Post by calem on Mar 21, 2014 4:16:13 GMT
I'm not sure if this is a place to throw down ideas, or show how you crafted them...personally I try to let imagination rule unless I really need the pieces there, like for combat where they need to know where, and how big the fence is....so here goes, all I have are descriptions.
1) natural traps
A) mudslide...days and days of driving rain have turned the earth to a swampy mess. The entrance to a cave/ dungeon is overgrown with a root complex from the brush covering the mountainside. If a druid or even a stonemason is with the party, they can roll wisdom checks to stop the party when the mud held up by roots is starting to give way. If not, and nobody thinks of it...mudslide after a few rounds of hacking away roots.in any case...the mudslide happens, forcing the party deeper into the cave complex.
B) flooded gully...while traversing the mountains, the party tries its hardest to not abandon their wagon full of supplies. They take to a gully/washed out ravine where the wagons travel easily. For a few days prior I will mention runoff and washout from a flash flood...the day before so.done will hear thunder. Even if it doesn't rain in the party, the flood shows up 8 hours later. Abandon the carts, seek higher ground...or drown/wash away...lose your weapons/armor....and oh, what's this? Mountain lions scavaging for victims of the flood...oh dear!
C) beaver dam. A natural, muddy bridge across a flooded plain is really a beaver dam. The heaviest member of the party will break it, and sink.
D) quercus....a favorite of mine.....the ranger says "I'll keep watch from the tree"....goblins sneaking up on the camp, he positions for a good surprise shot...before each shot is a dex check, failure....<crack> the branch you're on snaps. Sorry, dude, falling damage.
2) cheap shots....
A) the clever druid sets an obvious trip line...clever thief steps over...falls in a pit...whew, no spikes, is what you have the time to think before the hornets nest crashes into the pit with you...
B) counterweights...an old, decrepit trap has eroded over Time. Players can see the innards, including the trigger, and the barrel/bucket full of whatever nasty stuff suspended at the ceiling which should come falling down on them. They grab the rope to lower it slowly (what players don't want a barrel of acid or some other juicy bits?)....the rope is cavefisher string....players are stuck fast. The trap triggers, and the barrel drops, player gets pulled up Into the air. Barrel breaks...lead weights and steel caltrops spill out (maybe some broken glass and salt for the cringe factor). Without the counterweight, the player falls to the ground....1d10 falling damage plus whatever damage you make from the nasty barrel of whatever. And they are still stuck to the rope...
C) weigh your friends, I love PvP. So...trap springs and the party is split into two groups...both in cages suspended above a pit of acid or vipers or some other nasty. One player in the party (perhaps an NPC would be more fair) reads the plaque on the wall, apparently the lever in the cage opens the bottom of the other cage. Kill your friends, and you survive. Sit back and revel in the chaos....unfortunately, the victims are rewarded with a healing pool at the bottom of the illusory pit. The party who pulled their lever is still stuck, at the mercy of those they tried to kill. If both parties refuse, there's a deactivation switch which can be located, ive never had to explain that part, oddly enough.
D) dart trap. Obvious trap spotted guarding a desired treasure. The party can fire the trap off and stand out of its way...but then the dart hits a plate o. the far wall and pieces of the ceiling crumble...2d6 damage. I did this with a pirate's skeleton. Under the eye patch, so says legend, is a magical glass eye. The clothing on the skeleton has decayed to the point where brass tubes are visible, they power the dart firing mechanism. So...stand to the side, lift the eyepatcb. A clever character avoids this by saying, if there's a dart cannon under the eye patch, there's obviously not a glass eye....screw this, I'm leaving it alone. Not all players are that clever.
3) goblins and kobolds. I figure they like to watch, since they enjoy traps so much, so some of these are allowed an active participant. Also, I love the element of blame. Players are facing the culprit who did this annoying/painful/deadly crap. Its not something that was laid out thousands of years ago. I like to accompany each with "heeh heeh heeeh!"
A) pendulums...goblin swings a large iron ball on a chain at the players. Choices are dodge, block with shield for half damage, or dex check to step to the side, into the pit trap.
B) the spiderman trick (stolen from a venom v spiderman I loved as a kid)...goblin causes pursuit. Players are aware the goblins have been here long enough to set up traps. DM casually mentions that the goblin is sprinting down the stairs two at a time. Player doesn't mention the same thing......steps on a pressure plate and triggers either a spear trap at double damage for the sprinting, or another pendulum.
C) the Conan. Stolen from Conan the barbarian. Goblins/kobolds from this tribe/pack all wear the same helmets. One ducks around a wooden wall. Player, thinking its a good perception check, sees the helmet poking up a little in an open window. Slams down his weapon and triggers a swinging pick into himself.
D) use excrement bombs.....then something else. The kobolds love this one. Buckets of urine, shovelfuls of fresh dung just dug from the latrine...the guys in the back rows make two rounds of it to build expectations. Then....the players are lulled and angered into charging in. Its terrible, disgusting, sure. But its not dangerous. Next round, one bucket of tar. One of moonshine, and the shovelers draw from the fire pit instead of the latrine. Alcohol burns easily. Tar burns hot and slow.
1) natural traps
A) mudslide...days and days of driving rain have turned the earth to a swampy mess. The entrance to a cave/ dungeon is overgrown with a root complex from the brush covering the mountainside. If a druid or even a stonemason is with the party, they can roll wisdom checks to stop the party when the mud held up by roots is starting to give way. If not, and nobody thinks of it...mudslide after a few rounds of hacking away roots.in any case...the mudslide happens, forcing the party deeper into the cave complex.
B) flooded gully...while traversing the mountains, the party tries its hardest to not abandon their wagon full of supplies. They take to a gully/washed out ravine where the wagons travel easily. For a few days prior I will mention runoff and washout from a flash flood...the day before so.done will hear thunder. Even if it doesn't rain in the party, the flood shows up 8 hours later. Abandon the carts, seek higher ground...or drown/wash away...lose your weapons/armor....and oh, what's this? Mountain lions scavaging for victims of the flood...oh dear!
C) beaver dam. A natural, muddy bridge across a flooded plain is really a beaver dam. The heaviest member of the party will break it, and sink.
D) quercus....a favorite of mine.....the ranger says "I'll keep watch from the tree"....goblins sneaking up on the camp, he positions for a good surprise shot...before each shot is a dex check, failure....<crack> the branch you're on snaps. Sorry, dude, falling damage.
2) cheap shots....
A) the clever druid sets an obvious trip line...clever thief steps over...falls in a pit...whew, no spikes, is what you have the time to think before the hornets nest crashes into the pit with you...
B) counterweights...an old, decrepit trap has eroded over Time. Players can see the innards, including the trigger, and the barrel/bucket full of whatever nasty stuff suspended at the ceiling which should come falling down on them. They grab the rope to lower it slowly (what players don't want a barrel of acid or some other juicy bits?)....the rope is cavefisher string....players are stuck fast. The trap triggers, and the barrel drops, player gets pulled up Into the air. Barrel breaks...lead weights and steel caltrops spill out (maybe some broken glass and salt for the cringe factor). Without the counterweight, the player falls to the ground....1d10 falling damage plus whatever damage you make from the nasty barrel of whatever. And they are still stuck to the rope...
C) weigh your friends, I love PvP. So...trap springs and the party is split into two groups...both in cages suspended above a pit of acid or vipers or some other nasty. One player in the party (perhaps an NPC would be more fair) reads the plaque on the wall, apparently the lever in the cage opens the bottom of the other cage. Kill your friends, and you survive. Sit back and revel in the chaos....unfortunately, the victims are rewarded with a healing pool at the bottom of the illusory pit. The party who pulled their lever is still stuck, at the mercy of those they tried to kill. If both parties refuse, there's a deactivation switch which can be located, ive never had to explain that part, oddly enough.
D) dart trap. Obvious trap spotted guarding a desired treasure. The party can fire the trap off and stand out of its way...but then the dart hits a plate o. the far wall and pieces of the ceiling crumble...2d6 damage. I did this with a pirate's skeleton. Under the eye patch, so says legend, is a magical glass eye. The clothing on the skeleton has decayed to the point where brass tubes are visible, they power the dart firing mechanism. So...stand to the side, lift the eyepatcb. A clever character avoids this by saying, if there's a dart cannon under the eye patch, there's obviously not a glass eye....screw this, I'm leaving it alone. Not all players are that clever.
3) goblins and kobolds. I figure they like to watch, since they enjoy traps so much, so some of these are allowed an active participant. Also, I love the element of blame. Players are facing the culprit who did this annoying/painful/deadly crap. Its not something that was laid out thousands of years ago. I like to accompany each with "heeh heeh heeeh!"
A) pendulums...goblin swings a large iron ball on a chain at the players. Choices are dodge, block with shield for half damage, or dex check to step to the side, into the pit trap.
B) the spiderman trick (stolen from a venom v spiderman I loved as a kid)...goblin causes pursuit. Players are aware the goblins have been here long enough to set up traps. DM casually mentions that the goblin is sprinting down the stairs two at a time. Player doesn't mention the same thing......steps on a pressure plate and triggers either a spear trap at double damage for the sprinting, or another pendulum.
C) the Conan. Stolen from Conan the barbarian. Goblins/kobolds from this tribe/pack all wear the same helmets. One ducks around a wooden wall. Player, thinking its a good perception check, sees the helmet poking up a little in an open window. Slams down his weapon and triggers a swinging pick into himself.
D) use excrement bombs.....then something else. The kobolds love this one. Buckets of urine, shovelfuls of fresh dung just dug from the latrine...the guys in the back rows make two rounds of it to build expectations. Then....the players are lulled and angered into charging in. Its terrible, disgusting, sure. But its not dangerous. Next round, one bucket of tar. One of moonshine, and the shovelers draw from the fire pit instead of the latrine. Alcohol burns easily. Tar burns hot and slow.