Failed Pitfall Trap Escape

[Lycan 01]

What happens when a player hops into a pitfall trap, and then tries to escape but fails?

Lets say a character is at the bottom of a 10-foot hole, and says that they want to try to escape. No hurry, no extenuating circumstances, they just want to climb out. So they roll to climb out... and get a 1.

Now, does this mean they have to try again later, and if so, at what time? Or does it mean that since they failed escaping under even the best circumstances, with a fumble no less, that its physically impossible for them to escape?

Now, to make it worse - they have no one there to help. They're the only person there. No one else knows they're there. Heck, the whole party doesn't even know the cave they're in exists!

So... what happens?


I checked the book, but all it said was "A DC 15 check is needed to escape a pitfall trap." There was nothing to be found on what happens if you fail the check, and have no one else there to help.


Thoughts? Opinions? Or, worse comes to worse, lets have a vote - should they get another chance after X amount of time, or are they trapped until somebody else (eventually) comes along?

[The Cat Goddess]

The rules for Climbing (and the consequences of failure) are listed in the Players Handbook under the description of the skill.

Also, there is no "Fumble" result for skill checks. If your character has +14 Climbing and rolls a 1, you still get a 15 and succeed on a DC 15 Climb Check.

[PhoenixRivers]

Also, the DC can be lowered with rope, grapple, or the like. If it's only 10 feet deep, it's also quite likely thata character could make a rather low jump check to grab the top.

[Lycan 01]

He doesn't have anything to give him a boost... His max mod was 2 or so, so no matter what, he didn't roll high enough to get out under the best circumstances.


Hm. The climbing section said a failed climb results in falling damage and loss of that movement phase. But... it was a non-specific time period, so I'm not sure how long that lasts...

[Greenish]

No hurry, no extenuating circumstances, they just want to climb out. So they roll to climb out... and get a 1.

No hurry, you can just take 10.

Alternatively, keep trying until you succeed. Also, see Climbing rules. You can reduce the DC of a climb check by 5 if you can brace against perpendicular walls (ie. corner).

[Edit]: Your PC may go to the corner of the trap where climb DC is just 10 (15-5=10) and Take 10 to autosucceed and get out.

[Lycan 01]

Even taking 10, he couldn't make the DC.

I suppose I can let him take the test again. It'll just take him longer, which may cause him trouble since he's kinda on a semi-tight schedule...

[Sliver]

No hurry

No hurry, but he is kinda in a hurry?

Anyway, failing just means he doesn't get out that instant. He can try again right away. So he tries climbing out, fails. Steps to the edge where he can brace against the wall (lowering the DC to 10) and takes a 10 climbing, getting out about 3 seconds (a single move action wasted. The other still exists) later than if he managed to do it right away.

[Lycan 01]

He's not rushing because he doesn't know he needs to rush.

[Sliver]

If half a round later might lead to trouble, that schedule is much tighter then -semi-

[Greenish]

Even taking 10, he couldn't make the DC.

Yes he could. The DC is 15. Climbing a corner where you can brace against perpendicular walls reduces the DC by 5. He has +2 Mod. He takes 10 for a total of 12 vs DC of 10.

[The Rabbler]

he can take 20 if he/she really needs to. if something dire is happening and that player needs to be there, stall for him/her.

or, if you need the player to be there immediately, the fumble dislodged a good pile of dirt from the side of the trap; the player fell on the soft dirt, took no damage, and now has a ramp out.

and in general, failing a climb check means you fall, take the damage, and can't move for one turn. It doesn't do any lasting harm other than that to the player's pride.

EDIT: 10ft fall is no damage, D'oh!

[Greenish]

he can take 20 if he/she really needs to.

You can't take 20 if the failure results in negative consequences. (Such as falling and having to start from the bottom again.)

[The Rabbler]

You can't take 20 if the failure results in negative consequences. (Such as falling and having to start from the bottom again.)

well that's certainly good to know. Strange how that's never actually come up in one of my games...

[Greenish]

well that's certainly good to know. Strange how that's never actually come up in one of my games...

Taking 20 means you are trying until you get it right, and it assumes that you fail many times before succeeding. Taking 20 takes twenty times as long as making a single check would take.

Since taking 20 assumes that the character will fail many times before succeeding, if you did attempt to take 20 on a skill that carries penalties for failure, your character would automatically incur those penalties before he or she could complete the task.

If you fail a climb check by 5 or more, you fall. If you fall, you have to start from the bottom again, so unless you can get out with one climb check (ie. move up for 7 and half feet or less), you can't take 20.

Though I notice that the hole is just 10', so you'd get out of there with one accelerated (DC +5) climb check. You're right.

[Cogidubnus]

I am amazed that a) someone actually managed to get themselves into this situation and b) that nobody else seems to have noticed the hilarity of it.

On a more practical note, what would you do if you were climbing out of a pit, missed a handhold, and fell? Get back up and try again (next round).

[Lycan 01]

Okay, now he just did something I honestly don't know how to handle.


Have escaped the trap, he got to the door in front of the trap. What's supposed to happen is, when he opens the door, a small shockwave curse on the door hits him for 1d6 damage and throws him backwards back down into the pit. Its really just supposed to be a silly, annoying prank. The curse is disable after the first use, too, so its just a small "Ha!" trap.

Well, he just blew up the door with a fire spell. Rolled a 20, in fact...

So what happens when you destroy a cursed object? I've heard they kinda explode, with the enchantment on them magnified exponentially. Or at least, that's what I've gotten from all the "I broke a necklace of fireballs and got hit with X number of fireball spells at once" sort of stories.

So... Does it just burn the door to ash, set off the curse as normal as the door is destroyed, or let loose an uber-shockwave that deals several d6 and throws him all the way back down the hall?

[Greenish]

So what happens when you destroy a cursed object?

The object is destroyed obviously. Nothing else, unless the description specifically says so.

I've heard they kinda explode, with the enchantment on them magnified exponentially. Or at least, that's what I've gotten from all the "I broke a necklace of fireballs and got hit with X number of fireball spells at once" sort of stories.

Necklace of Fireballs is not a cursed item (mechanically). All the fireball spells stored in it just go off at the same time when it's hit by an area effect.

So... Does it just burn the door to ash, set off the curse as normal as the door is destroyed, or let loose an uber-shockwave that deals several d6 and throws him all the way back down the hall?

It destroys the door. If the curse doesn't specify a reaction to the items destruction, that's all.

[The Glyphstone]

Necklace of Fireball isn't a cursed item. It specifically explains in the item description how it reacts to being destroyed too.

There aren't any rules regarding destroying cursed items...indeed, it's the only way to save yourself from some of them (like the Necklace of Strangulation).

[holywhippet]

Here's the SRD page on cursed items: http://www.d20srd.org/srd/magicItems/cursedItems.htm

I don't think that door would be considered cursed, just trapped.

Hm. The climbing section said a failed climb results in falling damage and loss of that movement phase. But... it was a non-specific time period, so I'm not sure how long that lasts...

Even outside of combat, every action and move combo still takes 6 seconds unless specified otherwise.

[Lycan 01]

We're playing 4e...


Cursed, enchanted, trapped... I still don't know if it activates the spell or not, and if so, to what extent.

[Greenish]

We're playing 4e...

You maybe ought've mentioned this earlier, ya know?

Cursed, enchanted, trapped... I still don't know if it activates the spell or not, and if so, to what extent.

It doesn't, at all.

[Thomo]

For hilarity's sake have a shockwave from the destruction of the door and curse push him back into the pit, that'll teach him! Lol.
And cinematically it makes sense as well (by so far as it would look cool - fluff it up as the energies created by the fire spell react with the curse, destroying it but not in the appropriate manner. The damage from the curse is mitigated but as the enchantment explodes it creates a mini-shockwave, pushing the PC back and subsequently down into the pit. Again.)

[Lycan 01]

It would be hilarious... But I don't want to be labeled an unfair DM...

[The Rabbler]

For hilarity's sake have a shockwave from the destruction of the door and curse push him back into the pit, that'll teach him! Lol.
And cinematically it makes sense as well (by so far as it would look cool - fluff it up as the energies created by the fire spell react with the curse, destroying it but not in the appropriate manner. The damage from the curse is mitigated but as the enchantment explodes it creates a mini-shockwave, pushing the PC back and subsequently down into the pit. Again.)

this. this is how you teach people to put ranks into physical skills. especially if they aren't a physical class.

[Greenish]

It would be hilarious... But I don't want to be labeled an unfair DM...

Well, I wouldn't punish a player for taking necessary precautions. (Fireballing something down always counts as "necessary precautions".)

[KillianHawkeye]

You're the DM, right? Make something up.

[Lycan 01]

Its not like it'll kill him. He's only spent 1 surge on the whole dungeon, and he's almost to the end.

I'm out of silly traps now, in fact.

[Thomo]

And besides, it will teach him a valuable lesson about curses - there is a right way to remove them and sometimes a scalpel is better than a hammer (not often, but it happens). And besides, if you don't do any damage from the trap, it's only his pride that is hurt.

[holywhippet]

Have the trap be trigged by the fire spell - opening by violence is still opening. Since the door has been demolished and presumably set on fire then pieces of it will be sent flying in all directions. Make some kind of attack rolls to see if any hit him.

[Lycan 01]

I suppose I can grant him a Reflex save...

Ah! That's it. The door explodes outward, since the spell would have had him either getting hit by the door or a wall of force. He then takes a Reflex save to avoid the flaming chunks of door, then the falling damage from the trap. XD

He's gonna hate me for this, but its comical to see his reactions to these pranks...