CHAPTER 2 : SKILLS AND FEATS
TABLE 2-4: CR MODIFIERS BY POISON TYPE
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Poison Type Black adder venom Black lotus extract Bloodroot Blue whinnis Burnt othur fumes Carrion crawler brain juice Deathblade Dragon bile Giant wasp poison Greenblood oil Insanity mist Large scorpion venom Malyss root paste Medium-size spider venom Nitharit Purple worm poison Sassone leaf residue Shadow essence Small centipede poison Terinav root Ungol dust Wyvern poison
Damage/Effect
CR Modifier
+1 +8 +1 +1
+6
+1 +5 +6 +3 +1 +4 +3 +3 +2 +4
+4
+3 +3 +1 +5 +3 +5
The effect of a trap is simply what happens to those who spring it- Usually this takes the form of either damage or a spell effect, but some traps have special effectsIf your trap does hit point damage, calculate the average damage fora successful hit and round that value to the nearest multiple of 7. (Damage from poisons and pit spikes does not count toward this value, but mighty damage and extra damage from multiple attacks does- For example, if a trap fires 1d4 darts at each target, the average damage is the average number of darts x the average damage per dart, rounded to the nearest multiple of 7, or 2-5 darts x 2-5 points of damage = 6-25 points, which rounds to 7.) Consult Table 2-2 to determine the CR bonus. Pits : Falling into a pit deals 1d6 points of damage per 10 feet of depthRanged Attack Traps : These traps deal whatever damage their ammunition normally would. A trap that fires longbow arrows, for example, deals 1d8 points of damage per hit. You can also build mighty traps that deal extra damage . For example, a mighty (+4 Str bonus) ranged attack trap that fires shortspears could deal up to 1d8+4 points of damage per successful hitMelee Attack Traps: These traps deal the same damage as the melee weapons they "wield ." In the case of a falling stone block, you can assign any bludgeoning damage you like, but remember that whoever resets the trap has to lift that stone back into place. You can also build mighty traps that deal extra damageSpell Traps : Spell traps produce the spell's effect as described in the appropriate entry in the Player's HandbookLike all spells, each spell-based trap that allows a saving
throw has a save DC equal to 10 + spell level + caster's relevant ability modifierMagic Device Traps: These traps produce the effects of any spells included, as described in the appropriate entries in the Player's Handbook- If the spell in a magic device trap allows a saving throw at all, its save DC equals 10 + spell level x 1-5- Some spells make attack rolls instead. Special: Some traps have miscellaneous features that produce special effects, such as drowning for a water trap or ability damage for poison. Saving throws and damage depend on the poison (see Table 2-1) or are set by the builder, as appropriate .
Miscellaneous Trap Features
Other Ways to Beat a Trap
It's possible to ruin many traps without using Disable Device, of course . Ranged Attack Traps: Once you know the trap is there, the obvious way to disable it is to smash the mechanismassuming you have access to it . Failing that, you can plug up the holes from which the projectiles emerge . This option gives you total cover relative to the trap, and it also prevents the trap from firing unless its ammunition does enough damage to break through the plugs. Melee Attack Traps: You can disable these devices by smashing the mechanism or blocking the weapons, as noted above. Alternatively, if you study the trap as it triggers, you might be able to time your dodges just right to avoid damage . If you are doing nothing but studying the trap when it first goes off, you gain a +4 dodge bonus against its attacks if you trigger it again within the next minutePits : Disabling a pit trap generally ruins only the trap door, making it an uncovered pit- Filling in the pit or building a makeshift bridge across it is an application of manual labor, not Disable Device- You could also disable any spikes at the bottom of the pit by attacking themthey break just like daggers do .
Some traps include optional features that can make them considerably more deadly. The most common such features are listed below Alchemical Device: Mechanical traps may incorporate alchemical devices or other special substances or items, such as tanglefoot bags, alchemist's fire, thunderstones, and the like- Some such items mimic spell effects- For example, the effect of a tanglefoot bag is similar to that of an entangle spell, and the effect of a thunderstone is similar to that of a deafness spellIf the item mimics a spell effect, it increases the CR as shown on Table 2-2Gas : With a gas trap, the danger is in the inhaled poison it delivers- Traps employing gas usually have the never-miss and onset delay featuresNever-Miss : When the entire dungeon wall moves to crush you, your quick reflexes won't help, since thewall can't possibly missAtrap with this feature has neitheran attack bonus nor a saving throw to avoid, but it does have an onset delay (see below)- Most water and gas traps are also never-miss . Multiple-Target : Traps with this feature Magic Traps: Dispel magic can affect more than one characterworks wonders here . If you sucOnset Delay: An onset delay is the ceed at a caster level check amount of time between when the trap is against the creator's level, you sprung and when it inflicts damage- A suppress the trap for ld4 never-miss trap always has an onset delay. rounds- This works only with a Poison: Trapsthat employ poison are deadtargeted dispel magic, not the lier than their nonpoisonous counterparts, area versionso they have correspondingly higher CRs . To determine the CR modifier for a given poison, consult Table 2-4, above- Only injury, contact, and inhaled poisons are suitable fortraps; ingested types are not. Some traps (such as a table covered with contact poison) simply deal the poison's damage- Others, such as poisoned arrows, deliver ranged or melee attacks as well-
