D&D 5E Would you require a roll for this?

[DarkCrisis]

I was extrapolating from a proposed scenario, a wire trap that had been detected. If I were DMing a simple wire across the ground could be easily avoided by stepping over it, no check required. If there's no uncertainty there's no roll. There may be certain scenarios where it would be possible to set it off such as if they were running away.

Why it's there isn't really relevant. Some traps can be easily avoided once perceived and there is no roll. Others cannot be so easily avoided. Which category they fall in will be a DM judgment call.

As far as why have traps? Why have any challenges or obstacles?

Just had this happen last game. The rogue discovers a trapped step on a flight of stairs. “Can we just step over it?”

Yes you can. Easy and done.

 

[Reynard]

Just had this happen last game. The rogue discovers a trapped step on a flight of stairs. “Can we just step over it?”

Yes you can. Easy and done.

The best part of that is when they come screaming and fleeing up the stairs, chased by the hungry dead, and they forget it is there...

 

[DEFCON 1]

The best part of that is when they come screaming and fleeing up the stairs, chased by the hungry dead, and they forget it is there...

What is this word "fleeing" you use? Is that actually a thing? I know not what this means in the context of the PCs at my table.

 

[Corinnguard]

The best part of that is when they come screaming and fleeing up the stairs, chased by the hungry dead, and they forget it is there...

....the trap is sprung and turns the stairs into a slide. Several things could happen after the DM asks everyone in the party to make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) saves.

1) Everyone in the party makes their save, they grab onto each other and sides of what remains of the stairs. They watch as the undead slide back down into the darkness below.

2) Some of the party succeeds at their DEX saves and then have to make another roll in order to catch those in their party who failed their saves. Some of the latter slide down with the undead, thus forcing the former to go back down in order to save them. A fight ensues.

3) The entire party fails their DEX saves and slides back down with the undead. A fight ensues.

A lot of other possibilities could happen here. More than I can probably imagine on my own.

The observant DM happily notes to themselves at how different this current adventure differs from the last time they ran this adventure.

 

[Oofta]

Just had this happen last game. The rogue discovers a trapped step on a flight of stairs. “Can we just step over it?”

Yes you can. Easy and done.

Of course the real trap is that you are supposed to step on that particular step that only looked like it was trapped in order to temporarily disable the stairs collapsing into a pit with spikes and poisonous snakes at the bottom.

More seriously, a lot of times disabling a trap in my game is as simple as looking for the button to push or lever to pull that people use to temporarily disable the trap if it's in a building that's being used. Sometimes it isn't easy to access, such as when the PCs are entering in through what is supposed to be an escape tunnel. If whoever made the trap still uses that route or plans to open that chest or go through that door there needs to be a simple way to avoid the trap. The more individuals go through it, the easier to bypass it.

But that gets into design of traps, which will vary by their purpose and who creates them which is a separate topic.

 

[DEFCON 1]

Of course the real trap is that you are supposed to step on that particular step that only looked like it was trapped in order to temporarily disable the stairs collapsing into a pit with spikes and poisonous snakes at the bottom.

"The real traps are the ones we step on along the way..."

- @Oofta 's cross-stitched wall sampler

 

[Li Shenron]

There is a chest and the Rogue rolls and detects a trap. A needle trap that would eject into the thief's hand and poison them.

The Rogue's player says that he borrows the Fighters metal gauntlet (which the needle couldn't penetrate) and safely sets off the trap.

Roll for disarm or not?

I would not, I'd rule an automatic success.

 

[Meech17]

....the trap is sprung and turns the stairs into a slide. Several things could happen after the DM asks everyone in the party to make a Dexterity (Acrobatics) saves.

1) Everyone in the party makes their save, they grab onto each other and sides of what remains of the stairs. They watch as the undead slide back down into the darkness below.

2) Some of the party succeeds at their DEX saves and then have to make another roll in order to catch those in their party who failed their saves. Some of the latter slide down with the undead, thus forcing the former to go back down in order to save them. A fight ensues.

3) The entire party fails their DEX saves and slides back down with the undead. A fight ensues.

A lot of other possibilities could happen here. More than I can probably imagine on my own.

The observant DM happily notes to themselves at how different this current adventure differs from the last time they ran this adventure.

That's some straight up Scooby Doo level stuff, and I'm all for it.

 

[Corinnguard]

But that gets into design of traps, which will vary by their purpose and who creates them which is a separate topic.

If you want to stock your dungeon or fortress with traps, get some help from the Kobolds. Trapmaking is their favorite profession. "This is Trapmakers R Us, how may we stock your dungeon?"

 

[Oofta]

If you want to stock your dungeon or fortress with traps, get some help from the Kobolds. Trapmaking is their favorite profession. "This is Trapmakers R Us, how may we stock your dungeon?"

True but then they're going to do a bunch of pressure plates that the don't trigger for kobold weight, blade and spear traps that targets the height of medium and larger creatures and so on.

The kobolds get payment up front and collect a bonus bounty from all the orcs killed by the traps.