Partly inspired by those threads concerning how to use traps and if you are a decent person or not if you use them differently than the next guy. I Thought it would be fun if we could share our devious traps here, whether they are gotchas, autoTPKs, labeled with big flashy neons signs or anything inbetween.
General guidelines, which may or may not be expanded on by the community.
The traps can either be presented in a vaccum. ie a trap that can be placed most places with little work
The traps can be presented in an environment that resonates with the function or purpose of the trap, thus giving clues of its presence, function, chance of mitigation or risk of aggravating the scene.
The traps can be presented with a history not evident at the location, but characters being able to recal said history would gain some sort of advantage or hint.
The trasp can have some sort of theme, for instance illusions and trickery.
The traps can be accompanied with riddles, for instance triggering only if the riddle isnt answered correctly within x time limit
The traps can be accompanied by monsters, or even other traps
The traps may be complex, with effects over several rounds, etc flooding a room, crushing walls.
Each trap should have a name and short description.
each trap should have a trigger
Each trap should have a description of how to detect and disable it or other ways to "beat "it, either with plain DCs or an explanation of its function
Each trap should have its effects listed, for instance in attack bonuses*/damage*/time/spell effects/alarms
Each trap may have several alternative triggers/effects/solutions and each person is allowed to add alternative options to others traps, but no person is allowed to cancel or erase another persons trap options/statistics
*attack bonus/damage can be expressed like on page DMG 121
setback DC10-11 att Bonus +3/+5
Dangerous DC 12-15 att bonus +6/+8
Deadly DC 16-20 Att bonus +9/+12
Damage by level and severity
level 1-4 Setback 1D10 Dangerous 2D10 Deadly 4D10
level 5-10 Setback 2D10 Dangerous 4D10 Deadly 10D10
Level 11-16 Setback 4D10 Dangerous 10D10 Deadly 18D10
Level 17-20 Setback 10D10 Dangerous 18D10 Deadly 24D10
Sample trap
Rolling stone of self abuse
Located in a mad wizards tower this large statue of a bloated toad has a huge rounded boulder wedged in between its jaws. The boulder is around the same size as the toad and around 10 feet tall. In front of the statue is a hallway leading further down the tower, in a step downward angle. The hallway is just about 10 feet wide, the walls on the hallway are filled with nasty looking spikes and chains, a DC 11 relevant check or physical interaction reveals that the spikes and chains are coated with an unhealthy dose of poison. Unless the players have all polymorphed themselves into naked molerats it seems quite obvious that the hallway has been designed to have a boulder the size of the one on the statue travel through it with nasty results to any in its path.
Trigger: a pressure plate down the hallway, DC 11 is designed to look like the activating part of the trap, in truth its a ruse, luring adventures further into the trap. A more thorough investigation of the pressure plate will reveal its a dud, DC pretty high.
Futher down the hallway a magical sensor is located (kinda like a permanent alarm spell) if anyone crosses that line the trap triggers. (detect magic will reveal abjuration magic, it can be dispelled as normal)
Effect: A major image of a rolling boulder will start to roll down the hallway, it will sound extremely threatening, the ground will shake and the chains will shudder because of the *illusiory* weight.
At the end of the hallway is a barred spiked gate with a large obvious lock in its center, it will take a DC 20 lockpicking to open it.
The players are presented with some *obvious* choices, get hit by the boulder and take a bunch of bludgeoning damage, or lean into the spikes and chains and take piercing and poison damage. Or try to open the barred gate (likely only one try before the *boulder* hits) failing that getting hit by the boulder and the spikes on the gate.
Disbelieving the illusion takes a DC 15 intelligence check. Getting into the spikes and chains will automatically cause 1D4 piercing damage, and dangerous level of poison damage. ( using inspiration will cause the character to miracuesly having avoided any piercings of his skin and he takes no damage)
If the characters *disabled* the real physical boulder, by either removing it/destroying it/barricading the hallway etc, they might get advantage on the illusion save or something like that.
Alternate version: when the trap trigger a darkness spells are cast in the hallway. The hallway will tremble and a loud noie can be head from the entrance, it sounds like a big nasty rolling boulder. (there is no boulder illusion or physical, only the noise and the trembling) This alternative has the advantage of adventurers not automatically disbelieving the illusion when they see the rearmost guy pass harmlessly throught the boulder. It has the disadvantage of warlocks with devils sight to automaticaly being able to detect the abscense of big boulders in the dark.
Springboard
What it is, is a powerful floor mounted flipper, which is excellent at launching foes into other traps. This mechanical trap is almost indistinguishable from the normal floor, and is 5ft. by 5ft. The best location for this trap is on higher ground, right after a more obvious trap that the players have already discovered and avoided. A victim with a broken neck may foreshadow this trap.
Trigger: A pressure plate, DC 18, that is made to resemble any other ordinary tile in the room. All of the mechanics of the trap are hidden inside the floor, underneath the pressure plate.
Effect: When a creature of small, medium or large size steps on to the pressure plate, it is launched 10 ft. upwards, and 20 ft. backwards through the air. Since this trap is best placed on higher ground, the victims mostly suffer falling damage, depending on how high their fall is. They are also launched onto other traps, which then trigger upon the players landing on them. The trap resets mere seconds after triggering.
Disarming: The trap can be disarmed easily by wedging an object underneath the springloaded tile. This will prevent it from launching, or from resetting.
Battering Ram
This trap is meant to scare off intruders, by injuring them, but not always kiling them. It is a powerful 10 ft. long and 5 ft. wide battering ram that swings down from the ceiling, and is hidden from sight by tapestries hanging from the ceiling, which cover up the hole it swings down from. Cutting at the tapestries will clearly reveal the trap. Often mocking images of rams will decorate the wall to warn intruders. The ram itself resembles a heavy steel ram's head, with a wooden beam behind it, painted red. The ram is suspended on a 90 degree angle, ready to swing down, in a hole in the 20 ft. high ceiling.
Trigger: A long pressure plate, DC 15, of about 15 feet long, that requires the weight of 2 or more people. As soon as more than one person steps onto the pressure plate, the battering ram swings down from the ceiling at full force.
Effect: It strikes the entire area of the pressure plate, and knocks everyone 20ft. backwards, dealing 2d10 bludgeoning damage.
Disarming: The entire trap can be avoided by flattening oneself against the wall. But the only way to disable the trap, is to either jam the pressure plate, or to climb up to the ceiling, and jam the mechanism that releases the battering ram. If the hallway is only 5ft. wide, climbing up is doable, by bracing oneself against the walls. But if it the hallway is wider, then climbing up to the battering ram is a difficult climb.
I've never given it a name, the group though coined it "The backstory trap". And it's aimed at PLAYERS. Or at least a certain type of player.
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Setup: The party fully enters the "trapped " area.
Effect: Unless the trap is defeated, the characters can never leave the area. Yes, they will be stuck there until dead. And then thier ghosts will be stuck there....
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How to defeat the trap: The players are given instructions to tell the group x # of true things about thier characters backstory. It can be anything. Something theyve allready jotted down/thought of or something theyre just now making up.... But once shared its true. Once all players have done so the characters are free. Failure (and really, how could you possibly fail?) Results in a TPK.
For most players this is not a trap at all. Just a brief pause in the game to talk - more - about thier character. But for those who are only playing #s/powers/builds.... Well, let's just say the DC could be considerable. This sort of player btw is the target of this trap.
Appearance/telegraphing: You can dress this thing up any way you please. But if you're using it you WANT the victims to enter it. So either bait the area with something interesting OR give no warning what so ever.
(It took about an hour to get some non-stat/rules detail out of that player. And it was really amusing as he tried to escape the room via spells, skill checks, equipment, violence (vrs spirits that simply reformed & some unfortunate furniture that wasn't ghostly) & then some stubborn silence. {The other players told him go ahead, take all the time he needed to come up with the 3 details.} Eventually he relented & gave up 3 details to prevent his perfect build from dying to what he termed the dumbest trap ever.
CCS wrote:
Uff those are some mean ones. especially the trap that doesnt take away hitpoint but targets munchkin points instead, thats the most treasured stat by some players
And if you are really mean have the player step on the springboard trap and send him back in for another three questions