Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Lanathan 10-22-05, 11:55 PM	My players have been dealing with traps for some time now, though the great deal of them have been mechanical, and the few magical ones I have used, have been runes or magical symbols of a sort. This coming session I was planning to use an Incendiary Cloud trap, placed in the center of a 20 foot doorway. This trap uses a proximity trigger and effects a 20 foot area. I guess I am looking for ways to spice up the description, and the search/disable section. How would you guys do it? When the rogue gets close to the doorway and he is searching for traps, tell him that he feels a magical trap near? That he can just sense the presence there of a proxmity trigger and when he goes to disarm it, how would/could he? I mean, I personally wouldnt think that thieves tools would help much aganist a trap of magical nature, but is there any sort of tool you use in your sessions specifically for magic trap? Like a divining rod of some sort, or something of the like? I am really just looking for help and ideas on how to describe the situation, rather then saying, "You sense a magical trap" and then "You have disarmed the trap". Would like to make them a bit more in depth and memorable. Thanks!
Damren 10-23-05, 12:18 AM	Lanathan A few things I consider in these types of situations; If the trap has gone off before, there may be evidence of prior blasts on the floor, ceiling and walls. The area may even smell differently, a hint of ash in the air. Even if the area has been cleaned, some discoloration of the stone may still exist. Bearing this in mind, what light sources that thief is using could make the roll more or less difficult (he has to be able to see the details before he stumbles into the area of affect). In my game, some master class thieves tools have "Glitter Dust" ( "x" number of uses that have to be replenished). Think of it like the sprays you see in thief movies that are used to detect lasers triggered alarms. As the dust encounters a magical item or area, it glows. Also good for sorting magical treasures or finding magical traps on items. A thief might also have an item that detects magic & may use it as part of his Search technique. Sometimes a gem that glows or a "sounding iron" that hums - which in my game is a tuning fork-looking short rod or wand that vibrates or emits a tone when magic is near, changing pitch and volume as proximity changes. You also have to decide what type of trigger your looking at. If it's something like a Contingency, then the rules to set it off have to be looked at. Otherwise, every dungeon rat, crawling lizard or rabid squirrel will get torched. Also, is it a recharging affect or does it only work once & then have to be reset by the Mage? I also tend to change the quality of my description based on how good the thief's roll was. A great roll would yield a lot of info, while a close roll would yield just enough to make the player nervous. Good Luck, Damren
Lanathan 10-23-05, 09:14 AM	Thank you for the suggestions Damren, good information. In this instance the traps trigger is just proximity, there is no random roaming critters of any type, its a extra-dimensional tower that the entire thing is a test of ability to get thru. It also is an automatic reset after the spell is finished. Some other ideas I have had is actual magical etching or engraving in the floor/wall/door from which the trap is generated, something that looks like a summoning circle or rune. In this instance again, the trap itself has a 20 foot radius both for setting off and for the area effect of the spell. The items and technics you mentioned are quite good Damren, I will be sure to incorperate some of those into my campaign. But, what about for the actually disabling of the magical trap? Just a regular tool stuck into the area to trap and disarm? Or something wegded into the proximity line around the trap? Your detection methods are quite good imo, but looking for more ideas on the disabling. Thanks again!
Damren 10-23-05, 12:20 PM	Lanathan, If you are using magical traps that are tied to a mystical patter or focus item - that should be the target for the disable. I think of it rather like a magic item (that's sort of what it is). How would you destroy the item if you needed to get rid of it? In the case you're describing, the thief needs to disrupt the magical pattern from 20 feet away (more or less). He could hurls something heavy enough (a chest, statue, heavy weapon or wooden post) to shatter the material the pattern is etched on (it may still detonate - but it shouldn't recharge) or he could try tossing a vial of acid at it. A decent enough disable check (or you could have him roll to hit due to the difficulty of the trap - I would award extra XP however) and the acid splashes on the wall and runs down the pattern - destroying it. I have given thieves acid uses before as well. I don't get to techinical with the terms, sometimes going as simple as Stone, Metal or Flesh eating acid (I have also called it Cutting Water or something like Worm Bile if you like to add flavor text). I'm not sure how 3.o or 3.5 runs acid (have not looked at those rules yet), but I would imagine some hardness or damage resistance factor applying. Make sure they keep track of their uses. Wedging the proximity line might work (your call, but if he misses the mark he might let the fire out farther than intended detonating the trap one last time at a higher power level), or the thief could test the recharge rate & discover he has to time it to get through the portal in one round before the next recharge. He just needs to prep a good initiative (tumbling perhaps, or a full blown charge into the next room of unknown dangers). Even having a spell caster hit the wall with something damaging might do the trick. Afterall, if the thief can't touch it, he can't disarm it - making a little team work a darn good thing. I hope this helps. Good Luck, Damren