Ye Olde Inn

Hey folks,

I played a game the other night and found myself constantly referring back to the traps rules, since I play pretty infrequently. I thought it would be nice to have them all condensed somewhere that was easy to reference. In the process, I stumbled onto some contradictions in the rules for long pits (EQP) and pit rooms (Pan's Beastmen QP) that I felt could use some consistency. I plan to put these on the back of a custom DM shield for easy reference. Thoughts?

Pit Traps: Covered holes in the floor.
Springing: If a hero moves onto an undiscovered pit trap square they auto-spring the trap, and suffer 1 damage (NO save). This ends your turn. Once it is sprung it may not be disarmed.
Once in the pit, it may be searched for treasure or secret doors as if it were a separate room. Heroes/monsters in the pit attack and defend with one less combat die (min 1). They can move out of the pit on their next turn as an action. Multiple characters can fall into the same pit. Landed-on characters automatically suffer 1 damage (NO save).
If a pit search reveals a wandering monster, they are placed at the edge of the pit.
Falling Block Traps: Cause the ceiling to collapse.
Springing: Roll 3d6. For each skull rolled (4+ save) you suffer 1 damage. Once a falling block trap is sprung the path is now permanently blocked and cannot be disarmed or jumped. You must decide to move ahead or back to an empty square. Your decision is a critical one. You could become trapped forever, or cut off from the rest of the Heroes. This ends your turn.
Spear Traps: Spears shoot out of the wall, floor, or ceiling.
Springing: Roll 1d6. If a skull is rolled (4+ save) you suffer 1 damage. This ends your turn. If undamaged you can continue to move. Either way, the trap is now disarmed and the square can be moved onto safely.
Chest/Furniture Traps: Can be a variety of things, including poisonous gas, poison needle, explosive latch, or a shooting dart.
Springing: If you search the room for treasure before searching the room for traps, any chest/furniture trap will be sprung. The consequences of this are different for each trap.
Heroes can either attempt to jump traps, or attempt to disarm as an action.
Jumping Traps:
Heroes must have enough movement remaining to cover trap spaces + 1 to land on other side safely. Roll 1d6:
Standard traps (1 square wide): If a skull is rolled (4+ save) you spring the trap! Follow "springing" instructions above.
Long traps (2 squares wide): If a skull or black shield is rolled (5+ save) you spring the trap! Follow "springing" instructions above.
Epic leaps (3 squares wide): If a skull or white shield is rolled (6+ save) you spring the trap! Follow "springing" instructions above.
If you successfully jump the trap, you use those squares of movement and may then continue to move. Heroes CAN jump diagonally. If monsters occupy only leapable spaces, you will need to voluntarily fall in (suffering damage) and do combat (at a disadvantage) from in the pit!
Monsters, with enough movement squares (and a vacant space beyond), will always successfully jump over a pit. If they voluntarily enter a pit, they will suffer no damage.
Disarming Traps:
You must first know its location, and you must possess a took kit (or be the dwarf).
Before you move, you must announce that you are moving onto the trap square to attempt to disarm. Move onto the trap square and roll 1d6.
With tool kit: If a skull is rolled (4+ save) you spring the trap! Follow "springing" instructions above.
Dwarf: If a black shield is rolled (2+ save) you spring the trap! Follow "springing" instructions above.
If you successfully disarm the trap, it is considered to be a regular square.

EDIT: Let's try linking a google photo again, because I love frustration:

Yeah... I prefer the UK trap rules.

Good to know! Am I correct in thinking the only difference is that in the UK rules, once a trap is discovered, it is effectively disarmed?

I think (but don't have the time to read it up quite now) that in the UK rules, pits can't be searched like rooms.
I also think (but also didn't look it up) that there are no actual examples of secret doors (or additional traps) inside pit traps in the published quests. So you might just as well shorten the rule text and only mention searching for treasure.

Phoenix' updated rule book has a nice explanation.


Landed-on characters automatically suffer 1 damage (NO save).
I was searching for that sentence, but I didn't find it?

Once in the pit, it may be searched for treasure or secret doors as if it were a separate room.
I like that sentence because it avoids bugs with the earthquake spell

More to do with the Trap Search and the Tool Kit.

Personally I play that Pit Traps can't be removed once sprung. That's what ROPE is for. However, if a hero has a Tool Kit and their Trap search discovers a PIT TRAP, it is removed, regardless to where they are. They roll 1 Cd6 and lose 1BP if a skull (same if falling rock). This represents disarming the trigger mechanism or been harmed by the mechanism. Tool Kit as written "The tool kit enables you to remove any trap you find" As in conducting a trap search (even if the area has already had a Trap Search) "Roll one combat die. On the roll of a skull the trap goes off and you lose one body point. Once you have rolled the die the trap is removed". The last bit being the most important here... "The trap is removed".

If searching with or without the Tool Kit and there's a spear trap, it's removed. If a Pit Trap, point to the square as dangerous, don't place the trap. If they have ADVENTURES KIT, place the Pit Trap face down. Any hero with a Tool Kit performing a search in that area, will remove the unsprung trap but has to roll 1 Cd6. Very Simple!!!

Also for the sake of everybody... Combine Secret Doors and Trap searches like the UK version. It's the same thing. "what's this lever for, a secret door?" "oh crap it's a trap" Same goes for strange wires, dodgy flag stones etc etc!!!

mitchiemasha wrote:Also for the sake of everybody... Combine Secret Doors and Trap searches like the UK version. It's the same thing. "what's this lever for, a secret door?" "oh crap it's a trap" Same goes for strange wires, dodgy flag stones etc etc!!!

I agree with Mitchiemasha here. Whether it's a Trap or a Secret Door, in both cases you're looking for something that's hidden and has an obscured triggering mechanism. It's somewhat awkward to set these two apart.

As far as Traps go: when unsprung, Heroes can attempt to sabotage the triggering mechanism when they find them through Searching. If succesful, the Trap can no longer be sprung and its effects are nullified for the remainder of the quest. If unsuccesful, they simply botch sabotaging the triggering mechanism and inadvertently trigger it instead, suffering the full consequences of said Trap. Once sprung, the Trap is laid down on the game board (when applicable) and remains that way for the remainder of the quest. At least, that's the way I wing it.

I must admit that I have a hard time figuring a Treasure Search inside a Pit Trap. You might envision them searching through the remains of unfortunate previous triggerers of said Traps, but given that it's a one-tile space makes it seem awkward. As a matter of fact, it's a somewhat perverse trigger for the players to purposefully seek out Pit Traps and trigger them, to increase the number of possible Treasure Searches. I would disallow Searching for Treasure inside a Pit Trap. Pragmatically speaking, if the monsters have reset a Pit Trap after a previous unfortunate adventurer fell into it, it's not unlikely that the monsters also took away anything of value that the victim might have carried when he fell down.

mitchiemasha wrote:Also for the sake of everybody... Combine Secret Doors and Trap searches like the UK version. It's the same thing. "what's this lever for, a secret door?" "oh crap it's a trap" Same goes for strange wires, dodgy flag stones etc etc!!!

To me, treasure, traps, and secret doors are three different rewards for spending an action each. I do see the merits of combining two of the three - and I do that, for specific heroes - but finding money, saving body points, and finding another way are three very distinct rewards that I don't wanna combine as a default. I am seriously thinking about allowing searching in the presence of monsters as a default, however, in order to give the heroes some strategies, quicken up the game, and other reasons.
The argument of realism does NOT count with me, in any circumstance. He who knows me well knows this well. I am ALL for mechanics and props if it makes a game more enjoyable.

That said, my Dwarf (Dungeoneer) may combine secret doors and traps in one search, the Wizard combines treasure and secret doors in one. There are other combinations, but I'm still in the process of revising my system. In the Wizard's case, for example, it gives him a little more inclination to risk being ambushed by wandering monsters...

benvoliothefirst wrote:
Pit Traps: Covered holes in the floor.
. . . Multiple characters can fall into the same pit. Landed-on characters automatically suffer 1 damage (NO save). . . .

I'm personally not in favor of damage to Heroes that are fallen onto. My reasoning is that if any Hero--even a Dwarf--can move out of a pit trap unaided, then it isn't be very deep. A Hero that falls 2-5 feet onto another Hero can't be that dangerous, so it isn't worth the extra rule, in my opinion.

Concerning searching for secret doors and traps, I agree with knightkrawler's points about separate searches for separate rewards. To that I'd add that traps are searched for and disarmed at their trigger locations on the floor. Secret doors, on the other hand, are searched for at walls. Separate locations justifiably require separate searches--at least, that's the NA position. It may stretch out the game, but it also provides twice the opportunity for Heroes to fail to search when they should.

Daedalus wrote:It may stretch out the game, but it also provides twice the opportunity for Heroes to fail to search when they should.

You can't fail at finding Traps and Secret Doors that are in the area being searched. The only danger exists in searching for treasures, due to the hazard cards in the treasure deck.