Wednesday, April 17, 2013

S&W Bonus #2: Pit Traps!


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
01-105 feet (1d2 damage)
11-5010 feet (1d6 damage)
51-6515 feet (1d6 damage)
66-8020 feet (2d6 damage)
81-9025 feet (2d6 damage)
91-9930 feet (3d6 damage)
00Infinite (characters fall “forever”)

Table 2: Width and Length of Pit
01-102 feet by 2 feet (victims may become stuck)
11-305 feet by 5 feet
31-5010 feet by 5 feet
51-8010 feet by 10 feet
81-9010 feet by 20 feet
91-0010 feet by 30 feet

Table 3: Trap Covering
01-10Open pit
11-30Trap Door, Stays Open
31-40Trap Door, Resets after 1d6 turns
41-50Wood (only triggered if more than 200 lbs weight is above pit)
51-60Glass (shatters if more than 100 lbs weight is above pit)
61-70Loose stone (crumbles to reveal pit beneath)
71-80Sliding section of stone (moves away; resets itself after 1d6 turns)
81-90Cloth covering (canvas or other fabric; goes into the pit first)
91-95Illusion of actual floor (can be disbelieved if pole or other object goes through)
96-00Solid stone; magically disintegrated if more than 200 lbs above pit.

Table 4: Special Features
01-35Bare Floor
36-45Spikes, Wooden (add 1d4 damage)
46-65Spikes, Metal (add 1d6 damage)
66-70Spikes, Metal, Poisoned (add 1d6 damage + poison)
71-80Animal (consult Table 5)
81-90Carrion
91-00Filled (consult Table 6)

Table 5: Animals in Trap
01-30Rats, Normal (2-12)
30-50Rats, Giant (1-6)
51-60Lizards, Giant (1-2)
61-70Beetles, Giant (2-8)
71-80Insect Swarm (various)
81-85Snakes, Cobra (1-4)
86-90Snakes, Vipers (1-4)
91-95Killer Bees (2-12)
96-00Bear, Black (1)

Table 6: Filled Traps
01-50Water, Normal (if deeper than 5 feet, armored characters may drown unless rescued)
51-55Water, Icy (1d2 damage / turn from hypothermia until victim leaves)
56-60Water, Boiling (1d6 damage / round until victim leaves)
61-65Water, Contaminated (10% cumulative chance / round of catching disease)
66-70Tar (extremely sticky, takes 2 turns / individual to extract if possible)
71-75Acid (1d3 damage / round, destroys wood, leather etc in 1 round, metal in 1 turn)
76-80Poisonous liquid
81-85Gray Ooze
86-90Green Slime
91-95Ochre Jelly
96-00Black Pudding

4 comments:

  1. Nice! Can't beat a snakepit.

    Another 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.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. 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.

      Delete
    2. Rather 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.

      Delete
  2. One of my favorites is a pit trap at the bottom of a pit trap...

    ReplyDelete

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