Save vs Dragon's Breath: 20 Themed Traps

Part four of five - 20 traps themed around Saving vs the Breath of Dragons!

1d20	Result
1	Salt Wash Centered in each tile of a tile floor are upward-facing nozzles, capped with corroded metal meshes to prevent intrusion of foreign substances. Several of the tiles - identifiable by the grout not actually adhering to the sides of the tiles - are faux and pressure plates. If a character steps on one of these pressure plates, the trap activates: blasting pressurized salt-mist out of the nozzles. Characters in the affected area must save or take 2d6 points of damage; half on successful save.
2	The Old Flame Flanking a chest or other iron-wrought container are two dragon heads, pointing in front of the chest at the point where someone opening said chest would stand. The chest has a simple lock on it, but also two hidden pinholes in the lower left and right corners: if the key (or an aptly applied probe) is placed into the pinholes, the chest unlocks and can be opened; if the key (or a successful lock picking) is applied to the simple lock instead, the trap is triggered, immolating the picker. The character picking the lock, and any characters up to five feet behind them, must save or take 2d8 fire damage; in addition, any flammable elements an affected character carries must also make a save or be destroyed.
3	Blob Lobber In the walls on either side of a hallway are two slits, roughly two inches in height and two feet in width. Filaments hang from the ceiling - barely visible in torchlight - that will adhere to helmets, hair, or pauldrons. A character walking through the space and collecting enough filaments will trigger the trap. Behind the walls are spinners beneath hopper-feeds of caustic baubles, exploding on impact and dousing whatever they touch. Any character in a 15 foot 45 degree arc from either side of the trap must save or be pattered - taking 1d6 acid damage and potentially damaging organic equipment such as leathers, sacks, scrolls, and the like. If appropriate, 1d4 eligible items should be determined randomly and allowed their own save against destruction from the acidic substance.
4	Hair Standing The ceiling of the space is lined with a metal lattice. A light crackling can be heard in the air; characters in metal armor may feel their smaller hairs begin to stand on end. As the characters pass under, they may trigger the effect. A character entering the slope, and thus coming closer to the lattice, may trigger the trap. When triggered, a weave of electric bolts form a trailing nets below the lattice. Any character in the area must save or be electrocuted: 2d6 points of damage, or 3d6 for characters festooned with metal or in predominantly conducive armor.
5	Sleep Powder Concealed in the frame of a sealed door (read, no draft) are pouches of a fine powder. If the door is opened, the pouch falls open, dumping the powder into the air, where it will be carried by airflow leaving the destination space on the other side of the door in a 15 foot cone: 5 feet wide at the door, 15 feet deep, and 15 feet wide at the end. Any character in this affected cone must save or fall asleep, as if affected by the Sleep spell.
6	De-Evolution Wave A hanging circular device adorns a wall or door: its exterior of exquisite craftsmanship - ivory - but at its center, a raw skull with runes punched into it bluntly. In the center, counter-clockwise, the craftsmanship appears to gradually degrade, as though different, less skilled carvers were responsible for different sections of its area, but the transition between them is seamless. The trap is activated if the device - or the element it is guarding - is disturbed: wherein a tangible wave, wet and warm, washes out away from it. Characters within a 40 foot cone of the device, as wide as the door at is start, 40 feet deep, and 40 feet wide at its ultimate extent, must save or be exposed to the wave. An exposed character devolves as follows: Human characters become Neanderthals. Halfling characters become Kobolds. Dwarf characters become Troglodytes. Elf characters become Pixies. The effects of these changes are at the discretion of the referee - but at a minimum XP requisites per level should increase.
7	Exhaust Chamber In the ceiling are several large circular openings, covered by blackened grates, inside which can be seen large fans. Beneath the grates are conic protrusions coinciding with the hub of the fan blades. If the conic protrusions make contact with any element that isn't the air around them, the trap may trigger. For 1d4 rounds, a whirring can be heard as the fan begins to turn. At the end of the count-down, a clunk is heard and a thick black substance blasts out from the orifice, scattering in all directions: characters directly under the fan are automatically affected; other characters in the room must save or be coated with the substance. Until it is washed off, the chance of encountering a wandering monster is doubled due to tracks left and a distinct aroma that seems to follow them.
8	Hallucinatory Cloud A room is painted wildly, with clashing colors on the walls, floor, and occasionally ceiling alike. Four fans with narrow blades - not spinning - are spaced evenly in the ceiling. When a door closes such that all exits to the space are closed, the mechanism triggers: three of the four fans begin to spin - slowly at first, and then more quickly - for 1d4 rounds. On any round at or above the 3rd, a mist is released from the functioning fans, coating the room as it slowly descends. Characters in the room must save or be affected by one of several effects: Fearful Visage: The victim sees horrific monsters conjured by their own psyche: the character will hide or flee from these monsters as though affected by the Fear spell. Closing Walls: The space the victim is in seems to them to constrict (or maybe they, themselves, appear to grow!): the character will attempt to exit the space in search of a larger section, believing that they will be crushed if they cannot find more cavernous spaces. Sworn Enemy: The victim sees a sworn enemy, or a monster type that is abhorrent to them: the character will attack and fight the illusion, making no ground, taking no damage, but causing a ruckus in the process for the duration of the effect. Hilarity Ensues: Though their fellows may be unsure of what the victim is seeing, whatever it is must be the funniest thing they've seen in their life: the victim laughs uncontrollably - unable to fight in combat, cast spells, or perform delicate tasks, but able to move at half speed - for the duration of the effect. In any case, the effect lasts 1d4 turns: rolled uniquely for each affected character.
9	Nerve Agents Three orbs sit atop three staves embedded in the floor. One of the three will open a trapdoor leading further in - the other two are trapped. If both hands are placed on the correct orb, the trapdoor will open; if one hand is placed on the wrong orb and one on the right orb, there is a chance the trap will activate; if both hands are placed on an incorrect orb, the trap will activate. When the trap activates, the orb activating begins to roll backwards, revealing a series of small holes. When it completes rolling up, it begins spraying an invisible gas into the air for 1d4 rounds: any character within 5 feet on the first, 10 feet on the second; or 20 feet on the third or fourth round must save or be exposed to the agent - on a success, the character is impeded: 1d3 of their abilities are halved, but will heal at a rate of 1 point per day of rest; on a failure, the character passes unconscious and must pass a second save - versus Death - on the following round and on each round the trap is still affecting them. If all of these secondary death saves pass, all of the character's abilities are halved, but will heal as above; if any of the secondary saves fails, the character dies.
10	Rockfall Thin pillars line the walls of the space, two of which are tethered to a trigger line across the floor. If the trigger line is pulled, the two trap pillars give way, pulling down a line of stones from the ceiling with them. Characters caught in the affected area must save or take 3d8 bludgeoning and crushing damage.
11	Cold Rush Encircling an egress - a door, perhaps a cabinet-sized door opening into a storage area - is ringed by four blue orbs set in a circular brass frame. The orbs glow as a lantern and seem to have visibly circulating liquid mass inside. These orbs are a trap. If the frame is rotated to the left, the trap deactivates - but if the door is opened before the trap is deactivated, one of the four orbs will burst, sending a flood of freezing cold into the room. All characters in the room must save or suffer frostbite: dealing 1d8 points of damage and slowing the character for 1d3 hours: move speed is reduced by (30') 10' to a minimum of 0' (at which point the character is frozen solid) and they always go last in initiative order. The trap must be manually reloaded - as such, it can fire up to four times before being spent.
12	Laser Grid Along two corners where the ceiling meets two walls are what appear to be clusters of horns; there are burn marks in a curving or warped grid pattern on the floor. The trap is pressure-triggered: when the weight on one side of the room exceeds that of the other by a fair threshold, the floor tilts in that direction as a see-saw, activating the trap. Lasers jet from the horns and fan downward, cross-hatching the floor along the pattern lines. Any character in the space takes 4d6 damage - save for half.
13	Roiling Suds High along the walls, near the ceiling, are several large circular openings capped by iron bars. The floor is slick, but surprisingly clean. There are two egresses from the space - both of which have large circular dead-bolt mechanisms, accessible (but not able to be triggered) from the inside, and able to be unlocked from the outside via a leveraged wheel. If both doors are closed, there is a chance the trap will trigger. When the trap triggers, a rumbling can be heard emanating from the openings - after which, thick foam begins to blast out of them. Enough blows through over the course of 1d6 rounds to cover the floor to a depth of approximately 6 inches and inundate the room with the scent of almonds and ammonia. If ingested, it has an extreme, extreme bitter character; if swallowed, it will deal double damage as it ravages the organs. All characters in the room must save or be coated in the stuff - which deals 1d6 damage due to an incredibly high (basic) pH per round for 1d8 rounds or until it can be thoroughly washed off with water or neutralized with a weak acidic substance - such as wine or vinegar. If a character is affected by the substance for 5 or more rounds, they will be blinded by it for 1d4 hours (if they survive the recurring damage). In addition, a character coated in the stuff must save for their exterior (unprotected) equipment that's organic in nature lest it be damaged or destroyed; characters passing the initial save - and who are unable to come up with a clever way to prevent it - must only save for their shoes.
14	Boiling Oil A ladder with several rungs missing and damage to one leg lies beneath a trap-door to an above level. The trap door has an odd, choking smell to it. If a character opens the trap door without first disabling the trap mechanism - a hidden slot in a far wall, such that a second character must insert something into it, depressing a latch, to block the mechanism - a character climbing up - on the damaged ladder or via a mechanism of their own - must save or be doused. A character doused in such a manner will take 1d6 damage per round for 1d8 rounds or until suitably cleaned/cooled. A character which is affected by the substance for 5 or more rounds (and survives) will suffer restrictive scarring: producing a permanent -1 penalty to reaction rolls and a permanent reduction in Dexterity of 2 points.
15	Bug Dump The floor is sandy, the ceiling seems mostly clay, held up by numerous beams. Hidden in small piles of sand - no greater than 4 or 5 inches tall - along the floor are kick-plates: characters walking through the area may trigger the trap. When triggered, the victim and any other characters within ten feet must save as a rain of sand and insects rain down on them. These insects may be of different character: Stinging Insects - the victim is covered by stings and stabs; they suffer immediately 1d4 points of damage: characters taking 4 points of damage from the attack must roll for system shock. Itching Insects - the victim is covered by itching bites; they suffer a -5% penalty to all skill checks, a 5% failure rate for all cast spells, and are double as likely to be surprised until the next morning. Devouring Insects - paper, wooden, leather objects, or rations carried by the character must save or be devoured by the bugs. Persistent Insects - the victim is covered by parasitic insects that will stick with them until they can be removed by magic or sophisticated medicine. During that time, the character is at a -2 penalty to all saving throws made. It is at the discretion of the referee as to whether the bug type varies, is the same throughout, or is of mixed type.
16	Methane Bubbles On a bridge over a liquid surface, near the center is a false board which will break if stepped on, triggering the trap. When the false board breaks, the breaking character falls down (they are not stuck, but must expend movement to get their leg out of the hole created) and the liquid below begins to bubble uncontrollably. If the party is using flame-based light sources, such as torches or lanterns, the gas will ignite - the party must save, individually, or be caught in a flare - taking 2d4 damage. A character taking 6 or more damage in this manner must save for flammable items on their person lest they be damaged or destroyed. Flares will erupt in this manner immediately and every 1d4 rounds thereafter, until the party has cleared the area. If the party is not using flame-based light sources, such as magic or infra-vision, they take no immediate damage, but will begin to suffocate as the gas replaces the ambient oxygenated atmosphere: necessitating a quick exit from the space. The bubbles, to an infra-vision creature, appear markedly colder than the surrounding liquid and atmosphere.
17	Firework Alarm Along a corridor leading to a door, a trip wire connects along a pulley, such that the mechanism to be triggered is behind a group walking towards the door. When triggered, a spring-mechanism is activated: launching a rain of small paper pouches which pop audibly on impact. Automatically, when the trap is triggered, a guarding creature in proximity is alerted that the trap has been sprung: characters in the corridor must save, however, or be, themselves, struck by the poppers: which will deposit soot on their clothing and backpack. A character which has such been marked is easily track-able by the guarding creature - through scent or another predetermined mechanism: 5-in-6 accuracy on pursuit. Optionally, this may also impact the likelihood of wandering monster rolls.
18	Plague Blast A large mouth, its lips appearing cracked and dry, sits embedded in a wall. Inside it may be a key, or other desirable element. This element is bait - when the mouth is broached, the trap may trigger: evidenced as contact with interior portions of the mouth. The lips contract and open slightly, releasing a cough or sneeze and bathing the room with a cone - 10 feet wide at the narrow, 30 feet long, and 30 feet wide at the far end - of visibly wet, stale air. Characters within the cone must save or be exposed to a bacterial infection. Subsequent saves for the next 1d4 hours are at a -2 penalty: at the end of this incubation period, the character must then save versus poison or their physical stats (Strength, Constitution, Dexterity) will each be reduced by 1d12. They will recover at a rate of 1 point each per day - but if any one of these abilities is reduced to 0, the character will die without appropriate magical healing, such as by a Remove Disease spell. If said magical healing is applied in a preventive manner - during the incubation hours - the future save versus poison is automatically passed.
19	Halon System Within a space housing documents, equipment, or other elements sensitive to flame, an open flame has a chance of triggering a fire-prevention system, which for the purposes of the adventure, operates as a trap. Torches, producing more smoke than other light sources, have twice the chance of activating the trap. There are metal nozzles protruding from the ceiling or high on the walls: when the trap activates, they begin spraying a grayish substance that is bitterly cold. Any character with a flame-based light source must save or said light source will be extinguished: additionally, if the area is a confined space, they will begin to suffocate - dying after a number of rounds equal to their Constitution scores unless exiting the space. No flame can be sparked in a confined space with this system: as such, the flame even of a successful saver will be extinguished after 1d3+1 rounds.
20	Spores in the Ceiling Hanging from the ceiling of a space are wooden planters in which toxic mushrooms have been planted. Beneath the planters are small discs, as wind-chimes. Vibrations - such as talking or excessive clatter - have a chance to trigger the trap. When the trap is triggered, the discs resonate in harmony, passing the vibration into the planter boxes: causing the fungi inside to release spores in a cloud. Characters in the area of effect must save or be exposed: exposed characters go into paroxysms for 1d4 rounds: at the end of which, they must save again, versus death, or die.

Delve on, readers! 

 

Public domain art respectfully stolen from OldBookIllustrations.com and ReusableArt.com. Attributions in alt text.