What exactly do you reveal to players about traps?

[Kashyyyk]

With successful perception, do you reveal the exact list of countermeasures, and triggers verbatim to your players? Or allude to these items in a more veiled fashion? For instance, do you suggest that the trap could be delayed?

Trap heavy adventure coming up, and I want to make sure I run it correctly. Thanks

-Dave

[Leewei]

In general, I'd reveal presence of traps with a successful Perception check. Analyzing or disarming the traps would use Thievery skill.

There are some exceptions to this. A concealed pit or snare, or an unsound structure would both have a fairly clear function. No second skill check would be necessary for these.

[Duff]

It depends:
If I want to have the trap work as a little bit of a puzzle I give some info and if they ask the right questions and/or do the right things I give significant bonuses on rolls to disarm or re-purpose the trap.
If the discovery of the trap means it's purpose is finished (say, a tarp who's job was to protect the BBEG from being charged from the doorway) then I'll tell them where the trigger is and get on with the battle.

[MoutonRustique]

I tend to give all the pertinent information in "thinly-veiled" in-world descriptions. Things like:
- You remember that Archalunatum's Reversed Accumen could shield you from these effects = Arcana Check
- If you take a moment to remember, you're pretty sure you've seen something like that statue before... = make a History check
- There are certainly ways to disable this complex mechanism, but as you've noticed in the past, a well-applied ax tends to solve most problems... = you can use Thievery or just smash it to smithereens.
- etc.

By not being completely transparent I leave room for the random (and often cool) ideas players get - if you're completely transparent, you can lock them down somewhat - but even then, some prefer a very defined game. It's just a matter of preference really.

[Beoric]

The best advice I have ever seen on traps is in Hack & Slash's Trick & Trap Index (http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.ca/p/trick-trap-index.html).

The Angry GM also has some decent advice (http://theangrygm.com/tag/traps/) for skill based systems. I would consider Angry's advice to be beginner-intermediate level, whereas Hack & Slash is expert.

If you amalgamate the two, your adjudication of traps will be genius. Use the perception checks to give out the information that Hack & Slash includes in his articles on agency - or don't bother with the checks, if the PCs look at the right things, or use a 10' pole properly - and your players could be in for a real treat.

At the very least, check out the Water Shock (http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.ca/2011/04/on-thursday-trick-water-shock_28.html) room.