Requires the use of the Dungeons & Dragons® Player's Handbook, Third Edition, published by Wizards of the Coast® Traps & Treachery II Credits LEAD DEVELOPER Wil Upchurch MANAGING DEVELOPER Greg Benage WRITING Ed Bourelle, Kurt Brown, Shaun Cashman, Mark Chance, Catten Ely, Lizard, Brian Patterson, Scott Stoecker, Paul Sudlow, William Timmins, Bree Zastrow INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS Toren Macbin Atkinson, Paul Butler, David Griffith, Kenneth Kay, Brian Schomburg, Chris Seaman, Tyler Walpole GRAPHIC & COVER DESIGN Brian Schomburg d20 System and the d20 System logo are Trademarks owned by Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20 EDITING System License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at Greg Benage & Wil Upchurch www.wizards.com. ART DIRECTION Dungeons & Dragons® and Wizards of the Coast® are Registered Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast and are used with permission. Wil Upchurch LAYOUT Wil Upchurch PUBLISHER Christian T. Petersen PRINTING Bang Printing FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES 1975 W. County Rd. B2 Roseville, MN 55113 651.639.1905 www.fantasyflightgames.com Traps & Treachery II Contents CHAPTER ONE New Traps: CR 1-5 5 CHAPTER TWO New Traps: CR 6+ 78 CHAPTER THREE New Poisons 133 CHAPTER FOUR Puzzles & Challenges 154 poisons and the effects this can have on the game. Introduction Chapter 4 presents tricks, puzzles, and chal- lenges aplenty, providing hours of thought-pro- Emile Zola once said that the artist is nothing voking fun for both players and DMs. These without the gift, but the gift is nothing without situations offer characters a chance to highlight work. Putting together a book of this magni- their non-combat skills and players a chance to tude would not be possible without the hard exercise their brains. work of many talented people. It is truly a group effort, and is every bit as satisfying as The Open Game License INTRODUCTION anything Ive done in my life. Traps & Treachery II is published under the The task at hand this time was to follow up one terms of the Open Game License and the d20 of the most successful d20 releases of all time, System Trademark License. The OGL allows Traps & Treachery. In some ways it was easy, us to use the d20 System core rules and to pub- the formula for success having been crafted lish gaming material derived from those rules. before my arrival. In other ways it became a challenge to recreate that formula while putting Material that is strictly rules related is Open forth a novel product that had the same electric Game Content. You can use this material in feel to it. I believe that we have succeeded at your own works, as long as you follow the con- this task, and I am proud to present you with ditions of the Open Game License. You can Traps & Treachery II. copy the material to your website or even put it in a book that you publish and sell. To all the players out there who have grown attached to their characters Im truly sorry. Not everything in this book is Open Game Content, however. The names, mechanics, and Wil Upchurch game statistics of races, feats, skills, equip- Fantasy Flight, Inc. ment, spells, and magic items, and rules derived from the d20 SRD are designated as Open Game Content. Descriptive text, unless Welcome otherwise noted, is closed content and cannot be republished, copied, or distributed without Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to present the consent of Fantasy Flight Games. A note at Traps & Treachery II, the fifth volume in our the beginning of each section describes the Legends & Lairs line of sourcebooks for the open and closed content found within. d20 System. Traps & Treachery II follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, offering even All illustrations, pictures, and diagrams in this more fiendish traps, mind-bending puzzles, and book are Product Identity and the property of heroic challenges that DMs can foist upon their Fantasy Flight Games, © 2002. players. The Open Game License is printed in its entire- Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 contain more than 100 ty at the end of this book. For further informa- new traps to add to your game. Ranging from tion, please visit the Open Gaming Foundation the simple traps of goblin and kobold tribes to website at www.opengamingfoundation.org. the most nefarious magical inventions of the famed trapsmiths Perivax and Blackstone, these traps present a plethora of deadly options to throw against characters of any power level. Chapter 3 details more than 80 new poisons, both mundane and magical, that can be used by players and NPCs alike. Several new types of poisons, including monstrous and prankster poisons, are detailed. In addition, this book presents new rules detailing the rarity of " CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER ONE: New Traps: CR 1-5 New Traps: CR 1-5 The dwarf moved down the passage, grum- Nor can I, said Sarina, they are beyond our bling. Cress tried to hush the dwarf, fearing the torchlight. They say they are wielding bows! tombs ancient guardians would awaken to Sarina turned to her companions, trusting their silence his complaints permanently. The tall adventuring instincts far beyond her own. human kept his rapier in his hand, even though he was certain it would be of no use should they Quick, into those alcoves just ahead! said encounter the spirits of the dead. He could Cress as he tumbled toward the left side of the smell the combined stench of sweat and leather corridor to avoid any oncoming arrows. In one as he fought to control his fears. swift motion, the black-clad rogue sprang to his feet and drew his crossbow. Dammit, Sarina, if your god is protecting us I sure cant feel it, he said. The dwarf was about to follow his lead, but just as he started to jump to his right he saw the Quiet down up there, said the priestess as floor underneath the rogue rise up and dump she clutched the miniature silver harp that him into a chamber beyond. hung from a chain around her neck. Rudan is the god of music and revelry, not silent death. Sarina, its a trap! said the dwarf. He then Still, I have faith he will protect us from the lowered his head and charged the gnolls, curs- horrors of this place. ing their decision to come into this unholy place. The three companions continued creeping down the dark hallways, thankful their short Introduction friend could see through the shadows beyond their torchlight. Suddenly from up ahead they This chapter presents full descriptions, game heard several voices crying out in the barking statistics, and illustrations of a variety of mag- language of gnolls. ical and mechanical traps. The trap names and statistics, as well as rules and mechanics They want us to throw down our weapons and derived from the d20 SRD, are designated as surrender, said Sarina. Open Game Content. Background text and trap descriptions are designated as Dammit, I cant see them! said the dwarf. closed content. # Several new concepts are introduced in this trating the castle or city and disarming the siege book in relation to the traps found herein. traps before a major offensive commences. These new concepts are explained below. Espionage: The characters are hired to learn Outdoor Traps all they can about a citys defenses, including the existence and weaknesses of any hidden In outdoor surroundings a character must use a siege traps. This may entail bribing or black- Wilderness Lore check to place a trap; a Craft mailing a few city officials as well as a good (trapmaking) check can still be used, but a 5 deal of skulking about in borrowed uniforms. penalty is applied to the check as most traps rely on structures such as walls and rooms to Exploration: Abandoned cities that have fall- hide their apparatuses. The Search DC required en into ruin hide many secretssome of which to find traps in the outdoors can actually may be long forgotten siege traps still armed increase over time due to the growth of under- and dangerous. Imagine the characters sur- brush and other such obstructions that hide any prise and dismay if in entering a lost city they visible mechanisms. activate a massive unhinged wall or jaw gate. To detect such traps, a character may use either Accident: A large-scale trap is accidentally Search or Wilderness Lore. If the character has tripped and the characters are either in its path CHAPTER ONE: New Traps: CR 1-5 5 or more ranks in the skill he chooses not to or must protect those who are. The Well of use, he gains a +2 synergy bonus on his check. Tentacles is an excellent candidate for this sort So, if a ranger with 6 ranks in Search decides to of scenario. use his Wilderness Lore skill to search for traps, he gains the synergy bonus on his Terrorism: Someone, either an enemy outsider Wilderness Lore check. or unbalanced city official, is running around town activating all of the siege traps, which makes leav- Outdoor trap rules apply to any region that has ing or entering the city a dangerous proposition. wild vegetation or broken up landscape, and natural paths through these areas. It does not Trap Enhancements apply to roads, areas of worked stone, or simi- lar surroundings. The following ideas are not pure traps per se; they are ways to make traps more cunning and Large Scale Traps deadly, especially for high-level parties that might trivially overcome many challenges. Traps are very much a staple of fantasy set- tings, from the poison needle of the common Invisible Mechanisms treasure chest to the morbid death oubliettes of The mechanics of a trap can be made invisible.