With a mix of cunning craftsmanship and precise spellwork, you shape mundane materials into a functional trap infused with magic. The result is a seamless blend of engineering and arcane art — a crossbow rigged to a pressure plate, a hidden vial of acid beneath a floorboard, or roots woven into a concealed snare.
The trap’s form reflects your magical nature: a frost mage’s bolts shimmer with ice crystals, an artificer’s mechanism hums with faint gears and runes, a druidic scholar’s roots pulse faintly with green light. Each trap glows softly in your spell’s hue while armed, its aura faintly resonating with transmutation and abjuration magic.
When you cast this spell, you determine the trigger condition (such as a step, touch, or passage through a space), the reset condition (typically rearming after 24 hours), and any exclusions (you and designated allies automatically bypass it).
The trap has AC 12, 10 hit points, and is immune to poison and psychic damage. It can be found with a Perception check (DC = your spell save DC) or disarmed with Thieves’ Tools or Dispel Magic (DC = your spell save DC).
If destroyed, it collapses into a pile of inert, mundane debris.
Trap Options
Choose one of the following forms when you cast the spell:
Crossbow Trap
A mechanical weapon rigged with magical precision. When triggered, it makes a ranged spell attack using your spell attack bonus, dealing 1d10 piercing damage on a hit.
Liquid Trap
A hidden reservoir or vial releases its contents in a burst of harmful fluid. Each creature in a 5-foot radius must make a Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 acid or poison damage on a failed save, or half as much on a success.
Ground Trap
The terrain itself becomes treacherous — a loose board, sudden snare, or pit of ensnaring roots. When triggered, the creature must make a Dexterity saving throw or fall prone and become restrained until it uses its action to escape (Strength check vs. your spell save DC).
At Higher Levels
When you cast this spell using a higher-level spell slot, the trap’s design becomes more sophisticated, reflecting your growing mastery:
| Spell Slot | Upgrade & Flavor |
|---|---|
| 3rd | The trap gains precision or potency. Crossbow traps may fire poisoned or flaming bolts, liquid traps can emit caustic fumes, and ground traps may snare with thorned vines or slick ice. Damage increases by 1d6 or 1d10 (as appropriate). |
| 4th | You can create alarm traps, devices that emit a loud noise, a pulse of light, or a haunting echo when triggered. A wizard’s alarm might sound like a chime of glass; a warlock’s could release an eerie whisper. You choose whether the alarm is obvious or subtle. |
| 5th | Traps now reset after 1 hour, and you may craft compound traps combining two base effects — such as a crossbow above a patch of ensnaring ground or a liquid trap that sprays acid and then restrains with sticky residue. |
| 6th | The trap becomes semi-sentient, able to detect invisible or disguised creatures within 10 feet. Its awareness hums faintly, its magic refolding into place. Damage increases by +1d6. |
| 7th | The trap may channel elemental power, dealing fire, cold, lightning, acid, poison, or thunder damage instead of its base type. Its structure can disguise itself with minor illusions — false floors, invisible tripwires, or faint glamers (Perception DC +2). |
| 8th | The trap becomes adaptive, learning from intrusions. Once per day, it may automatically adjust its trigger type (as defined during casting) to better protect its area. Its effects can also strike one additional target within 5 feet of the primary trigger. |
| 9th | You create a Masterwork Arcane Trap, a near-living ward of intellect and intent. It recognizes hostility instinctively, triggering only against creatures who mean harm to you or your allies. It cannot be dispelled by Dispel Magic of 5th level or lower, and its rune glows with an intelligent awareness of your will. |
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