Threats and Traps

alex_greene

alex_greene

Guest
A dedicated thread devoted to the non-sentient hazards, threats and traps discovered by adventurers while plying their already dangerous trade. Fields of soporific poppies; a subterranean fungus ten square kilometres in area, one big mycelium, that puffs clouds of hallucinogenic spores to snare its victims while it digests them in sacs underground ...; magic mines filled with explosive alchemical compounds, triggered by the pressure of a human foot ...

Post your honey traps*, beaver catchers** and other fiendish tricks and traps here. Remember: if it's just growing there naturally, it's a hazard; if it's coming towards you like an avalanche or a mana storm, it's a threat; if it's been planted there ...

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* a bucket of honey perched on a tree branch in a region of woods known to be frequented by bears.

** a huge mousetrap with a big log perched on the plate.
 
The following threats can be found in the Eberron Konversion (see link in my signature) in Chapter 12 - Friends, Foes and Perils:

Mold
Green Slime
Yellow Mold
Brown Mold
 
I am so glad somebody posted a trap finally! Its one of those things you always see in roleplaying games and I simply didn't have a clue how it was done. Obvious now that you've posted two of them, thanks for flicking on the light bulb.
 
Bifford said:
What is "Blade venom POT"?
Bifford
Click to expand...

The Potency of the venom, in this instance 55 (page 81). The victims make an opposed roll of Resilience vs. the venom potency. I'm not sure how other people handle the situation where the venom fails it's roll (i.e. you roll over the Potency), I just make it an unopposed roll of resilience instead.
 
Some traps that I used in various adventures.

Pit Trap
Description: Typical hidden trap in the floor that opens when someone with SIZ 3 or more steps on
Reacction: Perception -20%.
Effects: Falling of 5 meters (1d6 damage in a random location and fall prone. Armor don't protect against this damage). The bottom of the pit is filled with water and quenches any unprotected fires.
Countermeasures: You can do any of the next countermeasures to avoid it.
* Once discovered, you can jump to the other side of the pit with an Athletics (Jumping) roll and you climb up from the bottom with Athletics (Climb) rolls if you fell down.
* You can block the pit before it opens with a Mechanics Routine (-0%) roll.
* The pit is opened/closed/blocked with a trigger hidden in the hallway, about ten meters before the trap. Notice it is a Perception roll, Difficult (-20%) if you are searching for it, or Very Hard (-60%) if not.

Swinging blades trap
Description: When the trap is active, two sharp blades (similar to halberds) begin to swing, blocking the passage.
Reacction: Perception +40%.
Effects: The blades have 90% to attack rolls, and they do 1d8+1 damage each one.
Countermeasures: You can do any of the next countermeasures to avoid it.
* You can try to avoid a blade with a dodge roll or block it with a parry roll. Each blade must be overcome separately. Doing that, you can go ahead the corridor, but it doesn't stop the trap. The blades always take a Bash Opponent maneouver if they gain one, forcing back the opponent and impeding progress.
* You can try attack each blade, but you must be exposed to its attack to do that (see above). Each blade have AP 3 and 10 PG. If you attack the blade with objets of lesser AP, the weapon also takes damage. Once destroyed both blades, the trap is destroyed.
* You can block the trap with a Mechanics roll, but it is opposed to the skill of its creator. He obtained a 30 in his roll. Any result below 30 other than a critical is a failure and it exposes to one of the blades. A fumble exposes to both blades.
* The trap is activated by a hidden trigger in each of the rooms adjacent to the corridor. Notice it is a Perception roll, Difficult (-20%) if you are searching for it, or Very Hard (-60%) if not.
 
Zombie Pit Trap.

Premise: A simple pit trap, the floor gives way to anyone with a SIZ equal to or higher than 14. The victim falls a fair distance onto a bare stone floor, probably breaking both their legs. And from the surrounding darkness comes zombies, lots and lots of zombies.

Stone Drop Trap.

Premise: Character is opening a door or perhaps simply walking down a hall. The trip a wire or some kind of release and a large stone falls on their head, SIZ 10 or so. A pretty crude trap, but one that might be used in primitive cultures.

The Heavy Door Trap.

Premise: Big doors are usually used to signify something, they might lead into an important room or an important plot device behind them. These doors are massive,heavy, and ancient, and will not swing outwards easily. The character pulls with all their might and the door slowly begins to move, but too late do they realize its not moving on its hinges. Its slowly toppling over, then squish.
 
Fonso said:
Some traps that I used in various adventures.

Pit Trap
Description: Typical hidden trap in the floor that opens when someone with TAM 3 or more steps on
Click to expand...

TAM 3? Please explain.

@daxos232

I like your ideas, very dangerous and sneaky. Always a good thing!
 
DamonJynx said:
TAM 3? Please explain.
Click to expand...
I believe TAM is Spanish for SIZ? Tamaño?

daxos232 said:
Zombie Pit Trap.

Premise: A simple pit trap, the floor gives way to anyone with a SIZ equal to or higher than 14. The victim falls a fair distance onto a bare stone floor, probably breaking both their legs. And from the surrounding darkness comes zombies, lots and lots of zombies.
Click to expand...
The more evil version of this has the victim fall into a pit of water just too deep to stand in, but not too deep so that the zombies at the bottom can grasp you and pull you down and eat you as you drown...
 
DamonJynx said:
Fonso said:
Some traps that I used in various adventures.

Pit Trap
Description: Typical hidden trap in the floor that opens when someone with TAM 3 or more steps on
Click to expand...

TAM 3? Please explain.

@daxos232

I like your ideas, very dangerous and sneaky. Always a good thing!
Click to expand...


RangerDan is right. I meant SIZ 3 but I slipped during translation.
Corrected!
 
Fonso said:
DamonJynx said:
Fonso said:
Some traps that I used in various adventures.

Pit Trap
Description: Typical hidden trap in the floor that opens when someone with TAM 3 or more steps on
Click to expand...

TAM 3? Please explain.

@daxos232

I like your ideas, very dangerous and sneaky. Always a good thing!
Click to expand...


RangerDan is right. I meant SIZ 3 but I slipped during translation.
Click to expand...

I see. Thanks for that.
 
I've been wondering if it would be possible to design a fiendishly complex trap that requires multiple Adventurers to combine various skills to defeat it - this wouldn't be a basic trap that you detect using Perception and then disarm using Mechanisms, but something that allows multiple players to contribute their strengths towards a solution. I'm thinking of the kind of traps that occasionally appear in old school video games where that require different party members to perform tasks in a specific sequence or within a specific time period to overcome the trap.
 
Basically like the final part of the TV program "Fort Boyard" (think Crystal Maze in a fort).

In that the group raise a portcullis, then have to use the clues they have gained throughout the previous "adventures" to decide on what the Key-word is. They then have to use the remaining players (anyone who is not locked in to a game/dungeon) and canonballs to spell out that word on a tiled floor of letters.

If they get it wrong the portcullis starts to drop (or in a traps case it would happen immediately) and if it's right then they get 2 minutes in which to gather as much of the gold pouring out of a statue's mouth and get out before the portcullis shuts.
 
Bifford said:
Basically like the final part of the TV program "Fort Boyard" (think Crystal Maze in a fort).

In that the group raise a portcullis, then have to use the clues they have gained throughout the previous "adventures" to decide on what the Key-word is. They then have to use the remaining players (anyone who is not locked in to a game/dungeon) and canonballs to spell out that word on a tiled floor of letters.

If they get it wrong the portcullis starts to drop (or in a traps case it would happen immediately) and if it's right then they get 2 minutes in which to gather as much of the gold pouring out of a statue's mouth and get out before the portcullis shuts.
Click to expand...

Something similar to that might work. I'm wondering how you design a trap that requires teamwork, challenges a range of different skills, and ensures that all of the players are involved in overcoming it. I'm interested in seeing a design that moves away from the traditional where the 'party thief / rogue' disarms the trap with a couple of dice rolls while everybody else sits around looking bored. I'm wondering whether a trap could be designed that is as challenging to overcome as any combat encounter. It would be even better if the trap requires the Adventurers to interact with their environment in ways that can't be reduced to mere dice rolls, such as using material in the area to develop a clever solution to the trap. Bonus points if it challenges the players as well as their characters!
 
Well in it's most simplest forms you would have a set of levers and pulleys that A. are more numerous than a person has arms and B. are too far apart for one person to activate by themselves.

So you could have a pressure plate that needs someone or something heavy on it here while over there this lever and this lever need pulling, while over there a specific rope needs pulling but there's three to chose from and which is it? Only the right one will work and only when the pressure plate is depressed and the levers pulled.

Sure, there are ways around each of the first two things - a rock could be used on the plate, and some ropes could pull the levers and are held in place tied to something, and that leaves the person free to pull each of the three ropes in turn, but how much easier is all of that if there are three people working in co-operation???

And if there's a big nasty on your trail and likely to be on you in two minutes? There's not enough time to rig up the one-person scenario, so it looks like, oh no! You three might actually have to work together for once!! Shock, Horror!! :)
 
hmm, I impressed myself there....I might just have to use that one with my three discordant players next week or the week after!!! ROTFLMAO! :)
 
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