Hazards & Traps

[LordEntrails]

What approaches have people taken to creating Hazards & Traps in their campaigns/modules? I'm looking at the DMG pg105 and want to be able to add things like Brown Mold, Green Slime and various Traps to my encounters, but not sure the pros and cons of the various methods.

I started creating them as NPC's, but that doesn't look promising at this point.

Ideas?

[Zacchaeus]

Yes, creating them as NPC's is the way to go. That way you can automate damage, saving throws etc. When you add them to the combat tracker just make sure that they remain invisible until the PC's find them either by perception checks or by running into them.

There's not many other options really but I'm interested in why you think this isn't a promising way to go.

[LordEntrails]

I guess it's just really more about uncertainty. I would like to avoid having to do something more than once. For instance, dose the cooling effect go as a trait? and the damage (absorb heat is what I called it) go as a reaction or an action?

Since it doesn't have any hit points, how do I kill it in the combat tracker?
And since it has no initiative/actions, can it be removed from the initiative order or placed first or last?

As for traps, is their a need to be able to indicate they have been disabled, triggered or destroyed? Esp. in an encounter with monsters and traps all active at the same time.

I guess the main thing is since I'm new to FG I just don't know what problems to expect and therefore how to mitigate their impacts.

[Larac]

I would give them an Token, on the NPC sheet.

If you do not make it visible the players will not see it.
When they step on it you can make it visible, or just apply damage.

Once made as an NPC you can use it as many times as you want, also easy to grab change name and effect and then have a new one.

To remove from tracker Right Click on the trap NPC and delete.

You can make a Power, call it Triggered.
Close the edit.
At bottom of Actions page there is a Button that says Combat Prep and so on.
Click until Prep comes up, next to Daily there is a Number 0
Click there and hit 1

Click the button on bottom make to Combat
Should have a clickable o next to the power. TRIGGERED

Also could make as a weapon and give an ammo of 1,
Click the sword to bow, put 1 in Ammo box.

Give an example of a trap and we will try to show how we would build it, that may help.

[LordEntrails]

Thanks, I appreciate the help. I was first trying to replicate the traps out the the 5E DMG, but to come up with something original isn't tough. (This will try to touch on the different things mentioned above)

How about;

Concealed Pit Trap with Spikes and Fire, Mechanical & Magical

This trap is a 10x10x30' deep pit lined with spikes at the bottom, covered at the top with a trap door. When the trap door is activated, it also triggers a blast of flame to be shot out of the ceiling down into the pit. The trap door is activated when the total weight on the door exceeds 300 pounds. The trap door closes 3 rounds after being activated and the flame trap recharges 10 rounds after being activated.

Spotting the trap door is DC 13 Wisdom (Perception), if spotted, the lines in the floor are apparent.
Spotting the flame jet spouts on the ceiling is DC 16 Wisdom (Perception), if spotted, the scorched holes in the ceiling are apparent.

Determining how the trap door is triggered and can be disabled (prior to it having been triggered) requires a DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check. After being triggered, no check is necessary.

Determining how the flame trap is triggered can only be done if the trap door has been detected and it's trigger determined.

The trap door can be disabled using thieves tools DC 13 Dexterity or wedging the door open or closed with pitons DC 14 Strength. Failure to disable the trap door while it is closed triggers it to open (and triggering the flame trap if it is recharged) and failure to disable while it is open causes it to close.

The flame trap can be disabled with a Dispel Magic against a DC11 spell effect.

When the trap is triggered, creatures on the trap door fall into the pit unless they make a DC 15 Dexterity (Acrobatics) save in which case they are able to jump into a neighboring unoccupied square (if one is available). If no unoccupied square is available, they are able to grab onto the edge of the pit and avoid falling and spike damamge, but not the flame damage.

Falling damage is 3d6 bludgeoning and spike damage is 1d8 piercing.

Flame damage is 2d4+2 fire and can not be avoided by those in the pit or hanging onto its edge.

[LordEntrails]

Ok, here's my attempt to create such a trap as an NPC. Any feedback etc is very welcome.

Moderator: Attachment removed because it contains copyright material

[swest]

Ok, here's my attempt to create such a trap as an NPC. Any feedback etc is very welcome.

I know this thread is over a year old (I seem to be necro-posting a lot these days) - better invoke the immortal words of Chris Tucker from his super-green-role-of-a-lifetime - the DJ Ruby Rhod:

"But who cares!?!"

I'm attempting to breathe some life into this thread, because the question is interesting and important, and I really want to know how to do this, myself... correctly; and LordEntrails went to all the trouble to create an example, and then got no feedback from the guys that Know? What's up with that?

Anyway, I created a new 5E test campaign, and opened LordEntrails' module within it. My immediate question about the 'Concealed Spiked Pit Trap w/Flames' Trap is, "Where are the Actions?" I thought that was the point? Or something similar. What happened to Larac's advice?

Also, on a not-so-serious note, I did have a comment about your use of one of the possessive pronouns: It's "its"; it's not "it's". There, I said what everybody else was thinking. Now we can move on.

LordEntrails, it's been a year+, did you get your NPC-based Traps working to your satisfaction? And, if so, how did you implement them?


Cheers,

- s.west

[damned]

Use the reactions in the attached example. Drag the [SAVEVS] on to the target PC. If they fail drag the [DMG].

[Zacchaeus]

You'll find some traps and hazards in the links here.

I'm actually going to remove that module since it contains some copyright material. We all missed that when it was originally posted it would seem.

The actions in such trap NPCs are used in the same way as any NPC from the Monster Manual or the 5e Bestiary. When the trap is placed on the Combat Tracker the actions are parsed by FG and the actions appear on the CT as clickable actions for attack, damage and saving throws etc and it will also place effects on the CT such as poisoned, prone etc. To use these actions either target the creature and double click the action or effect or drag the action or effect onto the target.

Having said that this will only work if the wording is somewhat precise and follows the general wording used by WotC in its official publications. In the case of the Spiked Pit Trap w/ Flames in that module the wording has not been followed and so the actions won't par5e. For example the line:

Falling damage is 3d6 bludgeoning and spike damage is 1d8 piercing.

Will not work. It needs to be re-written as 3d6 bludgeoning damage plus 1d8 piercing damage.

Similarly the saving throw line

must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 4d10 damage, or half as much on a succesful save.

Needs to be changed to:

The target must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. On a failure the target takes 4d10 damage with half as much damage on a successful saving throw.

[LordEntrails]

I'm not sure what was in that original module, so not sure what would have been copyrighted. Maybe the molds and hazards from the DMG? Anyway, attached are the traps I've created for my Undermountain module. These are all "original" or at least not copyrighted and are for 5E.

I haven't looked at if there is a better way to do these, I'm waiting to do such improvements until at such a time as I might release this. But, any suggestions on a better way to do these would be welcome (I just haven't taken the time to review them now that I know more than when I created them.)

Also, anyone can use these to their hearts content, no credit or attribution needed. Consider them public domain.