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Post by onethatwas on Feb 21, 2013 6:11:58 GMT -5
OK, so silly thread name aside, I just noticed this area of the board, and thought I'd move some of my trap Ideas from another topic to here. So, that being said, some simple ideas:
Wicker Weave Pit Traps of Doom! OK, so we all know what pit traps are, and as a trap it is one of the simpler ones to overcome, avoid, bypass, etc. SO, to make them a bit trickier, the trick is to make them more obvious. Sound counter-productive? Well here's how it works. You set up a LOOONG stretch of hall, narrow cavern tunnel, or other passage that, regardless of it's bends, twists, or turns has a relatively consistent tunnel width where there isn't any extra space to move around. Then you set up pits at locations throughout this tunnel or hall where you feel it makes sense. Then you cover the *ENTIRE* hall with woven wicker. From end to end.
The idea is that the PC's know something is afoot, but don't know exactly what. Until they step onto the wicker that lays over a pit. Then they realize that the entire floor, at any moment, could be a pit trap, with something nasty inside. Spikes, Gelatinous cubes, a pol of acid...who knows. All of a sudden they become very very cautious about traversing the wicker.
Funny thing about this? Creatures of small size (or less) wouldn't break the wicker floor (unless they stay in one place and bounce up and down alot). Excellent ambush material for Kobold's especially. Wicker is also easy to punch through for weapons (Except arrows, as the Persians may point out)...
Scree! A simple, low grade incline or decline can become a deadly trap if it's covered in loose scree (Sharp edged gravel). I'd rule 1D4 damage each 10 foot slide down the slope. A failed Balance Check would cause the player to fall and slide across the scree (Which causes acceleration when it has a smooth surface gliding against it, such as armor)...to the set spikes at the bottom that could impale the player. Yay, we're having skewered PC tonight!
Burning Rope Trick So you get yourself a rope that goes up or down to an area. You set the rope to be greased up with flammable oil. Then, once weight is set on the rope, have it trigger a flint spark to set the rope on fire (From the bottom). The PC not only has to contend with a difficult climb check (And consequences of slipping down the rope with a failure), BUT they are coated in a flammable substance from climbing the rope, and they have a fire lit up near their feet.
So, there's some to start with. More to come later...
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Post by traxzwolf on Feb 21, 2013 6:29:41 GMT -5
Good stuff. I may have to use the wicker pit
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dmbenjamin
Tool Gatherer
why does it always have to be snakes?
Posts: 50
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Post by dmbenjamin on Feb 21, 2013 20:19:15 GMT -5
HA! I should get out my old comp book of tricks and traps and post stuff
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Post by onethatwas on Feb 22, 2013 0:49:33 GMT -5
I tend to look for very simple traps that aren't hard to pull off, because the more complicated it gets, the more questions I get on how and why it works. My PC's are mean that way (Seriously, it's called suspension of disbelief! The Trap works because I want it to work...). I also look for creatures that fulfill the same role as a trap. Examples: Gelatinous Cubes Minotaurs+Labyrinth=Trap. The Minotaur can find the PC easy enough, but the PC can't necessarily avoid the Minotaur. So, quite literally, the PC's are trapped Gargoyles & Stone Golems The Ultra Cliche Snake Pit Insect Swarms (They work so well as alternative nasties to come out of holes in the wall/floor/ceiling. How can you go wrong?) Yellow Musk Creepers. God do I love these. Put them in a graveyard and the PC's will wonder why the hell the zombie's they're fighting are immune to turning attempts. Then hit them with a nasty undead after they've expended all their uses of anti-undead abilities. Toss in Assassin Vines and you've got tons of fun. Mimics. Mimics make excellent doors. They are hard to distinguish, don't look trapped (obviously), and in order to pass through to the next room the PC's have to touch the door or get close (to "check for traps"). A Complex Trap (Yeah, even I've made a few...): You know how sometimes key holes are adorned in rather ornate and spectacular ways? Well, make yourself a keyhole that has some of that ornate quality. The PC's are going to obviously suspect a trap, so make some sort of minor trap that acts as a decoy. They deactivate it, no problems. Then they insert the key into the key hole (Or try to pick the lock. I actually made it easy to get the key, so that wasn't an issue), and the ornate decoration springs to life, locking the character's hand so that it can't let go of the key (or the tool used to pick the lock). Then the mechanism trapping the hand starts pulling the character's arm in...towards rotating blades set into the mechanism, which will, in <insert a time frame> shred the character's arm into a bloody pulp up to the elbow. See the Door is actually locked by a mechanism that requires blood (or, technically, any liquid) to be filled into a receptacle on the other side of the door. The Key is actually the trigger to the trap that will cause the character's hand to be ruined and shredded to a bloody, pulpy mass, which then fills the receptacle, and thus opens the door. The Key works. Just not in a good way. The PC's actually ended up opening the mechanism and stuffing a hard object in to slow down the gears while they found a way to fill the receptacle before their compatriot ended up losing a hand. Twas rather enjoyable. Especially since they were being hounded by undead. Ah, the suspense! The drama! The horrid screams of pain!
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slurpy
Room Planner
Posts: 283
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Post by slurpy on Feb 22, 2013 23:02:53 GMT -5
Guarding a wizard's sanctum, or someone else clever like that: Pitch black room. Medusa in a cage. PCs can hear it, but no one knows what it is. . . until someone lights a torch and they look at it. . .
Below is a map. E is Entrance, X is Exit, p is pit, and M is a mirror at a 45 degree angle, like so: / _________ |M______X |p| |p| |p| |p| | | | | | | |E|
So the PCs walk in from the entrance. There's a pit in front of them, and at the end of the pit, they see the REFLECTION of the bent hallway which, to them, appears to be going straight with the rest of the hall. The wizard or sorcerer tries to teleport across the pit, and materializes in the rock behind the mirror.
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Post by onethatwas on Feb 22, 2013 23:49:44 GMT -5
That's actually rather devious. It relies on the wizard/sorcerer actually trying that maneuver when they can just as easily fly across it though.
DarkMantles make really good trap supplements, especially in situations where darkness is a key component. My PC's are scared to death of them for some reason. Seriously, at level 7 DarkMantles really shouldn't be a major concern. They always run away from them though, even when I put really good treasure in the room...
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slurpy
Room Planner
Posts: 283
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Post by slurpy on Feb 23, 2013 17:22:31 GMT -5
That's actually rather devious. It relies on the wizard/sorcerer actually trying that maneuver when they can just as easily fly across it though. Well, you have be fair. There are fifty different ways the PCs could cross that without falling prey to it - it's just funny if you have a mage that's fond of teleporting.
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Post by onethatwas on Feb 23, 2013 23:08:14 GMT -5
true, and I am guilty of making traps that are specifically tailored to the group as well. Usually it has amusing results (not so much deadly as just amusing).
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Post by althalusredeemed on Mar 9, 2013 3:59:24 GMT -5
My favourite traps of all time are those that aren't actually dangerous by themselves, but can be lethal when combined with the surroundings. Like a pit full of scented water - little do the players know, it's the favourite scent of a nearby monster group and they will keep attacking until it's removed. When they find out, their faces are REALLY worth it.
Other than that, I'm a big fan of trapping treasure. I don't often do the container, but I really like making the actual items into a trap of sorts. Coins that magically slow the guy carrying them down, a gem of weakness (Str penalties) or a piece of art that can trigger a wild magic effect when a spell is cast near it. Of course, they have to be spaced out enough that the players don't know to expect it, but are still wary.
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slurpy
Room Planner
Posts: 283
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Post by slurpy on Mar 9, 2013 4:33:02 GMT -5
Oooh, another one I like. A tunnel going down into rock, then going up slightly, coming back down, and then all the way back up, like a W. At the bottom, it is completely filled with water. In the center, it is full of a combustible gas, kept in place by the water on either side. ___rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr______ X_ \rrrrrrrrrr_____rrrrrrrrr/ _____X rrr\ \rrrrrrr/GGGGG\rrrrrrr/ /rrrrrrrrrr rrrr\ \rrrrr/ ______ \rrrrr/ /rrrrrrrrrr ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ rrrrrr\ \/ /rrrrrrrrrrrrr\ \/ /rrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrr\_/rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr\_/rrrrrrrrrrrrr So the PCs find the water, swim under and past the bend, and surface in this completely dark room in the center. One of them (probably the dwarf) goes to light his torch, and FWOOOMP. (One of these days I'll just bite the bullet and draw up something in MSPaint instead of being lazy and dealing with trying to get all these letters and spaces to look passable. )
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slurpy
Room Planner
Posts: 283
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Post by slurpy on Mar 9, 2013 4:41:16 GMT -5
Ooh, oddly-cursed items are fun, too. Like a robe of useless things, or a helm of invisibility that yells, "HEY EVERYONE, LOOK OVER HEEEEEEERE!" when it is activated.
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slurpy
Room Planner
Posts: 283
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Post by slurpy on Mar 9, 2013 4:54:37 GMT -5
Hahaha. Now I'm thinking about these, instead of going to bed. Two more, that's it.
______|______ aaaaaa/aaaaaa aaaaa/aaaaaaa aaaa/aaaaaaaa aaa/aaaaaaaaa __/aaaaaaa___ rrr|aaaaaaa|rrrr rrr|aaaaaaa|rrrr rrrr^^^^^^rrrr
So you have your standard pit with standard spikes. You have a rope attached at the ceiling, tied up to a post on one side to allow for easy swinging across the pit of spikes. Only the rope is very loosely attached to the ceiling, enough that it pulls out of its socket when more than fifty or so pounds of weight are placed on it.
________________|___ aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/aaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa/aaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaaa/aaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaaa/aaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaaa/aaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaaa/aaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa/aaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaa/aaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaaa/aaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaaa/aaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaaa/aaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaaa/aaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaaa/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaa aaa/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa __/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa rrr|aaa______________ rrr|aaa|rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrr^^^rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
So this one's not really easy to do in ASCII characters, because the angles of the slashes suck. But the basic idea is that the second ledge is lower than the first, giving the illusion of safety, and the rope is attached at, or past, the face of the second ledge, to which the heroes will be swinging. The trick is that the rope is LONGER than the distance between the ceiling and the second ledge, so when the first PC swings across the pit, he slams into the wall just below the second ledge, Wile E. Coyote-style. Bonus points if the PC loses grip on the rope after the impact, falling into the pit.
(Everyone remember that "Plot Inspiration" thread I started a few months ago? Yeah, you find it in the oddest places)
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Post by althalusredeemed on Mar 9, 2013 7:11:11 GMT -5
Or 'useless but magical', like a rope that unties any knots you make in it as soon as you let go of it, or a small (fingernail-sized) one-way portal to the Elemental Plane of Fire (in other words a lighter), can be funny. Especially when your players either think it's gonna be really important later on, or manage to actually do something clever with it
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Post by danielc on Mar 9, 2013 18:24:40 GMT -5
I have always liked traps that were less "deadly" and more about slowing down the party.
Example: Gluefoot traps. A glue that hardens when exposed to air. Person steps on the trap breaking the clay tile and their shoe/boot is glued to the floor. Not a killer, but yes, a real pain in the ...
Another is traps that trigger gates to lock or doors to bolt into place. They have to either find another way around or make lots of noise hacking their way pat the "trap" but again, it does not kill them so much as slow them down.
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griffonwing
Tool Gatherer
Suave swabby, savvy?
Posts: 97
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Post by griffonwing on Mar 10, 2013 3:52:04 GMT -5
1) Reverse gravity traps are always fun.
2) A pit trap where the bottom is a portal to a shaft above the pit trap..so you are in a loop. Fall 10ft down, appear 10ft above where you started. The trap portal trap is set to only activate 10 times. So after the 10th, you've fallen a total of 110ft. You take 110ft of falling damage as your body lies crumpled at the bottom of the pit.
3) A deep narrow shaft, about 3ft in diameter. Smells vaguely of "pit and shiss", but not too strongly. torchlight reveals nothing. Dropping a torch, the light extinguishes after about 12 seconds. Same with a Continual Light stone. The bottom of the shaft rests a Shere of Annihilation, the perfect outhouse companion. Pity anyone who climbs down to see why the lights went out...
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