Traps
When implemented judiciously, traps can be an excellent way to keep adventurers on their toes. Traps come in many forms, and not all traps will deal damage. Some might ensnare the heroes or alert the denizens of a dungeon to the heroes’ presence, for example.
Traps that do deal damage should typically deal about as much damage as a hero might suffer in a combat encounter. This is not a hard and fast rule, however; some very well hidden traps might be very difficult to spot, and their damage might be lethal.
| Party Average Level | Perceiving DC | Overcoming DC | Single Target Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 13 | 14 | 1d6 |
| 3 | 13 | 14 | 1d8 |
| 4 | 13 | 14 | 1d10 |
| 5 | 14 | 15 | 1d12 |
| 6 | 14 | 15 | 2d6 |
| 7 | 14 | 15 | 2d8 |
| 8 | 15 | 16 | 2d10 |
| 9 | 15 | 16 | 2d12 |
| 10 | 15 | 16 | 3d6 |
| 11 | 16 | 16 | 3d8 |
| 12 | 16 | 17 | 3d10 |
| 13 | 16 | 17 | 3d12 |
| 14 | 16 | 17 | 4d6 |
| 15 | 17 | 18 | 4d8 |
| 16 | 17 | 18 | 4d10 |
| 17 | 17 | 18 | 4d12 |
| 18 | 18 | 19 | 5d6 |
| 19 | 18 | 19 | 5d8 |
| 20 | 18 | 20 | 5d10 |
| 21 | 19 | 20 | 5d12 |
| 22 | 19 | 20 | 6d6 |
| 23 | 20 | 21 | 6d8 |
| 24 | 20 | 21 | 6d10 |
| 25 | 20 | 21 | 6d12 |
| 26 | 21 | 22 | 7d6 |
| 27 | 21 | 22 | 7d8 |
| 28 | 21 | 23 | 7d10 |
| 29 | 22 | 23 | 7d12 |
| 30 | 22 | 23 | 7d20 |
The Overcoming DC does not necessarily represent you disarming the trap. It might represent a hero jumping over a gap, discovering a secret door, finding the correct lever or keyhole, or figuring out the correct password to bypass the danger.
Traps might be triggered in many ways if the Perceiving DC is not met. Displacing a door or object might set off a trap mechanism. A pressure-sensitive floor plate might have light objects resting on it, giving the illusion of safety, but when an average adult humanoid steps on it, their weight triggers the trap. Hidden trapdoors and tripwires are common traps that are low-effort but highly effective. A false keyhole or misguiding lever might look like it will help you progress through the dungeon only to spring a trap on you instead. Your imagination is the only limit for designing how traps are concealed and how they might be overcome.
In addition to traditional traps that drop heroes into pits or hit them with blades or darts of some kind, consider more unique traps. Poisonous gas, explosions, a magical rune that teleports a hero into some kind of prison, falling rocks, and a magical monster spawning portal are all unique ideas that can make for memorable traps.