Traps & Treachery

CreditsLINE DEVELOPER

Greg Benage

WRITING

Greg Benage, Kurt Brown, Mark Chance, Brian Ferrenz, Lizard, David Lyons, Brian Patterson, Scott Stoecker, WilUpchurch

INTERIOR ILLUSTRATIONS

Massimilliano Bertuzzi, Ron Brown, Paul Butler, Mitch Cotie, Jesper Ejsing, Kenneth Kay, Eric Lofgren, HianRodriguez, Brian Schomburg, Kieran Yanner

GRAPHIC DESIGN

Brian Schomburg

COVER DESIGN

Brian Schomburg

CONTENT EDITING

Greg Benage

COPY EDITING

Greg BenageCatten Ely

LAYOUT

Greg Benage

PUBLISHER

Christian T. Petersen

PRINTING

Quebecor Printing, Inc.Printed in Canada

FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES1975 County Rd. B2 Suite #1

Roseville, MN 55113

651.639.1905

www.fantasyflightgames.com

‘d20 System’ and the ‘d20 System’ logo are Trademarks owned by

Wizards of the Coast and are used according to the terms of the d20

System License version 1.0. A copy of this License can be found at

www.wizards.com.

Dungeons & Dragons® and Wizards of the Coast® are Registered

Trademarks of Wizards of the Coast and are used with permission.

Traps & Treachery © 2001 Fantasy Flight, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Traps & Treachery

Contents

CHAPTER ONE

Way of the Rogue 5

CHAPTER TWO

Trap Design 57

CHAPTER THREE

Mechanical Traps 71

CHAPTER FOUR

Magic Traps 117

CHAPTER FIVE

Puzzles 140

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IntroductionTraps. From my earliest experiences with fan-tasy roleplaying games, they’ve been a con-stant source of amazement, amusement, frus-tration, and fun. The first time I played (in1981, though I’m loath to admit it), my friendsand I braved the dangers of a huge dungeoncomplex controlled by slavers. I don’t recallwhat I expected to encounter, but I’ll never for-get the humble pit trap that killed my half-orcfighter after he’d survived so many battles.

My next character was a halfling thief...

— Greg BenageLine DeveloperLegends & LairsFantasy Flight, Inc.

Welcome! Fantasy Flight Games is pleased to presentTraps & Treachery, the first d20 Systemsourcebook in our Legends & Lairs line.Traps & Treachery offers players—but espe-cially DMs—a wealth of information for theird20 System campaigns.

The rogue class has been one of the biggestbeneficiaries of the Third Edition rules, andTraps & Treachery offers them their well-deserved time in the spotlight.

If you’re a player with a fondness for roguecharacters, you’ll find new prestige classes,feats, skills, spells, equipment, magic items,poisons, and background information that willhelp you roleplay your character more effec-tively and realistically. A wide variety of mate-rial is offered, and it’s also a good fit for a widevariety of playing styles. For example, ifyou’re a veteran dungeon delver, you’ll want tocheck out the trapmaster prestige class, whilethe roofrunner and discreet companion are bet-ter suited to city-based campaigns. If you’re ahigh-level rogue wondering what to do withyour future, check out the info on guilds andthe guildmaster prestige class. All of this stuffis presented in Chapter One: The Way of theRogue, so you won’t have to go looking for it.

And it’s better if you don’t, because the rest ofthe book is for the DM’s eyes only. Thesechapters feature rules for trap design and

construction, complete descriptions and illus-trations of more than 60 mechanical and magictraps, and puzzles, skill tests, and challengesfor the DM to throw at his players and theircharacters.

The Open Game LicenseTraps & Treachery is published under the termsof the Open Game License and d20 SystemTrademark License. The OGL allows us to usethe d20 System core rules and to publish gam-ing material derived from those rules.

In fact, material that is strictly rules related is“Open Content.” This means that you can usethis material in your own works, as long as youfollow the conditions of the Open GameLicense. You can copy the material to yourwebsite or even put it in a book that you pub-lish and sell.

Not everything in this book is Open Content,however. In some cases, we use shaded boxesto clearly identify Open Content. This is usefulfor relatively short, discrete pieces of rules-related material, but not as useful for longersections of Open Content. As a result, the intro-ductory remarks at the beginning of each sec-tion provide further guidelines distinguishingthe Open Content and Product Identity withineach section.

All illustrations, pictures, and diagrams in thisbook are Product Identity and the property ofFantasy Flight Games, © 2001.

The Open Game License is printed in its entire-ty at the end of this book. For further informa-tion, please visit the Open Gaming Foundationwebsite at www.opengamingfoundation.org.

About Fantasy Flight GamesFantasy Flight Games, Inc. (FFG) is a leadingpublisher of roleplaying games, card games,and boardgames, and the creator of the innova-tive customizable disk game category. FFG’sbestselling and award-winning game productsinclude the Diskwars, Doomtown: Range Wars,and Twilight Imperium: Armada CDGs, theTwilight Imperium boardgame, and the BluePlanet v2 roleplaying game. For more informa-tion about Fantasy Flight Games and its excit-ing products, visit the company’s website atwww.fantasyflightgames.com.

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The Rogue’sRole

Your party is exploring the Lost Temple of theFire King. Tyro the Mighty, his magicalgreatsword dripping gore, has rendered all lifeextinct throughout the upper levels of the dun-geon. Mab the sorcerer’s hands are still smok-ing from the gouts of flame that engulfed theenemy host. Father Mallory, the cleric, is prat-tling on about a great evil lying down the halland behind an unopened crypt gate.

The game comes to a standstill as the DM asks,“So rogue, what do you want to do?”

This is your opportunity to shine! Other thanperiodically trying to get a sneak attack in,you’ve spent the last few hours making a logcabin out of pretzel rods and onion dip.

You declare with conviction, “Um, Simbo picksthe lock on the gate!” Your DM gives you ablank look, fiddles with his dice for a momentand tells everyone that this would be a goodpoint to break for dinner.

IntroductionThis section presents helpful guidelines andtips that will help you play your rogue charac-ter more believably and successfully. All mate-rial in this section is Product Identity, unless itis derived from the d20 System ReferenceDocument or enclosed within a shaded box.

Trap LoreThere are myriad ways to search an area andmany of them will earn you praise and possiblyeven extra experience points. More important-ly, you won’t end up as rogue jerky for thewights behind the trapped gate.

As a rogue, you’ve been taught to be patient,and most importantly, observant. You aretrained to recognize and manipulate scores oftrapdoors, secret doors, false bottoms, murderholes, chutes, pressure plates, gears, pulleys,and a wide variety of locks and switches. Yourlife depends on your ability to observe and acton the smallest details.

A sorcerer looks at the gate and notes with satis-faction that it has a lock and that lock seems tobe thrown closed. A rogue drops and eye-balls the floor to check for pressure plates

CHAPTER ONE

Way of

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and tripwires. He scans the ceiling and wallsfor any openings where blades, gas, acid,water, or myriad other harmful agents andobjects could be discharged. After deciding thearea in front of the opening is safe to work in,the rogue starts checking out the gate itself.

Forget thieves’ tools and lock picks—the fivebasic senses are the core tools the rogue relieson in a dungeon. The rogue has been trained touse them together or with any of them hinderedor useless. While some are more developedthan others, a successful rogue will use them allto gather as much information as possible.

Sight

For most characters, this is the primary sense.If you are not trying to remain hidden, illumi-nate mechanisms or suspicious areas. Even ifyour character has darkvision, he might missdifferences in color or texture, which couldindicate a poisoned surface or a hidden lever.

Moving a bright light source slowly around aroom will cause contrasting shadows to be cast

from even the subtlest variations in a surface.This is very helpful in finding secret doorsor pressure plates.

You should also have continual flame cast ontoone of your lock picks or another piece of yourgear, as this is a quiet and clean source of light.It can also be hidden in an instant without thesmoke and smell of extinguishing a torch.

Touch

When searching an area, don’t just use yourhands—feel the floor with your feet, test itusing your finely tuned sense of balance. Whenwalking around an old building, you can feelold floors flex under your feet. This will helpyou identify floor joists and loose boards. Awealthy merchant isn’t likely to have his wholestaircase rigged to collapse. But, if you notice ajoist support missing in one stair, you can betthat’s the one that will send you tumbling.

Running the palms of your hands along a sur-face will sometimes reveal discrepancies youreyes can’t identify, especially if they are hiddenby illusion spells. A degree of discretion iscalled for: Blindly sticking your hands intoplaces you can’t see will eventually lead totragedy. Move slowly and always be attentivefor unusual features that might be trap triggers.

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ueAfter visually inspecting a floor, walk a fewpaces with your eyes closed. Your sense of bal-ance can clue you in to changes in angle andpitch that may be hidden by magic or opticalillusion.

Hearing

Every dungeon, wilderness, and city has itsown sound, its unique background noise. Whenmoving through a dangerous and unknownlocation, take note of what you don’t hear—thiscan often be more revealing than what you dohear. Learn to ignore the routine noise and payattention to the out-of-place sounds that cansingle danger. Take advantage of your tools totip the odds in your favor: Hold a simple cylin-der against a door or wall to amplify the soundsbehind it. Every few minutes, pause for a fewmoments and just listen. If you accustom your-self to the ambient environmental sounds, any-thing out of the ordinary will quickly drawyour attention.

Try to minimize the distractions caused by yourcompanions when you are trying to listen. Theeasiest—but most hazardous—technique is toact as a scout and stay ahead of the party. Youwill be able to listen, move silently, and hidewithout greatswords and armor clankingaround you. Unfortunately, you will have tohold your own until the rest of the party arrivesif you get into trouble.

If available, make use of silence spells andencourage your party members to muffle theirclanking arms and armor with cloaks or tempo-rary padding.

Use common sense to guide your approach. Ifyour party has just slaughtered a group ofscreaming orcs, don’t spend a lot of time tryingto open the next door quietly. Anyone behindthat door already knows you’re there.

Smell

Your sense of smell is the most basic of all yoursenses. The slightest suggestion of perfume orfood can conjure up complex memories longforgotten. Use this powerful sense to youradvantage. The faintest trace of pitch can warnyou of a trap that could immolate your wholeparty. The smell of water or fresh air may leadyou out of a hopeless maze, and the smell ofgrave rot should encourage you to step aside infavor of your cleric’s expertise.

Many creatures have a preternatural ability touse their sense of smell to find and track prey.This has been the undoing of many sneakyrogues. You must be prepared to take precau-tions if you’re invading the home or lair of oneof these creatures. Such precautions mayinclude limiting your diet, thoroughly cleaningyour gear, and bathing right before your intru-sion. Take advantage of the natural environ-ment to mask your scent: Roll in the soil, skina vanquished beast and rub your skin, clothing,and equipment with the fur, or stay downwindwhenever possible.

The Wildcard

Some magic traps are very difficult for a rogueto detect. Often a rogue’s ability to detect suchtraps is based solely on experience. “If I were aspellcaster, I would put an explosive runehere…” For these situations, it’s a good idea topursue some training from a spellcaster andlearn some basic cantrips that will allow you todetect magical auras or poisons and read magi-cal script. If you don’t have the time or inclina-tion to learn a little spellcraft, try to pick upsome magic items that allow you to detectmagical dweomers.

When you approach an unknown area, makesure you take the proper steps to ensure youown safety. Use a safety rope and give the otherend to your strongest fighter. Consume magicaldraughts to increase your resistance or donmagically protected gear. If you have theoption, use levitate or fly spells to avoid mun-dane traps. Mage armor and shield can come inhandy as well.

Leave any nonessential gear with other mem-bers of your party. If you accidentally set off afire trap, you don’t want to make saving throwsfor all of your loot. Especially that bag of thun-derstones or the flask of alchemist’s fire you’vebeen keeping for emergencies.

Put yourself in the safest position you can. Youcan climb along walls to bypass traps andaccess release switches. With a light harnessand a carabiner, you can climb along the wall,lock yourself in, and pick the lock on the gatein relative safety. Also, train your party to seekcover when you are performing dangeroustasks. Teach them that your job is not alwaysreliable and predictable, and that they sharethe responsibility for keeping themselvessafe.

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