Unearthed Arcana: Traps Revisited
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Unearthed Arcana: Traps Revisited This Is Playtest Material saving throw DC, and what happens on a hit or The material here is presented for playtesting and to failed saving throw. spark your imagination. These game mechanics are in Countermeasures. A trap can be defeated in a draft form, usable in your campaign but not refined by variety of ways. This section of a trap’s design iterations or full game development and editing. description details the checks or spells that can They aren’t officially part of the game and aren’t detect and disable it. It also specifies what permitted in D&D Adventurers League events. happens, if anything, on a failed attempt to If we decide to make this material official, it will be disable it. refined based on your feedback, and then it will appear in a D&D book. Running a Simple Trap The rules for traps in the Dungeon Master’s Guide When managing a simple trap in play, start by provide the basic information you need to making note of the characters’ passive manage traps at the game table. The material Perception scores. Most traps allow Wisdom here builds on the DMG rules and provides more (Perception) checks to detect their triggers or guidance on creating traps of your own. other elements that can tip off their presence. If Rather than focus on traps as mechanical or you stop to ask for checks, the players might magical, these rules separate traps into two suspect a hidden danger. categories: simple traps and complex traps. When a trap triggers, apply its effects as specified in its description. Be sure of the players’ intended actions before a trap activates Simple Traps so that it springs into action based on what the A simple trap activates and is then harmless. A players want to do, rather than a course of action hidden pit dug at the entrance of a goblin lair, a they’re arguing about or merely considering. poison needle that pops from a lock, and a If the players discover a trap, be open to crossbow rigged to fire when an intruder steps adjudicating their ideas for defeating it. The on a pressure plate are all simple traps. trap’s description is a starting point for countermeasures, rather than a complete Describing a Simple Trap definition. The players should be specific in how they Simple traps require three elements to function: want to defeat the trap. Simply stating the desire a trigger, an effect they have once triggered, and to make a check isn’t enough. Ask the players the measures that can defeat them. In addition, a where their characters are positioned and what trap is given a level and an overall description of they intend to do to defeat the trap. A player the threat it poses. can’t just say, “I use thieves’ tools to disable it.” Level and Threat. A trap’s level is expressed That’s too murky. The player instead should as a range of levels to give you an idea of its describe something like, “I use my thieves’ tools relative strength (levels 1–4, 5–10, 11–16, and to examine the lock and attempt to disable the 17–20). It is then labeled as a moderate, poison needle inside it.” The last thing you want dangerous, or deadly threat. The trap’s label tells is confusion over where the characters are you how powerful the trap is compared to others located if a trap activates. of its level range. As a default, overcoming a simple trap offers Trigger. A simple trap has a trigger that no experience point reward. If the characters describes what causes the trap to activate. The uncover the trap and avoid or disable it, their trigger’s description includes its location and the reward is dodging a threatening element of the action that causes it to activate. dungeon. If they stumble into it, they must cope Effect. A trap’s effect describes what happens with the consequences of a more dangerous when its trigger activates. The trap might fire a situation. dart, unleash a cloud of poison gas, cause a hidden point to open, and so on. The effect specifies who the trap targets, its attack bonus or ©2017 Wizards of the Coast LLC 1 Example Simple Traps Falling Gate Simple trap (level 1–4, deadly threat) Here are examples of simple traps that you can Some folk who build dungeons, such as mad use to populate your adventures or as models for wizards in search of new victims, have no your own creations. intention of allowing their visitors to make an Bear Trap easy escape. This trap is fiendish because it causes a gate to drop some distance away from Simple trap (level 1–4, dangerous threat) the pressure plate. The gate might close off the A bear trap resembles a set of iron jaws that dungeon entrance, which is hundreds of feet springs shut when stepped on, clamping down away. Adventurers don’t know they are trapped on a creature’s leg. The trap is spiked in the until they decide to head back to town. ground, leaving the victim immobilized. Trigger. A creature that steps on the pressure Trigger. A creature that steps on the bear trap plate triggers this trap. triggers it. Effect. The trap causes an iron gate to drop Effect. The trap makes an attack against the from the ceiling, blocking the exit from the maze. triggering creature. The attack has a +8 attack Countermeasures. A DC 20 Wisdom bonus and deals 5 (1d10) piercing damage on a (Perception) check reveals the pressure plate. A hit. This attack can’t gain advantage or DC 20 Dexterity check made with thieves’ tools disadvantage. A creature hit by the trap has its disables it, but a check result of 5 or less triggers speed reduced to 0. It can’t move until it breaks the trap. free of the trap with a successful Strength check (DC 15) made by it or another creature adjacent Fiery Blast to the trap. Simple trap (level 5–10, dangerous threat) Countermeasures. A DC 10 Wisdom The temple of Pyremius, a god of fire, is plagued (Perception) check reveals the trap. A DC 10 by thieves who seek to steal the fire opals Dexterity check made with thieves’ tools collected by the priests in tribute to their god. A disables it. mosaic on the floor of the entryway to the inner Crossbow Trap sanctum delivers a fiery rebuke to intruders. Trigger. Anyone stepping on the mosaic Simple trap (level 1–4, dangerous threat) causes fire to erupt from it. Those openly A crossbow trap is a favorite of kobolds and wearing holy symbols of Pyremius don’t trigger other creatures that rely on traps to defend their this trap. lairs. It consists of a tripwire run across a Effect. A 15-foot cone of fire erupts, covering hallway and connected to a pair of carefully the pressure plate and the area around it. Each hidden heavy crossbows. The crossbows are creature in the cone must make a DC 15 aimed to fire down the hallway at anyone who Dexterity saving throw, taking 24 (7d6) fire triggers the tripwire. damage on a failed save, or half as much damage Trigger. A creature that walks through the on a successful one. tripwire triggers the trap. Countermeasures. A DC 15 Intelligence Effect. The trap makes two attacks against the (Investigation) check reveals ash and faint burn triggering creature. Each attack has a +8 attack marks in the shape of the fiery cone created by bonus and deals 5 (1d10) piercing damage on a this trap. A DC 15 Intelligence (Religion) check hit. This attack can’t gain advantage or allows a creature to destroy the trap by defacing disadvantage. a key rune in the mosaic; failing this check Countermeasures. A DC 15 Wisdom causes the trap to activate. A successful dispel (Perception) check reveals the tripwire. A DC 15 magic (DC 15) cast on the runes destroys the Dexterity check made with thieves’ tools trap. disables the tripwire, but a check result of 5 or less triggers the trap. ©2017 Wizards of the Coast LLC 2 Net Trap Trigger. Anyone attempting to pick or open Simple trap (level 1–4, dangerous threat) the lock triggers the trap. Effect. The triggering creature must make a DC Goblins, with their propensity to enslave their 20 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, enemies, prefer traps that leave intruders intact the creature takes 14 (4d6) poison damage and for work in the goblins’ mines or elsewhere. is poisoned for 10 minutes. While poisoned in Trigger. A tripwire strung across a hallway is this way, the creature is paralyzed. On a rigged to a large net. If the tripwire is broken, the successful save, the creature takes half as much net falls on intruders. An iron bell is also rigged damage and isn’t poisoned. to the tripwire. It rings when the trap activates, Countermeasures. A DC 20 Wisdom alerting nearby guards. (Perception) check reveals the needle, but only if Effect. A net covering a 10-foot-by-10-foot a character inspects the lock. A DC 20 Dexterity area centered on the tripwire falls to the floor as check made with thieves’ tools disables the a bell rings. Any creature fully within this area needle, but a check result of 10 or less triggers must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw the trap. or be restrained. A creature can use its action to make a DC 10 Strength check to try to free itself Scything Blade or another creature in the net.