Traps, a DM clarification
May 3, 2024 2:57:09 GMT -12
AthasianLaborer, Attilius, and 1 more like this
Post by DM Bob on May 3, 2024 2:57:09 GMT -12
Traps in AD&D 1e & 2e, suffer from a lack of ruling and detail considering their construction, cost, etc...
They also leave up to the DM on how disarming said obstacles occur, and as you have likely noticed, how this specifically done versus traps of magical nature. I do not like to hand wave away these details. If you haven't noticed, the spell permanency in my game does not come with a permanent stat loss, making arcane traps and +1 swords less of a crowning achievement for the lone wizard or cleric.
Sometimes it isn't obvious where a magical trap faces, triggers or what contingencies are set in place. While I understand that certain kits allow magical traps to be disarmed easier (something that a player held a grudge with me in the South Tablelands game), you still need to be on the correct side of the obstacle to disarm it, which isn't always obvious.
I have made certain concessions and calls on the fly lately, that using read magic, detect magic and having knowledge of a specific spell to allow a realistic way of avoiding and disarming these obstacles. In the instance of detecting a rune that uses Stone Shape, it is not that the spell was cast and was already shaped. The spell specifically says this isn't the case within the description, that a cast stone shape does not radiate as magical. Thus, the only reasonable answer is that the trap triggers a stone shaping effect.
I know that sometimes there's a slight language barrier in our posts, something I've always been fine with. I quite enjoy it as it forces me to be very descriptive. I just want to be clear on with how I tend to handle magical traps on a more personal, one-by-one basis. I do want to write a new 2e section on trap making vs that which is currently canon.
They also leave up to the DM on how disarming said obstacles occur, and as you have likely noticed, how this specifically done versus traps of magical nature. I do not like to hand wave away these details. If you haven't noticed, the spell permanency in my game does not come with a permanent stat loss, making arcane traps and +1 swords less of a crowning achievement for the lone wizard or cleric.
Sometimes it isn't obvious where a magical trap faces, triggers or what contingencies are set in place. While I understand that certain kits allow magical traps to be disarmed easier (something that a player held a grudge with me in the South Tablelands game), you still need to be on the correct side of the obstacle to disarm it, which isn't always obvious.
I have made certain concessions and calls on the fly lately, that using read magic, detect magic and having knowledge of a specific spell to allow a realistic way of avoiding and disarming these obstacles. In the instance of detecting a rune that uses Stone Shape, it is not that the spell was cast and was already shaped. The spell specifically says this isn't the case within the description, that a cast stone shape does not radiate as magical. Thus, the only reasonable answer is that the trap triggers a stone shaping effect.
I know that sometimes there's a slight language barrier in our posts, something I've always been fine with. I quite enjoy it as it forces me to be very descriptive. I just want to be clear on with how I tend to handle magical traps on a more personal, one-by-one basis. I do want to write a new 2e section on trap making vs that which is currently canon.