Here's the problem:

Our current DM has this viral laryngitis thing that's going around and lasts about two weeks. It bollixed up our playing last week. If that's around next week, it means that we're gonna play my D&D Pirates-Conquering-the-New-World game. I've got another session or two of material written out and done already, but I'm already starting to plan ahead.

The set-up:

The part I'm planning for is a big trap-filled dungeon. The PCs (about 7th-8th level by then I think) will be exploring a dead volcano inhabited by an order of hobgoblin / elf monks and clerics they need to get some information from. The priests belong to a sect that specialises in forging mechanical devices, including traps. They've enslaved a tribe of kobolds to maintain and guard their temple and the traps that protect it. The PCs are a ranger-warblade, a swordsage who can teleport 30 ft with LoS, a fighter-rogue, and a fighter-cleric. They have good reflex saves and lots of HP, but not a ton of healing.

I've got a few good traps worked out so far, but I could use more, so if you have any good ideas, share 'em here. I'd prefer mechanical traps to magical ones, but a few magical traps are alright. I'd like to keep the number of monsters limited if possible. Puzzles too. Good puzzles would be lots of fun.

Here's one trap I've come up with:

There's a narrow chimney in the rock that goes up about two hundred feet. There's a metal ladder built into the side. As the PCs climb, they discover that some of the rungs are false, and trigger a vent up at the top. When the vent opens, boiling water from a geothermal spring comes pouring down the chute. For every 50 ft. they climb, everyone climbing has to make a DC 15 Reflex save or trigger a false rung. If anyone fails, everyone on the ladder takes 2d6 points of damage.

I still always smile when I think about Grimtooth's Ginsu Chute. Basically, it's a chute down to the next level, but it splits halfway down with a razor-sharp blade in the middle. The evil version is precise-size and pretty much death to anyone who goes down it; the slightly nicer version is a double-wide where you can save for half damage and survive, IF you go down head first.

Quote from: PseudoephedrineHere's one trap I've come up with:

There's a narrow chimney in the rock that goes up about two hundred feet. There's a metal ladder built into the side. As the PCs climb, they discover that some of the rungs are false, and trigger a vent up at the top. When the vent opens, boiling water from a geothermal spring comes pouring down the chute. For every 50 ft. they climb, everyone climbing has to make a DC 15 Reflex save or trigger a false rung. If anyone fails, everyone on the ladder takes 2d6 points of damage.

No offense, but this is a bad trap.  You've reduced it to a mere die roll with no player input.  You might as well simply roll on the "random damage table", because that's effectively what you're doing.  Don't feel bad though, because new style D&D really encourages that line of thinking.

A good trap (for gaming) should have ways the players test their environment to discover and avoid the trap.  Saving rolls and even Thief disarming rolls should be the tool of last resort when skilled play has failed or not even been attempted.  

To really fix up this trap you should think about those false rungs.  How can the players test the rungs?  Obviously they can avoid them by stepping over them and not using the bad rungs.  Can they do anything to prevent the trigger even if they do step on the bad rungs?  Answer those questions and let the players use their brains instead of their d20s and it will be a much better trap.

You imply that traps and puzzles are two different things in your original post.  Don't look at it that way.  Traps ARE puzzles.  They're just puzzles that can be lethal.

Quote from: GabrielNo offense, but this is a bad trap.  You've reduced it to a mere die roll with no player input.  You might as well simply roll on the "random damage table", because that's effectively what you're doing.  Don't feel bad though, because new style D&D really encourages that line of thinking.

A good trap (for gaming) should have ways the players test their environment to discover and avoid the trap.  Saving rolls and even Thief disarming rolls should be the tool of last resort when skilled play has failed or not even been attempted.  

To really fix up this trap you should think about those false rungs.  How can the players test the rungs?  Obviously they can avoid them by stepping over them and not using the bad rungs.  Can they do anything to prevent the trigger even if they do step on the bad rungs?  Answer those questions and let the players use their brains instead of their d20s and it will be a much better trap.

You imply that traps and puzzles are two different things in your original post.  Don't look at it that way.  Traps ARE puzzles.  They're just puzzles that can be lethal.

Whu she say! Word!

Quote from: GabrielNo offense, but this is a bad trap.  You've reduced it to a mere die roll with no player input.  You might as well simply roll on the "random damage table", because that's effectively what you're doing.  Don't feel bad though, because new style D&D really encourages that line of thinking.

A good trap (for gaming) should have ways the players test their environment to discover and avoid the trap.  Saving rolls and even Thief disarming rolls should be the tool of last resort when skilled play has failed or not even been attempted.  

To really fix up this trap you should think about those false rungs.  How can the players test the rungs?  Obviously they can avoid them by stepping over them and not using the bad rungs.  Can they do anything to prevent the trigger even if they do step on the bad rungs?  Answer those questions and let the players use their brains instead of their d20s and it will be a much better trap.

You imply that traps and puzzles are two different things in your original post.  Don't look at it that way.  Traps ARE puzzles.  They're just puzzles that can be lethal.

As I mentioned, one guy has a few levels in rogue. He can search for the trap and disable it once it's been discovered. Not all traps have to be "encounter traps" where the entire PC team needs to solve some sort of puzzle in order to move forward. I've got a few of those, but I want a broad selection of styles, rather than a million "So there's this room filled with lightning and kobolds and...."

Pick up a copy of the Knights of the Dinner Table, it has a section with user submitted traps and most look extremely lethal.

The GRIMTOOTHS TRAPS series
The SAW movies
The book ETERNITY ROAD is a sci-fi book, but has traps that are just begging to be used.