So I updated a bunch of classic traps and then designed a few of my own and put them in a PDF on my website.
http://worldbuilderblog.me/2015/04/21/20-traps-in-a-pdf/
What other traps have people created for their games? Let's get an idea exchange going!
I may be called a one-trap-pony, but the one I thought of and always realy liked is my terminal-velocity-portal-trap.
There is a portal underneath a trap door in the floor. The exit of the portal is on the ceiling, above the opened trap door. If a person falls through the portal, it re-appears above it and so on.
After just a few seconds of falling, you would go so fast that everything that comes in your way, like a helping hand, would be the same as being hit with the same speed as your falling. A lot!
Lets say, 2(squared)d4 points of damage for each time you fall through, so the first time it's 2d4, second time it's 4d4, third time it's 8d4 and so on.
The longer the PC's wait or discuss, the more damage a person gets if something or someone is positioned in it's way.
CFK wrote:
Another nice "trap" is a bright red ruby gem. Normal at first, magic if checked.
It's really a CE mad necromancer who casted a permenent magic jar onto it and hides inside the gem, taking over PC's to cause havoc and chaos untill it's found a nice new body to continue it's life.
Only problem with this trap is: It's almost certain to kill a couple of players before discovering the true nature of the necromancer... TPK's not excluded!
Jimbro wrote:
I made a coin pile (~1000 cp) that when disturbed, animates like the Cloud of Daggers spell, shredding anyone in a 10' radius. That was fun. I did a similar (but smaller scale; ie: only one PC, the one holding the deck when it animates) thing with a deck of cards. The cards did 2d4 per round, blinded, and incapasitated the PC.
I'm also fond of the gelatious cube in a 10'x10'x10' pit with a thin film of water over it. I do like pit monsters, and mosters as traps. Zombies stuck in mud up to their waists (stolen from a scene in The Walking Dead) made for an interesting encounter, as the PC's and mobile enemies each tried to push eachother into them.
Another one I've used was the flush, lol. A sudden rush of waste splashed over the PCs, causing nausea, vomiting, and coating them with a powerful (and noticable from a great distance) stench.
I have cannibals in my campaign that have simple, yet devious traps.
The trapped idol
A large wooden idol has been erected of one of the evil deities of the cannibals. It is often decorated with human skulls and fingers, to give the players enough reason to want to take it down. The idol is however surrounded by bamboo spikes, hidden underneath a thin layer of palm leafs, covered in sand. The bamboo spikes have been covered in excrement, to infect the wounds of anyone that steps into them.
The bone floor
This is a tilting stone floor inside a tight corridor. The floor is covered in human bones. If two or more players step onto the floor, it tilts down and turns into a steep slide. The bones start sliding as well, making it very difficult for the players to stay on their feet. Down below is a pit filed with once again, bamboo spikes. The floor will come back up once there are less than two players standing on it.
Falling rock trap
This simple trap is made from a trip wire, connected along the wall to a wooden peg, supporting a wooden plank. The plank is stuck in a crack in the ceiling, with lots of rocks stacked on top of it. If a player kicks into the trip wire, it pulls away the wooden peg, causing the plank the and the rocks to fall ontop of the players. Since it is a very basic trap, it can be relatively easy for players to spot.
Or just watch any Indiana Jones movie! Enough traps there!
(Except the 4th one... we don't speak of the 4th one...)
Here are a few I've used over the years...
1) Greased Ramp w/ Pit (magic/mechanical): a passageway begins to slope downwards at a steep incline. A magical glyph 40' before the bottom casts Grease on the passageway floor from that point to the bottom and opens a trap door to a pit at the bottom. PCs trigger glyph, must make saves to not slide 20' a round down the ramp per turn, those falling into the pit must take falling damage for a 30' pit (3d6) + 1d6 * (1d6+5) spike damage - no save. This is fun because it gives players a couple of rounds to try and extricate themselves before they tumble into the pit.
2) Turntable Passageway (mechanical): a pressure plate trigger causes a rumbling beneath the PCs' feet and the entire section of stone passage they are in pivots 30 degrees to one direction to now face solid rock walls. Similar to a dropping gate but tougher because the barriers preventing exit can be quite formidable (yards of solid stone). Can trigger an alarm that allows antagonists to come 'collect' those in the trap. Can also be mixed in with other elements - a secret door is now accessible on one of the walls, ports in the ceiling open and water begins to pour in, or the passage tilts downwards, creating a ramp w/ pit (as above).
3) Hot Plate (magic): any character that touches the target of this trap (a large, usually immobile item such as an iron treasure chest) feels a wash of refreshing coolness sweep over their senses. Nothing else happens until they cease contact with the target at which ponit they start to take 1d6 fire damage each turn. This damage ceases once they re-establish contact with the target but otherwise continues until they die (parboiled in their own skins). It can be defused by a successful Dispel Magic on the target or by performing a small 'defusing' ritual while touching the target (kiss a holy symbol of a given god, etc).
These are all really cool ideas! I can't wait to use them in my game. Turntable passage is devious! So is bone floor. And that animated coin pile... terrifying!
I have one that I wrote about in the old Next forums a couple of years ago. It was inspired by some packing/shipping pieces that come with rack mount servers when I order a new one at work. There are dummy space holders for servers that only have 1 processor and don't need extra fans that are used to fill that space. They are the perfect size to use as cells for minis.
So I came up with the idea to have a trap that was triggered by a pressure plate in the floor. If triggered, several of these cells (previously hidden, but not totally imperceptible) fall from the ceiling, requiring a DEX save to get out of the way.
The post I wrote was about how my players turned the tables after triggering the trap and used them on their enemies, which was something I didn't anticapte, but I really liked how they came up with the idea and executed it. That old post is here:
http://community.wizards.com/content/forum-topic/3693906
I used to have a picture on that page, but it doesn't show anymore, so here it is again:
CFK wrote:
I found a 3e era Adventurer's Guide which mentioned a FIshhook Trap to build into your clothes to deter pickpockets ... but no stats or description ! I'm trying to build something simple and small, then figure out a way to 'import' it to an AL character (who is greedy and paranoid and REALLY doesn't want anybody else to steal HIS stuff / money).
You put an object on a pedestal in the center of a room.
You surround the pedestal with a rusted grade under which the playes can clearly see bubbling acid.
Trap: When the object is removed from the pedestal gravity in th room reverses.
-Players take falling damage hitting the ceiling
-Players take acid damage when the acid hits the cieling
You can either hae a switch to turn it off or make them leave the room (possibly taking more falling damage if they do not do anything to stop it.)