101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first post!)

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MagickalMemories ( 832 )
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101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first post!)

Post by MagickalMemories »

HERE ARE THE RULES OF THE THREAD.
BREAK THEM AND YOU WILL BE MOCKED MERCILESSLY!
:wink:

There are 3 categories here; Tricks, Traps and (wait for it...) Dressings.

You may add UP TO one item to each category, per post. NO MORE.
You may not post twice in a row, unless 24 hours have passed. We want to make sure as many people as possible get a chance to add to this.
Nothing with system specific rules (these should be able to be used in any fantasy RPG)
When you add something to a list, follow the existing numbering convention, please. Also, no "a,b, c" variations. One item per entry.

Definitions:
Tricks - This can be anything from a red herring to something to throw PC's off of the scent.
Traps - Duh! Traps. Should not be "insta-kill" or unavoidable, if possible.
Dressings - Interesting decorations. Anything from neat looking furniture, interestingly decorated rooms to graffitti.


Tricks:
1) The reverse staircase. Once you are on it, it will go on forever. The only way around the enchantment is to walk backwards in whichever direction you want to go.


Traps:
1) There's only one way to open that door. You have to reach your hand in that hole, grab the metal rod, and turn it 90 degrees. Oddly enough, that connects you to a little bit of an electrical jolt. Perhaps the damage is determined randomly (or, the GM can adjust for level).


Dressings:
1) "Watch the 4th stare!" on a hall wall, written in charcoal or chalk. "Stare" can be a misspelling of "stair," or can be a cryptic reference to a statue with staring eyes (the 4th in line).
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
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Imaginos ( 470 )
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Re: 101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first po

Post by Imaginos »

Tricks:
2) The indecipherable stone. This stone tablet is designed to waste the parties time and/or resources deciphering it. While it appears to be a stone etched with an ancient language, the stone was actually etched with nonsense markings. There is no message to decipher.

Traps:
2) Sauna or Later. A pressure plate system set up in the first room outside of the treasure room. When a load of treasure (typically of the golden variety) is removed, the additional weight of the gold on the pressure plate system drops a portcullis to the exits and releases natural steam from vents in the walls. Shouldn't be enough to kill, but definitely enough to hurt. Benefit is that it also cleans the gold.

Dressings:
2) Arranged on a wall, shelf, or bookcase - skulls labeled for each of the major races (or cultures, if this is strictly human). The missing ones match the party members.
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
Lord Logorrheic!
Posts: 16741
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:38 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO - USA

Re: 101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first po

Post by MagickalMemories »

Tricks:
1) The reverse staircase. Once you are on it, it will go on forever. The only way around the enchantment is to walk backwards in whichever direction you want to go.
2) The indecipherable stone. This stone tablet is designed to waste the parties time and/or resources deciphering it. While it appears to be a stone etched with an ancient language, the stone was actually etched with nonsense markings. There is no message to decipher.
3) The useless lever. When the party gets to it, it's in a certain position, Moving it affects a secret door in another part of the dungeon. Gm decides whether it starts open or closed.

Traps:
1) There's only one way to open that door. You have to reach your hand in that hole, grab the metal rod, and turn it 90 degrees. Oddly enough, that connects you to a little bit of an electrical jolt. Perhaps the damage is determined randomly (or, the GM can adjust for level).
2) Sauna or Later. A pressure plate system set up in the first room outside of the treasure room. When a load of treasure (typically of the golden variety) is removed, the additional weight of the gold on the pressure plate system drops a portcullis to the exits and releases natural steam from vents in the walls. Shouldn't be enough to kill, but definitely enough to hurt. Benefit is that it also cleans the gold.
3) The bath house. This room contains a magical "hot tub." Like a real life hot tub, it's full of water that remains constantly hot and agitated (maybe by trapped air elementals). The water never dirties. The party can bathe in here, wash their clothes, etc. Perhaps it's a defensible location, even. Even something like a corpse dumped in the water will disappear within a matter of hours, having been "cleaned." The trap is that ANYTHING left in here for more than (X) hours will disappear in this manner.


Dressings:
1) "Watch the 4th stare!" on a hall wall, written in charcoal or chalk. "Stare" can be a misspelling of "stair," or can be a cryptic reference to a statue with staring eyes (the 4th in line).
2) Arranged on a wall, shelf, or bookcase - skulls labeled for each of the major races (or cultures, if this is strictly human). The missing ones match the party members.
3) "What happened in here?" This room/stretch of hallway/other is filled with blood splatters and gory chunks of human(?) remains. There's no way to get through this area without getting something on you. Even if you're flying through, something might just drip on you.
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
reegsk ( 478 )
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Location: Western Mass, USA

Re: 101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first po

Post by reegsk »

Tricks:
1) The reverse staircase. Once you are on it, it will go on forever. The only way around the enchantment is to walk backwards in whichever direction you want to go.
2) The indecipherable stone. This stone tablet is designed to waste the parties time and/or resources deciphering it. While it appears to be a stone etched with an ancient language, the stone was actually etched with nonsense markings. There is no message to decipher.
3) The useless lever. When the party gets to it, it's in a certain position, Moving it affects a secret door in another part of the dungeon. Gm decides whether it starts open or closed.
4) The Falling Rope. Very Home Alone-esque, the characters find a rope hanging to the side of a locked door. It seems to be stuck if given a light tug. A strong tug (DC 12 Strength check) pulls the rope down. . .and the large stone/weight attached to it. Take a Reflex Save to avoid damage. Oh, and the door is unlocked.

Traps:
1) There's only one way to open that door. You have to reach your hand in that hole, grab the metal rod, and turn it 90 degrees. Oddly enough, that connects you to a little bit of an electrical jolt. Perhaps the damage is determined randomly (or, the GM can adjust for level).
2) Sauna or Later. A pressure plate system set up in the first room outside of the treasure room. When a load of treasure (typically of the golden variety) is removed, the additional weight of the gold on the pressure plate system drops a portcullis to the exits and releases natural steam from vents in the walls. Shouldn't be enough to kill, but definitely enough to hurt. Benefit is that it also cleans the gold.
3) The bath house. This room contains a magical "hot tub." Like a real life hot tub, it's full of water that remains constantly hot and agitated (maybe by trapped air elementals). The water never dirties. The party can bathe in here, wash their clothes, etc. Perhaps it's a defensible location, even. Even something like a corpse dumped in the water will disappear within a matter of hours, having been "cleaned." The trap is that ANYTHING left in here for more than (X) hours will disappear in this manner.
4) The Primary Color Room. The players reach the end of a hallway, and find that the next room is entirely blue (floor, walls, ceiling, furniture, etc.). When Player A walks in (or an object is thrown in), the player (and all of his gear) turns blue, and the room turns red. When Player B enters, he turns red and the room turns yellow. When Player C enters, he turns yellow and the room goes back to blue. If a player touches another player (or an object that entered the room separately from the players, so something cannot be dropped in the room and picked back up), they turn the color of the player/object being touched, and the room shifts to the next color. So if Player A touches Player B, A will turn B's color (Red), and the room will change to red. If (while A is still touching B) they touch Player C, they all turn C's color (Yellow) and the room turns yellow. You can only exit the room if your color matches the room's color. A single player can get around this by throwing something into the room ahead of time, running in after it and picking it up. If a single player walks in there alone, however, they're screwed.


Dressings:
1) "Watch the 4th stare!" on a hall wall, written in charcoal or chalk. "Stare" can be a misspelling of "stair," or can be a cryptic reference to a statue with staring eyes (the 4th in line).
2) Arranged on a wall, shelf, or bookcase - skulls labeled for each of the major races (or cultures, if this is strictly human). The missing ones match the party members.
3) "What happened in here?" This room/stretch of hallway/other is filled with blood splatters and gory chunks of human(?) remains. There's no way to get through this area without getting something on you. Even if you're flying through, something might just drip on you.
4) Welcome to the Jungle. The players are exiting a room, and ahead there appears to be a normal hallway (suited to the style of dungeon). As soon as they walk through, however, they are on a narrow path in the middle of the jungle (the growth is so thick it's impossible to leave the path). Add in whatever you'd like -- monsters loudly tramping through the jungle out of sight, monkeys throwing nuts and sticks, etc. After walking a distance equal to the hallway they saw, they're right back in the dungeon.
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
Lord Logorrheic!
Posts: 16741
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:38 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO - USA

Re: 101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first po

Post by MagickalMemories »

Good stuff, guys (reeg, that primary color room is nasty LOL).

For any lurkers, I want to clarify... you can update any of the sections you want. You do not need to add something to all 3!

Eric
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
MagickalMemories ( 832 )
Lord Logorrheic!
Posts: 16741
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2003 11:38 pm
Location: St. Louis, MO - USA

Re: 101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first po

Post by MagickalMemories »

Tricks:
1) The reverse staircase. Once you are on it, it will go on forever. The only way around the enchantment is to walk backwards in whichever direction you want to go.
2) The indecipherable stone. This stone tablet is designed to waste the parties time and/or resources deciphering it. While it appears to be a stone etched with an ancient language, the stone was actually etched with nonsense markings. There is no message to decipher.
3) The useless lever. When the party gets to it, it's in a certain position, Moving it affects a secret door in another part of the dungeon. Gm decides whether it starts open or closed.

Traps:
1) There's only one way to open that door. You have to reach your hand in that hole, grab the metal rod, and turn it 90 degrees. Oddly enough, that connects you to a little bit of an electrical jolt. Perhaps the damage is determined randomly (or, the GM can adjust for level).
2) Sauna or Later. A pressure plate system set up in the first room outside of the treasure room. When a load of treasure (typically of the golden variety) is removed, the additional weight of the gold on the pressure plate system drops a portcullis to the exits and releases natural steam from vents in the walls. Shouldn't be enough to kill, but definitely enough to hurt. Benefit is that it also cleans the gold.
3) The bath house. This room contains a magical "hot tub." Like a real life hot tub, it's full of water that remains constantly hot and agitated (maybe by trapped air elementals). The water never dirties. The party can bathe in here, wash their clothes, etc. Perhaps it's a defensible location, even. Even something like a corpse dumped in the water will disappear within a matter of hours, having been "cleaned." The trap is that ANYTHING left in here for more than (X) hours will disappear in this manner.


Dressings:
1) "Watch the 4th stare!" on a hall wall, written in charcoal or chalk. "Stare" can be a misspelling of "stair," or can be a cryptic reference to a statue with staring eyes (the 4th in line).
2) Arranged on a wall, shelf, or bookcase - skulls labeled for each of the major races (or cultures, if this is strictly human). The missing ones match the party members.
3) "What happened in here?" This room/stretch of hallway/other is filled with blood splatters and gory chunks of human(?) remains. There's no way to get through this area without getting something on you. Even if you're flying through, something might just drip on you.
4) As the party is travelling through a large room, the ceiling of which is out of the range of their torches or lamps, they hear a faint cry for help. It seems to come from everywhere within the room at the same time (this is because of the room acoustics, due to the unusual angles in the ceiling... or something). The person is too weak to say more than "help" every minute or two. Eventually, suspended in the very center of the room, they find someone (fill in to your desire) in a wrought iron cage. Hanging about 40' above the floor from 10 feet of chain, he's quite difficult to get to.
Lower rating? You ship first.

Give me a sense of humor Lord. Give me the grace to see a joke.
To get some humor out of life and pass it on to other folk.


I think what this situation needs is some imagination.

"...I'm a nerd, and I'm here tonight to stand up for the rights of other nerds.” – Gilbert Lowell

Want my help with a BTR or backout? All messages sent/posted should be in CHRONOLOGICAL order. Otherwise, I just won't read it.
eman1_2 ( 278 )
Resident Trader
Posts: 359
Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2004 6:39 pm
Location: Dayton, Oh-Hee-Ho

Re: 101 Dungeon Tricks, Traps & Dressings (Read the first po

Post by eman1_2 »

Tricks:
1) The reverse staircase. Once you are on it, it will go on forever. The only way around the enchantment is to walk backwards in whichever direction you want to go.
2) The indecipherable stone. This stone tablet is designed to waste the parties time and/or resources deciphering it. While it appears to be a stone etched with an ancient language, the stone was actually etched with nonsense markings. There is no message to decipher.
3) The useless lever. When the party gets to it, it's in a certain position, Moving it affects a secret door in another part of the dungeon. Gm decides whether it starts open or closed.
4) The Gamemaster stating 'You have entered a seemingly empty room'. and the PCs then spend 20 minutes searching / waiting for an attack from the actually empty room.

Traps:
1) There's only one way to open that door. You have to reach your hand in that hole, grab the metal rod, and turn it 90 degrees. Oddly enough, that connects you to a little bit of an electrical jolt. Perhaps the damage is determined randomly (or, the GM can adjust for level).
2) Sauna or Later. A pressure plate system set up in the first room outside of the treasure room. When a load of treasure (typically of the golden variety) is removed, the additional weight of the gold on the pressure plate system drops a portcullis to the exits and releases natural steam from vents in the walls. Shouldn't be enough to kill, but definitely enough to hurt. Benefit is that it also cleans the gold.
3) The bath house. This room contains a magical "hot tub." Like a real life hot tub, it's full of water that remains constantly hot and agitated (maybe by trapped air elementals). The water never dirties. The party can bathe in here, wash their clothes, etc. Perhaps it's a defensible location, even. Even something like a corpse dumped in the water will disappear within a matter of hours, having been "cleaned." The trap is that ANYTHING left in here for more than (X) hours will disappear in this manner.
4) You see a hole in the ceiling, going up about 20 feet. Looking upward, you only see smooth walls and a cieling. Actually walking under the hole activates the reverse gravity mechanism, throwing you upwards to smack into what is now the floor. Throw in a false ceiling with spikes at your leisure.


Dressings:
1) "Watch the 4th stare!" on a hall wall, written in charcoal or chalk. "Stare" can be a misspelling of "stair," or can be a cryptic reference to a statue with staring eyes (the 4th in line).
2) Arranged on a wall, shelf, or bookcase - skulls labeled for each of the major races (or cultures, if this is strictly human). The missing ones match the party members.
3) "What happened in here?" This room/stretch of hallway/other is filled with blood splatters and gory chunks of human(?) remains. There's no way to get through this area without getting something on you. Even if you're flying through, something might just drip on you.
4) As the party is travelling through a large room, the ceiling of which is out of the range of their torches or lamps, they hear a faint cry for help. It seems to come from everywhere within the room at the same time (this is because of the room acoustics, due to the unusual angles in the ceiling... or something). The person is too weak to say more than "help" every minute or two. Eventually, suspended in the very center of the room, they find someone (fill in to your desire) in a wrought iron cage. Hanging about 40' above the floor from 10 feet of chain, he's quite difficult to get to.
Mike

- A simple 'not interested' to a trade offer is just being polite. It helps people setting up multiple trades know where they stand.
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