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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9268382" data-attributes="member: 6790260">Right. So like...to spitball an exampleLet's say the players are following up on rumors of an uncovered ruin from the time of the Genie-Rajahs, the Tower of the Leashed Flame. They do their research and prep work, set out, complete their Undertake a Perilous Journey through the desert wastes, and find the Tower. There's a magical trap to get in; that would be a "puzzle" trap, particularly since it would be something the original efreet occupants would want to be able to disable so they can enter safely. I'm imagining something like, I dunno, a pathway of colored flames, and the players must pass through the colors in order of their importance to the original inhabitants, from the "lowest" flame (the yellow-orange of utterly ordinary, mundane flame) to the "highest" (silver-white, the color of the magical, or possibly divine, Smokeless Fire). Their research would have prepared them for this in various ways (e.g. a successful Spout Lore roll would tell them the direct meaning; a partial success would instead note something like, "You remember reading that this group considered light and color to be sacred; their regalia looked like this" (quickly drawn flag of six colors.)Once they get inside, they would expect nastier traps, because the Genie-Rajahs were very protective of their treasures and abandoned them during the exodus to Jinnistan only because they fully intended to come back for them. (In general, this did not happen. The desert is full of Genie-Rajah ruins that the Jinnistani have, in many cases, completely forgotten about, or no longer care to recover.) So maybe they have a room with Old High Jinnistani script above the door saying, "The Death Of All Flame." That should be a BIG clue to the players that there's something very nasty inside. From there, you take other steps to indicate something like a Sphere of Annihilation, e.g. "You notice a strange dip or hole in the floor, off to one side, which seems out of place with the decor of the tower. The hole's edge is perfectly circular, and the stone is perfectly smooth, as smooth as if it had been finely polished, though with the dust and neglect of two millennia, it's hard to tell." And another: "As you walk around the room, you can hear near the plinth a very soft sound, like wind. Which is strange, because the tower should be able to keep the draft out, it's made of stone fused together by efreet fire-magics, without need for joint or mortar. Something near, or perhaps under, the altar in the center of the room, seems to be drawing air in. That's definitely weird."And, finally, if they were to do anything that would put something they value (limbs, treasure, important objects, etc.) at risk of being annihilated, I would (as usual) ask the ritual phrase: "Are you sure you want to do that?" That is my DM way of saying, "hey guys, this plan might have consequences you don't like." The players usually listen, but occasionally they decide the risk is worth it. Usually I only say that when I am of the opinion that the players have a reasonable chance of being actually upset by what might happen, not just inconvenienced/put on the spot/etc. because the latter is an essential part of adventuring. The former is not. Which might be part of why my players listen!</blockquote>

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