RPG Trap Collection 1 Credits Author, Designer, Layout, and Cover Design: Luke Hart Editor: Ashley Jones Content: Countless participants in The DM Lair weekly live streams Artwork: Adobe Stock Contacting the Author Email: [email protected] Game Master Resources Patreon – I publish monthly PDFs chocked full of GM resources such as 5e adventures, magic items, encounters, adventure ideas, and traps. YouTube Channel - Check out my weekly YouTube videos for practical information and resources that game masters can use at their tables. Twitch Channel – I have weekly streams where I answer your GM questions and where we create more RPG resources together for the entire community to use. The DM Lair Website - Looking for free 5e adventures and other game masters resources, such as NPCs, magic items, puzzles, and traps, to use in your games? Look no further! My Discord Server - Join a growing community of game masters committed to helping each other run awesome games. Legal Stuff Revised Carrying Capacity, Copyright © 2020, Luke Hart, The DM Lair, LLC Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, LLC. System Reference Document 5.1 Copyright 2016, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Mike Mearls, Jeremy Crawford, Chris Perkins, Rodney Thompson, Peter Lee, James Wyatt, Robert J. Schwalb, Bruce R. Cordell, Chris Sims, and Steve Townshend, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. Foreword Every Friday I host live streams where the participants and I create RPG resources for game masters and players to use in their own games. I do this as my way of giving back to the RPG community and helping others in their games. This RPG Trap Collection you have in your hands now is a compilation of all the traps we’ve created together over the course of many live streams dedicated to trap creation. My hope is that you will find the traps it contains interesting and useful for your own games. I also want to express my sincere appreciation for all the participants in my live streams who helped brainstorm ideas for this resource. I feel the entire RPG community owes them a debt of gratitude for their enthusiastic efforts. Thank you! What You'll Find Here This is just a list of various traps including descriptions, triggers, effects, and countermeasures. What no art? Yep, that’s right. Artwork costs money to commission, and I’m offering this resource free of charge. Unfortunately, if you’re looking for fancy artwork and other frills, this resource probably isn’t for you. However, if you’re looking for cool traps, read on.
RPG Trap Collection 2 The Drop and Plop Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) contributed by Theen Description. A pitfall trap that has a perfectly fitting gelatinous cube inside it. The pit is 10 feet by 10 feet and has a trap door at the top. Trigger. One hundred pounds of pressure applied to the trap door (for instance, someone stepping on it), causes the trap door to open. Victims must make DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall in. The gelatinous cube immediately attacks anyone who falls in and automatically gains surprise. Countermeasures. A DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the presence of the trap door on the floor. Jumping over the trap door bypasses it, or a DC 14 Dexterity (Thieves Tools) check disables the trap door. The Jelly Jamb Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. There is a glass pot of ooze above a door that triggers when the door is opened. The pot falls and shatters, releasing 1d4+1 ochre jellies that then attack the PCs! Trigger. When the door is opened, the pot falls and breaks. Countermeasures. The character that opens the door sees the pot falling. If they succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, they can catch the pot if they want. The pot weighs 200 pounds and a character who catches it must make a DC 17 Strength (Athletics) check to not drop it and cause it to shatter. Rusty Stuffings Simple trap (level 1-4, dangerous) Description. In the corridor is a small, pink toy bear. It's actually a rust monster that has been polymorphed into a toy bear and is incapacitated while in that form. The polymorph wears off five minutes after the toy bear has been placed into a container of any kind, such as a backpack. The rust monster then promptly begins to devour all metal items it can. Countermeasures. Casting detect magic reveals a transmutation aura around the bear. The identify spell reveals the exact nature of the trap. Golden Eye Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. A solid gold sphere sits in the middle of the room. When the sphere is touched, it opens, revealing a Death Kiss which promptly attacks. Countermeasures. A successful DC 16 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals fine seams along the exterior of the sphere, indicating that it can be opened. Detect magic reveals an aura of abjuration about the sphere. A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the sphere is not made of gold, but iron painted over with gold. Gold Dust ShroomBoom Simple trap (level 1-4, dangerous) Description. Golden mushrooms are growing along the bottom of a chest, stretching about halfway up. Below the mushrooms a large pile gold sparkles and beckons to the characters. Trigger. Touching the mushrooms causes them to release a cloud of poisonous spores in a 10-foot radius. Everyone caught in the effect takes 2d6 poison damage or half as much if they succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw. Once the spore cloud has been triggered, it takes 1d4 hours for the mushrooms to create more spores. Countermeasures. A successful DC 13 Intelligence (Nature) check reveals that the poisonous nature of the mushrooms, including that it takes time to regenerate more spores once triggered.
RPG Trap Collection 3 The DoppelDoor Simple trap (level 1-4, dangerous) Purpose. There is a magical doorway that teleports the first character to step through it into a pocket dimension (per the Banishment spell) and replaces them with a doppelganger that looks exactly like them. This effect lasts until the doppelganger dies, at which point the character is teleported to where the doppelganger perishes, taking the place of its body. When this happens, the game master should take the player whose character was replaced away from the group, explain what has happened, and let them play the doppelganger. The GM should give the player some basic information to inform their roleplaying, such as the doppelganger’s motivations. Countermeasures. A character who is suspicious of the doppelganger can make a Wisdom (Insight) check contested by the doppelganger’s Charisma (Deception) check. If the character wins, he notices small imperfections with the doppelganger’s disguise or acting, cluing him in that it is not actually the character. The BrainWasher Simple trap (any level, not really dangerous) Description. In a room is a sink full of dirty dishes. A character who comes within 10 feet of the dishes feels magically compelled to clean them. They must succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or be compelled to clean the dishes, a task that takes the next 15 minutes. If the character takes damage, they may repeat the saving throw, breaking out of the enchantment on a success. At the end of 15 minutes, when the dishes have been cleaned, more dirty dishes magically fill the sink, and the character, and any others within range must make a new saving throw or be compelled to clean the dishes. Countermeasures. Detect magic reveals an aura of enchantment magic around the dishes. Breaking all of the dishes causes the magic to fail, releasing anyone caught in its thrall. Mimic Madness (Not a Trap) Simple trap (level 5-10, setback) contributed by Theen Description. A hallway contains three mimics that are concealing themselves as parts of the walls, floors, and doors. When the party is in the middle of the hallway, they attack. Pleased to Meet You Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. A pair of large disembodied hands float in front of and block a passage. To get past, the characters must shake hands with them. If the hands are attacked or someone tries to push them out of the way, the hands slap the offenders. They have a +8 to hit and deal 4d10 bludgeoning damage. Countermeasures. The characters notice an inscription on the wall near the hands that reads, “Foes don't proceed; only friends shall we be.” This a clue that they need to shake the hands. Fool's Gold Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. A pot of gold coins sits on a table in a room. A character that removes gold from the pot must make a DC 15 Intelligence saving throw or suffer a hallucination that leprechauns are attacking them. Countermeasures. Detect magic reveals an aura of enchantment magic around the pot. Placing the gold back into the pot releases the character from the hallucination. The hallucinations also wear off after 1d4+1 minutes.
RPG Trap Collection 4 The Baynard Curtain Simple trap (level 1-4, dangerous) Purpose. Mark the characters so that they are easier for enemies to hit in combat. Trigger. Vines over the mouth of the cave are tripwires that release buckets of phosphorescent powder. Effect. Characters within 15 feet are covered in a phosphorescent powder that gives monsters using darkvision advantage on their attack rolls against the characters for the next 1d4 hours if they fail a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw. Countermeasures. The vine tripwires can be detected with a successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check. The tripwires can be disabled with a DC 12 Dexterity (Thieves Tools) check. Characters proficient in Nature have advantage on all interactions with the vines. The powder can be removed from a character using a gallon of alcohol, such as ale, to clean it off. DM Note. Combine this trap with guardians in the entrance of the cave that use darkvision. Thus, the trap makes the PCs more vulnerable to the guardians. The Yeeter Totter Complex trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Purpose. To throw PCs off the bridge and prevent them from passing. Trigger. In the middle of the bridge on the railing is a small sign that reads “None Shall Pass.” These are magical letters, that when read causes the trap to spring. Effect. When triggered, violent waves travel down the bridge for one round (6 seconds), causing the bridge to bounce up and down, similar to a trampoline. Players must succeed on a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or be bounced off the edge of the bridge and be dangling from the side while grabbing the ropes. On the next round, dangling players must succeed on a DC 15 Strength saving throw or fall. Players who succeed on this saving throw are able to pull themselves back onto the bridge. Players who are not bucked off the bridge can help dangling players get back up, granting them advantage on their Strength saving throw. Countermeasures. Detect magic will indicate that the entire bridge is covered in transmutation magic. Casting Dispel Magic will suppress the trap for 1d4+2 minutes. Casting Dispel Magic at level 5 or above, permanently dispels the trap. Not Silent, Just Deadly Simple trap (level 11-16, deadly) Purpose. This is an ornate throne, designed to kill people. Trigger. When someone sits on the throne, there is a squish as a sticky substance on the throne immediately bonds to the pants of the person sitting on the throne. Standing up from the throne pulls a pressure plate upwards, triggering the trap. Effect. When triggered, a loud farting noise is emitted from the bottom of the throne as a large bladder full of poisonous gas is released into the room. Characters within 15 feet of the throne must make a DC 17 Constitution saving throw, taking 99 (18d10) poison damage on a failed save or half that damage on a successful save. Countermeasures. Someone sitting on the throne can remove their pants to then get out of the throne without triggering it. DM Note. Make there be an enticing reason that a character would want to sit in this throne. For instance, a sign reading “Don’t Sit Here” or “Free Gold” hanging above the throne might entice them to sit on it. Or you might make sitting on the throne seem necessary to advance in the dungeon, such as implying that it opens a secret door or something.
RPG Trap Collection 5 Scabaited Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) The sword itself is not magical. However, the scabbard emanates evocation magic when detect magic is used. Characters handling the scabbard can tell that it is magical, too. (This will probably make the character think the sword is magical.) Purpose. Punish thieves who take the sword. Trigger. Pulling the sword from the scabbard without first whispering the command phrase “Here I go killing again” triggers the trap. Effect. Magical runes on the scabbard detonate, causing the scabbard to explode into a cloud of shrapnel, dealing 4d10 slashing damage to all creatures within 10 feet. Creatures who succeed on a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw take half damage. Countermeasures. Casting detect magic reveals evocation magic on the scabbard. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check while studying the runes on the scabbard reveals that it explodes when the sword is drawn. Casting identify on the scabbard or sword (before drawn) reveals the command phrase. The Bunny Blunder Simple trap (level 1-4, dangerous) There is a rope hanging from the ceiling with a golden carrot worth 50 gp tied to the end of it. Purpose. To reward players with pain and suffering for being foolish enough to pull on a rope and carrot hanging from the ceiling. Trigger. Pulling on the rope or removing the carrot from the rope. Effect. A trap door opens on the ceiling, raining down 2d6 Killer Bunnies! Countermeasures. A character searching the ceiling and succeeding on a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that there is the outline of a trap door on the ceiling. Characters can bypass the trap by not pulling on the rope. DM Note. Use the stat block for giant rat for the Killer Bunnies. Octonote Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. A brass flute rests on a pedestal before a locked door. Playing any eight notes on the flute unlocks the door. Playing any other number of notes magically causes the hallway to fill with water and 1d4+2 giant octopuses that attack. Carved into the side of the pedestal are depictions of underwater scenes and aquatic creatures. Characters who succeed on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check while examining the pedestal discover that there are eight musical notes hidden among the carvings on the pedestal. Character proficient with a musical instrument gain advantage on the check. Bark or Bite Simple trap (level 1-4, setback) Description. There is a door with beautiful forest scenery carved into it, but it has no doorknob. Carved in the doorframe above the door in elven is “Be polite or I bite.” Trigger. The door must be verbally asked to open in elven, and when someone does so, it swings open. However, anyone trying to open the door by physical means causes one swarm of insects (beetles) to burrow out from within the door and attack. Beeware Simple trap (level 1-4, setback) Description. This is a locked puzzle box always accompanied by a pot of honey that players might find among other loot. Every so often a BEEping sound emanates from a small hole on one side of the box. If characters look into the hole, they can see some treasure inside (see below). Touching the puzzle box leaves a sticky feeling on your hands. Smelling or tasting the substance reveals it is sweet like honey. The game master should place level-appropriate loot in the puzzle box for players to be rewarded with. Trigger. The puzzle box opens when honey from the pot is poured into a small hole on one side. When opened, a swarm of bees (use the stat block for swarm of insects (wasps)) emerges and attacks the character who has the pot of honey. If no one took the pot of honey, the wasps fly away. Countermeasures. A character who inspects the box and the hole on its side spots the swarm of bees inside the box on a successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check. Characters might use various methods to avoid being attacked by the bees. However, blowing smoke into the hole placates the bees, making them docile when the box is opened.
RPG Trap Collection 6 Double Vision Simple trap (level 5-10, setback) Description. There is a mirror on the ceiling. Trigger. When a character’s reflection is shown in the mirror by stepping below it, the character must make a DC 15 Charisma saving throw. On a failed save, the character is instantly teleported inside the mirror, and a doppelganger appearing exactly like the character takes their place. The character is trapped in the mirror in a sort of magical demi-plane until the doppelganger dies. Only one character at a time can be affected by this. GM Note: When a character is swapped with the doppelganger, take the player aside and explain what happened in secret. Then have that player roleplay the doppelganger. That way the player isn’t just sitting out and doing nothing. Countermeasure. Breaking the mirror nullifies the trap. If the mirror is broken while a PC is trapped within, they are released from within. Over the Rainbow Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. There is a hallway with a floor painted with stripes of all the different colors of the rainbow. Trigger. Walking on an incorrect stripe (any except red) at the midpoint of the hallway causes multicolored bolts of energy to shoot from the ceiling above at all characters in the hallway. The characters must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw, taking 4d10 poison damage on a failed save, or half that much on a successful save. GM Note: If desired, make the type of damage correspond to the color of the stripe the PC is walking on. Blue is electric, green poison, purple force, etc. Countermeasures. Written in Draconic along the edge of the floor just before the hallway begins is “It’s Red or you’re Dead.” Characters succeeding on a DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) check notice this writing. If the characters only walk on the red stripe, the bolts of energy do not trigger. eMACEiation Simple trap (level 1-4, setback) Description. This appears to be a +1 mace when identified. However, it is a trap! Trigger. Every time the mace is used in combat and successfully hits its target, roll a d12. On a 10, 11, or 12, the head of the mace explodes throwing shrapnel all about. Every creature in a 15-foot radius must make a DC 13 Dexterity saving throw, taking 2d6 piercing on a failed save, and half as much on a successful save. The wielder of the mace has disadvantage on the saving throw. Countermeasures. A successful DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the head of the mace is not stable and designed to break apart. Piggy Bank Simple trap (any level, setback) Description. There is a hog on a spit roasting over a fire. The fire is illusory, as is the smell of beautiful bacon that fills the room. Characters interacting with the roasting hog recognize it for an illusion. The hog is actually a treasure chest filled with loot of the game master’s choice. Trigger. When a character reaches through the hog’s mouth to extract the treasure, they must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or be polymorphed (per the spell) into a pig for 1d4 hours. Countermeasures. A player who succeeds on a DC 14 Intelligence (Arcana) check notices magical runes carved into the flesh of the roasting hog, indicating the presence of some sort of polymorph effect. Casting dispel magic on the hog disables the trap for 1 hour. Also, the loot can be successfully extracted from the piggy bank by reaching not through the mouth, but the other end. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the presence of a small tag on one of the hog’s ears that reads, “Try the other end.”
RPG Trap Collection 7 Red Hots Simple trap (level 5-10, dangerous) Description. A small jar contains 2d6 jellybeans. Trigger. The beans are actually fireball pellets, albeit delicious ones. If a bean is eaten, a fireball immediately explodes in the consumer’s mouth. A fireball (per the spell, DC 16) goes off, centered on the person eating the bean. The person eating the bean automatically fails the saving throw. If the entire jar of beans is dumped out, all of them immediately detonate. (TPK baby! Lol) Effect. The fireball jellybeans can be thrown up to thirty feet and explode per the fireball spell (save DC 16). Countermeasures. Stop being dumb and eating weird food you find in dungeons! Boots of Sticking and Snaring Mechanical trap (Simple trap, level 11-16, dangerous) Description. There is a finely made pair of boots with magical aura cast on them, making them appear to be Boots of Striding and Springing. Trigger. There are small pressure plates in the heels of the boots. When someone puts the boots on and walks in them, the trap is triggered. Effect. When triggered, sovereign glue oozes from the soles of the boots, on both the inside and the outside. It adheres fast to the PC’s foot and the floor, rooting them in place. The sovereign glue used in this trap sets in six seconds instead of one minute. (Once the glue has been used, it’s gone.) When triggered, the character feels something wet inside the boot and the boots seem to stick a little to the ground. If the character tries to remove the boots immediately, they must succeed on a DC 17 Strength saving throw in order to do so before the glue sets. Countermeasures. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that the soles of the boots are abnormally thick. Upon examining the thick soles, a successful DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the presence of a hidden compartment in the soles and how to open it. Inside the compartment on each boot is a bottle of sovereign glue for the taking, as long as the trap isn’t triggered first, which deploys the glue. Mace-in-a-Box Mechanical trap (Simple, level 1-4, dangerous) Description. A non-descript chest with no visible lock. Trigger. Opening the lid triggers the trap. Effect. When triggered, a spring-loaded mace inside the lid swipes in an arc at anyone standing in front of the chest. The mace has an attack bonus of +5 and on hit deals 4 (1d8) bludgeoning damage and the target must make a DC 14 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save, the target takes 7 (2d6) poison damage and is poisoned for one minute. On a successful save, the target takes half damage and is not poisoned. Countermeasures. Opening the chest from the side or at range (such as with a ten-foot pole) bypasses the swinging mace. A successful DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the presence of buckling wood on the backside of the lid as though something inside were pulling on the wood. A successful DC 13 Dexterity (Thieves’ Tools) check can disarm the trap.
RPG Trap Collection 8 effectively destroyed. Countermeasures. A successful DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that one of the ladder rungs is loose. The Boy Who Cried Cat Magical trap (Simple trap, level 5-10, dangerous) Description. There is an illusory small boy in the corner clutching two dolls to his chest and sobbing. Trigger. Approaching within five feet of the illusion triggers the trap. Effect. When triggered, all creatures within twenty feet of the illusory boy must make a DC 13 Constitution saving throw. On a failed save the creature’s size category is reduced to tiny; however, none of their equipment is shrunk with them. Creatures so reduced have disadvantage on strength checks and saving throws; their movement is reduced to one third; and they deal only 1 point of damage with any attacks. This condition lasts for 1d4 minutes. Furthermore, triggering the trap opens a secret door that releases 2d4 hungry cats into the room that immediately attack any shrunk creatures. Countermeasures. Examining the boy and succeeding on a DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals the illusion for what it is. Casting detect magic reveals the presence of the magical trap linked to the illusory boy. A successful DC 15 Intelligence (Arcana) check reveals the nature of the trap. Casting dispel magic on the illusory boy suppresses the magical trap for ten minutes. Helm of the Catfolk Magical trap (Simple trap, level 5-10, setback) Description. There is a finely made helmet shaped like the head of a jaguar with eyes of emerald on a pedestal worth roughly 200 gp. Trigger. Removing the helmet from the pedestal trips a pressure plate which triggers the trap. Effect. The character who moved the helmet is targeted by a polymorph spell. The character must make a DC 16 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the character is polymorphed into a tiny cat for 1d4 hours. If as a cat the character is reduced to 0 hit points, they just turn into a different breed of cat. This can happen up to nine times, and on the tenth time of being reduced to 0 hit points, the character reverts to their normal self. Otherwise, this condition lasts until the spell ends or dispel magic is cast on the character. Countermeasures. A successful DC 15 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals the presence of the pressure plate on the pedestal. The pressure plate can be neutralized, and the helmet removed if a character quickly swaps an item of equal weight with the helmet, placing that item on the pressure plate. The character must make a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check to determine the weight of the helmet (twelve pounds). Then the character must make a successful DC 13 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check to swap the helmet with the item without tripping the pressure plate. If either of these checks fail, the trap is triggered. Stairway to Slime Mechanical trap (Simple trap, level 5-10, dangerous) Description. There is a ladder that must be climbed to get to the next level up. Trigger. The sixth rung on the ladder pulls loose when climbed on and triggers the trap. Effect. Triggering the trap causes a trap door in the floor to slide open, revealing a ten-foot-deep pit whose floor and walls are covered with green slime (see the game master’s core rulebook). The character who pulled the rung loose on the ladder must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the pit. The character takes 1d6 falling damage and is covered with green slime, taking 5 (1d10 acid damage). The creature takes the damage again at the start of each of its turns until the slime is scraped off or destroyed. Against wood or metal, green slime deals 11 (2d10) acid damage each round, and any nonmagical wood or metal weapon or tool used to scrape off the slime is
RPG Trap Collection 9 The Sand Blender Mechanical/magical trap (Simple, level 5-10, deadly) Description. There is a hallway with sand spread across the entire floor. One of the squares is actually a ten-foot-deep pit full of illusionary sand. Trigger. When a character steps on the illusionary sand they risk falling into the pit. If more than 50 pounds of pressure is applied to a pressure plate at the bottom of the pit, several spinning blades built into the side of the pit at various heights are triggered. Effect. A character stepping onto the illusionary sand must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw or fall into the pit, taking 1d6 bludgeoning damage. Characters in the pit when the spinning blades are triggered must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 22 (4d10) slashing damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful save. Every round that a character remains in the pit, they are subjected to the spinning blade damage again. The sides of the pit are greased, giving characters who try to climb out disadvantage to do so. Countermeasures. Interacting with the illusionary sand, such as with a 10-foot pole, reveals the illusion for what it is, causing it to become translucent. (A character falling into the pit has the same effect.) A character who succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check notices something odd about the square with the illusionary sand. A character who succeeds on a DC 15 Intelligence (Investigation) check recognizes the illusion for what it is. The spinning blades can be stopped by jamming a hard metal object into one of the slits in the side of the pit walls and succeeding on a DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check. (The same gear mechanism drives all of the blades; thus, stopping one of them, stops all of them.) Note: Hanging a rope into the pit to try to help a character get out, results in the rope being immediately cut into several pieces. Doom and Shroom Natural/Magical trap (Simple, level 5-10, dangerous) Description. There is a thirty-foot-by-thirty-foot chamber full of multi-colored shelf mushrooms growing up and down the walls that emanate a soft, soothing humming. In the center of the room resting on a pedestal is a golden, gem-studded tiara that emits a discordant chittering. Around the pedestal lie the gigantic bones of a brontosaurus. (The tiara can have a value determined by the game master, or it can be worthless, made of fool’s gold and colored-glass gems.) Trigger. When the tiara is brought within ten feet of any of the mushrooms, the chittering from the tiara disrupts the humming of the mushrooms, causing them to release a fifteen-foot-radius cloud of spores. Effect. Characters caught in the cloud of spores must make a DC 15 Constitution saving throw. Characters who fail the save take 22 (4d10) damage and suffer a hallucination (see below) for the next 1 minute. Characters who succeed on the save take half damage and are not hallucinating. The hallucination mimics the phantasmal force spell and causes the characters to believe the brontosaurus bones come to life and attack them. For each round a character hallucinates, they take 1d6 psychic damage from the brontosaurus attacks. Countermeasures. Casting dispel magic on the tiara permanently removes the discordant chittering from it. Casting silence in the room can also allow the tiara to pass by the mushrooms without triggering the effect.
RPG Trap Collection 10 Next Time, Take the Stairs Mechanical trap (Simple, level 11-16, deadly) Description. There is a platform that carries passengers from one level of a dungeon to another. Resting on platform are several heavy rocks. A level on the platform causes it to activate and deactivate, going up and down. Underneath the platform at the bottom level and hidden from view is a shallow pit full of spikes. Trigger. The platform has a central pivot point with pins along the side that hold it in place. After the platform has ascended sixty feet, the pins retract into the platform, causing the platform to spin around the pivot point, flipping the platform upside down. Effect. Characters on the platform when it spins must make a DC 23 Dexterity saving throw to stay on top of the platform as it spins and not fall down the shaft. Characters who fall from the platform take 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage from the fall and 21 (6d6) piercing damage from the spikes in the pit below. Furthermore, the spikes are coated with poison and characters must make a DC 20 Constitution saving throw, taking 21 (6d6) poison damage on a failed save or half as much on a successful save. FURTHERMORE, the rocks on the platform also fall, hitting characters on the head after they land on the spiked pit. The characters must make a DC 20 Dexterity saving throw (at disadvantage because they are prone), taking 21 (6d6) bludgeoning damage from the rocks on a failed save and half as much on a successful save. Countermeasures. Take the stairs. Next Time, Take the Elevator Magical trap (Complex trap, level 11-16, dangerous) Description. There is a fifty-foot-long staircase that leads to the next level of the dungeon. Every time the players step on a stair, it depresses slightly playing a musical note. (The musical notes are a red herring. They neither mean nor do anything besides play a sooth tone as the characters traverse the stairs.) Trigger. When the characters are halfway up the staircase, the trap activates. At that point, for every five feet they move up or down the staircase, there is a 75% chance to trigger an effect from the sorcerer Wild Magic Surge table. Effect. Whenever an effect from the Wild Magic Surge table is trigger, roll a d100 to determine which effect takes place. The saving throw for any spells or effects is 23. Countermeasures. Fly You Fools. A character who succeeds on a DC 20 Wisdom (Perception) check made just before the hallway point up or down the stairs notices an arcane rune lightly carved into a step. A successful DC 20 Intelligence (Arcana) check identifies the rune as a glyph of warding that activates a magical trap tied to the stairs. Not stepping on that step causes the trap to not be activated. Casting dispel magic on the rune deactivates it for 10 minutes. The Double-Cross Crossing Mechanical trap (Complex trap, level 5-10, deadly) Description. There is a fifty-foot-long metal bridge crossing a pit of acid, a river of lava, or a pit full of green slime. There is a five-foot-by-ten-foot-long pressure plate just at the center point of the bridge that appears to trigger a swinging log beam that would knock them off the bridge. However, this is a decoy and is automatically found and automatically disarmed as long as they look and try. The true trap is detailed below. Trigger. Disarming the decoy trap causes the railings of the bridge to grow in height to 10 feet and then angle towards the center, creating a triangular shaped tube the length of the bridge. Effect. Characters on the bridge must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, becoming trapped inside the triangular tube formed by the bridge on a failed save, or ending up on top of and outside the cage on a successful save. Then the supporting structure at either end of the bridge gives way, dropping the bridge-cage into the acid/lava/slime hazard below. Upon first entering the hazard, characters take 11 (2d10) damage. For each round they are trapped in the cage and submerged in the hazard, they take another 11 (2d10) damage. After four rounds, the bridge dissolves, allowing them to escape the hazard. Countermeasures. First, don’t disarm the decoy trap. Characters trapped in the bridge-cage can escape with a successful DC 25 Strength saving throw, prying the cage open enough to slip through. For every round the bridge-cage is in the hazard, its spring mechanism weakens, and the DC decreased by 5.