Should traps have tells?

[Edgar Ironpelt]

What do you mean by "tells"?

They might be signs that "everyone sees automatically, the GM shouldn't require a roll."

They might be signs that "characters with good perception scores may spot, even if not actively looking."

They might be signs that "only characters who actively look for them have a chance of spotting."

I'm inclined to the second version. Traps might sometimes have the first version of tells, but I wouldn't make that the default. And I want to avoid the third version because that produces the "Progress at the rate of an arthritic snail, as the party engages its Total Paranoia Mode" effect.

Worst of all are no "tells" at all, which is just a variant on the rightly-maligned 'random damage table.'

 

[Edgar Ironpelt]

Overall, I use traps very sparingly. They're a hassle for NPCs & monsters to set up, so they won't without believing they have a good reason to, and they're a hassle for me as a GM, so I won't go looking for reasons why the NPCs & monsters might set them up.

Also, my NPCs and monsters mostly prepare for and expect to face opponents that are much less skilled and powerful than the PCs. So any traps that they do set will be suitable for keeping out the riff-raff, but no more than speed bumps for a PC party.