Traps

[ThinkTank]

[Creslyn]

I say no. Let it roam free.

[Sintaqx]

Sometimes you just gotta beat the grease spot formerly known as a dead horse until it finally moves.

[Brokenbone]

<SNIP> Quickly deployable traps are in NWN and NWN2 and PnP. <Snip>.

Qualified agreement on "quick deployment" if the "and PnP" turns out to be:

(1) If you take a trap related PRC at around 8th (Combat Trapsmith)

(2) If you buy a 3400gp to 35,000gp "Folding Trap" as described in Races of the Dragon.

(3) If you cast a Glyph of Warding, various Symbol of ______ spells, or other magic that's meant to ward something and blow up.

PnP turns out to have slowly deployable traps if you buy 50lb of barbed wire (which is more a barricade than a trap), or a bird snare for catching chickens and ducks. I assume if there was a great desire to extrapolate things like bear traps, that could be figured out as well.

There is also no dispute that PnP has a Craft (Trapmaking) skill which is used to make gigantic "dungeon room of death" type traps, camoflaged pits, whatever (I guess you wouldn't call those deployable, as you don't stick them in a backpack... this is the point of "Folding Traps" from Races of the Dragon, like an instant bladed pendulum one could hang from a ceiling.).

The question in part seems to be whether some or all of the "oomph" of a PnP dungeon installed trap, ought to fit into a backpack, and if so, for what price, how heavy, how long to deploy, just how major a damage effect might be, etc.

I can look at the SAS Survival Handbook like anyone else for traps involving bent saplings and pointy stakes, snares, crudely concealed pit traps and whatever else, which are meant to trap very stupid animals, presumably to eat while hoping for rescue out in the field. If you wanted to hide something from an intelligent foe, you probably need to do a lot of smart camoflaging (i.e., more time, means in D&D terms at least, higher search DC).

[witch]

brokenbone... one easy example that did work fine.

Vietcong bamboo spiketraps. not hard to make and not taking ages to make..
But lets not try and compare things with RL too much its a game and fantasy so realism doesnt have a big place in it.

[Mayhem]

Traps of the type we expect in D&D are *built*, not strung together in 10 seconds using the contents of a belt-pouch.

Then why can't they be built in advance and deployed like a bear trap?

Sure - no problem. It weighs 30 pounds, its trigger area is 6 inches square, and if deployed quickly is spotted by anything with a positive WIS score.

Or a potion for that matter....

Again, no problem, assuming they are magical, can be dispelled, and can only be created by a spellcaster with the "create magical traps" feat.

Quickly deployable traps are in NWN and NWN2 and in one minimally playtested optional sourcebook in PnP. Taking them out of ALFA brings us closer to the canonical role of rogues as described in the core books and the Faerun sourcebooks.

Fixed that for you.

[Killthorne]

Some wire, a few pins and a small acid eruption device shouldn't take too long to set up. Same with most of the magical traps and devices in this fantasy world of Faerun.

But if you want to get real...

My dad can whip out a bear trap and have it amply covered by foliage in a matter of seconds, that would definitely take more than just a positive wisdom score to find. And if you really practice on speed and are used to setting up snares and the like ( also given that you would have thunderstones, tanglefoot bags in real life), I'm pretty damn sure you can whip those out on the ground, around bushes and trees, pretty fast too.

*shrugs*

~Killthorne~

[JaydeMoon]

Anything you can do, I can do better!

Anything I can do better than you!

[HATEFACE]

Anything you can do, I can do better!

Anything I can do better than you!

No, you can't.

[JaydeMoon]

Yes, I can!

[HATEFACE]

No, you can't.

[JaydeMoon]

Yes, I can!

[HATEFACE]

No, you can't.

[JaydeMoon]

Yes, I can!

YES, I CAN!

[HATEFACE]

Anything you can be, I can be greater!
Sooner or later, I'm greater than you!