I am building out an encounter where the adventures fight some kobolds who built traps along the road. pit traps, net trap, beehive, etc. I know these are very simple traps and in this encounter, they may not play a big enough role to change the difficulty. However, as the campaign progresses, i will want to use more complex more deadly traps in encounters.
How do you incorporate traps into the challenge of an encounter. especially in an encounter builder. I know I know, these arent completely true challenge ratings of an encounter but i use them as a base line.
Damaging traps are pretty easy, look at average damage, cross reference to the CR and then half it. Make sure not you don't get "one shot" numbers, and I wouldn't include them in an encounter builder at all, because the "adjustments" are based upon action economy, as well as damage and defense, and traps USUALLY are one shot and then become at worst environmental hazards. (Do you increase the CR of an encounter because of the flowing lava "river" which the characters MAY get pushed into?)
Dividing traps (divides the party into smaller groups which can not coordinate) are tougher in concept, but in reality, you just need to make the encounter EASY for the full party and yet HARD (or even Deadly) for half (round down) of the party. Make sure they have a higher DC to detect/disarm than damaging traps though, else you are just throwing EASY encounters at the party at least half the time when you use these types of traps.
I am building out an encounter where the adventures fight some kobolds who built traps along the road. pit traps, net trap, beehive, etc. I know these are very simple traps and in this encounter, they may not play a big enough role to change the difficulty. However, as the campaign progresses, i will want to use more complex more deadly traps in encounters.
How do you incorporate traps into the challenge of an encounter. especially in an encounter builder. I know I know, these arent completely true challenge ratings of an encounter but i use them as a base line.
Damaging traps are pretty easy, look at average damage, cross reference to the CR and then half it. Make sure not you don't get "one shot" numbers, and I wouldn't include them in an encounter builder at all, because the "adjustments" are based upon action economy, as well as damage and defense, and traps USUALLY are one shot and then become at worst environmental hazards. (Do you increase the CR of an encounter because of the flowing lava "river" which the characters MAY get pushed into?)
Dividing traps (divides the party into smaller groups which can not coordinate) are tougher in concept, but in reality, you just need to make the encounter EASY for the full party and yet HARD (or even Deadly) for half (round down) of the party. Make sure they have a higher DC to detect/disarm than damaging traps though, else you are just throwing EASY encounters at the party at least half the time when you use these types of traps.
Thanks @pedroig. thats very helpful.
i like that. Let me see what i can come up with. Thanks @soutstein