Traps preview

[jaelis]

Nevermind that this section on traps resembles NOTHING particular to WOW whatsoever.

Until perhaps the next version of WOW comes along

 

[Tintelpe]

The main thing that worries me is the Level 5 trap DC (really all of them) seems obscenely high. The text says:

"A character can engage in a skill challenge to deactivate the control panel. DC 22 Thievery. Complexity 2 (6 successes before 3 failures). Success disables the trap. Failure causes the whirling blades to act twice in the round (roll a second initiative for the trap)."

Now, a level 5 rogue with trained thievery and +4 is it's associate stat is going to have (Level 5 / 2 round down = 2) + (Trained = 5) + (Stat = 4) = +11 Thievery. That's a 50/50 chance of making a DC 22 check. Having to get 6 of those before 3 failures is going to be VERY unlikely statically. (14.4% chance of disarming the trap. Conversely, 85.6% chance of making the situation worse.)

More annoying is the fact that bashing the trap in the face until it breaks seems to be much, much easier then trying to disarm it. Based on a single example and a good possibility that I've totally missed some part of the way skill challenges work or skill is calculated, it feels they have over-corrected in the other direction. Now having someone who can "disarm traps" is BAD for the party.

Tintelpe

 

[SpydersWebbing]

Anyone here remember that these traps (and in fact everything in the MM and DM) except for the things that have "solo" in their stat blocks aren't supposed to be taken on their own? That fire jet trap is in addition to three or four other baddies who are there to make your life a living hell.

Imagine along with me: three level 3 orcs (who have cloaks that make them practically immune to fire) or three fire archons fighting a group of four pcs in that fire nozzle trap. Yikes, that could get very interesting. As in a possible TPK. Even if it turns out to be not that hard it's memorable at the least.

In the context of how they said traps are gonna work (as part of an encounter) this is exactly what I was looking for. Long may Pirates of the Carribean style fights live in the D&D world....

 

[LostInTheMists]

Anyone here remember that these traps (and in fact everything in the MM and DM) except for the things that have "solo" in their stat blocks aren't supposed to be taken on their own? That fire jet trap is in addition to three or four other baddies who are there to make your life a living hell.

Or just a room / blender full of traps. Whirling blades, jets of fire, the occasional giant rock rolling around the room and squishing people who are actively trying to not get skewered or burnt to a crisp...

I may have to restat Undermountain.

I love these traps. Love love love. I mentioned on another thread (but am repeating here, in case someone who has any sort of clout in the matter may be reading this)...

4th Edition. Grimtooth's. Please?

 

[FadedC]

The problem with that is that the perception roll is only required once in the tire career of the PC. After the first Soul Gem the PCs know about it and, because of the obvious placement of the gem, will never fall for it anymore even without perception checks.
And because it is a high level solo trap it also means that most of the time there won't be any additional hazards around it, making the gem into a tactical challenge.

The "first" soul gem? How many soul gems do you expect to face? Given the lore this is based on I'm not even sure there IS more then 1 in existance.

But if you were for some reason playing in a all soul gem all the time campaign then yeah...it's not unreasonable to say the players would start to recognize them pretty quickly. And the DM would build his adventure around that just like every other thing in D&D.

 

[Sojorn]

Or just a room / blender full of traps. Whirling blades, jets of fire, the occasional giant rock rolling around the room and squishing people who are actively trying to not get skewered or burnt to a crisp...

I may have to restat Undermountain.

I love these traps. Love love love. I mentioned on another thread (but am repeating here, in case someone who has any sort of clout in the matter may be reading this)...

4th Edition. Grimtooth's. Please?

Seeing as the entire room on the splash page of the skills chapter is attempting to slaughter the PCs (and I mean the whole room, I really wish I could find a picture of it again), I think the ability to have such a room is the intention, with skill checks replacing attack rolls.

 

[CovertOps]

Now, a level 5 rogue with trained thievery and +4 is it's associate stat is going to have (Level 5 / 2 round down = 2) + (Trained = 5) + (Stat = 4) = +11 Thievery. That's a 50/50 chance of making a DC 22 check. Having to get 6 of those before 3 failures is going to be VERY unlikely statically. (14.4% chance of disarming the trap. Conversely, 85.6% chance of making the situation worse.)
Tintelpe

You missed (Level 5 / 2 round down = 2) + (Trained = 5) + (Stat = 4) + (Skill Focus = 5) = +16 giving you a 75% chance of success on each roll. I'm too lazy to do the math for the 6 rolls, but I'm sure it makes a huge difference.

 

[Spatula]

I was kinda disappointed that the way to get around all three traps was either 'use Thievery' or 'attack it'.

Well, you left out "avoid it." You can notice the trap ahead of time (perception checks) and not step on those pressure plates / not get near the nozzles / etc.

They were really talking up about how traps wouldn't necessitate a rogue with disable device, that the other party members would have ways to get involved, etc.

You don't need a rogue, anyone can be trained in thievery.

 

[Fallen Seraph]

I also think all the Thievery Countermeasures, are just well Thievery since that is the direct approach for dealing with that trap.

There are many other ways to deal with the trap, but the ones listed are those that directly counter the means by which the trap works.

 

[Jack99]

It's entirely irrelevant. I don't play WOW; never will.

I like what I see every time they give me more 4e.

YMMV.

A bigger question...does the fact that WoW is a DnD clone to begin with mean we can FINALLY have an end to these sort of comments?

Nevermind that this section on traps resembles NOTHING particular to WOW whatsoever.

The post to which I wrote that was very sarcastic. Fight fire with fire, and all that. 4e is nothing like WoW, which I have stated a gazillion times on these boards, just like I am sure that every fight (no matter level) will not feel the same, as Celebrim implies in his post.

I forgot the , that's all.

Cheers,