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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lord Zardoz" data-source="post: 3427455" data-attributes="member: 704">I like to use traps as a way to complicate an otherwise straight forward situation for the players.  But I agree that you do need to do more than just throw a few in an otherwise empty corridor.As a rule, I try to at least one of the following.1)  Combine traps with monsters.  The monsters know where the traps are, and avoid them, which can in turn give the monsters a tactical advantage.  Or have the trap set loose the monster that they could otherwise have avoided.2)  Use the trap as a worth while obstacle.  Simply set it up as a choice between 'figure your way around this, or just eat the damage'.  For this to work, it has to be more than a "Reflex save or take 1d6 damage".  It also cannot be used too often.  Only an idiot would put a trap on every door in the dungeon.  You put say, 3 traps, but make them very lethal.  "You spring the trap, you suffer 1d6 attacks from a Heavy crossbow at a +8 to hit.  Reflex save to reduce number of attacks by half.  Fort save or suffer 1d6 Str damage on each arrow".  This trap will quite probably put someone out of action.3)  Low search DC, high Disarm DC.  Make traps reasonably easy to find, but very difficult to avoid and equally difficult to disarm.  Set the DC at 10 + player level to discover the trap.  And set the Disable DC at DC 20 + 1.25 times player level to disarm.  As a rule of thumb, let the Disable DC be high enough that they need a roll of 16 or higher chance to outright disarm it.3a)  On a related note, make locked doors require a roll of 10 or higher to succeed assuming maxed open locks skill and a reasonable Dex bonus.3b)  As an alternative to a single High DC roll, allow multiple high DC rolls that can progressivly reduce the end result of the trap rather then neutralizing it all at once.A good trap is one that the players will remember.  Unlike monsters, there is no upside to using lots of piddly traps to wear the players down. END COMMUNICATION</blockquote>

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