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Post by frohtastic on Oct 12, 2015 7:55:34 GMT
Where to begin, nice storytime and a meat that gives a good idea on how to torment my players. (pitfall that leads to a chair that straps the characters onto the chair while goblins brings drills and tools to torment) Guess it was a "bad" idea to listen to this while at the dentist leads to weird ideas.
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Post by catcharlie on Oct 13, 2015 12:32:44 GMT
I like the idea of combining 'trap triggers', my idea would be to combine pressure plates and a timed trap, so the party enter a corridor and set off a pressure plate that fires arrows across the corridor in front of them, then once that stops the timed trigger starts which would give them enough time to get to the other end of the corridor and it shoots arrows/spears down the corridor from the end that they are walking towards.
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Post by joatmoniac on Oct 13, 2015 21:00:14 GMT
I like the idea of combining 'trap triggers', my idea would be to combine pressure plates and a timed trap, so the party enter a corridor and set off a pressure plate that fires arrows across the corridor in front of them, then once that stops the timed trigger starts which would give them enough time to get to the other end of the corridor and it shoots arrows/spears down the corridor from the end that they are walking towards. Really like the trap-ception idea you have, but I think my twist on it would be having a notable pressure plate click off in a noticeable way and then ... nothing. Or at least nothing that the players can tell. Let the silence create fear amongst the players or them yelling at each other and who knows what else. Then of course have something go off if they don't get their act well together. Great episode with a lot of great ideas in there, and a broader perspective on traps that I enjoyed. Often we look at a trap here and a trap there. This however was a nice broad look that helps compare things in my mind and give me a better idea on what I like and don't like, or what I prefer over other things.
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Post by frohtastic on Oct 14, 2015 13:02:36 GMT
I like the idea of combining 'trap triggers', my idea would be to combine pressure plates and a timed trap, so the party enter a corridor and set off a pressure plate that fires arrows across the corridor in front of them, then once that stops the timed trigger starts which would give them enough time to get to the other end of the corridor and it shoots arrows/spears down the corridor from the end that they are walking towards. Really like the trap-ception idea you have, but I think my twist on it would be having a notable pressure plate click off in a noticeable way and then ... nothing. Or at least nothing that the players can tell. Let the silence create fear amongst the players or them yelling at each other and who knows what else. Then of course have something go off if they don't get their act well together. Great episode with a lot of great ideas in there, and a broader perspective on traps that I enjoyed. Often we look at a trap here and a trap there. This however was a nice broad look that helps compare things in my mind and give me a better idea on what I like and don't like, or what I prefer over other things. Could also make a pressure plate where the trap only goes off if you step off the plate after triggering it, like those pressure-sensitive bombs that you always see planted under a driver seat in tv. combine that with a semi-loud ticking to signal a countdown could be a fun combo of stuff.
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Post by whipstache on Oct 14, 2015 13:04:17 GMT
It's really important to think about the "Why?" behind traps. The traps have to make sense. Investigating an owlbear cave? Probably not going to be traps. Raiding the hidden lair of a paranoid fugitive wizard? Probably lots of weird traps. Also, I think traps should mostly be used less often, but with more devastating (permanent?) effects. Anyone who makes a trap is going to do so with the intent of actually stopping an invader, not just slowing them down, or hitting them for 1d4 damage. At worst, if you're not willing to take an eye from one of your PCs, let the triggering of a trap alert everyone in the dungeon of the PCs presence. Also... haven't listened to the episode yet, but I feel strongly about traps. I'll check it out.
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Post by friartook on Oct 14, 2015 19:54:48 GMT
Really like the trap-ception idea you have, but I think my twist on it would be having a notable pressure plate click off in a noticeable way and then ... nothing. Or at least nothing that the players can tell. Let the silence create fear amongst the players or them yelling at each other and who knows what else. Then of course have something go off if they don't get their act well together. Great episode with a lot of great ideas in there, and a broader perspective on traps that I enjoyed. Often we look at a trap here and a trap there. This however was a nice broad look that helps compare things in my mind and give me a better idea on what I like and don't like, or what I prefer over other things. Could also make a pressure plate where the trap only goes off if you step off the plate after triggering it, like those pressure-sensitive bombs that you always see planted under a driver seat in tv. combine that with a semi-loud ticking to signal a countdown could be a fun combo of stuff. When the guys were discussing Magical vs. Mechanical traps, I had a vicious DM thought. Suppose you have a really evil string of magical traps. The first couple are tough, but not terrible and they set the PCs up to be looking for magical traps. They get to a really important door. Detect Magic is cast, reveals a bunch of magical trap triggers all around the door. When they dispel the magic, they hear a whole bunch of mechanical grinding and clicking all around the door and from behind them in the corridor. A gate crashes down in front of the door and another crashes down about 100 feet down the corridor behind them. Behind the scenes: The door only had one magical trap on it (and it was a doozie). All the other "magical trap triggers" were actually tiny magical wards holding back a series of mechanical activation devices. When the magic trap was dispelled, so were these wards. This released the arming mechanisms of multiple mechanical traps and the gates. The gates are trapped in multiple ways and have tough locking mechanisms. I know. I'm a bad person.
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Post by dmmadmaxi on Oct 14, 2015 20:50:44 GMT
Friartook you are despicable! lol
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Post by maiyrcordeth on Oct 14, 2015 21:08:15 GMT
It's really important to think about the "Why?" behind traps. The traps have to make sense. Investigating an owlbear cave? Probably not going to be traps. Raiding the hidden lair of a paranoid fugitive wizard? Probably lots of weird traps. Also, I think traps should mostly be used less often, but with more devastating (permanent?) effects. Anyone who makes a trap is going to do so with the intent of actually stopping an invader, not just slowing them down, or hitting them for 1d4 damage. At worst, if you're not willing to take an eye from one of your PCs, let the triggering of a trap alert everyone in the dungeon of the PCs presence. Also... haven't listened to the episode yet, but I feel strongly about traps. I'll check it out. I feel a trap from an could be as simple as leaves on the ground. Creates a natural alarm and could be something owlbears do instinctually. What i want to do is set a trigger trap that encloses them in the dungeon till they figure out the combo switches to unlock the door or move the obstacle. As for the boss talk, i had an idea that could work. The boss has these carved Eyes in each room that he uses to see with. A kind if eagle eye sight spell, and he uses it to keep track of the heroes. Each time the Heroes try to rest the boss send another way of minions. He does this to tire and weaken them before they face him. He wants the enjoyment of killing the Heroes, himself. The only way to stop it is to cover the eyes or carve into them.
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Samuel Wise
Demigod
Ready to Help...
Posts: 989
Favorite D&D Class: Warlock
Favorite D&D Race: Mousefolk
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Post by Samuel Wise on Oct 14, 2015 21:38:29 GMT
Loved the episode. I love highlighting boss battles and it certainly helped me when designing the boss for my campaign. Storytime was really good, absolutely love the epic battle for the title of the pheonix king. Finally, the DMnastics were supurb. Great ideas that I really like a job class that absorbs and spits out enemy magic would be a great addition to any game (seems like a Final Fantasy Blue Mage type character).
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Post by catcharlie on Oct 15, 2015 8:50:08 GMT
A little off topic, but talking about traps always makes me think of the video game Trapt for the PS2, the basic premise is that you are the kings daughter and you've been framed for the murder of the king, you flee and end up in an abandoned house, a fiend gives it's power to create and set off traps and you have to protect your self from the hoards of people who have been sent to kill you... While you have to set the traps off manually it's a fun game. Under the spoiler are a couple of videos, one of the intro and another of me playing the first mission. Trapt Intro
First mission
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Post by kjmagle on Oct 16, 2015 14:36:39 GMT
I like the riddles, but then make riddles with the answer to the riddles. Like the Pride riddle, they then have to find something they have to use a key in the dungeon. So when they go through they will have a choice of things they can use but the correct would be like a statute of a group of lions... A pride of lions.
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Post by DMC on Oct 16, 2015 17:00:35 GMT
I'm having an issue downloading this latest episode. I recently switched from iPhone to Android, and the podcast program I'm using (Podcast Addict) SAYS "Ep 48: Dungeon Obstacles", but it's actually the previous cast about Timelines again.
Anyone else?
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Post by frohtastic on Oct 16, 2015 18:41:17 GMT
I'm having an issue downloading this latest episode. I recently switched from iPhone to Android, and the podcast program I'm using (Podcast Addict) SAYS "Ep 48: Dungeon Obstacles", but it's actually the previous cast about Timelines again. Anyone else? I use Podcast republic, there if they have it up on podbean it gets up on that as well. Not had much problems with it
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Post by joatmoniac on Oct 16, 2015 21:34:17 GMT
That was the case initially DMC but it was resolved that same night. Interesting that it hasn't changed on what you are using just yet.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2015 6:46:16 GMT
Only thing I want to add to this conversation...
Traps should not be DM Gotcha! moments. While it makes sense that the inventor of a trap would take great measures to conceal them, the PCs need a fair shot at avoiding, disabling, or otherwise mitigating their harmful effects. How you define a fair shot is up to you, but one of the most useful narrative devices is telegraphing the danger. This telegraphing can take the form of physical objects ("You see a body lying on the ground ahead of you. It appears to have been stabbed three times through the side." There's a pressure plate that triggers some spears that spring out of the wall) or you could just tell the player that his PC's spidey sense is going crazy. I've openly told players that when I say, "Are you sure you want to do that," it is the narrative equivalent of their sixth sense telling them something.
With or without telegraphing, the PC needs a fair shot at mitigating the worst of the effects when a trap inevitably goes off. This usually takes the form of a saving throw. You don't just inflict automatic damage on the guy who tripped the acid trap, or send a guy plummeting into the spike pit. You give him a saving throw to take half of a predetermined amount of damage, or to let him grab the edge of the pit.
All this is to say that while some of the above ideas sound ingenious, and even reasonable security measures for a powerful person wanting to protect his lair, you still have to ask yourself if they're the sort of obstacles that will be fun for the PCs. Remember that players prefer to succeed, and automatic failure is one of the dirtiest tools in a DMs kit. If you're planning on a particularly devious trap, make sure to provide meaningful (not necessarily obvious) countermeasures while you're at it.
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