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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Raven Crowking" data-source="post: 3034627" data-attributes="member: 18280">Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence; neither is it evidence of presence.  Imagine that the townfolk mention invisible pink unicorns killing people in the dungeon.  In the town, there is no evidence of such.  In the wilderness leading to the dungeon, there is no evidence of such.  On the first level of the dungeon, there is no evidence of such.Perhaps there are no invisible pink unicorns, but having been warned of the same only a fool would not at least keep an eye out for evidence of said critters.  A few bags of sand, say, to strew in rooms (allowing you to watch out for hoofprints) might not be too extreme.  Nor would having the ranger occasionally look for tracks.In the trap example, there is a lever.  The lever is there for some reason.  They detect no trap using the easiest, most mundane means available.  But, so far as they know, they've cleared the dungeon and got the MacGuffin.  So, what's the lever for?It might be good.  It might be bad.  I'd give it a 50/50 chance of each.  As with the invisible pink unicorns, this is a pretty good point to seek more information.  Divination spells -- low, low level divination spells -- can tell you whether or not there really are invisible pink unicorns in the dungeon.  They can also tell you whether or not pulling that lever is a good idea.  That is what they are in the game for.Simply put, this is not an invisible nonsensical inevitable death trap.  It is neither nonsensical nor inevitable.  The lever seems nonsensical until you start asking what it is there for.  It is hardly inevitable.  Use an augury, don't pull the lever, take the MacGuffin, and go.You had to make your pink unicorns "also scentless and unable to be precieved via see invisibility" to make your point seem valid.  This trap has a scent (stinks to high heaven and practically screams potential trouble) and is permeable to all sorts of simple, low-level magic.  Not even close to the same thing.RC(And, btw, yes, if you are told something strange about an area you are venturing into, and you make no effort to determine the veracity of that something strange, and take no precautions against it, in a game where literally anything can happen, then you only have yourself to blame.)</blockquote>

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