Traps in a spellbook are a great way to target the spellcaster in the group... a mysterious spellbook is a serious temptation for any wizard.
Traps in spellbooks might be hidden or could be quite visible and yet remain interesting and challenging (i.e. the spellcaster might easily spot the ink golem traps protecting every spell - do they risk to trigger it every time to learn new spells?), or could also be in the form of twisted spells (i.e. without the correct code, the learned spell is actually harmful instead of useful).
Obviouly, traps in a spellbook are magical ones, and your spellcaster will soon learn to cast Detect Magic or similar before opening a new spellbook... but does the aura of the spellbook disturb Detect Magic? And what about that wizard who smartly predicted that other spellcasters would disarm magical traps and used instead a simple, poisoned needle or poisoned dust?
Spellbook Traps
by Hack & Slash
Here is my list of ways a spell book can be trapped. It's system neutral. I am not the originator of most of these, you may thank Anonymous. Enjoy. I should come up with a list of specific magical books later. . .
1. Alarm
2. Explosive Runes
3. Contingency (To trigger any spell)
4. Symbol
5. Dusty pages (spores, disease)
6. Contact poison
7. Twisted spells (harmful spells unless the caster knows the code or key)
8. Ink Golems
9. Cloud of a million papercuts (Targeting eyes, nose, and mouth.)
10. Something that looks like a linking book, but actually triggers an Imprisoment spell
11. Mimics
12. A book with the same words on every page, with the spells coded into ink, or texture / material of the pages
13. Beartraps
14. Cursed (Polymorph for anyone reading the book who isn't the caster
15. Superglue [...]
http://hackslashmaster.blogspot.com/2010/08/spellbook-traps.html
This is an example of how to use giant block of stone in some original ways. There are a few interesting ideas, and also a few questions which could be useful as inspiration of how to design your traps.
- Take something simple, and think of all the ways this could be used; what could be an unexpected or original use? with and/or without magic?
- Take inspiration from the real world: toys, tools, hardware, scenarios; think about traps but also about secrets
TRAP IDEA – TAKE ONE THING AND EXPAND ON IT
by Follow Me, And Die
Take something simple, and think of all the ways this could be used, it could all be in the same dungeon, or series of dungeons/tombs. Perhaps all the tomb builders of a certain epoch used them. [...]
Have a giant rock or cube the shape of the corridor fill up the space.
It doesn’t have to kill. Use it to stop entrance or exit and otherwise direct the adventurers along the path most favorable to the kobolds.
Think of all the ways you can use a giant block of stone to impede and frustrate their efforts. Be sure to think in 3 dimensions.
Examples with a 10X10X10 dungeon corridor.
- The block that falls can’t be pushed or pulled as it is a tight fit and there is a slight lip in the floor around its base.
- The block falls just in front to make them turn back or aside at an intersection.
- The block falls after they enter a room and exit on opposite wall has one that will fall before they can leave the room.
- - There can be no exit and the party waits for rescue or attack, or figures a way out.
- - There can appear to be no exit, but there is a secret door or trap door in the flor/ceiling.
[...]
- A stone block actually is a secret room but the players have to find it in the portion facing them.
[...]
I started with a stone block and added in pits, moving walls, floors, and ceilings, and so forth. In the same way, start with something simple and look at it just a bit differently.
- What can you do with it that you or a player wouldn’t expect?
- What can you do with it with and without magic? (Technology for other genres.)
- Find one of your child’s or grandchild’s toys or other household item. What can you do with that?
- Pay attention to the things you see at the big box stores or hardware store.
- What overheard conversation from public places sparks an idea?
- Don’t limit yourself to traps. You can do this with secret doors, hidden compartments, etc.[...]
If you're ready for a longer read, you can also refer to this series of posts by Talysman. The previous post about traps already had links to the first two articles, but the list contains also a series of posts about different types of traps... Springs, Levers, Pressure Plates, etc. are all analyzed in details and can provide inspiration for your own new, original traps.
Traps Series
by Talysman
[...]Springs
Shutters/Valves
Compression Triggers
Levers
Pressure Plates
Equilibrium (Balance) Plates
Delays
Wheels/Axles [...]
To conclude this post, let's look at four links by Martin O, on traps, guards, alarms and locks.
Some of these are interesting, others a little bit nasty.
For example I like the idea of reducing the speed to paralysis in a progressive manner or preventing turning left or right because they pose a challenge.
I don't like too much the "accelerate to death" or "radiation" traps, in their simplicity, because they require just a dispell magic or a cure, or they cause a fast/slow death with not too much of challenge or interesting content...
In this sense, I prefer a trap to make damage than to kill because a weakened character becomes a challenge for the player... more than a dead one. As you might have guessed, rather than just killing characters with one blow, I'd rather grind them slowly to death because players don't know when to turn back and return to safety instead of pushing forward with greed.
20 Traps for Wizards and Assholes
by Martin O
1. Xeno Hallway - Person moves half the speed they did last round, every round. If not sprinting at the start they’ll effectively be stuck [...]
3. Turn Rune - Trigger-activated rune prevents all affected from turning left or right on their own accord. Visual or area activation common. Typically last a day [...]
5. Acceleration Rune - Target starts accelerating at rate of 5ft/round(squared). No effective upper speed limit. Distance required to turn 90 degrees also increases at 5ft/round (starting at 0ft). Unless eventually dispelled, your pieces will almost certainly end up ricocheting into space. [...]
13. Radioactive Loot - Hope you enjoy having cancer, thief! Whatever is worth stealing is radioactive. Direct prolonged contact is sure to produce dire health effects. [...]
Guards are basically like a visibile trap. There might be a way to deactivate a trap before it triggers or to circumvent it, and there might be a way to distract or incapacitate a guard instead of fighting it.
They offer interesting options as well as traps.
20 Magical Guards
by Martin O
http://goodberrymonthly.blogspot.com/2018/06/20-magical-guards.html
Finally, locks; note that these are simply hard to bypass or force, they are not really about causing harm but preventing or slow down or discourage entry, a little like alarms.
Weird Locks
So, what's the purpose of Locks? For the purposes of a Wizard City campaign, a lock is designed to slow down, discourage, or otherwise prevent entry. It is expected that any wizard, given enough time, will be able to crack any lock, so they're not designed to be impenetrable. [...]
3. Crocodile Maw - Shaped as crocodile head. Requires feeding specific kind of meat to open lock [...]
Some of these are interesting, others a little bit nasty.
For example I like the idea of reducing the speed to paralysis in a progressive manner or preventing turning left or right because they pose a challenge.
I don't like too much the "accelerate to death" or "radiation" traps, in their simplicity, because they require just a dispell magic or a cure, or they cause a fast/slow death with not too much of challenge or interesting content...
In this sense, I prefer a trap to make damage than to kill because a weakened character becomes a challenge for the player... more than a dead one. As you might have guessed, rather than just killing characters with one blow, I'd rather grind them slowly to death because players don't know when to turn back and return to safety instead of pushing forward with greed.
20 Traps for Wizards and Assholes
by Martin O
1. Xeno Hallway - Person moves half the speed they did last round, every round. If not sprinting at the start they’ll effectively be stuck [...]
3. Turn Rune - Trigger-activated rune prevents all affected from turning left or right on their own accord. Visual or area activation common. Typically last a day [...]
5. Acceleration Rune - Target starts accelerating at rate of 5ft/round(squared). No effective upper speed limit. Distance required to turn 90 degrees also increases at 5ft/round (starting at 0ft). Unless eventually dispelled, your pieces will almost certainly end up ricocheting into space. [...]
13. Radioactive Loot - Hope you enjoy having cancer, thief! Whatever is worth stealing is radioactive. Direct prolonged contact is sure to produce dire health effects. [...]
Guards are basically like a visibile trap. There might be a way to deactivate a trap before it triggers or to circumvent it, and there might be a way to distract or incapacitate a guard instead of fighting it.
They offer interesting options as well as traps.
20 Magical Guards
by Martin O
[...] 8. Beeeeeeeeeeeeees! - A lot of bees. Like, a heck of a lot of bees. Like, an incomprehensible number of bees... Release the bees!
9. Mirror Golem - Two-faceted silver nitrate coated machine. Deflects direct-target spells. Front facet shows a false future - anyone who looks in it gains disadvantage on their next roll. Rear facet shows a true future with opposite effect. [...]
16. Party Mirror - Alignment-reflected vengeful clones of every party member. Same capabilities, same stats, same equipment. [...]
And if guards are traps, what about alarms? (I guess they're just some sort of traps)
The first is a classic, but have a look at the post linked below for more inspiration. I copied another three: I like the distraction caused by "Flies in Your Eyes" and the options opened by "Open Bounty" (though I fear it might result just in endless combats with bounty-hunters).
But it's number 17, Past Assassin, that is quite interesting...
It should be guarding something important because it seems to me like a powerful spell to use as a protection... How would you play that out? Perhaps digg out the adventure you played a few sessions earlier and try to recreate the events but with the Past Assassin in the game? Would you re-play the events just with a combat in the middle? I am not sure how the players would take it... but if my character was severely wounded (or died) in a fight that occurred a week or a month before the current adventure, I would find it quite cool!
by Martin O
1. Screaming Mouth - Classic Magic Mouth alarm. Screams very very loud in caster’s voice. This version has noted effect of spreading to any surface that touches it (i.e. hands, clothes, the back of Frank’s head). [...]
15. Flies in Your Eyes - Illusory flies start appearing in the visions of intruders. Impossible to swat, impossible to avoid, incredibly distracting. Accompanied by loud buzzing sound.
16. Open Bounty - Alarm triggers instant bounty, five pounds of unicorn flesh per head, on any and all unlawful intruders. Announces this loudy on street and triggers Sending to the fiercest bounty hunters around.
17. Past Assassin - Message sent to past detailing current intruders to an assassin, who will then try and cut them off and change past events so that intrusion does not occur. [...]
Finally, locks; note that these are simply hard to bypass or force, they are not really about causing harm but preventing or slow down or discourage entry, a little like alarms.
Weird Locks
by Martin O
[...] I am deliberately avoiding the "there is a spell on this lock that triggers when it's messed with", or the "assemble the pieces of the Master Key", because those are quite common and kind of dull.So, what's the purpose of Locks? For the purposes of a Wizard City campaign, a lock is designed to slow down, discourage, or otherwise prevent entry. It is expected that any wizard, given enough time, will be able to crack any lock, so they're not designed to be impenetrable. [...]
3. Crocodile Maw - Shaped as crocodile head. Requires feeding specific kind of meat to open lock [...]
6. My Hole - Lock contains person-sized outline of owner. Only someone of exactly their dimensions may enter. Popular with amputee wizards [...]
15. 1000 Year Lock - Metal lock “blooms” (opens) once only every 1000 years for exactly one day. If you miss your chance that’s it… Or maybe time travel [...]
