de fense or fle e. The hidden p it is a classic example of
this kind of tra p. A 10 -foot-deep pit u sually deals litt le
da mage and is easy to escape , but it serves its purpose
by impeding intrude rs. Other examples of de laying tra ps
include colla p s ing walls, a portc ullis tha t drops from the
ceili n g, and a locking mechanis m that shuts and ba rs
a door. If a de laying tra p has m oving parts that directly
threate n ch a racte rs whe n they ope ra te, the cha racters
a re us ually require d to m a ke Dexterity saving throws to
a vo id harm.
Restrain. A restra ining tra p tries to keep its victims in
place, leaving the m u na ble to move. S uc h tra ps are ofte n
e m ploye d in conjunc tion w ith r e gula r gu a rd patrols, so
that victims are p e riod ic ally extricate d and ta ke n a way
to be dealt with. But in an a ncient dungeon , t he guards
migh t be long gone.
Restra ining tra ps us ually re q u ire a successful
Stre ng th s aving throw to be avoide d , but some don't
allow saving throws. Io addition to dealing dam age, a
restra ining tra p a ls o rende rs a creatu re unable to move.
Making a subsequent s uccessful Strength check (us ing
the tra p's saving throw DC) or dealing d a mage against
the tra p can break it and free the captive. Examples in-
clude a bear tra p , a cage tha t drops from a ceiling, and a
device tha t flings a net.
S lay. Some tra ps are designe d to eliminate intrud-
e rs, pla in and s imple. Their effects include po isone d
need les tha t spring out whe n a lock is tampe re d with,
blasts of fire that fill a room , pois on gas, and othe r
le t ha l measures. Savi ng throws-us ua lly Dexte ri ty or
Cons titution- a llow creatures to a void or m itiga te t he
tra p's effects.
CHAPTER 2 I DUNC EON MASTER'S TOOLSLEVEL AND LETH A LITY
B e fore cre a ting a tra p's effects, think about its le vel and
its letha lity.
Traps are divide d into four level ranges: 1-4, 5 - 10 ,
11- 16 , and 1 7- 20. T he level you choose for a tra p give s
you a starting point for determining its potency.
To furt he r delineate the trap's str e ngth, de cide
w hethe r i t is a m ode ra te, da ngerous, or dead ly threat to
c harac ters in its le ve l range. A mode rate tra p is unlike ly
to kill a charac te r. A da ngero us trap typically deals
e no ugh dama ge that a cha racter hit by one is eage r for
healing. A de adly trap might reduce a creature to 0 hi t
points in one shot, and leaves most creatures hi t by it in
need of a short o r l ong rest.
Cons u lt the following ta bles w he n determining a
tra p's effects. The Trap Save DCs and Attack B o nuses
ta ble provides guidelines for a tra p's saving throw DC,
check DC, and attack bonus. T he c heck DC is the default
for a ny check used to interact w ith the tra p.
The Da mage Sever ity by Level table lists t he typical
damage a trap deals at cer tain c ha racter l evels. The
damage values given assume t hat t he tra p dam a ges on e
c reature. Use d6s fo r damage in place of dlOs for traps
tha t can affect more than o ne creature at a time.
T he S pell E quivalent by Level table shows the sp ell
s lot le ve l t hat is appropria te for a given c ha racte r le vel
and t he severity of da nger posed by the tra p. A s pe ll is a
great founda ti on to use as th e design o f a trap , wh ethe r
the trap duplicates t he spell (a mirror that casts charm
p er son on whoever looks into it) or uses its effec ts (an
alche m ical device tha t explo des like a fir eball).
The Deadly entry for ch a racters of 17th le vel or h ighe r
s uggests comb ining a 9th-level and a 5th-level spell into
one effect. In this case, pic k two s pells, or com bine the
effects o f a s pell cast using a 9 t h-level and a 5th-level
slot. For instance, a fir eball spell of this sort would de al
24 d6 fire damage on a failed saving throw.TRAP SAVE DCs AND ATTACK BONUSES
Trap Da nger Save/Check DC Attack Bo nus
Mode rate^10 +5
Da ngero us l S +8
Deadly^20 +12DAMAGE SEVERITY BY LEVEL
Character
Level Mo d erate Da ngerous Deadly
1- 4 S (ldlO) 11 (2d l 0 ) 22 (4dl0)
5- 10 11 (2d l 0 ) 22 (4dl0) SS (l Od lO)
11 - 16 22 (4dl0) SS (lOdlO) 9 9 (18dl0)
1 7- 20 S5 (lOdlO) 99 (18dl 0)^132 (24dl 0)SPELL EQUIVALENT BY LEVEL
Character
Level Mo de rat e Dangerous Deadly
1-4 Cant rip l st^2 nd
S- 10 1 st 3rd 6th
11 - 16 3rd 6th^9 th
17- 20 6th 9th 9th + 5th