Top 10 Tips for Running Traps in Dungeons & Dragons

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Why do traps in D&D usually suck? That is, why are traps usually not FUN for players? Could it be because traps in Dungeons & Dragons usually go down like this: 1) make a save 2) here, take some damage. In this video, I give my top ten tips for running traps in D&D and making them more FUN for players.
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[@theDMLair]

Support the channel and get truckloads of AWESOME D&D DM RESOURCES you can use in your games right here! www.patreon.com/thedmlair Join our awesome, welcoming community of game masters who encourage and help each other out: discord.gg/thedmlair Get 100% FREE D&D 5e adventures and DM resources right here: www.thedmlair.com/ Free RPG Trap Collection ▶▶ www.drivethrurpg.com/product/331649/RPG-Trap-Collection

[@the_mad_network]

Promo looks great Luke, you guys did an amazing job :)

[@supersmily5811]

Only problem I see with your "click" rule is that certain powers can effectively negate many single-hit traps if the players get to make a first move, such as the Resilient Sphere and Wall of Force spells. If a trap is particularly mechanical such as a buzz saw protruding from a wall, the spells could even break the trap entirely. Now, being a full caster with these spells and being in front is still a terrible idea, but if it happens it's a surefire way to protect yourself at least temporarily.

[@thomasgormly6941]

I like doing non-lethal low consequence story altering traps. For example: "Your party enters a rundown local pub to collect intel on the location of a lost mine that has dusky widows, worn table clothes, and run down furniture. You see a old man with maps spread out on a table" The barbarian (who likes to intimidate people) grabs and "slams" the chair down as he sits close to the old man. One could trigger a trap-like response of a frail to grant disadvantage on charisma or intimidation checks on who witness the barbarian fall in humiliation. The "trap" is unique as in most players expect the damage only traps and described as a potential hazard (railroaded and vague for brief example only). I've had some turncoat player pull pranks on each other using the same sort of mechanism as player created traps such as loosening a saddle or temperarily animal handling debuffs (usual discussed between sessions and resolved in front of everyone). Just another suggestion that has worked for myself.

[@princequincy5421]

On the passive perception thing for traps; I let them passively notice if their passive perception is MUCH higher than the DC for spotting it actively. People close to that magic threshold get hints that a trap may be near.

[@buttponcho101]

The dm lair multiple personality disorder universe is getting spicier with each skit

[@DeltaSpider_]

It rather reminds me of the Ryan George cinematic universe, but that's not for TTRPGs. Regarding TTRPGs, Seth Skorkowsky also does D & D skits where he talks to versions of himself.

[@sheldonbuchanan9484]

My favorite trap from my 3.5 days is the "Cat and Mouse Game" trap. A trapped spellbook in an arcane library inhabited by several normally friendly housecats(the pets of the library owner). Anyone who disturbs the trapped spellbook is hit with baleful polymorph, turning them into a mouse, which causes the cats to immediately swarm and attempt to eat said mouse. Makes for a funny and still potentially lethal encounter.

[@22freedom33]

Phantom Rocks sound like a rock band

[@AA-bj5bb]

Concert starts Public dies

[@Ace_Gamr]

DnD rock band for a campaign.

[@crlp1973]

He does need a Rock band to complement his pop group "The Pickled Beets"

[@justanotherdayinthelife9841]

Make the floor invisible and put spikes under all of it, its really just there for looks, but make them scared as hell from it. Lol

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

"Only in a leap from the lion's head shall he prove his worth." ;o)

[@crlp1973]

It's a great idea!

[@pyra4eva]

I did something similar. The spikes were the illusion. XD There was a solid floor made to look like a pit of spikes but it was still hilarious seeing the PCs shimmy along the sides or have their characters jump over the 'chasm'.

[@alexinfinite7142]

I am stealing this

[@lizzyleek7942]

Love it!!! XD

[@viniciusfrj]

I once made a trap that would instantly kill a player... in 7 turns. I wasn't sure how it would turn out but my players said they liked it due to how ingenious it was. It was a room with a macguffin they wanted in the center, picking it up sprang the trap and spikes started to drop down from the ceiling, if the player tried to run back the staircase they came from carelessly, they would step on a pressure plate that turned the staircase into a ramp and which was only active when the ceiling trap was activated, making an otherwise easy climb into a very hard athletics/acrobatics check to go up, they tried a lot of things, from rolling their way up with dice to pulling the player down there with a rope (and failing due to bad dice luck), they eventually succeeded, but with like, 2 turns left until the player down there was squashed flat. Best part? They ignored an NPC in the dungeon that would give them an item that allowed them to completely shut down said trap by inspecting the altar they took the thingamajig from

[@aiodensghost8645]

Brilliantly evil... like Tomb Raider or Indiana Jones

[@PizzaMineKing]

About the "click" rule, I usually use the loud "click" of a stopwatch in addition to the description.

[@dragondrummer3257]

Wow, I just figured out what is wrong with Gary the intern. Two words: Intellect Devourer (It took me long enough!)

[@theDMLair]

And now we know. I guess I can stop making all these skits. :-)

[@johnsavage7507]

@@theDMLair NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[@viktore8]

We're so appreciative of your advice. Thanks for making me and everyone else a better GM.

[@theDMLair]

You are very welcome. Happy to help. :-)

[@jackbellinger1216]

The portcullis splits the party. I've heard a story about that before . . .

[@TheAres1999]

Probably the best trap I ever used was what I like to call "The Wind Tunnel of Death". The players were investigating a castle on the Fey plane that had been over taken by some hags. They met up with some elves who offered to help them. The elves led them to hallway that when someone reached the half point of, a magical wind picked up. The wind would push them into another hall that was slicked with oil, and had a spinning blade running up and down it. They had to fight back against the elves (who turned out to be half hag), while also not getting sent into the deadlier hallway.

[@seanmccaw9198]

Poor Gary, he’s been interning as a rogue for so long that the class stereotypes are starting to rub off on him.

[@theDMLair]

Yeah that's it. That's exactly what's going on. I'm glad to clear that up. What a relief. LOL

[@theolddm]

I still think the rogue actually killed Gary and is now disguised as him.

[@danieldurham5891]

@@theolddm same here

[@seanmccaw9198]

~Oh come now, what sounds more likely: an elaborate cover up and identity theft, or just a regular case of some intern burnout~? I’m sure Gary is on crunch with all the stabbing he has to do. LOL

[@NU121493255]

My favorite trap is a sleep gas and alarm combo. The gas puts the one who triggers it to sleep (if they failed the CON Save) while the Alarm alerts nearby enemies, so now the party has to deal with combat while one of their members is (potentially) asleep.

[@TriMarkC]

Gonna steal that one!

[@NU121493255]

@@TriMarkC You're more than welcomed to use it, but please post how it went later.

[@russelljacob7955]

7:42 - Disagreement warning/counter rant? "Checkfortrapscheckfortrapscheckfortraps" "I havent had that, it doesnt exist". Part of that is because you are effectively telling your players there is a trap. You are devaluing the purpose of a trap by subtly telling you players to check that there is a trap. It isnt an issue in your game because you counter it in another way. You are effectively giving a passive perception to notice something without the check. "You smell sulfur"..... THAT IS PASSIVE PERCEPTION! You say checking for traps adds value? I say it adds tedium. Passive perception isnt finding a trap. It is finding the clue to the trap. As I said in my post last trap vid, you use the passive, or pre-rolled secret GM check to give a clue that a trap exists in order to actively search. Never find the trap. You find the clues that a trap exists. "I check the chest." "Opening the chest would cause the roof to collapse" Uh... how did they conclude that?

[@Dragonspassage]

Yeah he doesn't understand passive perception at all he hates it just to hate it.

[@30ART5]

For finding traps, how about using the passive perception to say something is off with the area. Then active perception to see what actually is off with the area.

[@MonkeyJedi99]

I really, really like this!

[@30ART5]

@@MonkeyJedi99 thank you! I feel like it is along the lines of that feeling you get when someone is watching you or you think they are watching you. It just feels... weird. So you feel like it is happening, but you won't know until you actually look.

[@Rj-pw7zs]

This is what I was thinking.

[@alejogarciainesta1434]

Eventually a video like this!! Loved the idea of adding monsters to the current trap, and I'm definetly using the coin trap (just to have some fun) :). Thanks Luke!

[@Anxuta]

"As you speak, you activate another trap". That sounds like a great trap. That reminds me I once ran a trap where the end of the aisle had a crystal orb. When it reflected light, it powered the mechanism, flinging a fire bolt from it. My players approached it with torch in hand, so there's that.

[@joandudley4847]

Love this video, you totally hit the nail in the head. This is exactly how I feel about traps too! I love making the players responsible for stating their actions at triggering a trap, or describing what they do with thieves tools, holds THEM accountable for the story and having a good time, instead of just sitting there expecting the DM to entertain them.

[@blorksblorker4287]

This video came on exactly the right time, I was about to make a dungeon with traps in it today. Now Im even more motivated to create that dungeon.

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

All good stuff here... Great rules I generally tend toward most of the time... ESPECIALLY about traps that do something other than deal out damage... Nuisance and alarm type traps can be the most fun, and the Players tend not to get angry at the GM over them, even without warnings... One of my best was a Kobold crafted spring-snare inside the drawer of a decorative little table... All it could do was spring tight around the wrist or hand of whoever reached into the drawer (which wouldn't slide completely out for obvious reasons)... No harm at all, and not very much noise... In-game, it alarmed the Rogue so badly he tried to retrieve his hand (of course, a full recoil) and only picked up the table attached to it... SO there were about three rounds of him freaking out and smashing the table to pieces... ALL while the rest of the Party are cringing hard a room or two behind... and of course, laughing... It was thereby not a huge leap of logic that moved from reducing a decorative table to match-wood directly into the next combat with another patrol of monsters. ;o)

[@corvynderletzte594]

I guess this is my new favourite Video you made! Thanks for the inspiring Tips! I can't wait to make my own traps!

[@AlbertoRodriguez-zb3iu]

Awesome tips! I like traps that gives players a sense of urgency. Like a room that shuts itself air tight and slowly starts to fill with water usually disabling it with a mild puzzle.

[@CritAcademy]

Nice collection of tips. Thanks for sharing.

[@Joshuazx]

Very good video. A lot of this information in this video is new to me!

[@joem1480]

A simple crafts that is a breakaway top of a stair with a poisonous Spike to pierce the boot easily be described is this the fashion, " the stairs leading down appear to be made out of slate"

[@jackservans6906]

I remember in the 1st edition days when I'd assembled a pseudo-random dungeon, and I had rolled a pretty great trap for them on the table that I'd like to use again someday: A chute in the ceiling douses oil onto the players, then releases flaming cinders on their head. My players loved that.

[@CharlesStacyII]

There were some quite amusing descriptions in there. Thanks Luke!

[@SharkfightersSH]

Nice! I watched this while I was planning a dungeon for my party tomorrow, what a coincidence!

[@FreihEitner]

Just found your channel 2 days ago. First, I love your RUN DMC-inspired RUN D&D shirt. Just needed to say, that's great!

[@wolfdog1dmn]

As a long time DM I've got to disagree with the 'dont use passive perception rely on your players listening to the clues you give them' I've got tons of 'smash my face into the table' stories but the one that made me decide to use passive perception is when I described the room as follows. "You come to the end of the hall, you see a large circular room, the center of the room a massive gout of water sprays upwards, the water holding various colors within. As the water falls it seems to pass through the surprisingly dry floor. The floor also does not seem to properly line up with the hallway you are currently standing in. The walls are wet as if water splashes against them constantly, and you hear the sound of rushing water coming from under you. Along the ceiling you see handholds, each evenly spaced and leading to the two exits, one to the north and one to the east." This was then followed by Artificer: "I step into the room." Me: "Grabbing the handholds?" Art: "Handholds? Oh you mentioned a fountain, I go over to it." Bash face into table, as I hear, "I go over to the door" and "I go with him to the fountain" "Cool you fall through the false floor into the painfully obvious portal trap." (earlier in this same dungeon (made by an insane mage) there was another similar multi colored water that teleported them, there was also a false floor trap not long earlier) "What you didnt say the floor was false." So yea now I keep my descriptions short and point out 'X your passive tells you there is something wrong here'. They then roll because clearly I'm telling them 'hey something be wrong with whatever your looking at' In other words, Passive is good if your players refuse to realize traps are a thing even after being hit by them a lot and they refuse to listen to descriptions longer than half a sentence.

[@criminalmatrix6]

I think a problem with the not using the passive perception to allow for people to locate traps is that not all DMs are very good at describing the environment. I've more often encountered DMs that gloss over the description of a room. So you don't always get the opportunity to problem solve that something is there. It creates a DM prompt to give more information, not necessarily what the trap is or how to deal with it.

[@commonweakness9060]

Thanks for the video and all the great ideas.

[@mikesands4681]

Devious as always!

[@BetaGunslinger]

Thanks for the stream of advice and entertainment! :)

[@DrLipkin]

Here's the thing about the classic fireball trap. There are two main ways that it might be constructed. It could be mechanical, with explosives or accelerant ignited by a struck flame. Or it could be magical, in which case it'll probably need to be disarmed with a dispel if it isn't avoided. I have a third method that I'd like to propose, combing the two methods. The magic item Necklace of Fireballs is a necklace with a number of beads hanging off it. Pulling a bead from the necklace and throwing it lets you cast a 3rd level Fireball. But what if instead of pulling the bead off, we clipped the bit of chain that it hangs from, and then tied a trip wire to it? Or attached it to a spring plate that pulls the chain if pressure is removed from it? Now you've magic trap with a mechanical trigger. And if they disarm it, they get themselves a magical hand grenade.

[@josiaht9227]

Ive found that the original ToH poison spiked pit trap is a alot more fair and scarier than the default dmg 5e poison spiked pit trap. It included tactile rules for creative ways finding and disarming. It had a roll to see if you even fall in, a roll to see how many if any spikes, and then a save poison(which killed in 1e). So it is possible to trigger it and escape unscathed, take some damage, or die. The 5e dmg poison spiked pit trap only includes the con save vs poison. You do take damage no matter what, it is the definition of Save and Suck. I know which is more condusive for narrative stuff.

[@Wolfphototech]

*I love your list .* *An agree with several points .* *But i feel there are other solutions that are equally as good or better .* *I might cover them in the future .*

[@quonomonna8126]

trip wires that trigger a falling net, crossbow trap, or swinging scythe or log are nice and of course poison needle traps from opening chests or perhaps a gas trap when you open it

[@notsureicare488]

Well what a coincidence. I need some inspiration for a trap in my one shot, and here you are outta nowhere.

[@scythe0925]

THANK YOU FOR THE CODE! DOWNLOADED FOUNDRY AND PLEDGED FOR MAD CARTOGRAPHER!!!

[@Matt-md5yt]

Gary is really becoming like the Rogue, also Poor Barbarian. also great video today Luke

[@robertthompson8643]

I use passive to see if they pick up the clue to the trap, not that there is a trap. (e.x. You travel down a dark hallway illuminated by your torch. A very small stream runs along the side out of the wall. The water stream ends about 30 ft from the wooden door at the end. You hear falling water. You see small tracks in the moss covered floor to the door but looks rarely used. [Tracks are goblin]). The trap is a natural pit triggered by 250 ibs. If they didn't have the passive i would have left out where the stream ends and the sound it makes.

[@BlackRainRising]

I ran a trap where the rogue had to manipulate a rotating spindle that initially opened a door that released an Invisible Stalker and a golem of some sort. The golem was programmed to attack whoever was manipulating the spindle so the party had to keep it off the rogue cause if the rogue stopped it would reset and have to start over the sequence to get the key to the door, the stalker was slapping the party around a bit cause they just couldn't hit the damn thing (no one had a way to see invis or reveal it). A trap that engages everyone instead of just the rogue constantly rolling to disarm. Also traps that are trick traps, interacted with they appear to be doing one thing so they prepare for what it looks like it's doing but then it does something else. Like... ok a pressure plate is not spotted and gets stepped on, holes open in the walls and might be appearing to release a gas but it's just a regular mist or a dry ice fog but initially they won't know that, they might jump back and prepare a gust of wind spell or a way to wait it out and avoid it, but instead something else goes off like a pressure release in the walls where the fog is coming from as it gets lighter releases something behind them that might shoot sleep darts or knock back effects, something to put everyone on edge and make them all react to a trap area. It seems most trap situations only involve the trap detector and everyone else is just standing around twiddling their thumbs waiting, engage them all, put them all to work... Tank 1 and Tank 2 have to now take point and rear because now they don't know where things are coming from, everyone has to be more aware to things from the sides or above cause point/flank doesn't matter anymore. A trap that a Ranger needs to disarm because the release is over yonder across a pit and he now has to shoot a small trigger to drop a bridge, the mage might need to use a True Strike spell to help him out, across the middle or upper level of the pit there's trip wires that activate a reverse gravity or some strong wind spell that would disrupt someone trying to fly across instead and pin them to the ceiling, but the trigger disables the tripwires so the drop bridge doesn't activate the spells.

[@minnion2871]

Or another idea.... Illusionary spikes come out of the walls as they begin to come out of the walls.... heading the players towards the actual trap.... Of course another idea for a trap would come in item form.... I'd like to call it "The Tome of exploding" A magical book that when read does exactly what the name suggests it does....

[@BlackRainRising]

@@minnion2871 I did actually run an illusory spike trick, they were sliding down and I had 'spikes' coming up so they had to roll to avoid, the first few they actually 'hit' they learned were fake so they stopped avoiding... until they started running into real ones

[@AndrewLieseTheEngineer]

Story Time: In a friends campaign they came across a tripwire, cant remember which of the PC's spotted it but the barbarian's player said they would disarm it. When asked by the DM the barbarian stated that they unhooked the end of the tripwire..... loosening the wire.... setting off the trap. Great opportunity for some role play.

[@user-wt4fm7gf1f]

It's not a trap.. :( I could see it from a mile away

[@Scorpious187]

In a cave system that led into an underground temple, I had a smaller section of the cave at the end of a tunnel that was used as a "storeroom" of sorts where the temple's residents stored necessities. In this room, kinda hidden behind the less interesting stuff, were six chests. Each of these chests were used to store perishable items, but they looked like regular treasure chests and they were hidden, so of course my players thought "These must have treasure in them! We shall open them!" The rogue opened the first chest, heard a _ping_ sound of a small wire breaking, and a second later was blinded and deafened by a magical gem that had spells imbued in it to basically make it into a flashbang. It didn't do any damage, but it rendered that particular player blind and deaf for six seconds. Not much of a trap, to be honest... but the point wasn't the trap. The point was the trap was meant to disorient the player long enough to let the two driders that were roaming around in the cave system hear it and come running. The traps weren't meant to damage the players because they were intended to prevent people from stealing their food, and what good is a trap that goes *boom* if you're trying to save what's in the chest to begin with? Luckily for my players, they had already killed the driders (they made a wrong turn and ended up running into them earlier in the dungeon and a fight that really should have taken them maybe 30 minutes ended up taking an entire session and one player almost died, but ya know, things). They ended up stealing the traps off the chests and using them to fight against the boss in the temple, so that was kinda cool.

[@nes819]

My al time favourite trapp (used on my players) was a slaming stick with a beehive atached to it. Ilagine a giant flyswater hitting you and pushing you to the ground while you are attacked by angry bees.

[@billcox8870]

I was in a party and we were going down a circular staircase. We did not notice a key-shaped indentation in one of the steps at the halfway mark. The stairs then became a 45° angle slide to the bottom. We took some bludgeoning damage when we slid down to the bottom in a heap. Something out of a cartoon. It was unexpected and entertaining.

[@larryharden8844]

Your skits are the best

[@Beth-cj7ip]

Great video

[@MiGG0535]

Something I just thought up after the video: The party explores a dungeon and occasionally there are some weird looking statues or armor sprinkled around the dungeon. There are some pools of liquid that seems like water but something seems off. When someone walks in this "water", a loud, high-pitched "ding" sounds and all the statues/armor nearby awaken. Might need to think this through. Took this idea from the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword "Silent Realm" -levels in case someone is interested. :D

[@lizzyleek7942]

So, I've only been a DM for 4 sessions and I totally agree on number tip 10; I had a scenario where the pit trap was actually a pit of goo that made you smell like burnt toast and shrimp for the next 2 hours, when you fell in. I find the trap mechanic boring so thanks this will definitely help in the future Thanks! :D

[@kendrickrochelanzot2053]

The skits are secretly part of the Dm Lair cinematic universe, the continuity joke was his cover About traps though, my favorite trap doesnt deal damage. A trap of my design (based on The Last Of Us) is the sounds trap. Players open a door or trip on a white and a box of glass bottles crash on the floor, alerting nearby guards. The players have 1 minute to discuss where do they want to hide before the guard enters.

Yes, yes! The Mad Cartographer! AND Foundry!!! YES! More Foundry, pelase! Regards from Tabasco, México [Land of The Olmecs] !

[@DrLipkin]

My favorite trap comes from The Adventures of Dr. McNinja. Dr. McNinja has been tasked with entering an ancient temple and saving someone trapped inside. The above the entrance to the temple is a giant statue with crystal eyes, and the entrance is surrounded by scorched skeletons. In front of the door is a large stone tablet that has a riddle carved into it. The riddle is covered with notes from people who tried and failed to solve it in the past. Dr. McNinja takes this all in for a moment, then strides confidently into the temple. Once inside the temple, Dr. McNinja shouts out the doorway "A really great sandwich!" causing lasers to fire from the statue's eyes. He shouts several more times, each time firing the lasers, before congratulating himself for figuring out that eyes were sound activated, and the riddle was just there to trick people into yelling.

[@RottenRogerDM]

DM our SOP is for every five foot square, the thief checks for traps. They check for each door. And yes I had players who would roll dice for every five feet. I use passive perception since I am an Adventure League DM. But since passive perception is always on for about the last three years, if I run earlier seasons, I increase the passive perception by 5.

[@Kalsimir]

One of my favorite trap experiences was as an oathbreaker paladin- i sent a zombie ogre ahead of us in a dungeon as a way to set off traps and it was a really cool moment for me and everyone else seemed to find the mental image funny, good times :)

[@friendlytalbot4050]

The way I've done passive perception (had a player with 19 in it) was that it didn't reveal the trap, but that there might be one - he'd be able to see that there's something off, but not what it is. I wasn't miffed about it, because half the traps they could bypass, the other half they'd have to get creative to get past.

[@kjs8719]

On Saturday, we were all sitting around discussing what to do about the terminal velocity rocks rushing past just in front of us. The player who wasn't paying attention decided to walk forward without checking what was happening first. She took 66 bludgeoning damage. At LVL 1.

[@jesternario]

On the passive perception mechanic, passive perception was designed to help expedite and streamline stealth. You make a single stealth check, which the GM compares against all passive perceptions in the area. If you don't get high enough to beat everyone's passive, you get spotted. From what I've read, passive perception has nothing to do with spotting traps. In fact, every trap I've read requires a roll to find.

[@theDMLair]

Yeah I agree as far as the stealth thing goes. I certainly use passive perception for stealth.

[@MJ-jd7rs]

It was clarified by Jeremy Crawford that passive perception is best thought of as an 'always on' mechanic. What your character sees simply by existing. They asked him how perception works in an interview in relation to your passive, and his statement was (and I paraphrase), while you can roll less than your passive perception on a perception check you can't notice LESS than your passive perception on a perception check because you've already noticed it. It's a measure of how observant your character is in any given situation. As a DM, if you have a character with a high passive perception (and/or the observant feat), the key is to remember the modifiers. If the character's actions would give them disadvantage to perception, you -5 from the passive (dim light/moving quickly). In addition, following the rules laid out in ToA, a character can only notice hidden doors/traps if they're within 5' of said object. So while the party ranger CAN move around and discover all the traps, it can lead to funny moments of him being the first target in several ambushes as well. This doesn't even have to be a bad thing. You can use a high passive to lead your party to places never seen before by having them notice things you want them to follow/find. Like hidden doors in a local inn that were sealed off for hundreds of years. There's no better way to kickstart some epic adventure then when your party finds something rare and old that no one else has seen before. Or you can redefine the term passive. Either/or I guess.

[@familieversteegh1712]

What would your thoughts be on the Observant feat with regards to Trap finding? Or would you eliminate that feat altogether?

[@studentofsmith]

I've heard of some tables changing the Observant feat to advantage on perception and investigation checks.

[@NigeltheLucky]

I think Luke explained it pretty well, but I like to do these things. I decide who made the trap, why it's still there, how is it reset, what is the purpose of the trap, who was it intended to kill, was it meant to kill, Was it a deterrent?. If it was made to keep you out then it should be halfway visible and the PC's should have a chance to figure out how it works. I had a trap in one of my last games that was a high level trap that shot out prismatic sprays if you didn't get the combination on a lock correct. Inside this safe were really powerful magical items. They did however at some point find a journal where someone couldn't remember the combination so they thought of a riddle that's answer was the combination to the lock. I let them guess at the riddle, each time they failed I let them guess and have 3 tries instead of one and if they got any right answer it was the right answer (I'm just assuming the PC's are at genius levels over real people). If they kept failing I started giving them more clues. This was an awesome trap because one of the villains' in the dungeon actually used it against them by grabbing a PC and daring the party to run in or she'd trigger the trap while they both were in it.

[@ByGraceWeAreSave]

I do the same thing with perception at my table. I always make the players declare when there looking for traps.

[@Boss-_]

Reason normal traps are kinda unengageing is because of the "resource management" philosophy of 5e, which failed utterly. I've never seen or heard anyone playing the game like originally intended by design (5-6 encounters per long rest), only glimmers of it in dungeons. Then traps are another thing that drains your resources and it's supposed to be scary that you might have to use a spell slot to heal, but it never pans out that way. Building a character for passive perception might not be effort, but sometimes it is a compromise, of not getting that somewhere else, but yeah, fair enough. But fortunately there's a perfectly fair way to make traps invisible to that, and we don't even have to fix broken game design this time: "While inactive, the trap is indistiguishable from the walls", similar to what mimics have. That PP can be used to notice slits in the wall, like in your buzzsaw example, but not to see the pressure plate, because it looks perfectly normal with passive perception. Same with secret doors. I'd probably require an Investigation check for that. "Let's say they find a dead burned corpse in the corridor" - I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT AND ALSO IT WAS HIS OWN FAULT FOR BEING THERE WHEN I PULLED THE LEVER!

[@ADayintheLifeoftheTw]

Also, item management. Old school players told me how they used to probe the tunnels with 10ft poles, using ropes and bags of marbles to set off traps, bags of flour to discover trip wires etc etc.

[@kemarisite]

"Why is the corpse still there?" Because a scavenger hasn't come along to clear the body and fill their larder yet?

[@ravencross6669]

My one and only trap I ran today was a pillar that gave off pulse of air the room was filled with different trigger mechanisms and each one you set off sent an air elemental flying out of the pillar towards you also the air pulses potentially knocked you into the traps you were avoiding

[@pacoes1974]

I like traps to give players conditions. Damage is boring but a condition can alter the flow of combat as other players may have to rescue a fellow adventure. Sure give damage if it makes sense for the trap but if the trap does not change the flow of the encounter it does not need to be there.

[@jakeand9020]

I used to ignore the passive skills, now I use them to determine whether or not they get a passive perception check to determine if they happen to notice it. I also keep all relevant adjustments on my screen, so I don't call for a perception check, just a D20 roll. I'll also randomly call for a D20 for no reason, just so player don't automatically know something is up when I do so. Yes, this method will slow play for a while, but after the first few times they start treating it like a normal occurrence. At worst it will prompt them to be a bit more cautious.

[@PaulCarter187]

I made a trap in a hag’s hut. It was a bottle of liquid that turns to noxious gas when exposed the the air (designed to look exactly like a healing potion) except the base was stuck to the shelf. When a player tries to take it, they make a DEX check to see if they break it, releasing the liquid or discover that it’s fixed to the shelf (if they’re gentle enough). If they break the bottle and expose the liquid, they take poison damage and have to pass a CON save or are blinded for 1 minute. Anyone in the AOE (20ft radius) is affected.

[@Lcirex]

Now that Wizard is dead it's the perfect time to introduce Monk! (Luke in a bald cap and bath robe.) Perfect.

[@TriMarkC]

Yes please! Make this happen!

[@theDMLair]

Google that's a good idea. Maybe I should just shave my head?

[@mikegould6590]

Traps, for me, should be unexpected. There should always be a twist. Two examples that I have actually run: 1. Imagine a long hallway, where the walls are covered with the illusion of being under the sea. There appears to be an area where the illusion is obviously broken, and the thin outline of a door can be seen. Painted in rushed letters over this apparent opening is the phrase "Not so secret anymore". The "door" isn't a door. It's a ramp. The hinges of the door are fake. The real hinges are hidden on the bottom. Behind the door is a small room with an angled floor just big enough to hold the Gelatinous Cube within. When the door is pushed or pulled on from outside, it releases a catch, and the ramp drops. Anyone in front of the ramp needs a Dex save or the door will fall on them and they will be considered prone. The Gelatinous Cube will then slide out, getting an Engulf attack with Advantage on anyone on the floor or standing in front of the door. I tend to add minor treasure inside the Cube just to placate those who complain. 2. Imagine a large room shaped like a dome with a flat floor and curving ceiling/walls. I think it's 50' in diameter with a 20' high ceiling... anyway...Images of multiple humanoid races blend into a jungle scene on the surface of the domed ceiling and walls. A low and flat dais, maybe 1' tall and 10' in diameter in on the floor in the center of the room, and hovering 5' above that is a 1' tall metal object that looks like a d8, but with plain and unmarked sides. It slowly spins on it's own accord. Here's the catch. If anyone touches the d8, there's a Con save. A failed save means I consult a massive table with PC races (Like Reincarnate but much bigger). They swap races with the result of a percentile roll. This effect will fade in 24hrs if they leave the room, but if the players camp in this room for 8 hrs for any reason, the effect is permanent short of a Wish spell.

[@TriMarkC]

Mike Gould Love the Gel Cube trap! I set up similar where “click” opens up trap door(s) all around the player, leaving them a 1ftx1ft column to stand on. 20-30ft down is a spiked pit. 1rnd later, trap door slides open above the player, w a Gelatinous Cube slowly oozing out at end of that round on top of the player.

[@Sceadusawol]

Hands up who knows how to use "thieves' tools" in real life. This is the problem with running certain characters in any roleplaying game. RPGs give us a chance to escape from ourselves, they allow the socially awkward to become charismatic bards, or the paraplegic to become mighty warriors... or, you know, anyone can throw magical balls of energy. When you ask a player to describe something that their character is proficient in, but they have no actual out-of-character knowledge of, your are essentially reverse metagaming. It would be like asking your fighter to describe how they swing their sword with every strike: Do you use oberhau or krumphaw? I'm currently playing a rogue that is significantly smarter than myself. He has access to a mental faculty that I simply can't imagine and that is where the game mechanics have to support me. Just because I can't think of a solution, doesn't mean my character couldn't. In some ways, it is actually easier to play less intelligent characters as I get to watch my characters struggle with things that I think there are obvious solutions to. It's why I hate riddle puzzles. All that said, I totally get where you are coming from on the roleplay aspect. Some people would be better off playing Munchkin.

[@TriMarkC]

Valid point. As a DM it’s challenging role-playing villains uber-smarter than me. Ex: We’re finishing up a 2+ year campaign where PCs have been thwarting my BBEG’s 3rd & 2nd tier henchmen & villains. As a military strategist, near genius level intellect, AND a long-lived vampire lord w super high charisma, he would of course be studying their tactics, learning their weaknesses, and then planning to use that information against them. But I needed a RP way to do that without being a jerk DM. So I gave the PCs each a “red gold” medallion coin on their first encounter w BBEG, when he rewarded them for saving children in his city. The coin gave them free passage into the city at any time, and of course, allowed him to scry on them at will. I also made sure that NPCs & legends noted how smart he was, how he had earned his title of Lord by strategically winning a war against statistically overwhelming forces, then became a famous monster hunter, and that he had outwitted his vampire creator. So now, my players aren’t as pissed when he is bypassing their normal defenses, uses their weaknesses against them, etc. It’s making them RP more, instead of just bashing things up and laying out negative energy everywhere.

[@BlackRainRising]

@@TriMarkC I also used scouts, you never have to tell the PC's to spot someone hiding in the trees or in the distance if they're not looking for anyone following them. During a pretty strong fight I put them on, the encounter was alerted to the party coming by a scout concealed nearby, he sat and watched the whole fight and just as it concluded he left while they were still wrapping up combat so they'd never ever notice a slight disturbance in a breaking twig or moving leaf if they're still swinging a sword and dodging spells. The scry option is really good too. Also had an encounter where the Ranger let one of the bandits live, he told them get out of here and let everyone who would stand in their way know that they were coming... consequences!

[@MJ-jd7rs]

"All that said, I totally get where you are coming from on the roleplay aspect. Some people would be better off playing Munchkin. " Thus implying that there's a 'wrong way' to play DnD, and if that 'wrong way' is the way you enjoy you should play a different game?

[@bakuiel1901]

I have a player playing a bard who isn't that quick to come up with jokes or quips for hideous laughter or other similar spells but my players are always asking him to. So I have a bunch done out to help him. I know its not the same thing but I like this approach. If my players aren't smart enough for a trap I let them roll intelligence and I will give them hints but won't solve it completely. Its working pretty well right now. I'm doing Vordakai's Tomb in Kingmaker and they actually rolled religion to help figure out a ritual to pass one trap, and as a bonus for my player who is a monk into secret rituals I sent her a message so she gained a blessing/curse from Abaddon that is slowly turning her into a Thanadaemon. They are really loving it so far.

[@Sceadusawol]

@@MJ-jd7rs Not, I am not implyng that there is a wrong way to play D&D. But there are people who just won't enjoy D&D and want something much more fast paced and simple, such as Munchkin.

[@valeriodestefano3784]

Once we were in a kovold dungeon and we realized that half of the dungeon was full of traps. Luckly we were on roll20, so i quickly made a macro that rolled perception for everyone with one single click, and we started searching for traps every round

[@roflcopterprods]

On the note of passive perception vs traps and secret doors, I use a pretty simple compromise. If your passive perception is high enough to beat the perception check, you don't find the secret door or trap, but I include evidence of its existence in my description of the room. Like you can see scuff marks on the floor (from where the secret door swings out) but I don't tell you "It's a secret door." You have found something which may prompt you to look for a secret door, if you correctly analyze the information I have given you. Or I may describe how the wall has these small, almost imperceptible slits in it. Etc.

[@gammagong9435]

TL;DR, My players have forbidden me from using traps in any future campaigns because of a particularly nasty one. Allow me to recount my usage of the anti-trap(not my creation, and I cannot remember from whence I learned). So, my players enter a room, fully furnished, rugs, book cases etc...As they get about midway, a thick metal plate drops from the doorway sealing them in. At the same time, a silent image of a clock appears on the far wall, starting at 60 seconds, and ticking down by the second. Naturally they tear the room apart until they find a button, and press it. This resets the clock, but it also triggers a magical circle which summons 4 Kruthik in the room with them. You might be asking how to exit this trap. Do nothing. That's it. The door opens once the 60 seconds is counted down. The clock is there to play on the psychological fear of traps, but also of finality. So, they defeat the Kruthik, and, to my amazement, press the button another 3 times. Summoning more and more Kruthik until they were too weak to continue fighting and said 'If the trap kills us it kills us.' When the time hit 0 and I said, 'With a loud thunk and the sound of metallic scraping, the plate in front of the door lifts. You are free.' Everyone collectively said some choice expletives towards me and took a 10 min break. But they also voted it as both their favorite and worst part of that session soo... :)

[@AngelShadowheart]

A 3.5 game I played had a staircase was traps every other stair and I had one friend setting off (trying to) everyone of them on the way down only succeeding with last one which had us running from a boulder down a long hallway luckily I was a Gloaming and was the one that noticed the traps (our half Drow Vampire still thought it would be fun to press his luck) and had a flying speed because my running speed would have barely been able to keep out of the way of the Trap

[@RoadAveku]

As a DM, I have a bard player with inventive ideas. In Dragon of Ice Spire Peak module, Gnomengarde Quest, I borrowed a suggestion regarding the rickety bridge and decided Rick gnomes built a conveyer belt that malfunctions from disrepair. 1d4 either it charges forward (1-3) or slowly moves one direction (2-4), DC 13 (They were level 2) Dex save or be knocked Prone and thrown to either side and take 2d6 Bludgeoning, none on success. Bard and Fighter figure out how to fix the gears using Tinker tools and Prestidigitation. Bard has philosophical crisis contemplating where dirty stuff goes when he uses Prestidigitation. Latter he has an enlightening idea and soils a spinning blade trap. He has his answer. Now it's a running joke that I announce his character at session start as "Dandy bard from parts unknown, soiler of traps, it's Roomba Steve!"

[@illyon1092]

with regard to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores, here's a thought. In the PHB, they are only ever mentioned for the purpose of creatures attempting to hide as well as finding hidden threats while travelling. A passive score is suggested to be used for tasks done repeatedly (reflected by being the average of a roll, rounded down) or when the DM does not want the players to roll dice. This is the equivalent of the DM rolling the checks for the players so they don't know how good or bad their result was, which was commonplace in prior editions. Nowhere are they stated to work in any other manner than described here. I believe the term "passive" is a bit misleading. Passive scores are not meant to be "passive" as in permanently ongoing without a declared action. Their purpose lies in setting an average result, but the outcome in the game is entirely dependent on the exact activity the PCs are doing. They're "passive" as in a replacement for an active roll you make, for whatever reason. If you don't look at the ceiling, you won't find the hatch hidden within regardless of your Wisdom score and proficiency. An active attempt will always require a roll, and if you're not making the attempt in the first place you can not succeed. Passive scores are frequently interpreted to substitute a bad roll with an average result, but that steps on the toes of class features like Reliable Talent. I don't believe these two work against each other. I believe passive scores are simply used too often.

[@TheFearsomeRat]

15:44 As a newer DM (still setting up a campaign and waiting for the "thing" to go away), I love the idea of using monsters along side traps, for instance shocker lizards in a room that gets electrified (since I run PF1e it's my go to in this case), along with a monster that is immune to the damage the trap does that is the main enemy, with the little shocker lizards merely being a component of the trap, so now you have to find a way to scare off these little lizards that are keeping the trap active by simply being close to each other while also dealing with a more threatening monster and the trap itself isn't completely disabled even after the lizards have been split up, but it becomes so weak that it's no longer damaging unless the lizards manage to group up again, however the party cannot kill the lizards as they cannot physically reach them, how they solve the trap though, I'll leave up to the players., and the specific details of the room can be left up to a individual DM. But for the curious this trap essentially has three components one/two of which can be directly interacted with by the players 16 Shocker Lizards (component one) 1 Conductive Metal lined room (component two) 1 Random Monster that is immune to damage incurred by any form of electricity (component three) Shocker Lizards however were chosen as alone, one can zap someone with a weak static charge, however with say 8 of them, all zapping someone at once, the voltage is more like a lightning bolt, but they do have to be relatively close to each other, so in a big metal room, once their all split apart the room is filled with a very weak static charge.

[@alfonsovallejo2665]

Don't forget 2 key things: 1) Present them choices that cannot get together, that way they are going to think first before saying everytime "I check for traps" and believe me that they are going to say a lot, maybe a hidden treasure or passage that they might not be able to find if they are busy searching for traps. 2) Roll their investigation checks on private, it is impossible to not metagame if you rolled a natural 1 and you tell them "you don't find traps", they are going to think that is not safe either way. A last recommendation: make it dangerous for a single player to try deactivating traps, maybe a mob or something (as you said) that pressure the rogue while trying to deactivate the trap because either way the whole party is going to be horribly bored for doing nothing while the rogue makes all the mission impossible stuff.

[@I..cast..fireball]

Nice vid. Only thing I would disagree with is that looking for traps should be investigation, not perception. Perception is for noticing sounds, movement, faces, smells. Sometimes if the trap make a noise when you step on it for example, perception would be appropriate, but "I look or traps" is investigation 90+ percent of the time.

[@GuiltyDM]

My house rule. Players may use their passive perception for traps/hidden doors a number of time = to their proficiency mod per long rest. They must choose before rolling.

[@RobertWF42]

Another fun trap idea is to post a couple dumb orc guards at the dungeon entrance discussing (in Orcish but with lots of hand gestures) how to avoid setting off the trap: "Right-left-left-right-right!" The players then encounter a tiled section of corridor & should be able to figure it out with the clues provided earlier. Also: reusable traps! Allow the players to reset the trap when they're being pursued by orcs or monsters so they get caught in their own trap. :-)

[@O4C209]

Sometimes players are just not good at it inexperienced with describing how to disarm a trap. I think early on, the DM can describe to the player what they would be doing on a success or failure, then encourage the player to do so in the future.

[@joaquinmaldonado4210]

I had the idea to drop a bucket of fairy fire potion on top of them, but if they catch it they now have a useful tool against the boss.

[@AuntLoopy123]

In one dungeon, I had a long dungeon, with traps every 15 feet. They were triggered by walking on the floor, and shot out a bolt/arrow/cold bolt, lightning bolt, fire bolt (getting progressively more potent, as you went down the hall). The bolt/spell shot out of a small hole in the wall, at about four feet up. I set this up, to teach my players to actually check for traps, especially in an area that just screamed "TRAP!" How did they get through? As soon as they figured out that stepping on it triggered it, and it always shot out at four feet high, the dwarf just held out his shield, and duck-walked down the corridor, so the traps would pass harmlessly over his head. I was hoping they'd realize they had someone with high wisdom and perception in the group, but this was too funny not to reward. I LOVED the creativity. Had I limited it to only the monk being able to find them, and only the urchin bard being able to disarm them, it would have been such a slog. As it was, they breezed right though, laughing all the way. They did still learn to check for traps, though, when they got to the next room, with a treasure on a pedestal. It was NOT trapped, but they checked for it, alright!

[@Kalsimir]

Luke, what do you use passive perception for instead? I’ve always interpreted it as a way for characters to ignore surprises, because that’s what they want their PC to do. What is your opinion on the proper use of passive perception instead?

[@karsonkammerzell6955]

So what do YOU use passive skills for?

[@joshlabonte195]

I get what you are saying about the passives, but I don't stress about it. I don't remember if it was this channel or another one, but it was said that a 20 doesn't mean you have to give the player all the information. It just means that the DM needs to make the skill DC exactly the highest number they can roll plus bonus. It's a little extra work for the DM, but it makes the seemingly OP character less of a threat to your dungeon.

[@zacherymathison7274]

I like the A DND rules. Traps auto hit but have a 1 in 6 chance to even go off. The trigger is nearly impossible to find but the source is fairly easy to identify

[@metarmored]

"The skits have no continuity" HA Almost got me there You plot monster

[@theDMLair]

I do what I can... 😂

[@gman1515]

In defense of passive perception, I believe it states somewhere in the rules that players not moving at a slow pace take a penalty to their passive perception. So even rogue with expertise in perception would have trouble spotting most traps if not moving through the dungeon with care. And with that in place even players who carefully tread every dungeon step by step and spot every trap will have a sense of clear and present danger knowing that if they had to pick up their pace for some reason or another they could easily fall victim to one of these foul contraptions that so often seek to hinder their progress. If my party doesn't have a trapfinder I tend to avoid using many traps in the first place. The click rule may change that though.

[@minnion2871]

Though in the case of stuffing rocks into something that is supposed to shoot flames, well.... I'm probably the mean jerk that would have it only delay the spout of flame and then add bludgeoning damage to it for those who fail the dodge save...(As the flames shoot the rocks out of the holes as the players realize they may have inadvertently upgraded the trap)

[@justanotherdayinthelife9841]

Also heres the Acid Test: Make a preceding room with rust monsters and giant bombadier beetles (to burn away their gloves), next room (after they got all sweaty from combat) will see a floor mounted chest with a pile of gold in it. Off behind it is a maze of caves with hordes of easy to avoid traps. The gold itself is the trap as it is slicked and soaked in a hallucinogenic "poison". It soaks in through their hands and tjey all go off wandering into the cave mazes with maaaassively impaired judgement. Bye bye, you failed the Acid Test.

[@EvilDMMk3]

One type of trap I use a fair amount which I think isn’t as annoying, partly because the damage it does is much more dynamic and partially because it has inherent “click” is a monster summoning one. This can be anything from a mundane alarm which calls guards from another part of the dungeon, to a powerful glyph that summons monsters. The benefit is that the actual damage is a combat encounter which is a lot more interesting and sometimes the players can circumvent dangerous combat by being clever. The thing you don’t touch on, which is actually my biggest problem with the traps, is that they never make sense. I mean are you seriously telling me that I’m going to install a deadly mechanism right where all my minions have to come and go at all hours of the day and in all states of sobriety? Or in the room where I’ve got all my really really nice stuff? Like I want to explode my own personal possessions? Traps should be rare in game for the same reason they are in real life, almost anywhere you might want to defend with one is somewhere you also might actually want to be and where you might be in a hurry.

[@Frederic_S]

Also everything can be a trap. A broken ladder or bridge for instance.

[@spencermatthewseams6736]

I used to try creative ways around traps in my old group but was always shut down by the DM because it’s the rogue’s job.

[@IronicCliche]

I would be even more generous if I'm making them roll: you have to announce you're rolling for perception, but the roll is always going to be at least your passive.

[@Cotfi2]

There being a negative consequence for failing, using a passive score is not the rule for noticing a trap anyway... unless you announce that your PC is looking for one in the area over and over (and manages not to set it off in the meanwhile). Miss the trap, set it off. Similarly, there's no passive "to hit" roll or saving throw.

[@Keyce0013]

Don't be afraid to hit your players with a fake, disabled, or damaged trap early on. The suspense will kill them instead of the trap (since it doesn't work anymore)!

[@michaelpetersen25]

A trap idea. The party is hunting for a mummy's heart and find the treasure room with the jars of his organs but it is a decoy and when the urn is removed, the doorway closes off and vents start quickly filling the room with sand.