Talk:Traps and Hazards

• traps are treated as one or more monsters in an encounter, and should be written up as pseudo-monsters (with special abilities for how their damage is applied, etc.)
• traps don't need to rely on normal triggers to attack (e.g. tripwires and pressure plates). Instead, they are often triggered via one of the defined 'senses' (and therefore can be defeated by anything that defeats that sense).

• in a world of magic, traps can behave more like golems than simple mechanical constructs, with some traps even exhibiting a modicum of intelligence.

• traps can be attacked via Disable Device or Sunder checks versus their Disable/Sunder DC.
• a successful Disable Device check inflicts 1d6 points of Siege damage (durability damage) to the trap, plus an additional 1d6 per 5 full points that the Disable Device check exceeded the DC by.

• some abilities, items, or feats could increase this, usually by a flat adder (e.g. a flat +1 regardless of # of dice rolled, scaling up to as high as +3 per die rolled at the VERY high epic levels)

• a successful Sunder check only deals 1 point of siege damage on a normal success, +1 per 5 above the DC, so it is quite weak against traps.
• simple traps would have a durability somewhere in the 15 range (requiring 5 average hits), but more complex traps would need as many as 30 points to completely disarm (6 average hits with a +3 bonus each hit). No trap should have more than 50, even at the very tippy-top of the game.
• the disarm DC of the trap is based on the trap's CR (or the CR for the location), and can require anything from an Average to a Hard check, providing another angle for the difficulty to scale (essentially, it could have a higher "Armor Class" (target DC) or more "Hit Points" (Durability), but probably not both).

Designing Traps

• traps should behave somewhat like monsters, and deal damage roughly equivalent to monsters of the same CR. However, they generally don't move, and they can consequently be a little meaner.
• The trap's origin space should be placed on the battle map, but only after the trap is discovered

• traps begin in Stealth stance, and must noticed via Passive Perception (or active) to spot them before they attack; Stealth is always broken after they attack.

• traps should have the following characteristics:

• Description
• Spot DC (the trap's stealth skill)
• Triggering Sense (the trap's perception and how it targets; it should be possible to stealth past some traps, or fly over others)
• Durability (the trap's hit points)
• Disarm/Sunder DC (the trap's AC)

• Default Attack: if ignored, trap does its best attack (max number of targets, best damage) -- ignore traps at your own peril!
• Anti-Disarm: if disarm check against trap, it deals a targeted attack against its disarmer
• Anti-Sunder: countermeasure against brute-force attempts to disarm the trap, more often an AOE than an anti-disarm attack
• On Destruct: on destruction, trap deals a final effect, often dealing harm to everything in the area (friend or foe)

• a fight could be designed to be won by defeating the trap(s) and killing the monsters with the On Destruct effects, for example -- this could be a fun way to bypass something like Incorporeal or Adamantine/Silvered Weapon requirements

• each attack should have a defined set of targeting information:

• number of targets
• whether it can differentiate friend or foe (i.e. all creatures vs. enemy creatures)
• either a to-hit bonus, or a save for half DC, per Monster Special Abilities variables.

Sample Traps

Note that these aren't necessarily thematically appropriate examples, just examples of some of the design space we can use.

Burninate! (CR 3; Goblin)

This crude trap is just as dangerous to the creatures that created it as it is to anyone who happens upon it!

• Triggering Sense: Standard Vision 60 ft.
• Spot DC: 1d20+14
• Durability: 16
• Disarm/Sunder DC: 14
• Fire For The Fire Gods (Default): At the end of any round in which the Burninate! trap is not disarmed or sundered successfully, it unleashes a large swath of fire in a 20 ft. x 20 ft. area within 50 feet of the trap's origin space, inflicting 1d8+1 points of fire (energy, common) damage to all creatures within the affected area. All creatures in the area may make a Reflex save against a DC of 15 for half damage. Any creatures of type or subtype 'Goblin' in the affected area are treated as automatically failing their saving throws (taking full damage).
• Bomb-Diggity (Anti-Disarm): Each time the Burninate! trap suffers Disarm damage, it inflicts 1d6 points of fire (energy, common) damage on the Disarming creature. There is no save against this effect. In addition, at the end of any round in which the Burninate! trap suffered Disarm damage, it will inflict 1d10+2 on each creature that inflicted Disarm damage this round, as long as those creatures are within 10 feet of the trap's origin space. This end-of-round damage can be reduced with a Reflex save, versus a DC of 15 for half damage, and then further reduced by a number of points equal to the Disarm damage that each target creature inflicted this round.
• Self-Destruct (Anti-Sunder): Each time the Burninate! trap suffers Sunder damage, it flares out, inflicting 1d8+1 points of fire (energy, common) damage in a 15-foot cone that must include the creature that inflicted the Sunder damage. All creatures in the area may make a Reflex save against a DC of 15 for half damage. Any creatures of type or subtype 'Goblin' in the affected area are treated as automatically succeeding on their saving throws (taking only half damage).
• Fire Forever (On Destruct): Upon being reduced to 0 or fewer Durability points, the Burninate! trap explodes, inflicting 1d8+1 points of fire (energy, common) damage to all creatures within 40 feet of its space. All creatures in the area may make a Reflex save against a DC of 15 for half damage. Any creatures of type or subtype 'Goblin' in the affected area are treated as automatically failing their saving throws (taking full damage).

Impaling Terror (CR 8, Aranea)

This horrible monstrosity consists of dozens of 25-foot-long, bladed spider legs attached to the ceiling of the room, which stab down at nearby enemies with a malicious awareness.

• Triggering Sense: Lifesense 30 ft.
• Spot DC: 1d20+25
• Durability: 18
• Disarm/Sunder DC: 25
• Stab In The Dark (Default): At the end of any round in which the Bladed Terror trap is not disarmed or sundered successfully, it performs a stabbing attack on all enemy creatures within 25 feet of its origin space. It performs a to-hit roll (1d20++13) versus each creature's Armor Class. If it hits, the creature suffers 2d8+6 points of piercing (physical, common) damage, and becomes Immobilized until the end of the next round, as the leg impales through them and into the ground. The Immobilized condition can be cleared normally, as described on the condition's "Ended-By" section. Creatures which are not struck are unaffected.
• Frantic Defense (Anti-Disarm): Each time the trap suffers Disarm damage, it lashes out with one of its bladed legs against its attacker in a desperate attempt at defending itself. It performs a to-hit roll (1d20++13) versus each creature's Armor Class. If it hits, the creature suffers 2d8+6 points of bludgeoning (physical, common) damage, and is pushed 1d4 spaces away from the trap's origin space.
• Sticky Webbing (Anti-Sunder): Each time the trap suffers Sunder damage, it spews out a blob of sticky webbing. The attacker must make a Reflex save versus a DC of 19, or become Immobilized until the end of the next round, or until the target suffers any amount of Fire (energy, common) damage. In addition, while Immobilized by the sticky webbing, the creature suffers a -2 penalty to its Armor Class versus all attacks.
• Death Throes (On Destruct): Upon being reduced to 0 or fewer Durability points, the trap thrashes its legs wildly, stabbing at anything it can reach. It performs a to-hit roll (1d20++13) against the Armor Class of every creature within 25 feet of its space (friend or foe). If it hits, the creature suffers the creature suffers 2d8+6 points of piercing (physical, common) damage, and becomes Immobilized until the end of the next round, as the leg impales through them and into the ground. The Immobilized condition can be cleared normally, as described on the condition's "Ended-By" section. Creatures which are not struck are unaffected.