Olgar Shiverstone
Legend
Tricks? I like mimics, magic mouths, and gas spores myself.
Your favourite tricks, traps, and puzzles
- Thread starter Hautamaki
- Start date
Thunderfoot
Hero
As for traps - deadly, otherwise, what is the point. Traps in dungeons came from the Egyptian habit of trapping tombs against grave robbers. Can they be bypassed and defeated? Yes, with cleverness and inventiveness, not a big red button or lever. Traps are about killing. Booby traps (used in battle situations) are about maiming and delaying, because the overall result is slower movement which in turn leads to more enemy casualties.
If kobolds use slowing/delaying traps to catch up to an enemy just to be slaughtered, it isn't very effective. If by the time they show up the cleric has just used his last "Cure Light Wounds" in a vain attempt to keep the party fighter from dying, you are on the right track. Traps a re expensive to build, why spend the money on them and then not let them do their job?
I favor classics -
Mechanical
The pit with poisoned spike in the bottom.
The pit that has a trigger in the bottom that opens a hatch above the pit dropping, poisonous snakes, green slime, etc on the prey below
The false bottom pit - you hit the bottom, the floor flips and you drop again into another pit - dying a slow starving death
Room that fills with sand - reset is on the outside of the room
I do have a few magical traps, but the theme here is simple and ellegant.
Magical
a 10' square pit with poisoned spike on the bottom. Invisible wall at the 5' mark - go ahead and try to jump over.
An illusion of a 10' pit in front of a real 10' pit with an illusory wall cast over the opening so it looks like a solid floor - they jump over the fake pit into the real one.
Reverse gravity spell on the ground - spike pit above
Illusory wall over a pit filled with green slime
All of them CAN be defeated, but most players are too smug to realize that traps are deadly and so they don't check anymore.
If kobolds use slowing/delaying traps to catch up to an enemy just to be slaughtered, it isn't very effective. If by the time they show up the cleric has just used his last "Cure Light Wounds" in a vain attempt to keep the party fighter from dying, you are on the right track. Traps a re expensive to build, why spend the money on them and then not let them do their job?
I favor classics -
Mechanical
The pit with poisoned spike in the bottom.
The pit that has a trigger in the bottom that opens a hatch above the pit dropping, poisonous snakes, green slime, etc on the prey below
The false bottom pit - you hit the bottom, the floor flips and you drop again into another pit - dying a slow starving death
Room that fills with sand - reset is on the outside of the room
I do have a few magical traps, but the theme here is simple and ellegant.
Magical
a 10' square pit with poisoned spike on the bottom. Invisible wall at the 5' mark - go ahead and try to jump over.
An illusion of a 10' pit in front of a real 10' pit with an illusory wall cast over the opening so it looks like a solid floor - they jump over the fake pit into the real one.
Reverse gravity spell on the ground - spike pit above
Illusory wall over a pit filled with green slime
All of them CAN be defeated, but most players are too smug to realize that traps are deadly and so they don't check anymore.
A simple "cup of X" on door that drops on players when they open it. It is simple and old but fun.
Hole in the roof of tunnel, with latter, it collects gases that either explode when contact with fire or knock out the character, causing them to fall.
Spiders in the outhouse...in the wild, wild west did you know more black widow bites happened in out houses...to men! (History Channel)
Hole in the roof of tunnel, with latter, it collects gases that either explode when contact with fire or knock out the character, causing them to fall.
Spiders in the outhouse...in the wild, wild west did you know more black widow bites happened in out houses...to men! (History Channel)
Vyvyan Basterd
Adventurer
I'm an evil DM, so my favorites were the less silly traps in the Grimtooth series.
My favorite of those was a simple wall-crushes-door-opener trap. But instead of smashing the poor thief trying to disarm the trap while the sissy fighters back oof down the hallway, the whole corridor wall is trapped except for the area directly across from the door. Teach the rest of the party to abandon the thief!
My favorite of those was a simple wall-crushes-door-opener trap. But instead of smashing the poor thief trying to disarm the trap while the sissy fighters back oof down the hallway, the whole corridor wall is trapped except for the area directly across from the door. Teach the rest of the party to abandon the thief!
Evilhalfling
Adventurer
Door marked "Treasury"
The chief mechanics key opens the first door (the one with the complex mechanical lock, leading down a short hallway with a second door, also with a massive lock.
The key will not open the second lock, but trying it will close the outer door and start a wall crushing trap.
each door opens to a short wide hallway and another door.
Treasury 1750 XP
Level 8
Complexity 5 (requires 12 successes or giving up)
Primary Skills
Acrobatics (DC 17): Spiked Pit & spinning Blades
Athletics (DC 18): Spiked Pit, Falling ceiling
Dungeoneering (DC 16): Crushing Walls, Spiked Pit
Endurance (DC 18): Poison Gas, Falling Ceiling. Crushing Walls
Strength (DC 20): Forcing Doors
Thievery (DC 18): can be used on any room.
successful Perception and then Thievery dc 24 will not inflict damage on a success.
Other Skills
Perception (DC 24): +2 to everyone else check, allows bypass with teleport magic, logic or thievery.
Each rooms needs 3 success to pass.
Victory costs 1 healing surge for each roll.
Defeat Defeat costs 2 healing surges per failure.
People aiding on a failure also lose 1 surge.
PCs can quit after each room.
room 1 -Wall Crushing
room 2 -Poison Gas
room 3 -Falling ceiling
room 4 -Spiked Pit and spinning blades.
In the final chamber is a book, open but on a lectern facing away from the door. The open page reads:
"Not actually a treasury and my brother knows explosive runes." (30 damage to reader, 15 to others in the room)
The chief mechanics key opens the first door (the one with the complex mechanical lock, leading down a short hallway with a second door, also with a massive lock.
The key will not open the second lock, but trying it will close the outer door and start a wall crushing trap.
each door opens to a short wide hallway and another door.
Treasury 1750 XP
Level 8
Complexity 5 (requires 12 successes or giving up)
Primary Skills
Acrobatics (DC 17): Spiked Pit & spinning Blades
Athletics (DC 18): Spiked Pit, Falling ceiling
Dungeoneering (DC 16): Crushing Walls, Spiked Pit
Endurance (DC 18): Poison Gas, Falling Ceiling. Crushing Walls
Strength (DC 20): Forcing Doors
Thievery (DC 18): can be used on any room.
successful Perception and then Thievery dc 24 will not inflict damage on a success.
Other Skills
Perception (DC 24): +2 to everyone else check, allows bypass with teleport magic, logic or thievery.
Each rooms needs 3 success to pass.
Victory costs 1 healing surge for each roll.
Defeat Defeat costs 2 healing surges per failure.
People aiding on a failure also lose 1 surge.
PCs can quit after each room.
room 1 -Wall Crushing
room 2 -Poison Gas
room 3 -Falling ceiling
room 4 -Spiked Pit and spinning blades.
In the final chamber is a book, open but on a lectern facing away from the door. The open page reads:
"Not actually a treasury and my brother knows explosive runes." (30 damage to reader, 15 to others in the room)
TarionzCousin
Second Most Angelic Devil Ever
Second only to "Never pick up a duck in a dungeon" is the rule "Never rescue a talking sword in a dungeon."
At least four times I have had players rescue a talking sword from within a magic circle/pentagram. The sword told them that it was a magical blade enchanted to kill certain monsters (usually demons or devils) and so an evil demon/devil/wizard/little girl imprisoned it here.
Of course, after they break the magic circle, the sword transforms into its true form--a demon/devil--and attacks the players.
Note: players will never believe the sword is a +6 Holy Avenger of Uber-Smiting, so make it a +3 Flametongue or something just slightly better than "level appropriate." You'll need to come up with some backstory and history for the sword to tell.
At least four times I have had players rescue a talking sword from within a magic circle/pentagram. The sword told them that it was a magical blade enchanted to kill certain monsters (usually demons or devils) and so an evil demon/devil/wizard/little girl imprisoned it here.
Of course, after they break the magic circle, the sword transforms into its true form--a demon/devil--and attacks the players.
Note: players will never believe the sword is a +6 Holy Avenger of Uber-Smiting, so make it a +3 Flametongue or something just slightly better than "level appropriate." You'll need to come up with some backstory and history for the sword to tell.
