Really been enjoying the Van Richten Guide to Ravenloft and have just started running the mini adventure The House of Lament featured in it. The adventure has some defined Haunted Traps and for others suggest an appropriate Haunt Bonus, The book has some sample haunted traps
I have the feeling it's intended to spur the imagination for creating your own haunted trap and Haunt Bonus being a difficulty gauge like monster CR
Has anyone tried this out and have a rough handle what effects spells relate to haunt bonus difficulty in general?
Thanks for any replies thoughts
*In conclusion -Edit update Came to the conclusion there is no formula for Haunt Bonus for a Haunted Trap based on constituant spell level of monster CR within the trap, it is purely represents the ease of detection and difficulty to disarm
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Mmm... Thats looking like a nopey nope Guess I'll go ahead and make a haunted trap and see if anyone has some input on it...
I was thinking of something along the lines of the Stanley Kubrick's The Shining “elevator of blood” sequence I think Stephen King featured party favours and confetti in the shining elevator...
So along with the disturbing imagery of a wave of gore bursting forth what actual game mechanics - Tidal Wave and Swarm of Maggots for that additional horrific revelation... so anyone caught by the haunted trap initial onslaught has to contend with teeming maggots trying to burrow into them... for one or two rounds after the wave dissipates
Haunt bonus ? err... level 3 spell + a CR 2 creature err... The example haunted trap Danse Macabre has +4 Haunt bonus and has a slightly reduced area and a DC 14 Wisdom save for the level 6 spell Otto's Irresistible Dance So make my trap also have a... +4 Haunt Bonus?
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
You waited less than a day before giving up? You do realize that people aren't at your beck and call just waiting to come up with oideas for traps on a forum? Relax, give it some time and see if any helps you out. No need to rush.
Thanks for the reply Lostwhilefishing I didn't see it as giving up more as elaborating on the mechanics of what goes into making a haunted trap, I wasn't really asking for "ideas for traps" though examples and thoughts as to how they balance in respect to their haunt bonus would be very welcome
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
I like the idea of making an unnerving sort of trap, something that plays on a characters fears and insecurities.
In terms of Ravenloft, I have a weakness for the traditional ghost stories. One I made was based on a black mirror, and another a dining table.
The Black Mirror
+2 Haunt Bonus
When a character looks at the mirror they view something they most desire or a thing they have lost. This could be an object or a person who has passed away. The person must succeed on DC 12 Wisdom save or be charmed, unable to look away from the reflection. Even should the person be forcefully removed from the room they will continue to yearn for the reflection. The Remove Curse spell will end the effect, as does destroy the mirror. The mirror has AC 12, 10 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
The Haunted Feast
+2 Haunt Bonus
Upon entering the room, characters are faced with an abundant feast upon a table. It holds all manner of food items that would be appealing to the victims in question, and the smell is beyond intoxicating. The characters must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or fall victim to their urges and begin to devour food in ravenous hunger. People who eat must succeed on a DC14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. Those who succeed on their saving throw can view the feast for what it really is, the meat becomes rotten, the bread stale and everything crawling with worms and other insects. (Imagine the dinner scene from Resident Evil 7 and you get the right idea)
Not sure how helpful this is, they have served me well in creating a nice feel in my adventures. I also had one where the characters got turned into child forms of themselves when they entered the house and were then haunted by a zombie nanny.
Thanks DornKoon for your reply, yeah I also enjoy a ghost story or "a good creepy" as I like to call them... Two very cool example Haunted Traps the black mirror reminded me immediately of Harry Potter's Mirror of Erised and your Haunted Feast both super classic themes in a "good creepy" desire temptation greed...
Am wondering about the +2 haunt bonus you settled on did you have any particular thoughts in coming to that number?
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“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
That’s a great idea, that I’m totally going to steal. I love Stanley Kubrick movies.
Another idea, a confusion type affect or spell in a hedge maze with plant elementals that only attack when they have advantage, or when the PCs back is turned.
Another idea might be to make a haunted trap on the eponymous organ, if no one can actually play the music on it, it plays the “spooky tune” and casts thunder wave on the PC’s once when they enter the room, have there be a few sheets of music on the organ and if the PC plays it, however badly, it disarms the organ for a day.
Summoning traps! Summon Undead Shadow trap when they open a closet. Disarm it by removing the skeleton of the previous victim and burying them in the cemetery outside? Ahh maybe.
Major Image traps that pop up scary undead ladies, Once the players figure out the first two or three are just illusions then trigger a final one that summons an actual undead.
:D Thanks for reply DM_from_1975 yes please totally steal that idea would make me very happy to think I'd given something back to this wonderful community
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“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Yes, the mirror from Harry Potter was a small inspiration actually. I wanted to make it a little more extreme from how Dumbledore explain the way people have wasted away in front of the mirror.
Well, I don't really have a strong answer to why I picked that, for the mirror, there is an example mirror that I used as a base for the black mirror with my own twist. These were somewhat low level adventurers at the time, so I didn't want to make something too powerful. I have been playing around with a little more dangerous traps as they grow in power, so it is possible I could upgrade them as needed.
Thats cool DornKoon, not having a strong reason chime's with what I've come round to thinking about Haunt Bonus
In the sense that I don't have to find the correct Haunt Bonus that relates to any CR or spell level within the haunted trap, that it can be quite separate and just a measure of how easily it is noticed and disarmed via Channel divinity or remove curse - "Whichever disarming method is used, the trap itself then makes a saving throw against the character’s spell save DC, adding its Haunt Bonus to the save." from VAN RICHTEN’S GUIDE TO RAVENLOFT
Thanks again for your reply DornKoon wishing you all the best
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“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Spoilers for those who haven't played Baldur's Gate, Descent into Avernus follow. In the first dungeon,:
There's a trapped sarcophagus that when disturbed, will attack with a Spiritual Weapon spell. The players will not have access to Dispel Magic, so the only way to escape is to just run.... but without metagaming, there's no way to hint to them that this room isn't important, especially once the trap starts attacking them. So instead, I created a Haunted Trap for that room. Everyone who is in the area when it goes off must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 necrotic damage. A specter will then appear with hitpoints equal to the damage that was dealt (if everyone made the save, it will have 1 hitpoint and disadvantage on attacks). When killed, a spirit will appear and thank the party for banishing its tormenter. The spirit will then tell the party about the hidden treasure in the sarcophagus further into the dungeon.
Really been enjoying the Van Richten Guide to Ravenloft and have just started running the mini adventure The House of Lament featured in it. The adventure has some defined Haunted Traps and for others suggest an appropriate Haunt Bonus, The book has some sample haunted traps
I have the feeling it's intended to spur the imagination for creating your own haunted trap and Haunt Bonus being a difficulty gauge like monster CR
Has anyone tried this out and have a rough handle what effects spells relate to haunt bonus difficulty in general?
Thanks for any replies thoughts
*In conclusion -Edit update
Came to the conclusion there is no formula for Haunt Bonus for a Haunted Trap based on constituant spell level of monster CR within the trap, it is purely represents the ease of detection and difficulty to disarm
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Mmm... Thats looking like a nopey nope
Guess I'll go ahead and make a haunted trap and see if anyone has some input on it...
I was thinking of something along the lines of the Stanley Kubrick's The Shining “elevator of blood” sequence I think Stephen King featured party favours and confetti in the shining elevator...
So along with the disturbing imagery of a wave of gore bursting forth what actual game mechanics - Tidal Wave and Swarm of Maggots for that additional horrific revelation... so anyone caught by the haunted trap initial onslaught has to contend with teeming maggots trying to burrow into them... for one or two rounds after the wave dissipates
Haunt bonus ? err... level 3 spell + a CR 2 creature err...
The example haunted trap Danse Macabre has +4 Haunt bonus and has a slightly reduced area and a DC 14 Wisdom save for the level 6 spell Otto's Irresistible Dance
So make my trap also have a... +4 Haunt Bonus?
Thanks again for any replies thoughts
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
You waited less than a day before giving up? You do realize that people aren't at your beck and call just waiting to come up with oideas for traps on a forum? Relax, give it some time and see if any helps you out. No need to rush.
Thanks for the reply Lostwhilefishing I didn't see it as giving up more as elaborating on the mechanics of what goes into making a haunted trap, I wasn't really asking for "ideas for traps" though examples and thoughts as to how they balance in respect to their haunt bonus would be very welcome
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
I like the idea of making an unnerving sort of trap, something that plays on a characters fears and insecurities.
In terms of Ravenloft, I have a weakness for the traditional ghost stories. One I made was based on a black mirror, and another a dining table.
The Black Mirror
+2 Haunt Bonus
When a character looks at the mirror they view something they most desire or a thing they have lost. This could be an object or a person who has passed away. The person must succeed on DC 12 Wisdom save or be charmed, unable to look away from the reflection. Even should the person be forcefully removed from the room they will continue to yearn for the reflection. The Remove Curse spell will end the effect, as does destroy the mirror. The mirror has AC 12, 10 hit points, vulnerability to bludgeoning damage, and immunity to poison and psychic damage.
The Haunted Feast
+2 Haunt Bonus
Upon entering the room, characters are faced with an abundant feast upon a table. It holds all manner of food items that would be appealing to the victims in question, and the smell is beyond intoxicating. The characters must make a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or fall victim to their urges and begin to devour food in ravenous hunger. People who eat must succeed on a DC14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. Those who succeed on their saving throw can view the feast for what it really is, the meat becomes rotten, the bread stale and everything crawling with worms and other insects. (Imagine the dinner scene from Resident Evil 7 and you get the right idea)
Not sure how helpful this is, they have served me well in creating a nice feel in my adventures. I also had one where the characters got turned into child forms of themselves when they entered the house and were then haunted by a zombie nanny.
Thanks DornKoon for your reply, yeah I also enjoy a ghost story or "a good creepy" as I like to call them...
Two very cool example Haunted Traps the black mirror reminded me immediately of Harry Potter's Mirror of Erised and your Haunted Feast both super classic themes in a "good creepy" desire temptation greed...
Am wondering about the +2 haunt bonus you settled on did you have any particular thoughts in coming to that number?
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
That’s a great idea, that I’m totally going to steal. I love Stanley Kubrick movies.
Another idea, a confusion type affect or spell in a hedge maze with plant elementals that only attack when they have advantage, or when the PCs back is turned.
Another idea might be to make a haunted trap on the eponymous organ, if no one can actually play the music on it, it plays the “spooky tune” and casts thunder wave on the PC’s once when they enter the room, have there be a few sheets of music on the organ and if the PC plays it, however badly, it disarms the organ for a day.
Summoning traps! Summon Undead Shadow trap when they open a closet. Disarm it by removing the skeleton of the previous victim and burying them in the cemetery outside? Ahh maybe.
Major Image traps that pop up scary undead ladies, Once the players figure out the first two or three are just illusions then trigger a final one that summons an actual undead.
just a few ideas I’m rolling with from this idea.
:D Thanks for reply DM_from_1975 yes please totally steal that idea would make me very happy to think I'd given something back to this wonderful community
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Yes, the mirror from Harry Potter was a small inspiration actually. I wanted to make it a little more extreme from how Dumbledore explain the way people have wasted away in front of the mirror.
Well, I don't really have a strong answer to why I picked that, for the mirror, there is an example mirror that I used as a base for the black mirror with my own twist. These were somewhat low level adventurers at the time, so I didn't want to make something too powerful. I have been playing around with a little more dangerous traps as they grow in power, so it is possible I could upgrade them as needed.
Thats cool DornKoon, not having a strong reason chime's with what I've come round to thinking about Haunt Bonus
In the sense that I don't have to find the correct Haunt Bonus that relates to any CR or spell level within the haunted trap, that it can be quite separate and just a measure of how easily it is noticed and disarmed via Channel divinity or remove curse - "Whichever disarming method is used, the trap itself then makes a saving throw against the character’s spell save DC, adding its Haunt Bonus to the save." from VAN RICHTEN’S GUIDE TO RAVENLOFT
Thanks again for your reply DornKoon wishing you all the best
“It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills, It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter.” J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again
Tired and Hungry
Spoilers for those who haven't played Baldur's Gate, Descent into Avernus follow. In the first dungeon,:
There's a trapped sarcophagus that when disturbed, will attack with a Spiritual Weapon spell. The players will not have access to Dispel Magic, so the only way to escape is to just run.... but without metagaming, there's no way to hint to them that this room isn't important, especially once the trap starts attacking them. So instead, I created a Haunted Trap for that room. Everyone who is in the area when it goes off must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or take 1d6 necrotic damage. A specter will then appear with hitpoints equal to the damage that was dealt (if everyone made the save, it will have 1 hitpoint and disadvantage on attacks). When killed, a spirit will appear and thank the party for banishing its tormenter. The spirit will then tell the party about the hidden treasure in the sarcophagus further into the dungeon.
I hadn't noticed these in the book, so thanks for pointing them out. I like them a lot.
I wouldn't worry too much about haunt bonuses. Just set DCs appropriate to the level of your party and you're good.
My homebrew subclasses (full list here)
(Artificer) Swordmage | Glasswright | (Barbarian) Path of the Savage Embrace
(Bard) College of Dance | (Fighter) Warlord | Cannoneer
(Monk) Way of the Elements | (Ranger) Blade Dancer
(Rogue) DaggerMaster | Inquisitor | (Sorcerer) Riftwalker | Spellfist
(Warlock) The Swarm