Traps with CR 10-15 anyone?

[Lela]

Hmmm, poisens won't be too effective against that party (there goes that idea).

Walls that close on the party while they're walking down a tunnel. Even if they're strong enough to hold it open, how are they going to move?

A room where a shoot opens up (diagnaliy from high up) and drops Necklace of Fireballs pearls.

Caltrops.

Tanglefoot bags! Even if they make their Reflex Saves they've still got problems.

 

[Jolly Giant]

If the PCs teleport out, rest and return, they will definitely find not only traps reset, but the kobolds will be better informed and thus better prepared for every time the PCs return.
As for using kobold rogues; I definitely plan to do just that! The demon have invested a lot of time and resources in training and equipping the kobolds. A lot of the little blighters will be multiclass sorcerer/rogue, with a few levels of assassin. Sneak attacks with Ray of Frost...

Lela: Necklace of Fireballs; great idea! I'll definitely use that!

The kobolds defences (other than traps) will mostly consist of sneak attacks from kobolds that are either invisible or hiding behind illusions, with some heavy-duty poisons.
The problem is the vampire wiz. As an undead, he's immune to both sneak attacks and poison and his fast healing means he can pretty much laugh off everything else the kobolds can throw at him. The kobold chieftan have access to spells like daylight and searing light, but he's the only one and I am of course saving him for last. I'd like to give that vampire at least some difficulties before that, though. Any ideas, anyone?

 

[Jaundiced]

If you have an illusory black dragon in a room the first time, then when the PCs blip back in make it a real dragon. Even if they hand it to the dragon it will keep them on their toes for the rest of the dungeon. Is it real or is it memorex?

Another one of my favorites is to have simple illusions covering more elaborate traps or illusions. Here's an example: Put the illusion of an obvious poison needle trap on a door or chest. They party usually gets lazy and won't check if you tell them they see an obvious trap. When the rogue attempts to disarm the "easy" trap is when the real trap goes off. Use your favorite crushing blocks, swirling sand, or bubbling acid trap.

The goal is to make the PCs absolutely paranoid about your dungeon. They won't know what is real and what isn't. This works great with that timeline mentioned earlier.

 

[Dareoon Dalandrove]

The best trap is a players own mind. given them a door that they can't open. drop a hint that something is inside but don't let them open the door. it will drive them crazy until someone comes up with a plan or get luck on a roll and then set something that they should have ever encountered after them. it's a good plott devices for later. Imagine that the players get out of the dungeon olny to find the death knight that they set free has raised his 12 powerful minions and now they are raveging the land, thanks to the pc's help!

Wow I must say that is a cool idea.

 

[Lela]

The kobolds defences (other than traps) will mostly consist of sneak attacks from kobolds that are either invisible or hiding behind illusions, with some heavy-duty poisons.
The problem is the vampire wiz. As an undead, he's immune to both sneak attacks and poison and his fast healing means he can pretty much laugh off everything else the kobolds can throw at him. The kobold chieftan have access to spells like daylight and searing light, but he's the only one and I am of course saving him for last. I'd like to give that vampire at least some difficulties before that, though. Any ideas, anyone?

Holy Water, Evil Clerics (look in DotF for feats), various compelling stones (used on undead).

A Good party comes upon them while he's doing something Vampirey. They're here for the same general reason: To stop Kobald EVIL. Now, a Paladin and Good Cleric (of Pelor or some Sun god) are in it. That, and an Undead Hunter (of some kind, DotF has one). Go nuts with it all. Perhaps a BBN and Fighter to keep things fun. Might also need a Sorcerer.

Then again, it might not hurt to have a few undead yourself in the dungen. And with undead come clerics who take down those who go rogue. Kobald Undead Hunters. Or, even better, Half-Fiend Minitor Undead Hunters.

Daylight spells might be something they'd use to blind opponants for a few moments. That would work on the Vamp too.

 

[coyote6]

The problem is the vampire wiz. As an undead, he's immune to both sneak attacks and poison and his fast healing means he can pretty much laugh off everything else the kobolds can throw at him. The kobold chieftan have access to spells like daylight and searing light, but he's the only one and I am of course saving him for last. I'd like to give that vampire at least some difficulties before that, though. Any ideas, anyone?

Well, a kobold Cleric11-12 with a high charisma & the Sun domain would be rather odd, but it'd put the vampire down for good . . .

More seriously, and less "Bang! You're dead!", a couple of kobold rogues w/Use Magic Device or rogue/clerics, armed with wands of searing light would really mess with the vampire.

Once the kobolds learn they're facing a vampire, they can have some new traps -- something that fires searing light, say.

Also, look at all the vampire weaknesses -- D&D vampires are replete with 'em.

Areas strung with garlic -- the vampire simply can't enter.

Mirrors -- keep the vampire at bay.

A tunnel with a roof that collapses, allowing an underground river/stream to flood it -- instant running water, the vamp can't cross it without a coffin, and if he's in it -- 3 rounds 'til destruction.

Silence spells near the entries to clearly private areas -- his pals inside can't invite him in, until they get out of the silence (which of course requires running a gauntlet of traps & opponents) or otherwise dispel it.

Hmm. Have a long corridor that ends in double doors; on the other side is the entry corridor to the leaders' private areas -- an area a vampire can't enter without invitation. Silence cast on the "private" side of the door mantle, or on a point in space on the private side. The corridor is, say, 10 feet wide (less than 30 feet, in any case) -- thus, the silence fills the whole corridor, keeping noise on one side from reaching the other. Since silence is an emanation, as soon as the door is opened, the "public" side of the door falls under the effects, too. 50-60 feet away, at the far end of the hall, are one or more kobold sorcerers with acid bolt ready (either a new spell, or simply lightning bolts crossed with the Energy Substitution (Acid) feat; either the sorcerers know the spell, or they simply have wands). So, PCs open the door, silence descends, acid bolts (and other spell & missile fire) open up, the vampire can't close, and can't cast spells until he backs up.

Feel free to seal the corridor behind 'em with stone wall (via spell or a plain old drop-from-the-ceiling trap), too, pinning the vampire in the silenced area.

 

[Lela]

ACID BOLT!!! Dang, that's good. Why didn't I think of that?

 

[Jaundiced]

Make your kobolds rogue/priests. Have them leap out of the shadows and cure the vampire. If you don't want to resort to punking the character out with Heal spells the other healing spells also do good D on a touch attack.

Several spells that require Fort saves work on vamps. Without a Con score they probably can't resist very well.

 

[Lord Zardoz]

The Vampire Problem

The Vampire's special abilities are going to be able to outright defeat many of the traps. Turning Gaseous or Turning into a Bat will get by a great deal of obstacles.

There is one thing that I can think of though. I would assume that the denizens of this dungeon would have a fair bit of very hostile undead creatures roaming it. One can assume that there are magical wards intended to keep the resident undead confined to their rightful areas. I see no reason why those very same wards that keep the Ghouls and Wraiths from eating all of the Kobolds would not also hinder the Vampire.

Another thing you could do is design a special holy symbol for your Kobold clerics that allows their church leader to make turning attempts remotely. This would mean that you would only need one high level Cleric, who can then perform the turning checks through the lower level clerics, or through any place where that symbol is manifested.

You may also rule that the wards that help control the Undead in this dungeon also make all undead more susceptible to rebuke and control attempts made by clerics of the diety that sponsers the dungeon.

With those checks in place, you can very quickly put down a bunch of Holy Symbols / Symbol spells that cause the Vampire wizard to become very dangerous to his party.

END COMMUNICATION

 

[Jolly Giant]

You're very creative everyone, and I really appreciate all your ideas. Remember though, that what I was asking for was traps, not encounters. Yes, okay I hinted at creative half-fiends, but I was thinking more along the line of creatures that would truely become MUCH more dangerous with a half-fiend template added, such as trolls... (Wow, long sentence! ). The PCs will among other thing encounter a bat-winged half-fiend troll with a MW breatplate the kobold thaumaturge has casted Antimagic Field on. Now, how will they kill a troll with Acid and Fire resistance 20 without magic..?