In defense of traps

I like traps. No, allow me to correct that. I love traps. I was Grimtooth in a previous life. Yes, I have all the Grimtooth's books, and I sleep with them under my pillow. Yes, I'm gushing and I don't care. Traps are a DM's best friend. Impartial killers, frequently used as a reward for uppity, nosey players.

I know players aren’t all that fond of traps, because they are the primary victims. Traps are how a DM racks up a respectable body count.

But seriously folks…

The best reason to use traps, is that Players hate them.

Usually I’m pro-players. I want them to make heroic choices. And reap the rewards. But something about traps, just makes me quiver inside. I probably enjoyed the hangdog expressions on players’ faces a wee bit too much when I would spring traps on them. Not something you will usually hear me admit. But I really do enjoy it when a character gets gakked due to a clever trap.

From the simplest poison needle traps to my personal favorite, the folding bridge trap. There are hundreds of ways to gakk PCs. I don’t usually condone the killing of PCs. But a dungeon full of traps is pure entertainment for the DM. As much as I’d like to see an entire dungeon full of nothing but traps, it wouldn’t be that much fun for the PCs. Gawd it’d be fun for the DM though, wouldn’t it? I’m still trying to come up with the trap that ends up with a PC, hanging by their ankles surrounded be hungry ghasts. I’m sure I’ll figure it one day, I’m just not there yet.

A good trap, sprung at the right time. Can add tension to a game. Plus there is the possibility to generate fear in otherwise unflappable PCs. If over-used, or if they’re too deadly, traps can be game killers, so be judicious in your use of traps. It just takes a little forethought and planning.

Why is the trap there? What is it’s primary purpose? These are the two questions I start with when placing traps in dungeons I design. Let’s start with my first, deadliest trap. The Heart Room. I’ve only ever had one PC survive this one. Throughout the PCs exploration of the Sphinx, they were hearing a loud intermittent boom. After fighting through to where they sure the secret of the sphinx was located the discovered the source of the booming noise. They opened the door to discover a 50’ x 50’ room, covered floor to ceiling in red slime. The slime makes trying to cross the room a treacherous proposition at best. Add to that hazard the fact the floor and ceiling of the room come together every 30 seconds producing an ear shattering BOOM! And you’ve got 20d6 damage to anything caught in the room. There is a door across the room, and just because I’m a nice guy, it’s even unlocked. Now, I could tell you how to solve the conundrum of how to cross the room… But where’s the fun in that? And to add insult to injury, there is a lip around the edge of the floor that will cut any rope thrown across the room and not retracted, when the floor and ceiling meet. BOOM! I’d like to take credit for creating this monstrosity, but I ran into it in a game. A long time ago, in a game far far away. I don’t remember the architect of the aforementioned PC death machine, his name is lost to antiquity. I would like to thank him however.

Now my favorite trap of all time is the Folding bridge trap. It’s in one of the Grimtooth’s books. This little gem starts with an iron bridge suspended across a wide chasm. When the PCs go to cross the bridge, they get to the center, and it folds up to create a cage around them, and the cage is now suspended above a deep chasm. I’ve been told that using this trap is proof that you hate your players. I disagree. You love your players, and want them to flourish. *insert maniacal laughter here* No, not really. You might actually hate your players. Of course, if you do, why are running a game? Of the three times I’ve used this trap, there has only been one fatality. A gnome fighter that blew a strength check while trying to climb out of the cage. (Sorry Carlos) He got cut in half when the cage slammed shut. To this day, whenever I use this trap, I leave the skeletal remains of the bottom half of a gnome in the middle of the bridge. Just think of it as a DM’s one liner.

Of course, traps don’t have to mechanical. They can be biological. Allow me to present the Gumby Ninja Kobold. This little joy is a homunculus disguised as a kobold. Imbued with a certain battery of protective spells that render it nigh indestructible (hence the Gumby moniker) It doesn’t attack the party directly, but rather it giggles loudly, thereby attracting any wandering monster in the vicinity. You guys remember wandering monsters right? This little guy IS proof you hate your players. I don’t use him often, and when I do, it’s mostly for comic relief or to get a party stuck in analysis paralysis moving again.

You should also give some thought to fake traps. Want to slow a party down? Put just one trip wire across a hallway. It doesn’t have to trigger anything, just has to make the party stop and try to disarm it. No punch line needed. Want to cause you PCs to stampede out of a dungeon? Put a poison needle trap on that chest, just don’t put any poison on it. Make it a spell instead. Geas is always fun, Magic Jar is also a fun choice. Chests, rooms and hallways are not the only things you can trap either. For some nifty fun, place a gilded chalice in a dungeon. Anyone who drinks from it, has this overwhelming urge to divest themselves of all wealth or magic items. The possibilities are endless.

Hopefully, you DM/GMs out there will rediscover the joy in a well placed trap. And I hope that in some small way, I helped with that. Now go out there and cause your players some grief.

 

Happy gaming!