or two delay. Of course maybe that's what you WANT, depends on how you use the trap.Beyond that, IMHO the description of the trap sounds like the block fits fairly closely to the pit. I guess maybe this is not spelled out, but this is how I would design it! So, yeah, maybe the block is a few inches under 10x10x10, or maybe the pit is actually 10.5x10.5, whatever. I would note this, in case some PC gets out his carpentry kit and starts measuring. REALISTICALLY, making the release mechanism so reliable that it drops the block precisely into the pit might be pretty tough, I'm not a mechanical/civil engineer, so my opinion on that is not perhaps terribly relevant. In that sense I think the trap is 'implausible' in the real world, but still seems acceptable as a threat in an RPG where Rube Goldberg type devices are common fare. Lets imagine the block is also slotted into the ceiling, this would tend to insure that it starts out in proper alignment. With a clean release, there's a good chance it will fall as intended. This also conceals the Yellow Mold (in the space above the block where the mechanism and pulley system or whatever is located). I think the suggestion to provide a good number of clues is good. So maybe the PCs can smell a moldy smell. They can clearly see the rope is covered in grease. They can examine the ceiling and see the seams where the block is fitted there (assuming it isn't just hanging in plain sight, which I wouldn't do, but...). Clearly the Gelatinous Cube will also soon be revealed. You might also note to the PCs that there are odd 'splash marks' on the walls of the chamber/passage/whatever, or on the floor if they look carefully (and they will, or they deserve to die). So, really, this is going to be an interesting challenge, but it is hardly a 'death trap' in a gotcha! sense. It is possible the party will inadvertently set off the trap (IE casually tossing a torch 'into the pit' as a starting move, though I would give a good chance it doesn't touch the rope before it lands on the surface of the cube and goes out). OTOH its quite likely the players will be wary of fire, given the greased rope. In that case they may not get the 'treasure', but they also probably won't set off the trap. The cube itself should be a trivial issue to kill with pole weapons or missile fire once they know about it. Overall it is an amusing trap, but probably not that deadly. However, it might be perfectly capable of wiping out a bunch of newbs on their first dungeon crawl! Probably better deployed AFTER they have encountered one or two less deadly scenarios.</blockquote>

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