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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Ristamar" data-source="post: 7292882" data-attributes="member: 1207">"Yay" with a major caveat: use passive scores (perception, investigation, etc) to adjudicate the bulk of simple trap finding. Throw in circumstantial modifiers (lighting, secondary skills, etc) to add some variance.  If nothing else, just roll a stealth DC for traps.Simple or instant effect traps are typically obfuscated, inert, and don't deliver much of a bang in success or failure.  Their potential discovery relies almost exclusively on player action, so many DMs will offer clues to the nature of nearby traps, but these clues will often be too obvious or too vague to offer any real entertainment to the players at the table. You don't need to turn every trap finding opportunity into a mini puzzle. Most traps don't require subtle clues or clever foreshadowing.  Save subtle and clever for complex traps that are worth developing into full blown encounters. What little value simple traps can add to game is not worth the risk of destroying momentum.  Each one has the potential to grind the game to a halt if the players get overly cautious or paranoid.  One or two obvious signals near the start of a large area or complex is more than enough to send a message to the players that the act of exploration is not safe.  Alternatively, use a mix of rumor and hearsay away from your sites if you need to create a sense of imminent danger ("You're going to the abandoned tower west of the town?  I hear it's littered with booby traps.  Ol' Gristle went there in search of treasure and he barely escaped with his life!").</blockquote>

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