DM Entry: Improvised Traps

Improvised Traps

Improvised Traps, or booby traps, are makeshift traps that have a Challenge Rating less than 1. Anyone can craft such a trap and the cost and crafting times are much less than those of normal traps.

Craft (trapmaking) Check: When you craft your trap, you make a single Craft (trapmaking) check. The result sets the crafting time, Spot DC, Disable Device DC, Reflex DC (if any), and Attack Bonus (if any). As with any Craft check, you take a -2 penalty if you are using improvised tools (0 gp), a +0 bonus for using artisan’s tools (5 gp), or a +2 circumstance bonus for using masterwork artisan tools (55 gp).

Crafting Time: The time to craft an improvised trap is 1 minute times your Craft (trapmaking) check result. If you choose to build your improvised trap from materials you have on hand around you (see below), add 10 minutes to the total crafting time.

Spot DC: Improvised traps are so simple and cheap that they are easy to spot. Thus, improvised traps have no Search DC and spotting one does not require the trapfinding class ability. The DC to Spot an improvised trap is equal to your Craft (trapmaking) check result. A character with the trapfinding class ability gains a +5 bonus to Spot an improvised trap.

Disable Device DC: Your Craft (trapmaking) check result sets the DC for someone to disable the trap. A character with the trapfinding class ability gains a +5 bonus to disable or bypass an improvised trap.

Reflex Save DC: If your trap requires a Reflex save, the DC is equal to your Craft (trapmaking) check result (or any lower number if you so choose).

Attack Bonus: If the trap makes an attack roll, it has an attack bonus equal to half your Craft (trapmaking) check result (or any lower number if you so choose).

No Reset: All improvised traps have no reset.

Materials: Each improvised trap will define any materials that are required to build the trap. If you accept a -10 penalty to your Craft (trapmaking) check, you can build the trap from materials that are on hand around you without using any gear or supplies you personally possess or own (unless the DM determines that the surroundings are particularly barren).

Example Improvised Traps

Falling Object

You rig a dart, rock, or other object to fall onto a creature passing under its location, such as above a door.

Mechanical; location trigger; melee attack against flat-footed AC (+1 for higher ground); 1d4 points of damage, materials: Falling object.

Noisy Tripwire

You string a piece of wire, section of rope, vine, or leather strap, etc., across some span where you expect a creature to enter. Once the wire is tripped by a Tiny or larger creature, one or more objects fall and make noise. Anyone within 10 feet of the tripwire per noisy object (up to 60 feet) can hear this clearly The Listen DC within this area equals 7 minus 1 per noisy object, up to 6 noisy objects, and sleeping creatures take a -10 penalty. Reduce the distance by 10 feet for each interposing closed door and by 20 feet for each substantial interposing wall. In quiet conditions (such as while your party is sleeping), the noise can be heard faintly as far as three times this distance. The sound lasts for 1 round. Creatures within a silence spell cannot hear the noise. Anyone who knows about the tripwire can bypass it. The crafting time is per 5-foot square in which you set a tripwire. All tripwire squares must be adjacent to either another tripwire square or the noisy-objects square (and the noisy-objects square must be adjacent to at least one tripwire square).

Mechanical; location trigger; melee attack against flat-footed AC; nonmagical audible alarm for 1 round, materials: Five feet of wire (or just about anything that can serve this purpose) per 5–foot square your trap occupies, plus whatever objects that will make noise when dropped and/or broken, such as bottles, metal objects, window panes, chairs, plates, etc.