Gurifu
2016-06-11, 12:31 PM
I've been putting together a guideline for myself for building level-appropriate traps and awarding appropriate XP for them. I'd like to see what giantitip thinks. Comments, criticism, suggestions, etc.
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Trap "character sheet"
Activation
Is the trap activated by interacting with an object (door, window, chest, etc), simply being in a place or entering an area (tripwire, pit, pressure-plate, etc) or something else? Does the trap reset itself, and if so, how long does it take? Depending on how frequently it resets and how hard it is to bypass once its location is known, it may be worth counting the trap as multiple traps, each with its own CR.
Damage
Attacks: Lists attack bonus and damage, and determines if it does multi-attack, or targets multiple characters at once.
Saves: Lists save DC and whether the save is for half or full. Lists damage.
Secondary Effects (Minor)
List the secondary effect and the save DC. Minor Secondary Effects are inconvenient and debilitating but don't put an adventurer out of action. Examples: Poisoned, Cursed, Hexed, Grappled, Enlarged/Reduced, Moved
Secondary Effects (Major)
List the secondary effect and the save DC. Major secondary effects take an adventurer out of action. Examples: Unconscious, Petrified, Teleported, Plane Shifted, Banished, Trapped, Incapacitated
Trap Summons an Encounter?
List the CR of the encounter.
Disabling or Bypassing the Trap
Determine the Thief's Tools DC or anticipate another method by which the trap can be disabled or bypassed. Be willing to accept out-of-the-box solutions from players.
Stealth
The stealth roll of the creature who hid the trap, plus a static modifier for the trap itself if appropriate. Roll this when the trap is being Investigated for (Interaction Activated Traps), or opposing the Passive Perception of the creature who is approaching it (Location Activated Traps).
OR: the trap is hidden in plain sight or has no trigger mechanism separate from normal terrain
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Calculating Trap CR
Damage:
-0.5 CR: +0 or worse attack; DC10 Save for Full
+0 CR: +1 to +4 attack; DC10 Save for Half; DC11 to 15 Save for Full
+0.5 CR: +5 to +7 attack; DC11 to 15 Save for Half; DC16 to 20 Save for Full
+1 CR: +8 to +10 attack; DC16 to 20 Save for Half
+0.5 CR: per 5 points of average single-target damage
+1 CR: per 5 points of multi-attacking or multi-targeting damage.
Secondary Effects (minor)
+0.5 CR: per effect of DC10
+1 CR: per effect of DC11 to 15
+2 CR: per effect of DC 16 to 20
Secondary Effects (major)
+1 CR: per effect of DC10
+2 CR: per effect of DC11 to 15
+3 CR: per effect of DC 16 to 20
Trap Summons an Encounter?
+CR equal to XP value of the encounter (round down)
Disabling or Bypassing the Trap
Divide CR by half: Disabling or Bypassing the trap is unnecessary. (You can just walk around it.)
+0 CR: DC10 or Easy (poke it with a long stick, prop a shield in front of it, etc)
+0.5 CR: DC11 to 15 or Complex (position multiple team members, perform a complex series of tasks, etc)
+1 CR: DC16 to 20 or Very Complex (as Complex, but you must also succeed on some other skill checks to attempt the disarm/bypass)
Multiply trap CR by 1.5: Epic (Mission Impossible, Ocean's Eleven, etc)
Stealth
+0.5 CR per +2 bonus. May not exceed 3 at +12. May not exceed half the per-stealth CR value of the trap.
If the trap is hidden in plain sight or has no trigger mechanism separate from normal terrain, multiply the trap's final CR by 1.5. Compute last.
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Trap "character sheet"
Activation
Is the trap activated by interacting with an object (door, window, chest, etc), simply being in a place or entering an area (tripwire, pit, pressure-plate, etc) or something else? Does the trap reset itself, and if so, how long does it take? Depending on how frequently it resets and how hard it is to bypass once its location is known, it may be worth counting the trap as multiple traps, each with its own CR.
Damage
Attacks: Lists attack bonus and damage, and determines if it does multi-attack, or targets multiple characters at once.
Saves: Lists save DC and whether the save is for half or full. Lists damage.
Secondary Effects (Minor)
List the secondary effect and the save DC. Minor Secondary Effects are inconvenient and debilitating but don't put an adventurer out of action. Examples: Poisoned, Cursed, Hexed, Grappled, Enlarged/Reduced, Moved
Secondary Effects (Major)
List the secondary effect and the save DC. Major secondary effects take an adventurer out of action. Examples: Unconscious, Petrified, Teleported, Plane Shifted, Banished, Trapped, Incapacitated
Trap Summons an Encounter?
List the CR of the encounter.
Disabling or Bypassing the Trap
Determine the Thief's Tools DC or anticipate another method by which the trap can be disabled or bypassed. Be willing to accept out-of-the-box solutions from players.
Stealth
The stealth roll of the creature who hid the trap, plus a static modifier for the trap itself if appropriate. Roll this when the trap is being Investigated for (Interaction Activated Traps), or opposing the Passive Perception of the creature who is approaching it (Location Activated Traps).
OR: the trap is hidden in plain sight or has no trigger mechanism separate from normal terrain
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Calculating Trap CR
Damage:
-0.5 CR: +0 or worse attack; DC10 Save for Full
+0 CR: +1 to +4 attack; DC10 Save for Half; DC11 to 15 Save for Full
+0.5 CR: +5 to +7 attack; DC11 to 15 Save for Half; DC16 to 20 Save for Full
+1 CR: +8 to +10 attack; DC16 to 20 Save for Half
+0.5 CR: per 5 points of average single-target damage
+1 CR: per 5 points of multi-attacking or multi-targeting damage.
Secondary Effects (minor)
+0.5 CR: per effect of DC10
+1 CR: per effect of DC11 to 15
+2 CR: per effect of DC 16 to 20
Secondary Effects (major)
+1 CR: per effect of DC10
+2 CR: per effect of DC11 to 15
+3 CR: per effect of DC 16 to 20
Trap Summons an Encounter?
+CR equal to XP value of the encounter (round down)
Disabling or Bypassing the Trap
Divide CR by half: Disabling or Bypassing the trap is unnecessary. (You can just walk around it.)
+0 CR: DC10 or Easy (poke it with a long stick, prop a shield in front of it, etc)
+0.5 CR: DC11 to 15 or Complex (position multiple team members, perform a complex series of tasks, etc)
+1 CR: DC16 to 20 or Very Complex (as Complex, but you must also succeed on some other skill checks to attempt the disarm/bypass)
Multiply trap CR by 1.5: Epic (Mission Impossible, Ocean's Eleven, etc)
Stealth
+0.5 CR per +2 bonus. May not exceed 3 at +12. May not exceed half the per-stealth CR value of the trap.
If the trap is hidden in plain sight or has no trigger mechanism separate from normal terrain, multiply the trap's final CR by 1.5. Compute last.