Traps for Dungeons!

Traps by Griffin Fields

Banshee Shrieker. Annoying. A small, prismatic stone is embedded into the wall, reflecting light in a beam across the room. The first time anything steps into the light or touches the stone a bottled Banshee’s wail is released. A popular tool of Gnomish pranksters, the sound lacks the magic of the real thing but is startling nonetheless. All living creatures within 30 feet of the stone must make a DC 14 WIS Save or take 1d4 thunder damage and become frightened. Frightened creatures can repeat the Save at the end of each of their turns, ending the effect on a success.

Egg Trick. Annoying. A pile of rubbish on the ground can be noticed as out of place with a DC 14 Passive Perception Check. Under the pile are eggs, stolen from the nest of a Roc. If stepped on or otherwise broken, the eggs release a powerful scent which lingers on those within 5 feet. 1d4 hours after the eggs are broken, 1d12 Giant Winged Beetles descend on the odorous creatures to attack, shrieking loudly enough to be heard half a mile away. They retreat when half are slain.

Rust Dump. Annoying. Small debris is scattered along a moist, cramped, uneven passageway- wooden hilts and hafts, leather straps, and perhaps even a few coins or bits of gold and silver inlay. Once the haunt of a Rust Monster, the area is now dotted with its translucent molted shells and antennae, visible with a DC 15 Passive Perception Check. When touching any surface in the passage – wall, floor, or ceiling – any non-magical objects made of ferrous metal will rust. For weapons, this reduces their damage by 1 for each round they are in contact. Once at a -5 modifier is reached, they are completely rusted and useless. For armor and shields each round in contact reduces their AC bonus by 1, and they rust through once they no longer offer any bonus. The size, slipperiness, and irregularity of the hallway makes it hard to pass without bumping the walls, requiring a DEX check for every move or dash action, DC 8 for small creatures, DC 12 for medium, and DC 16 for large. On a failure, one random piece of worn or carried gear is rusted. Huge or larger creatures cannot pass through the hallway.

Centipede Surprise. Wounding. An invisible arcane field is placed over a threshold which curses the first food to pass through it each day. Cursed food looks unchanged and remains cursed indefinitely, but both the field and any cursed food reeks of sulfur, noticeable with a DC 10 Passive Perception Check. 6 seconds after eating a cursed item, it reaches the stomach and transforms into 1d6 centipedes which deal 1 poison damage each for 3 rounds (after which they are vomited up) and the consumer must make an DC 15 CON Save or be Poisoned for the rest of the day.

Silken Lattice. Wounding. Thin strands of spun silk extend around the room from numerous angles. If touched, they will split, sending vibrations through the lattice and awakening the 2d4 Giant Spiders hidden in dark cracks across the walls and ceiling, who attack with +8 Initiative. The strands are invisible in darkness, but are slightly reflective and can be seen with a DC 16 Passive Perception Check in light. Once seen, a successful DC 14 DEX Check would allow someone to pass through the room by stepping, bending, and leaning to get through the gaps in the mesh.

Carrion Combustion. Wounding. A rotting corpse, humanoid or animal, lies on the ground. A DC 10 Passive Perception Check will reveal that no flies or maggots surround it, and a DC 16 INT (Arcana) Check reveals its faint magical aura. Upon coming within 5 feet of the body, the explosive runes concealed within are activated and anyone within a 20-foot radius must make a DC 16 DEX Save, taking 4d8 force damage, half on a successful Save. Additionally, the rotting meat is splattered across anyone within the same radius, calling for a DC 14 CON Save. On a success, nothing happens, but on a failure they are Poisoned for 1 hour.

Sprouting Stake. Wounding. A small, grey spike barely juts up from the ground, hidden amidst leaves or blending in among debris and stalagmites, noticeable with a DC 20 Passive Perception Check. When stepped on, it pushes upwards to cut through footwear and into flesh, making an attack roll at +6. If it misses, it likely goes unnoticed, but if it hits it deals 1d6 piercing damage and burrows into the flesh. It begins spreading rapidly up the leg, holding the victim in place and digging under their armor for 1d6 additional damage per round. The victim may make a DC 17 STR Check to break away. The victim or their allies may also sever the sprout at the ground (it has 10 HP, 16 AC) and pull the growth out (DC 16 STR Check) to stop the damage. On close examination, DC 14 INT (Nature) Check, it appears to be a rare Sanguina Quince, a carnivorous plant that feeds on blood and grows rapidly. If left alive and properly tended, it could be used as a trap or guardian by the PCs

Pygmy Volcano. Lethal. Sometimes fissures to the Elemental Plane of Fire appear on the Material Plane, by magical meddling or abnormal phenomena. These small fissures occupy a single 5′ square. When Medium-sized or larger creature step onto the affected square, a sudden localized earthquake knocks them and any creatures within 15 feet Prone if they fail a DC 16 DEX Save. A great heat and a rising glow then begin to issue from the crack. At the end of the round, lava erupts from the fissure, dealing 10d10 fire damage to anyone directly in the square and 5d10 to anyone adjacent to it. This damage reoccurs for 3 rounds, burning any creatures foolish enough to remain near the fissure. After 3 rounds, the lava cools to relative harmlessness.

Figurine Assassin. Lethal. A miniscule ivory figurine has been tossed carelessly on the ground, but its impeccable craftsmanship catches the eye. A DC 18 INT Check or Detect Evil spell reveals that the figurine is evil. Detect Magic reveals that it is indeed magic. It has the look of a priest, robed in white and smiling widely, one hand raised in respect. When collected by the unwary, its hidden enchantment activates, and it begins to transform. One week later, if inspected, its grin appears sinister. The next day, a barbed chain appears around its neck. Was that always there? Then its evil magic begins to drain its holder, causing one level of Exhaustion each dawn. If the bearer discards it, the fatigue is removed as normal, but a day after being discarded, the figurine finds its way back into the bearer’s bag, with new intent. Its second hand now conceals a knife, tucked behind its back. At night, the figurine crawls out of the bearer’s bag and attempts to stab them in the eye or throat. This deals 1 piercing damage and 8d8 necrotic damage. If the subject survives or if the attack is prevented, the figurine shatters. If the target is killed however, the figurine rolls as far away as it can, to be found on the ground by its next victim.

Revolving Bridge. Lethal. A 100-foot long stone bridge stretches across a valley, crevasse, river, or other hazard. It’s mysterious, with massive, stationary gears on its sides. It is internally mechanized so that, when tread upon, the middle stretch of 40 feet moves like a seesaw, dropping PCs into the abyss on either side. This movement has nothing to do with the weight of the PCs, and it is random whether the side they stand on goes up or down. To avoid falling off the bridge while it moves, PCs must first succeed on a DC 14 DEX Save to keep their footing. Success means they may attempt two Climbing or Acrobatics Checks at DC 16 to move to one of the stable ends of the bridge. Failure on any one of these rolls means that the PC is dropped from the bridge, and takes damage determined by the distance of the fall and the hazards below. The bridge resets to a flat position after 3 rounds, then dips randomly if triggered again.

Traps for Dungeons!

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