A trapsmith must possess a certain degree of showmanship. A good trap consists of three parts ruthless efficiency and one part “you really shouldn’t be here.” Tomb robbers, trespassers, and adventurers are a persistent lot—they don’t reconsider their course of action easily, so it takes a certain measure of persuasion to make them do so. Trapsmiths consider the brutally butchered remains of fallen adventuring companions to be very persuasive indeed.
A spherical room 40 feet across impedes your progress. Opposite your current location, a lone corridor leads off to destinations unknown.
The walls of the spherical room are smooth, and traversing them requires a DC 25 Climb check. Failing the check by 5 or more means that a character slides to the bottom of the sphere, which triggers the improved levitate trap.
Once triggered, the trap’s target must succeed on a DC 15 Will saving throw or magically rise 20 feet into the air, which triggers the hail of darts trap. After 1 minute the improved levitation spell ends, which results in a 20-ft. fall.
Improved Levitation Trap CR 5
Type magical; Perception DC 28; Disable Device DC 28
Trigger proximity (alarm); Reset automatic
Effect spell effect (improved levitation, DC 15 Will save negates)
Effect 20-ft. fall (2d6 damage)
The hail of darts trap triggers whenever a target moves through or remains in the center of the spherical room.
Hail of Darts Trap CR 5
Type mechanical; Perception DC 29; Disable Device DC 20
Trigger proximity; Reset automatic
Effect Atk +10 ranged (8d4)
Improved Levitate
School transmutation; Level sorcerer/wizard 3
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, F (a leather loop or golden wire bent into a cup shape)
Range personal or close (25 ft. + 5 ft./2 levels)
Target you or one unwilling creature or one object (total weight up to 100 lbs./level)
Duration 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw Will negates (see text); Spell Resistance yes
The spell functions as levitate, but the caster can also affect an unwilling target, who receives a Will saving throw to negate the spell’s effect.
I dig the trap and I dig the spell!
Heh. Nice and cruel. Of course, then you poison the darts, add a spike trap at the bottom that turns on after the levitation wears off, and top it off with a good old-fashioned flame jet. Evil DM for the win
I do often have to restrain myself from going overboard on these traps. It is a fine line between ‘Evil, yet fun and challenging’ and ‘ DIE, DIE, DIE!’
And once you go ‘DIE, DIE, DIE’ and the PCs survive, that is just horrible……….