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Message: <blockquote data-quote="FrozenChrono" data-source="post: 4787721" data-attributes="member: 70738">Most passive perceptions won't be high enough to notice the traps outright, but many traps have a degree of notice. For instance while a character may not be able to tell that there are swinging scythes that are going to pop out of the walls and chop you up, that same character may notice worn groves in the floor or odd gaps in the ceiling. A great way to do this is by giving your party multiple pieces of information about an area, some of which aren't relevant. For example:"You enter the room and see the walls lined with paintings. Most of them are of landscapes but one is of a small dragon (DC 12) that looks strikingly familiar (DC 17) (DC 22 to recognize it as the wizards familiar Puffy). Some paint is peeled and cracked around the edges of the walls, possibly from water damage, and their are grooves in the floor running from left to right (DC 12). (DC 17 to notice the grooves are all strait and even) (DC 22 to notice corresponding notches along the ceiling) (DC 27 to outright notice the trap)"This example gives enough detail to not "give the trap away" to any casual observer but at the same time let's the party know there could be something in the room and gives them an opportunity to search for it. In the example a detect magic (DC 25) will reveal something coming from the dragon painting, and the dragons full name (something the party learned early in the campaign, but could be a history check) would disable the trap.Mixing it up is key to making this strategy work. Sometimes there's a trap, sometimes a secret door, and sometimes nothing but a minor plot tidbit. Could also be a spy, something happening in the distance, or enemies behind the door.For your example maybe it's an easy DC to notice notches or circles in the wall where the fire jets come from so once a character has seen the trap go off once it's easier to catch, or it could vary as they continue through the dungeon.</blockquote>

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