Since everyone's having so much fun with S&W Appreciation Day, here are some charts to liven up your pit traps. Not terrifically S&W specific but hey, I like trap charts.
The tables below are intended to put some variety into the standard pit traps that one encounters from time to time in dungeons. Roll once on table 1 for the pit depth, once on table 2 for the dimensions, once on table 3 for what is covering the pit, and once on table 4 to determine any special features.
| Table 1: Depth of Pit |
| 01-10 | 5 feet (1d2 damage) |
| 11-50 | 10 feet (1d6 damage) |
| 51-65 | 15 feet (1d6 damage) |
| 66-80 | 20 feet (2d6 damage) |
| 81-90 | 25 feet (2d6 damage) |
| 91-99 | 30 feet (3d6 damage) |
| 00 | Infinite (characters fall “forever”) |
| Table 2: Width and Length of Pit |
| 01-10 | 2 feet by 2 feet (victims may become stuck) |
| 11-30 | 5 feet by 5 feet |
| 31-50 | 10 feet by 5 feet |
| 51-80 | 10 feet by 10 feet |
| 81-90 | 10 feet by 20 feet |
| 91-00 | 10 feet by 30 feet |
| Table 3: Trap Covering |
| 01-10 | Open pit |
| 11-30 | Trap Door, Stays Open |
| 31-40 | Trap Door, Resets after 1d6 turns |
| 41-50 | Wood (only triggered if more than 200 lbs weight is above pit) |
| 51-60 | Glass (shatters if more than 100 lbs weight is above pit) |
| 61-70 | Loose stone (crumbles to reveal pit beneath) |
| 71-80 | Sliding section of stone (moves away; resets itself after 1d6 turns) |
| 81-90 | Cloth covering (canvas or other fabric; goes into the pit first) |
| 91-95 | Illusion of actual floor (can be disbelieved if pole or other object goes through) |
| 96-00 | Solid stone; magically disintegrated if more than 200 lbs above pit. |
| Table 4: Special Features |
| 01-35 | Bare Floor |
| 36-45 | Spikes, Wooden (add 1d4 damage) |
| 46-65 | Spikes, Metal (add 1d6 damage) |
| 66-70 | Spikes, Metal, Poisoned (add 1d6 damage + poison) |
| 71-80 | Animal (consult Table 5) |
| 81-90 | Carrion |
| 91-00 | Filled (consult Table 6) |
| Table 5: Animals in Trap |
| 01-30 | Rats, Normal (2-12) |
| 30-50 | Rats, Giant (1-6) |
| 51-60 | Lizards, Giant (1-2) |
| 61-70 | Beetles, Giant (2-8) |
| 71-80 | Insect Swarm (various) |
| 81-85 | Snakes, Cobra (1-4) |
| 86-90 | Snakes, Vipers (1-4) |
| 91-95 | Killer Bees (2-12) |
| 96-00 | Bear, Black (1) |
| Table 6: Filled Traps |
| 01-50 | Water, Normal (if deeper than 5 feet, armored characters may drown unless rescued) |
| 51-55 | Water, Icy (1d2 damage / turn from hypothermia until victim leaves) |
| 56-60 | Water, Boiling (1d6 damage / round until victim leaves) |
| 61-65 | Water, Contaminated (10% cumulative chance / round of catching disease) |
| 66-70 | Tar (extremely sticky, takes 2 turns / individual to extract if possible) |
| 71-75 | Acid (1d3 damage / round, destroys wood, leather etc in 1 round, metal in 1 turn) |
| 76-80 | Poisonous liquid |
| 81-85 | Gray Ooze |
| 86-90 | Green Slime |
| 91-95 | Ochre Jelly |
| 96-00 | Black Pudding |
Nice! Can't beat a snakepit.
ReplyDeleteAnother special feature might be a tunnel or secret door part way down or at the bottom of the pit. Some monsters that use the pit as a trap may actually live down there. Or if it's deep it could be a way to get to the remains.
Yeah. I didn't do traps leading to the next level because that should be deliberate dungeon design. This is for sprucing up an "X" on the map.
DeleteRather than a connection to a lower level, I was actually referring to a compartment/room/tunnel/ledge (secret or otherwise) that is self-contained within the pit, possibly home to a monster or treasure or other secret.
DeleteOne of my favorites is a pit trap at the bottom of a pit trap...
ReplyDelete