Quick request - CR 7 trap for a castle {Stahn Li stay out}

[RangerWickett]

I just want to have an interesting trap in an abandoned castle the PCs are going to be investigating tonight, and I want something more interesting than a pit trap, crushing room, arrows, etc. Can you help out please?

The castle was one of many small palaces owned by a grand emperor. He was overseeing the squelching of a rebellion when a group of assassins snuck in and killed the emperor, stealing his body and a powerful magical torch he had (the torch lets you teleport any number of people anywhere that the sun is shining). After the emperor's death, apparently the power of the torch went awry, and a huge firestorm engulfed the castle, dropping liquid fire from the skies for miles around. Those who could flee did so quickly, but many of the imperial guards died. No one has been able to get back into the castle since then, until recently when the storm abated.

The PCs are enemies of the empire, but they need to sneak into the castle to try to find out the identity of the assassins, in hopes of either allying with them if they're nice, or making sure they don't abuse the power of the torch if they're bad. I've already got a fair array of afflicted foes for them to fight (warriors cursed into fiery undeath when the firestorm killed them for abandoning their posts), but I want at least one or two traps to spice things up.

The main place I want to defend is a small library within the castle-palace, where certain secrets are kept that they'd like to find. The library's only about 30 ft. x 30 ft.; it's not huge or anything. So I'm thinking there could be some kind of trap at the entrance to the library, and most of the people who'd go into the library would know how to avoid it, especially since it shouldn't get much traffic normally. Any good ideas?

 

[Mark]

This might be helpful to you...

Preview from the Plexus - Potent Portals from Creative Mountain Games
Emotional Archway: Often created by those interested in causing chaos, an emotional archway arouses a single, random emotion in anyone passing through who does not utter a password to prevent the effect. Passing through the archway a second time might negate the effect, if the opposite effect is the result, although multiple effects do not stack. The effect will last until reversed or until 7 rounds have elapsed.
Despair: The victim suffers a -2 morale penalty to saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. Emotion (despair) dispels emotion (hope).
Fear: The victim flees from the archway until it is no longer in view. Emotion (fear) dispels emotion (rage).
Friendship: The victim reacts more positively toward others. Their attitude shifts to the next more favorable reaction (hostile to unfriendly, unfriendly to indifferent, indifferent to friendly, or friendly to helpful). Victims involved in combat, however, continue to fight back normally. Emotion (friendship) dispels emotion (hate).
Hate: The victim reacts more negatively toward others. Their attitude shifts to the next less favorable reaction (helpful to friendly, friendly to indifferent, indifferent to unfriendly, or unfriendly to hostile). Emotion (hate) dispels emotion (friendship).
Hope: The victim gains a +2 morale bonus to saving throws, attack rolls, ability checks, skill checks, and weapon damage rolls. Emotion (hope) dispels emotion (despair).
Rage: The victim gains a +2 morale bonus to Strength and Constitution scores, a +1 morale bonus on Will saves, and a -1 penalty to AC. They are compelled to fight heedless of danger. Emotion (rage) does not stack with barbarian rage or with itself. Emotion (rage) dispels emotion (fear).
An emotional archway can also be created to affect some passing through it with only one particular emotion and only if a command word is uttered. Despair, Fear, and Hate are all known to have been used on single emotional archways that require a password to avoid the effect. Rage has been known to be used as an archway leading to gladiatorial arenas requiring the command word to gain the effect. Friendship archways sometimes grace wealthy merchants' shops to facilitate higher sales. Even Hope archways have been known to be used as barracks entrances to give troops an emotional boost if they are summoned quickly to battle.
All victims are allowed a Will save at DC23 to negate the potentially harmful effects.
Caster Level: 7th; Prerequisites: Craft Wondrous Item, emotion; Market Price: 56,000 gp; Weight: variable.

 

[Poster Bard]

My, my, my, that's one cool portal...

 

[Arken]

Another rather cool trap is a magical execution device that compels people to commit suicide, a noose made of adamantine chain for example. Will save or similar to resist hanging yourself.

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

Well I think something a little indirect would be fun. And draw on the library idea. Not sure about the CR though of this I just thought up:

True Trap

When anyone enters the room, the trap is triggered, unless a password is spoken. The triggering has no direct effect immediately, until later on anyway. The PCs will not notice anything until they try to leave the room, at this point, whichever exit they take will lead them directly into the room again. If they can see through a doorway, they will see the same room and so on. Essentially they are truly trapped within the room.

However, the makers intended for those who entered the library without permission to suffer more than just waiting until someone turns up. Thus after the first passing through the doorway, unless the creature makes a successful fortitude save DC 20, they will begin to feel tired (becoming fatigued). Each time after they pass through a doorway, they must make the same saving throw with a -2 penalty (cumulative) or become fatigued, then exhausted, until they eventually fall asleep until woken. Even if they do not pass through the doorways, the effect is repeated every hour as merely being in the room is draining.

Obviously the intention of the trap is to ensure the capture of anyone who strays into the room. A smart party of people might take it in turns to wake one another up on the hour, so that if someone came they might stand a chance of getting out rather than being summarily killed.

To thwart the trap, a creature must speak the password, breaking the spell (although all effects remain until ordinarily cured). Alternatively, teleportation will work, as will somehow breaking through the walls (passwall or bashing for instance) as the illusion is affecting the doorways themselves. For purposes of effects, the continual room loop is illusion, and the sleep effects enchantment. Note that elves who become exhausted must eventually choose to sleep or fall unconcious, even though they are immune to the sleep effect.

Ok I made that up on the spot, fun =)!

 

[s/LaSH]

For the truly weird experience:

There's a rack of books at the entrance that all the library users have read. When entering the library, they simply announce the opening lines of one of the books, and the trap is averted.

If the lines are not announced, one of the books springs open, and an adversary from between its pages comes to life as a guardian. Make it CR7 or 8 (as it can be avoided). Reading the opening lines will instantly dispel it, but otherwise it hunts down and destroys those that would defile the sanctum of knowledge.

Good books include Alice In Wonderland/Through the Lookingglass and the Bible, or anything you can get your paws on really, so long as it's got a memorably opening passage.

 

[Mark]

I just want to have an interesting trap in an abandoned castle the PCs are going to be investigating tonight, and I want something more interesting than a pit trap, crushing room, arrows, etc. Can you help out please?

(...)

Any good ideas?

How'd this work out for you?

 

[RangerWickett]

Heh, they never actually ran into it. It's a cool idea, but I was busy with a few other plots at the time, and I forgot to include the trap. Though it would've been nice. The PCs discovered there was a strange cloaked figure waiting in the library, and they went in ready to fight. It would've been cool if they'd fallen prey to the emotion trap. Despair, probably.

 

[Mark]

The PCs discovered there was a strange cloaked figure waiting in the library...

Never can be too careful when dealing with a strange cloaked figure...

I guess it'll always be somethign you can keep in your bag of tricks for another session!

 

[RangerWickett]

Well heck, see this related thread.

http://enworld.cyberstreet.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48378