Nah, traps exist to be sprung! Gotta whittle their HP down, and it's interesting to see if/how they avoid the traps. There is something truly scary about a seemingly empty hallway, having the instinctual knowledge that it's trapped, but not knowing how (unless you pass a Perception or Investigation Check) (OR the Damn Rogue can just "Check for traps", and disable them all with a decent Thieves tools check. Though the Barbarian can also just rush in and almost get cut in two, set ablaze, narrowly avoid falling into a spike pit, and avoid someof the poison coated arrows shooting from the wall, lol.)
It can aid character development, too. As an example, in CoS' Death House, I had a party in the basement having a tough battle. The wizard decided to go around another short hallway and use some spell from behind. In the rush, the wizard was completely surprised by a pit trap. It ruined the tactic. After the combat and in character, the wizard explained how he was learning to be more thoughtful and careful. This was a "lesson" in care and communication. It turned out to be fun.
Not at all. It makes perfect sense for a number of creatures to set traps:
Hunters will leave traps to ensnare or kill prey unlucky enough to find themselves caught.
Goblins and Kobolds, among other creatures that rely on pack tactics, will prefer to leave traps to warn a greater number of them to intruders, rather than a single twitchy, bored sentry. If said sentry gets taken out (no great loss), the traps will do the job just as well.
Criminals and others who are trying to escape the law, or just survive unsavoury elements, will employ traps to keep themselves safe and possibly rob those caught in them.
Strong mages like Acererak will keep their lairs well trapped, sometimes for their amusement, and others for genuine safety concerns.
Generally when designing and placing traps is the more important the location/person/item defending it, the more lethal or hard to detect it is. I tend to like traps in my game, so I'd make that clear in Session Zero if they're going to be heavily prominent, and remind players that they may want to use certain abilities at their disposal if they're new to the game such as the Search action or Thieves' Tools.
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Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft
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DoeS it seem harsh to Spring traps on the players ?
Nah, traps exist to be sprung! Gotta whittle their HP down, and it's interesting to see if/how they avoid the traps. There is something truly scary about a seemingly empty hallway, having the instinctual knowledge that it's trapped, but not knowing how (unless you pass a Perception or Investigation Check) (OR the Damn Rogue can just "Check for traps", and disable them all with a decent Thieves tools check. Though the Barbarian can also just rush in and almost get cut in two, set ablaze, narrowly avoid falling into a spike pit, and avoid some of the poison coated arrows shooting from the wall, lol.)
It can aid character development, too. As an example, in CoS' Death House, I had a party in the basement having a tough battle. The wizard decided to go around another short hallway and use some spell from behind. In the rush, the wizard was completely surprised by a pit trap. It ruined the tactic. After the combat and in character, the wizard explained how he was learning to be more thoughtful and careful. This was a "lesson" in care and communication. It turned out to be fun.
Not at all. It makes perfect sense for a number of creatures to set traps:
Generally when designing and placing traps is the more important the location/person/item defending it, the more lethal or hard to detect it is. I tend to like traps in my game, so I'd make that clear in Session Zero if they're going to be heavily prominent, and remind players that they may want to use certain abilities at their disposal if they're new to the game such as the Search action or Thieves' Tools.
Zero is the most important number in D&D: Session Zero sets the boundaries and the tone; Rule Zero dictates the Dungeon Master (DM) is the final arbiter; and Zero D&D is better than Bad D&D.
"Let us speak plainly now, and in earnest, for words mean little without the weight of conviction."
- The Assemblage of Houses, World of Warcraft