Although similar to a delay trap, this affects the mcguffin instead of the PCs.įinally, some traps exist only to consume the PCs resources. If a diamond on a pillar is protected by a tripwire (or pressure plate, or laser sensor or other trigger) that diamond may drop into a hole that sends it into a vault deeper within the complex. Secondly, a trap may be made to protect something or make it inaccessible. Some traps have effects on the trap-maker, not the trap-tripper. It is placed so sentries are warned of intruders before their arrival. A tripwire attached to a bell isn't made to capture, delay, frighten (although it could double as a deterrent) or kill. I suggest adding a couple of more reasons to build traps. An example: The DM needs the characters to negotiate with an orc tribe, and he uses pit traps and net traps to capture the characters in order to facilitate the story. A capture trap can be used to drive a plot forward though. Rarely do you see a frightening trap or a capture trap in D&D. The False Doors in the Great Hall of Spheres act to both delay and kill (?) The Magic Archway is a delay trap and also extracts a heavy resource toll. But, it also acts as a trap, It eats resources.
As I mentioned in Pt 2, I consider this a puzzle. The 3 (4) Armed Statue doesn't really fit with any of the criteria.
The Green Devil Face is obviously a kill trap. Realistically (beacuse of character level), they are delay traps. How do you classify the pit traps? They could be any of the choices. Using Kay's classifications, let's revisit the Tomb of Horrors. Kay doesn't explain what a "Trail of Worth" trap is. In Kay's article, she points out there are 5 reasons to build a trap: capture, delay, frighten, kill and something she calls "the Trail of Worth." I agree with 4 of the 5. She recently blogged about traps here. She wrote a very informative article on traps that made me think. While interacting in a 5E group on Facebook I talked to another blogger, Just Kay. I found a topic that was interesting enough to take a break.