If your encounters or adventures are sown with too many traps, and if the characters are
victimized over and over again as a result, they are likely to take steps to prevent further bad
things from happening. Because of their recent experience, the characters can become overly
cautious, and you run the risk of the action grinding to a halt as the players search every square
inch of the dungeon for trip wires and pressure plates.
Traps are most effective when their presence comes as a surprise, not when they appear so often
that the characters spend all their effort watching out for the next one.
Running a Simple Trap
To prepare for using a simple trap in play, start by making note of the characters’ passive
Wisdom (Perception) scores. Most traps allow Wisdom (Perception) checks to detect their
triggers or other elements that can tip off their presence. If you stop to ask players for this
information, they might suspect a hidden danger.
When a trap is triggered, apply its effects as specified in its description.
If the characters discover a trap, be open to adjudicating their ideas for defeating it. The trap’s
description is a starting point for countermeasures, rather than a complete definition.
To make it easier for you to describe what happens next, the players should be specific about
how they want to defeat the trap. Simply stating the desire to make a check isn’t helpful for you.
Ask the players where their characters are positioned and what they intend to do to defeat the
trap.
Example Simple Traps
The following simple traps can be used to populate your adventures or as models for your own
creations.