1. Incoming tweets about D&D traps and locks, because some old-school traps are grinding on my nerves a little, while others are inspiring.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
2. When you add a trap to an adventure, think about its effect on play. Will it cause grinding caution in the players? Do you want that?
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
3. Think about how it works, how it can be found, and how it can be disarmed. You need to be able to describe these aspects.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
4. Think about what failure to disarm means. Maybe it's just wasted time, but it could mean lack of safety despite perception of it.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
5. Also, think about how the trap affects those who placed it. Smart creatures don't place traps likely to harm them in the future.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
6. That's why something like glyph of warding is so useful.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
7. If your world has ample magic, a mechanical trap shouldn't be more resource intensive than that spell, unless its makers did it for fun.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
8. (Like dwarves and their crazy vaults, but I digress.)
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
9. And, when it comes to locks, one question is primary. Where is the key?
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
10. The answer could be the key is nowhere. But if someone in the dungeon needs to open that lock regularly, that answer is likely wrong.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
11. Also, most locks are just a time sink to pick, and they become a dramatic interlude only if the time to open actually matters.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
12. Too many of these elements in an adventure makes it seem arbitrary and can even make playing less fun.
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
13. One more thing (as always): Why was the trap created? Why is this lock here?
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
@ChrisSSims hwvr locked vs unlocked is narrative, gives the party information about the relative importance and security of a given area.
— Ken Walter (@redkatartist) August 10, 2016
Sure. It's okay for a lock to serve a practical purpose. https://t.co/K7Z3vifLAh
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
Traps should be specialty interactions for players that are into such things; if your group isn’t up for this, don’t https://t.co/TxSEVeDblh
— (((Georg Mir))) (@GeorgMir) August 10, 2016
I'd say minimize, but I agree in general. https://t.co/nRf1j293l9
— Chris Sims (@ChrisSSims) August 10, 2016
