Tricks & Traps on 3d8

TL;DR

For usability, tables provided at the top. Roll 3d8 and consult the tables, in order.

Roll	Target
1	Whole Room / Whole Party
	(gas cloud, closing walls...)
2-4	Small Area / Sub-Party
	(spike pits, quicksand...)
5-7	Single Target
	(pendulum blade, poison needle...)
8	Trick!

Roll	Defense
1	No defense
2	Save vs Death or Poison
3	Save vs Wands
4	Save vs Paralysis or Petrifaction
5	Save vs Dragon's Breath
6	Save vs Spells
7	Roll vs Armor Class
8	Ability Check (Further 1d6 to see which)

Roll	Severity
1-2	Annoyance
	(time taxes, translocation, resource loss...)
3-6	Drain
	(physical damage, temporary blindness, encounter rate changes...)
7-8	Loss
	(death, permanent ability damage, teleports into danger...)

For an explanation of what these mean - read on! 

Tricks & Traps on 3d8

An essential element of the dungeon experience - from the original inspiration in pulp magazines through the numerous iterations of the game, from 1974 through to present day - is the trick or the trap: the inanimate but malicious hindrance set before the party to stop them from passing or from achieving the riches on the far side. There are dozens of products which are designed with traps in mind - and dozens more blog articles, generators, and lists with numerous ingenious traps (this blog included) - to line the halls and inlay to treasure chests, much to the chagrin of the players.

But how do you come up with a trap that will stand out? 

How do you come up with a trap, keeping the experience fresh, without over-telegraphing or repetition that makes the party think, "Ok, we'll do Room Search: Pattern Gamma for this hall, then split for Delta between the two spaces ahead" as they meander through the darkened underworld?

In recent vintage, I'd had some success with 3d6 generators - for quests and geas as well as for stocking special rooms: so why not try the same for traps, tricks, and hazards. Presented below, a brainstorming tool, an inspirational generator, designed to get your mind out of the box and into the dungeon with the assistance of three eight-sided dice: Tricks & Traps on 3d8.

Whom does it Target?

First - a trap may target a single character (the thief failing to spot a hidden needle; a strongman falling victim to a spear thrusting downwards against the lifting of a portcullis; hidden crossbows attached to touch-plates; ...) or many any once (henchmen being exposed to a cloud of acid, breaking into a tomb; a whole party locked in a space with a sinking ceiling; a swarm of stinging hornets bursting from a hidden compartment; ...). The first die rolled determines who - and how many - of the party are impacted.

Roll	Target
1	Whole Room / Whole Party
	(gas cloud, closing walls...)
2-4	Small Area / Sub-Party
	(spike pits, quicksand...)
5-7	Single Target
	(pendulum blade, poison needle...)
8	Trick!

I see "Trick" in there - what does that mean? In the original editions of the game - a trap doesn't necessarily do harm to the intruders: which sort of makes sense, in that its purpose is to deter access to an item or place. A Trick might be an illusion, a false (but obvious) trigger mechanism, or other device intended to make the players think they are in danger when they are not (or perhaps think they are not in danger when they are!)

Including "Trick" in the options reminds the stocking referee to keep it in mind, once in a while, and may introduce some interesting interactions between party and dungeon environment.

How does one Defend Against it?

Next - a character needs to know how to defend against it. While some traps may not entail a defense whatsoever (say, a room fills with water and the doors are held fast by it: you can't Save vs Drowning to breathe under water), it's generally more common that a defense of some kind could protect a hardy or fortunate character from the effect of the trap. The second die indicates how the character might benefit from this evasion.

Roll	Defense
1	No defense
2	Save vs Death or Poison
3	Save vs Wands
4	Save vs Paralysis or Petrifaction
5	Save vs Dragon's Breath
6	Save vs Spells
7	Roll vs Armor Class
8	Ability Check (Further 1d6 to see which)

"Roll vs Armor Class" - the easiest response is to - of course - make an attack roll against the target or targets. THAC0 should be considered according to dungeon level, importance of what's being protected, and referee discretion. Alternatively, however, consider 1d10 roll-over Armor Class (similar to the swimming house rule documented here, albeit potentially modified by Dexterity). This puts the onus on the player and evenly distributes risk: thus, a Plate-armored fighter will always have a 3-in-10 chance that the effect will find purchase.

Similarly, where "Ability Check" is indicated, roll 1d6 and pick, in order. 

Why isn't "mitigating circumstances" on the list? Mitigating circumstances - such as, say, bashing a door down instead of touching the contact-poison laced handle - are intrinsically reliant on the specifics of the trap or trick: as such, those should be considered as part of the brainstorming after: not necessarily as part of the prompt - which is what this tool intends to provide.

Have I heard of using Ability checks to escape danger before? You may have! I have written about it before as a mechanism to resolve non-role-playable actions without a skill system, however - in the present context - the earliest instance of checking Ability scores to avoid a hazard could be in The Forgotten Temple of Tharizdun - provided Delta is to be believed - where rolling 4d6 under Dexterity is used to avoid a trap. Consider - then - in your traps: should the victim roll 1d20, as B/X suggests, or should they use a dice pool?

What is the Severity?

Last - severity: how badly will the trap hinder or hurt the party. Not every trap should cause instant death - but likewise, instant death should not be out of possibility. This may account for faulty mechanisms, lax attention on the part of the trap-setter, or perhaps imply that the "trap" is in fact an environmental hazard or other thematic element functioning mechanically as a trap.

Roll	Severity
1-2	Annoyance
	(time taxes, translocation, resource loss...)
3-6	Drain
	(physical damage, temporary blindness, encounter rate changes...)
7-8	Loss
	(death, permanent ability damage, teleports into danger...)

Does "Severity" apply to Tricks? Absolutely. Simply use the Severity result to inform how dangerous the Trick appears to be - or maybe how dangerous it is!

Oh. Cool.

Let's Compare Notes

How does the provided measure up to the example Tricks & Traps provided in B/X? The Basic booklet breaks Tricks & Traps into two categories: Room Traps and Treasure Traps. Let's pick a few of each and see what the corresponding prompt might have been:

"Poison gas: Save vs. Poison or die"

This trap is fairly straightforward. Listed as a Room trap, this implies the room fills with the gas: not just a blast to the face - so the whole of the party would be impacted. Similarly, it's save or die - so the save to use and the consequence for failure is obvious.

Result: 1-2-7

"Pit: 1d6 points of damage per 10' fallen"

Pit trap. Classic. Unlikely to hit the whole of the party - assuming it's 10 feet across - and dealing a set amount of damage. Subset of party, no defense (you fell into a pit), and it drains your hit points (or your zero-level hirelings!)

Result: 2-1-3

"Fog: Looks like Poison gas, but harmless"

Included this one not-really randomly: as this might be the trap suggestion that specifically inspired the "Trick" result on the generator being detailed. There is no mechanism to avoid it - as there really is nothing to avoid: it's just mist - and as for Severity - we can only guess: as really, this is area-denial: a spell, tools, or blind luck might get the party through it so perhaps a mere annoyance?

Result: 8-1-2?

"Chute: No damage, but slide to the next level down"

Like the pit trap - I make the assumption this will be unlikely to hit the whole of the party at once, assuming a standard marching order and B/X party size. Also like a pit trap, I assume there is no save - however, as a generous referee, you might allow a Save vs Paralysis to grab the sides.

Result: 2-1 (or 4?)-1

"Spring-fired darts: 1-6 darts hit for 1-4 points of damage each"

Listed under the Treasure Traps section - this would seem to only impact the Thief or other character opening the treasure. I've said it's "No Defense" below because it does not specify a to-hit roll, instead relying on the 1d6 to tell you how many strike home. I would - personally - allow for the 1d10 Armor Class variant presented before: but I'm a softie like that.

Result: 5-1 (or 7?)-3

"Spray: Be sprayed with an unknown liquid that attracts Wandering Monsters; double chances for 1d6 hours"

Again, listed under the Treasure Traps, I assume it to affect only the treasure-grabber. Again, no defense: but this makes sense, as its literally a mist - Chanel No B5 - which coats (and marks) the target. A generous referee might allow a Save vs Breath - but the end result is still the same: a change to the game, but one which will primarily affect resources: namely, the rate at which your resources are challenged as more and more monsters wander into you seeking the alluring (or appalling?) smell.

Result: 5-1 (or 5?)-3

So, it's not perfect - that is, it doesn't line up as well as the Special Room Generator does - but the goal is to inspire new and novel traps, and the only way to verify that is to give it a whirl.

Let's Try it Out

First throw - 8, 3, 7: or, a trick, Save vs Wands, for extensive loss. There are a couple different directions you could go, made curious by the extreme severity (and made difficult to think of by the Save vs Wands!):

• Withering Hall Across a 40' hallway, a four distinct sets of beams of light move across the floor and walls, coming from glass domes extending from the corners of the ceiling. To move past without being hit, a Save vs Wands is required - for each failure, the failing character appears to age 2d8 years: with hair graying, skin sagging, and joints beginning to pop.
  
  Key - "appears to." Upon leaving the way they came, any affected characters will return to normal - one year per dungeon turn. Upon leaving the far side into the protected space - having gone through the tunnel, wholly - all illusionary years dissipate after one.
  
  
• Translocation Disintegrator Black jets of smoke pulse at interval, blocking the entrance to an alcove. A Save vs Wands will allow a character to pass through without touching them, but if touched, the character is visibly disintegrated, starting from the place where the smoke touched, their dust becoming one with the pulsing smoke.
  
  But just visibly. In reality, the character is teleported to a matching alcove on the other side of the level: exact replica of the alcove and its contents - but nothing inside of value. They will be surprised, of course, when they find that they are no longer surrounded by colleagues - and potentially in the dark, as well.
  
  
• Pressurized Scarabs A spray of what appear to be crawling, biting insects erupts from the trapped object - the bugs burrowing into and under the skin of the affected character. A warmth and rumbling begins working its way to the chest of the character in question - at which point, after 1d4 rounds - the character falls unconscious, as though a Sleep spell had been cast. Save vs Wands to avoid - after evading, the bugs disappear into corners - a thoughtful player might note the illusion, seeing that there are no cracks or crevices into which the bugs might have retreated.
  

Let's try another:

An ability score defense! Adding in a second-thrown d6 for ability, we get 4, 8 (6), 4 - or, a trap which affects a small area or subset of the party, roll vs. Charisma to save, with a draining effect:

• The Hecklers Two statues hang from a portico in the wall. When a party enters, they begin to judge and heckle: picking 1d4 party members as their primary points of derision. Their jibes are hypnotic - and only by rolling against Charisma might one of these targets duel back, returning a jest which impresses the statues, who laugh and then freeze from view. Failure to do so results in a supernatural questioning of confidence - causing the character a -1 penalty on all d20 rolls and a -1 penalty to Armor Class until they have had a full night's sleep to wear it off.
  
  
• Narcissus' Mirror Hidden behind a sheet is a magic mirror which portrays, to those who look into it, an idealized version of themselves, one which they would long to be, if given to such thinking. Any character which can see him or herself in the mirror - which is oval, three by two feet - must roll over his or her Charisma stat - failing to do so, the character will loll, gander, and ponder for 1d3 dungeon turns; at the end of which, they may attempt the Charisma roll again. A generous referee may allow a bonus if multiple cumulative rolls are, in this manner, failed.
  
  
• Posey Pocket A spring load in an otherwise nondescript pouch launches a fair smelling incense into the air, affecting any character within 2d4 feet. For the next 2d6 turns, the character is considered perfumed - which will impose a +2 bonus on Reaction rolls to intelligent monsters during the onset of encounters ... however, if this would take the roll to 12 or above, the monster will fall horribly enamored of the character or characters, seeking without regard for health nor morale to kidnap the character and abscond to its lair therewith.
  (Not strictly a roll against Charisma, but touching Reactions, which are modified by Charisma!)
  

Decent luck so far - so we'll throw one more set:

A result of 7, 1, 8 - or, single-target, no save, instant death. Well, substantial loss - but this trap, according to the dice, should be a doozy:

• Thousand Foot Pit Not particularly well named, as surely it can't be 1,000 feet deep, can it? This shaft once served as a conduit between many levels of the complex: now, however, the carriage has been lost and all that lies beneath a camouflaged tarp, supported by bowing wooden crossbeams with a manhole-sized gap in the center, is a gap too deep to see the bottom.
  
  
• The Lock from Chaon Gacca The abandoned capitol of Tasuun is said to be cursed: a place of shadow where the darkness itself, contacting human flesh, will wither and rot instantly at a touch. Some of that shade has been kidnapped - locked away into a false hatch atop a precious cargo. Anyone opening the box without the proper safeguard - administered by a second key through a hidden keyhole in the bottom of the bronze-trimmed trunk - will free the shadow, which will pass over their working hands. Rolling 1d8, on an even number, the right hand melts before your eyes; flesh sloughing off as a leper, shriveling to dust as in reverse of papers thrown into a flame, arcing into the chimney, disappearing with no mark left on the floor to guide them. On an odd number, the left hand suffers this fate. Or, on a 1 or an 8, specifically, both hands are affected.
  
  
• Monodirectional Teleporter In ages past, this teleportation pad was connected to a deep station - leagues distant through solid rock: a quick mechanism to transport a single commander through to a hidden keep. However, in the intervening years, the destination has collapsed, leaving only damp, dark holes the size of a child. Any character - or any object - which steps into the teleporter will be translocated to this dark damp - with no way out and nothing but stone for a mile in any direction.
  

And Them's My Two Coppers

What do you think? Would this procedural inspiration technique help pique your creativity? Or did we just collectively waste half an hour or so of your time, piecing through this article? The examples herein presented a sizable challenge for me, at least - trying to fit to the theme, without deviating, changing one die for another to fit an inspiration that bounced up from the plastic hitting the tile...

But who says you can't deviate from the dice? 

If they give you a good idea - bank it! Use it! I'd love to read about your creations - and I'd love to hear about the groans of your players as they walk face first into them!

As with other generators, the intention of this piece was inspiration, not instruction: this is not a list of predetermined cool traps, this is not a prescription designed to supplant the creativity of the dungeon architect, but a mechanism by which I hope you can unlock your brain and churn out horrors at which Grimtooth himself would balk.

In either case - make sure to don your Ring of Resistance... and delve on.

Thank you for reading!

Public domain artwork retrieved from the National Gallery of Art or OldBookIllustrations.com. Attribution in alt text.