Looking for some feedback on how you would run a Trap that is associated with a room.
Setup: I'm running Sunless Citadel, from Yawning Portal, for five 5th level characters (All creatures scaled up.) In this dungeon crawl, there are a few 'repeating rooms', and each of them has this particular trap set in what I feel like is inside the door of the room. Take a look at the Door Trap section and I'll follow-up below.
16. Kobold Guardroom
Three rooms in the fortress serve as kobold guard stations. All have the same characteristics.
Door Trap
The door leading to the room is trapped with a tripwire that the kobolds connect after shutting the door. Hitting this tripwire, 2 inches off the ground stretched between opposite door frames and running up the frame, causes the trap to trigger. A character who succeeds on a DC 10 Wisdom (Perception) check spots the wire. If a character then succeeds on a DC 10 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools, the tripwire is cut without triggering the trap. A character can attempt this check using any edged weapon or edged tool in place of thieves’ tools, but does so with disadvantage.
On a failed Dexterity check, the trap triggers, tipping over a clay pot of offal, garbage, and dragon droppings that falls on any creature in the doorway and splatters in a 5-foot radius. A creature hit by the stuff must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 minute. An affected creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a successful save.
The kobolds release the tension on the tripwire when they exit, meaning that any guardroom that has been vacated can be entered safely.
Creatures
The room serves as a barracks and guard post for the kobold tribe’s warriors. Three kobolds stand guard inside, unless they have already come forth to reinforce other kobolds.
If the characters try to talk and the interaction is successful, the kobolds direct the characters to head toward “Yusdrayl on her dragon throne,” giving them simple directions to area 21 and warning them to avoid rousing the ire of Yusdrayl’s elite guards.
So there is a tripwire inside the door leading to a room that the players have an option to Notice & Disarm all the while there are three Kobolds in residence.
Now, I may be overthinking this but the following thoughts ran through my head as I was reading up on this trap and why I felt it should not work in terms of disabling it.
* If the door opens into the room, as the door does, the tripwire would go off before the player should be able to notice it. * If a player, say the party thief, notice the tripwire the logistics on disabling the trap seems awkward with disadvantage. * If a player, does try to disarm the trap, wouldn't the three Kobolds, in the room, notice/see either the door opening or what was once shut is now slightly ajar and there are some metal tools doing something to their set wire? (Could always do contest if with a Theif Stealth vs Kobolds passive perception)
Am I overthinking how this trap works? (More likely yes) Sure I could skip the trap in it entirely or make the adjustments I mentioned above, but I want to get the opinion of the DM Mind to see what your thoughts are on the trap and how you'd run, or not, in the game.
As the tripwire is designed to hit someone entering the room, it must have a fair amount of give, so you can certainly open the door partway and disarm it. That will, however, take enough time that the kobolds are unlikely to be surprised, which is probably the intent.
Yeah, I think you’ve got this right. That trap in general is basically a bucket over a doorway that’ll splash the players in crap if they don’t disarm it. It’d be near impossible to disarm it without alerting the kobolds in the room. I’d have players make listening checks to try and figure out what’s going on in the room if you’re so inclined.
Otherwise it could be a really hilarious story beat to have the rogue quietly and patiently disarm the trap. Gently and stealthily open the door.
Then get shot by a kobold with a bow and have the kobold next to him dump a pot of poop on his head. The third kobold should just stand there and scream kobold insults, like “Now you smell of poop! And elderberries! Hahahahaha!!”
Yeah, I think you’ve got this right. That trap in general is basically a bucket over a doorway that’ll splash the players in crap if they don’t disarm it. It’d be near impossible to disarm it without alerting the kobolds in the room. I’d have players make listening checks to try and figure out what’s going on in the room if you’re so inclined.
Otherwise it could be a really hilarious story beat to have the rogue quietly and patiently disarm the trap. Gently and stealthily open the door.
Then get shot by a kobold with a bow and have the kobold next to him dump a pot of poop on his head. The third kobold should just stand there and scream kobold insults, like “Now you smell of poop! And elderberries! Hahahahaha!!”
but that’s just how I’d run it.
Yeah, it's the Kobolds in the room that just makes disarming the trap seem improbable. I do like your idea of the Kobolds throwing the bucket on the play if they do attempt to disarm the trap.
I must have mis-read that when I ran SC. I had it that the trip line was outside the door so the door wouldn't touch it at all. Forcing the door or opening the door and walking in would trigger it.
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"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
I must have mis-read that when I ran SC. I had it that the trip line was outside the door so the door wouldn't touch it at all. Forcing the door or opening the door and walking in would trigger it.
I can see that. Honestly, I took the assumption that the door opened into the room, but the " tripwire that the kobolds connect after shutting the door" is what tripped me up as it was on the inside of the frame.
I think the key here is that the kobolds would only set the trap when they are in the room planning to sleep. It is intended specifically to protect them when sleeping. If they are going in and out a lot why would they bother to set it? Someone is more likely to accidentally set it off that way. Opening the door sets of the trap whether opened from inside or out.
The trip wire has some give but if the door is opened far enough it pulls the jar of offal down on the folks at the door. If the players fling to the door open, they set off the trap, they may notice the trip wire afterward but it is too late. If the players ease the door open they may either see the trip wire or notice an increase in resistance opening the door which may lead to the discovery without triggering the trap.
In terms of running it, the DM needs to determine whether the kobolds are awake or asleep, whether they notice the attempt at entry or not and whether the players are quiet enough.
When I ran this for level 1 characters, they ended up agreeing to help the kobolds rescue the dragon and formed an alliance against the goblins. Remember too that enough noise in the surrounding rooms, sounds of combat or Meepo yelling loud enough is likely to attract the attention of some or all of the kobolds in the complex. It isn't far away and sound carries.
Well as it turns out with all the getting prepared and making sure I cover and understand all possible contingencies in the Kobold section of the module the party never encountered the trap rooms.
I think the key here is that the kobolds would only set the trap when they are in the room planning to sleep. It is intended specifically to protect them when sleeping. If they are going in and out a lot why would they bother to set it? Someone is more likely to accidentally set it off that way. Opening the door sets of the trap whether opened from inside or out.
The trip wire has some give but if the door is opened far enough it pulls the jar of offal down on the folks at the door. If the players fling to the door open, they set off the trap, they may notice the trip wire afterward but it is too late. If the players ease the door open they may either see the trip wire or notice an increase in resistance opening the door which may lead to the discovery without triggering the trap.
In terms of running it, the DM needs to determine whether the kobolds are awake or asleep, whether they notice the attempt at entry or not and whether the players are quiet enough.
When I ran this for level 1 characters, they ended up agreeing to help the kobolds rescue the dragon and formed an alliance against the goblins. Remember too that enough noise in the surrounding rooms, sounds of combat or Meepo yelling loud enough is likely to attract the attention of some or all of the kobolds in the complex. It isn't far away and sound carries.
I think I've read the module at least five times in preparation while I was not sure if the party was going to take Meepo up on his offer to lead them through the Kobold zone to Yusdaryl I wanted to make sure I was clear on those other options. Though there was a tense moment when the Thief wanted to 'break' into a few rooms while they were by the prison. Mostly the players took the safe route with Meepo and taking the safe route to meet Yusdarly which based on past games was not always the case with them.
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Looking for some feedback on how you would run a Trap that is associated with a room.
Setup:
I'm running Sunless Citadel, from Yawning Portal, for five 5th level characters (All creatures scaled up.) In this dungeon crawl, there are a few 'repeating rooms', and each of them has this particular trap set in what I feel like is inside the door of the room. Take a look at the Door Trap section and I'll follow-up below.
So there is a tripwire inside the door leading to a room that the players have an option to Notice & Disarm all the while there are three Kobolds in residence.
Now, I may be overthinking this but the following thoughts ran through my head as I was reading up on this trap and why I felt it should not work in terms of disabling it.
* If the door opens into the room, as the door does, the tripwire would go off before the player should be able to notice it.
* If a player, say the party thief, notice the tripwire the logistics on disabling the trap seems awkward with disadvantage.
* If a player, does try to disarm the trap, wouldn't the three Kobolds, in the room, notice/see either the door opening or what was once shut is now slightly ajar and there are some metal tools doing something to their set wire? (Could always do contest if with a Theif Stealth vs Kobolds passive perception)
Am I overthinking how this trap works? (More likely yes) Sure I could skip the trap in it entirely or make the adjustments I mentioned above, but I want to get the opinion of the DM Mind to see what your thoughts are on the trap and how you'd run, or not, in the game.
As the tripwire is designed to hit someone entering the room, it must have a fair amount of give, so you can certainly open the door partway and disarm it. That will, however, take enough time that the kobolds are unlikely to be surprised, which is probably the intent.
Yeah, I think you’ve got this right. That trap in general is basically a bucket over a doorway that’ll splash the players in crap if they don’t disarm it. It’d be near impossible to disarm it without alerting the kobolds in the room. I’d have players make listening checks to try and figure out what’s going on in the room if you’re so inclined.
Otherwise it could be a really hilarious story beat to have the rogue quietly and patiently disarm the trap. Gently and stealthily open the door.
Then get shot by a kobold with a bow and have the kobold next to him dump a pot of poop on his head. The third kobold should just stand there and scream kobold insults, like “Now you smell of poop! And elderberries! Hahahahaha!!”
but that’s just how I’d run it.
Yeah, it's the Kobolds in the room that just makes disarming the trap seem improbable. I do like your idea of the Kobolds throwing the bucket on the play if they do attempt to disarm the trap.
I must have mis-read that when I ran SC. I had it that the trip line was outside the door so the door wouldn't touch it at all. Forcing the door or opening the door and walking in would trigger it.
"Sooner or later, your Players are going to smash your railroad into a sandbox."
-Vedexent
"real life is a super high CR."
-OboeLauren
"............anybody got any potatoes? We could drop a potato in each hole an' see which ones get viciously mauled by horrible monsters?"
-Ilyara Thundertale
I can see that. Honestly, I took the assumption that the door opened into the room, but the " tripwire that the kobolds connect after shutting the door" is what tripped me up as it was on the inside of the frame.
I think the key here is that the kobolds would only set the trap when they are in the room planning to sleep. It is intended specifically to protect them when sleeping. If they are going in and out a lot why would they bother to set it? Someone is more likely to accidentally set it off that way. Opening the door sets of the trap whether opened from inside or out.
The trip wire has some give but if the door is opened far enough it pulls the jar of offal down on the folks at the door. If the players fling to the door open, they set off the trap, they may notice the trip wire afterward but it is too late. If the players ease the door open they may either see the trip wire or notice an increase in resistance opening the door which may lead to the discovery without triggering the trap.
In terms of running it, the DM needs to determine whether the kobolds are awake or asleep, whether they notice the attempt at entry or not and whether the players are quiet enough.
When I ran this for level 1 characters, they ended up agreeing to help the kobolds rescue the dragon and formed an alliance against the goblins. Remember too that enough noise in the surrounding rooms, sounds of combat or Meepo yelling loud enough is likely to attract the attention of some or all of the kobolds in the complex. It isn't far away and sound carries.
Well as it turns out with all the getting prepared and making sure I cover and understand all possible contingencies in the Kobold section of the module the party never encountered the trap rooms.
I think I've read the module at least five times in preparation while I was not sure if the party was going to take Meepo up on his offer to lead them through the Kobold zone to Yusdaryl I wanted to make sure I was clear on those other options. Though there was a tense moment when the Thief wanted to 'break' into a few rooms while they were by the prison. Mostly the players took the safe route with Meepo and taking the safe route to meet Yusdarly which based on past games was not always the case with them.