“I’d rather bolt naked into a Goblin den than walk into an old forest.”
-Ragnar Rubaruk, Dwarven Tunnel Fighter
Keep your eyes open when you’re in the woods. You never know what’s lurking in the trees or hiding in the dirt.
1. Boar-Gut Snare. Annoying. This simple ground-noose snare requires a 17 DEX Save to avoid. When triggered, small creatures find themselves hanging upside down 4 feet above the ground, unless wearing heavy armor. Medium creatures are whipped Prone. Large creatures lose their Move until freed. The snare can be cut with any blade, or snapped with an 18 STR check.
2. Weighted Spider-Silk Net. Annoying. This sticky, weighted 20×20 net drops from above, entangling those who fail an 18 DEX Save. Entangled PCs lose their Move, and are -5 to attack and +5 to be hit, until freed. Each PC must be individually cut free with a blade, or can cut themselves free if they have one handy. The net can be torn with a 21 STR check.
3. Hornet Bombs. Annoying. A tribe of Wild Goblins throw d6 Hornet hives down from high in the canopy. Each explodes into a 20×20 swarm. PCs who don’t immediately flee or submerge themselves in water are stung repeatedly (unless wearing full armor and a full helm, or protected by magic.) Stung PCs Save CON 18 vs. poison, or suffer -2 STR and -2 DEX until their next short or long rest.
4. Rot Grubs & Ghouls. Wounding. 16 DEX Save to avoid. At the bottom of this 8’ stick-and-leaf-covered pit trap, a fetid elk carcass teems with Rot Grubs. While the fall does no damage, a 17 DEX Save is needed to avoid the flesh-burrowing Grubs. If failed, these inflict d10 damage and cause -2 to STR until the wounds are treated with fire. Two hibernating Ghouls also imprisoned in the pit awake at the start of the next round.
5. Sleeping Nettles. Wounding. The PCs come upon a clearing filled with waist-high, leafy, herbaceous plants. Anyone walking through it comes into contact with the stinging leaves unless they are wearing a complete set of armor such as full plate, and heavy leather gloves. After a numbing sting, PCs must make two CON Saves: A 16 Save to avoid 2d10 poison damage, and an 18 Save to avoid falling into a poison-induced slumber for d6 rounds. The nearby Kobolds who tend this field check it regularly for sleeping travelers.
6. Leg Ripper. Wounding. 16 DEX Save to avoid, 16 STR check to pull out, but take 3d10 damage. This classic spike trap is a narrow hole just big enough to accept a humanoid leg up to the knee. The spikes angle downward from the walls, trapping the lower leg. Trapped PCs lose their Move and are +3 to be hit until freed, either by force or by digging for three rounds. Some particularly nasty versions are stocked with vipers, which encourage victims to rip their way out or suffer d10 poison damage per round until freed.
7. Head On a Tree. Wounding. A wizened Dwarf head has been nailed to a tree, still wearing his clan helmet. The runic script on the helmet is covered in dried blood, but perhaps a sharp eye could make it out… The head is a trigger for a massive, buried, spring-loaded yew branch with a poisoned Dwarven axe lashed to it. The axe cleaves up through the space directly in front of the head. 19 DEX Save or d10+6 slashing damage. If hit, 18 CON Save or 3d10 Seizing Death Adder poison damage.
8. Hill Giants, Gorgons, and Razor Rope. Lethal. A vocally suspicious PC can avoid this trap with an 18 INT Save at the outset. An 18 DEX Save is required to avoid it once sprung. A gang of hidden Hill Giants release d4 Gorgons, seemingly from nowhere, to stampede the PCs in a cramped stretch of forest. PCs running through the trees encounter Razor Rope strung across the open areas. Those who fail their DEX saves take 3d10 slashing damage, in addition to whatever the Gorgons can deal out. The Hill Giants come in afterward to mop up what’s left.
9. Whistling Death. Lethal. 19 DEX Save or 19 Passive Perception Check (Hearing) to avoid. An 8×10, heavy lattice log wall affixed with long wooden spikes swings down into the path, from high in the canopy above. PCs with excellent hearing or Dexterity can dive out of the way. Those who do not make either of their Saves are impaled for 8d10 damage.
10. Ink-Black Spring. Lethal. 18 DEX Save to avoid. Expertly woven branches and moss cover the opening to this underground spring. While the first few feet of freezing black water is calm, powerful currents below will suck unfortunate PCs into a subterranean river rapid. Once in the spring, an 18 STR Save is needed to climb out and avoid this fate. PCs who fail take 10d10 damage as they are bashed against slippery rocks for several minutes, without air or light. They are eventually spit out into an open pool 1 mile to the East.
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