Your favourite traps

[Storyteller01]

I've always liked traps that took that extra step towards being evil. WOrks well for menatl as well as physical torture.

My three favorites:

1) In FFG's Traps & Treachery, there's a trap that triggers when the first member of the party walks in a room, then leaves the others alone. There happens to be a crystal ball in the middle of the room.

The targeted individual is teleported into a room with no doors or windows. No way out, and anti magiced as an option. In the room is some rather gruesome critters. The crystal ball in the original trapped room allows the rest of the party to see what happens...


2) In the 2nd ed adventure Labrynth of Madness, one of the first traps was a basic 'seal you in a room with the walls closing in'. Problem is, the Labryth did some strange things to spells (no teleports, to start) so magic was out.

The catch: One wall had an inset shelf holding vases. If you moved the vases, you could fit two individuals inside. So... who gets saved, and who takes the damage?

3) anotheer from the FFG book:

A party runs into a 10 foot pit. NO big deal, until the pressure plate you stepped on releases a pump, filling the pit with water.

Not a problem, you say? Well there is a catch: The plate also activated a Suggestion. You've been enchanted with water breathing, and it would be great to play in the pool!

The best part is the insult added to injury: After a suffiecieny time, the pit empties leaving your drowned carcass. After the pit empties, another spell is triggered, bringing you back as a zombie. Then, a magic mouth appears giving you instructions, usually to the effect of 'do so and so to maintain this trap'.

 

[Dungannon]

I like 'em simple, like a pressure plate that releases knockout or poison gas.

 

[BullMarkOne]

I'm with the guy who likes pit traps, but then my players are pretty dumb. If I put something shiny, or something to kill, down the end of a passage with a concealed pit trap in the middle they will invariably charge straight down the passage. Of course it goes without saying that the something shiny will be cursed, and/or the something to kill will be heaving ranged attacks at the party. I also like any trap that incorporates poison, In addition to being dumb my pc's have some high stats. Its fun to see the dissappointed looks on their faces when they take attribute damage.

**Edit** I'm also kind of fond of the bait and switch type of trap, like the pool of water that's really a crystal ooze, or the magic floating skeleton that's really a gelatinous cube.

 

[IronWolf]

I sort of like a good old fashioned pit trap too. In my current campaign a character fell into one, took the damage and tried to climb out next round. Ooops! Rolled a 1, bam, back into the trap. Player took ranks in Climb at the next level up.

 

[yennico]

The PCs find a trap and disable it. They explore the further dungeon. Unknown to the PCs a inhabitant of the dungeon (e.g. a kobold) reset the trap. The PCs must flee from a monster and trigger the same trap they had disabled before.

 

[Nebulous]

Oh boy, i saw a trap in the demo for Grimtooth's Traps that was devious. In four steps, it releases a trapdoor ceiling, bonks one character in the head, a vicious hook snags another, a springloaded floor catapults a character onto the "floor" of the fallen ceiling, which is liberally covered in spikes, and finally two paddles knock the guy who set the trap off through a fine mesh of microfilament razorwire.

It was pretty cool.

 

[jonesy]

The door/trapdoor switch. You have a door and a trapdoor on the floor in front of it. The trapdoor leads to downgoing stairs. The door is the mechanism for a trap.

A variation on the falling ceiling trap. On the ceiling there lives a large gelatinous cube that knows how to climb back up after feasting on anyone caught in the room. The ceiling is clearly visible through it in a way that makes detecting the cube difficult and the cube drops everything it can't consume onto to floor. The floor is full of this stuff and the door has the sign "storeroom".

*Snip*

Now I do know what you're saying, but I still find your use of the word player disturbing.

 

[CM]

Golems (especially iron) + any symbol spell (especially weakness or stunning). For extra fun, make the symbol permanent.

Symbol of Fear and a golem at the bottom of a pit trap. Can't flee? You cower!

 

[Felnar]

no one likes arrow traps?

 

[Hand of Evil]

Simple pit trap for me, it is the old standard and a lot of fun, just add...spikes, crocs, boiling oil, lava, etc...

Simple is good.