It’s a Trap!

Friday, July 6, 2018

Hazards are some of the most common challenges in Pathfinder, apart from monsters, and the most common hazards are traps. Most of the hazards in the Pathfinder Playtest are traps, but there are also environmental hazards like mold and quicksand, or even haunts. Rather than have different rules for each type of hazard, in the playtest, hazards all have a unified format, though how you might find them and deal with them can be quite different.

Noticing a Hazard

Most hazards can be noticed using Perception, although simple or obvious magical hazards are easily noticeable via detect magic and similar magic. Some hazards are so easy to locate that you might notice them even if you aren't even searching. Other hazards might be created or hidden in a particularly devious way and require a certain proficiency rank to notice them before it's too late, even if you're searching. (The rogue's Trap Finder feat improves this even further in the case of traps, but any character with legendary Perception can find any Perception-based hazard—not just rogues!) These harder-to-locate hazards don't appear until higher levels, since it's incredibly unlikely to encounter a level 1 trap created by a legendary crafter, though that doesn't mean all high-level hazards are hard to notice. For instance, the most dangerous example hazard below, the Armageddon Orb, is trivial for almost anyone to notice.

Disabling a Hazard

The skill needed to disable a hazard varies. Traps are usually disabled via Thievery, environmental hazards via Nature or Survival, and haunts via Occultism or Religion, though there are exceptions in every category. Many hazards require a certain number of successes before they are fully disabled, and a critical success typically counts as two successes. A critical failure means you've accidentally triggered the hazard! Many physical hazards can also be destroyed by brute force. In many cases, breaking the trigger mechanism might set the trap off prematurely, which you might be able to do from a safe distance. We felt it was really important to make dealing with hazards a more narrative experience without taking lots of extra time or requiring the GM to make up details on the spot, and so every skill that can be used to disable a hazard is listed in the stat block, along with a description of the how a PC would use that skill to do so.

Simple or Complex?

Out of everything in the playtest, hazards may be the one component for which you can get the best preview right now. How? Starfinder. We had already created an early framework for hazards by the time Starfinder came around, so when I was asked to create a framework for Starfinder's traps, I adapted what we had for the Pathfinder Playtest, and the rest of the Starfinder Core Rulebook team liked what they saw. We've refined the playtest's system since then, which means that we have two main types of hazards: simple hazards that trigger, take their reaction, and are then done, and complex hazards that roll into initiative and shift the game into encounter mode until the PCs deal with them (or at least escape).

For Example…

Let's take a look at several sample hazards!

Hidden Pit Hazard 0

Mechanical, Trap

Stealth DC 16

Description A trapdoor covers a 10-foot-square pit that is 20 feet deep.

Disable Thievery DC 12 to remove the trapdoor, making the trap no longer hidden (Perception DC 0 to notice)

AC 10, TAC 7; Fort +1, Ref +1

Hardness 4 (trapdoor); Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage

[[R]] Pitfall

Trigger A creature walks onto the trapdoor.

Effect The triggering creature falls in and takes falling damage (typically 10 bludgeoning damage). That creature can use the Grab Edge reaction to avoid falling.

Reset The trap still causes falling damage if anyone falls in, but the trapdoor must be reset manually for the trap to become hidden again.

Ah, the pit, the most basic of all simple traps. Anybody can find a hidden pit, even if they aren't searching for it, because the Stealth DC doesn't require a proficiency rank. If someone walks onto the trapdoor, the pit uses its reaction to open up, and the triggering creature might fall. The Disable entry explains how a character can pop the trapdoor off and make the pit obvious to all. Still might want to be careful crossing, though!

Armageddon Orb Hazard 23

Magical, Trap

Stealth DC 10 or detect magic

Description A roiling red orb, forged from a drop of Rovagug's blood, rains fire from the sky when a specified condition is met.

Disable Thievery DC 51 (legendary) to imbue thieves' tools with aspects representing Asmodeus and Sarenrae and use them to drain away the orb's power over 10 minutes, taking 5 fire damage each round during that time

[[R]] Burn It All (divine, evocation, fire)

Trigger A special condition set by the trap's creator, typically on the event of her death.

Effect Fire rains from the sky in a 100-mile radius, dealing 10d6 fire damage to creatures and objects in the area (Reflex DC 46 for half damage, or no damage on a critical success). Any creature reduced to 0 Hit Points in this way dies instantly. This is not enough damage to completely burn away a forest or level a mountain or city, but it typically kills most creatures in the area.

This one was pure, over-the-top fun to write. What would a level 23 hazard even look like? This one is really obvious but incredibly difficult to disable. The effect's damage is not even remotely a threat to high-level PCs—but if they care about any NPCs in the region, chances are they're not going to want to set this thing off!

Bloodthirsty Urge Hazard 10

Haunt

Stealth DC 29 (trained)

Description An object imbued with echoes of a vicious mind tries to kill someone who comes near.

Disable Religion DC 27 (master) to exorcise the spirit or Diplomacy DC 29 (expert) to talk it down

[[R]] Quietus (emotion, fear, illusion, mental, occult)

Trigger A creature moves within 10 feet of the haunted object.

Effect The haunt takes control of the triggering creature, forcing it to attack itself. The creature is affected by phantasmal killer (DC 25), except that instead of mental damage, the damage type is based on a weapon the creature has drawn, an object it holds, or its unarmed attack damage if it's holding nothing.

Here's an example of a haunt. As you can see, it uses the same basic framework as the other hazards, so once you learn the rules, you can use them flexibly for almost any hazard you can dream up! In this case, a PC could use Religion to exorcise the haunt, but a character could also potentially use Diplomacy to talk it down. Still, the master of Religion has the advantage with an easier DC. You could even imagine an adventure where it matters how the PCs deal with a hazard. Perhaps exorcising a haunt using Religion helps sanctify the area, while using Diplomacy might persuade the spirit to impart some hints to the PCs about what happened before it departs.

Spinning Blade Pillar Hazard 4

Complex, Mechanical, Trap

Stealth +10 (trained) or DC 24 (expert) to notice the control panel

Description A metal pole with three razor-sharp spinning blades is hidden in the floor, connected to trigger plates in up to eight floor tiles and a hidden control panel within 30 feet.

Disable Thievery DC 18 (trained) twice on the pillar, or Thievery DC 16 (expert) once on the control panel deactivates the entire trap

AC 19, TAC 15; Fort +6, Ref +10

Hardness 11 (2 dents) on the pillar, denting the panel causes the trap to stay constantly active and prevents disabling the panel; Immunities critical hits, object immunities, precision damage

[[R]] Rising Pillar (attack)

Trigger A creature steps on one of the floor tiles.

Effect The trap pops up in a grid intersection and makes a spinning blade attack against one adjacent creature (if any), then rolls initiative.

Routine (3 actions) On its initiative, the trap spends its first action making a spinning blade attack against each adjacent creature, its second action to move straight in a random direction (roll 1d4 to determine the direction), and its third action to attack each adjacent creature. This trap doesn't take a multiple attack penalty.

Speed 10 ft.

[[A]] Melee spinning blade +12, Damage 2d10+5 slashing

Reset The trap deactivates and resets after 1 minute.

This is the first complex trap ever created for the game. It was also responsible for the first death in the game, as Logan kept rolling randomly for the blade's movement, which just happened to be wherever Stephen's rogue had moved while trying to avoid it—and then it rolled right back over him after he fell unconscious. Note that the complex trap has a Stealth bonus, rather than just a DC, since it actually rolls for initiative in encounter mode (using Stealth). If your party has an expert in Thievery who can find the hidden panel (we didn't; our expert lay bleeding on the ground), this hazard is actually a breeze to disable, but even a trained character can disable it with patience, and a not-so-patient character can always smash it apart with enough big hits to deal 11 or more damage.

So what do you think? Care to hazard an opinion?

Mark Seifter
Designer

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Tags: Merisiel Pathfinder Playtest Rogues Wayne Reynolds
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I like the more complicated options for traps (hello, spinning blade pillar... I wonder what I can use you for... evilgrin).


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These seem really, really complicated for what they need to do.


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You had me at Armageddon Orb. :)


Very cool blog, I like that hazards encompass traps, haunts, and magical effects.

The only thing weird to me is Complex traps, it should not be a construct? I don't see much difference

Designer

15 people marked this as a favorite.
edduardco wrote:

Very cool blog, I like that hazards encompass traps, haunts, and magical effects.

The only thing weird to me is Complex traps, it should not be a construct? I don't see much difference

The spinning blade could be handled that way, but like a room that slowly fills up with poison gas / water is another good example of a complex trap, and one that definitely wouldn't work as a construct.

Liberty's Edge

2 people marked this as a favorite.

Seems solid.

It's good to know that Proficiency Rank alone unlocks certain options, without being strictly required to interact with things of a certain level as a blanket thing.

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32

Do you make a Stealth check to find the hazard or a Perception check?


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I like how traps are done.

Also armageddon orb and spinning blade pillar are awesome.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

The Grab Edge reaction mentioned, I'm assuming it must be a fixed/default DC? since the hazard doesn't mention one?

And the Armegeddon Orb: This seems to mix encounter/exploration modes -- 10 minutes (exploration scale) but taking 5 damage per round(encounter scale). Obviously with enough energy resistance maybe its a moot point. If you happened to have two Legendary Thievery players could their parallelize the draining of energy?


Hazards seem pretty straight forward. The ARMAGEDDON ORB is absolutely awesome. I can easily see a story arc based on a quest to deactivate one of these.


How come a pit lid has Hardness, but no hit points?
What if PCs want to jam the pit door to walk across?
If Grab Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?

Liberty's Edge

27 people marked this as a favorite.
James Martin wrote:
Do you make a Stealth check to find the hazard or a Perception check?

Perception. The listed number is the Hazard's Stealth.

Castilliano wrote:
How come a pit lid has Hardness, but no hit points?

Items no longer have HP, they have Dents, which is how many times you need to beat their Hardness to break them. Since this one doesn't list a number, it presumably defaults to...whatever the normal default is in the object rules. Maybe 1?

Castilliano wrote:
What if PCs want to jam the pit door to walk across?

An interesting question. No clue.

Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?

Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.


Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Hazards Blog wrote:
The effect's damage is not even remotely a threat to high-level PCs

Sure, that's fair, but the damage taken to disable it... 5 fire/round for 10 minutes, that's 500 fire damage, right? Hope you've got some fire resistance or a cleric healing you as you work.

Designer

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Castilliano wrote:

What if PCs want to jam the pit door to walk across?

The lid wasn't built to support their weight, so they would still fall, though it would probably break the lid at that point and leave it exposed like if they had removed it.


5 people marked this as a favorite.
Quote:
Many physical hazards can also be destroyed by brute force. In many cases, breaking the trigger mechanism might set the trap off prematurely, which you might be able to do from a safe distance. We felt it was really important to make dealing with hazards a more narrative experience without taking lots of extra time or requiring the GM to make up details on the spot, and so every skill that can be used to disable a hazard is listed in the stat block, along with a description of the how a PC would use that skill to do so.

All of this is great. I can't count the number of times the party has had a telekineticist in the group and decided to disable the trap by piling rocks on it or hurling statues at it or something similar to that and the GM had to scramble to figure out what happened.

But I'd be careful with using "every" since, for example, piling 2000 cubic feet of stuff on the hidden pit should render it no longer dangerous to anyone (unless the stuff in question is dangerous). Some groups are really lateral problem solvers. People did solve the infamous "hallway of pit traps" in the "Tomb of Horrors" module by driving a herd of cattle through the hall to find out where the traps are, after all.


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Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber
Deadmanwalking wrote:


Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?
Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.

LOL :)


5 people marked this as a favorite.

The stealth notation feels awkward. I assume it means that you make an opposed perception check against the DC, but it might make more sense to simply say that. For cases where it's an initiative bonus, list it as such Initiative (Stealth): +10.

EDIT: Also, for the initiative case, it indicates (Trained). Is that to say that people who are untrained can't roll initiative?

Sovereign Court RPG Superstar 2010 Top 16, 2011 Top 32

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Deadmanwalking wrote:
James Martin wrote:
Do you make a Stealth check to find the hazard or a Perception check?

Perception. The listed number is the Hazard's Stealth.

This seems an awkward way to display this information. Looking at it, I would think I have to make a Stealth check, instead of making a Perception check vs that Stealth score. Sure, I'll get used to it, but if I am a new player reading that, I'd find it counterintuitive.


Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

This is MUCH nicer than traps used to be.

Loving this. Take this detailed format and apply it to Magic Items/Resonance Points/Investment, please =]

Designer

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First World Bard wrote:
Hazards Blog wrote:
The effect's damage is not even remotely a threat to high-level PCs
Sure, that's fair, but the damage taken to disable it... 5 fire/round for 10 minutes, that's 500 fire damage, right? Hope you've got some fire resistance or a cleric healing you as you work.

No one ever said that disabling a level 23 trap will be easy! (but actually if you're high enough level to be facing a level 23 trap, you probably can think of a good way to avoid, reduce, or heal that 5 fire damage per round)

Liberty's Edge

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NielsenE wrote:
Deadmanwalking wrote:


Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?
Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.
LOL :)

;)

Designer

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PossibleCabbage wrote:
Quote:
Many physical hazards can also be destroyed by brute force. In many cases, breaking the trigger mechanism might set the trap off prematurely, which you might be able to do from a safe distance. We felt it was really important to make dealing with hazards a more narrative experience without taking lots of extra time or requiring the GM to make up details on the spot, and so every skill that can be used to disable a hazard is listed in the stat block, along with a description of the how a PC would use that skill to do so.

All of this is great. I can't count the number of times the party has had a telekineticist in the group and decided to disable the trap by piling rocks on it or hurling statues at it or something similar to that and the GM had to scramble to figure out what happened.

But I'd be careful with using "every" since, for example, piling 2000 cubic feet of stuff on the hidden pit should render it no longer dangerous to anyone (unless the stuff in question is dangerous). Some groups are really lateral problem solvers.

That's not exactly a "skill to disable a hazard" though. It's a different stratagem to bypass or neutralize the hazard. Similarly, noticing a pit and then walking around it, or putting a long sturdy plank over it are ways to avoid it, but they aren't one of the skills to disable it. If that makes sense? Certainly the GM has discretion to allow creative other skill uses to apply when it makes sense though.

Designer

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Deadmanwalking wrote:
NielsenE wrote:
Deadmanwalking wrote:


Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?
Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.
LOL :)
;)

When I told Rick I thought this thread would probably not be too rocky, I never expected a paladin to fall within the first page. Well played DMW.


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NielsenE wrote:
Deadmanwalking wrote:


Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?
Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.
LOL :)

Pit traps are THAT evil!


4 people marked this as a favorite.
Pathfinder Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

I seriously love that 100 mile radius number. That's absolutely apocalyptic; a true fantasy weapon of mass destruction. You could take out New York City, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore (and a whole lot more) with one of those. Wow.

Everything else looks pretty clean and great, too.

Dark Archive

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I look forward to seeing traps that are a bit more deadly. Replacing the annoyance that traps have inspired for the past two decades with genuine trepidation feels like the right choice.


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I think it's cool that disarming a hazard doesn't always use thievery. Now the rest of the party can get involved rather than standing around waiting for the rogue to finish. I've often advocated this in pf1.


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Still not fond of the term "Thievery" but other than that the blog is probably one of the least controversial so far.


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I think the best part of this is adding enough information to the stat block to make traps a lot more interactive. No more just rolling perception and then disable device for everything.

On the other hand, these complicated stat blocks will take some getting used to. The spinning pillar one took at least a couple of full read throughs followed by the dev commentary before I really understood how it was supposed to work.


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I don't know if I need to hang out with a different crowd. But already three of my friends independently asked for clarification on the Orb, stating that the way it is written it could be argued the tools are taking the fire damage.

They are of course technically correct. Even if I would never rule it that way.


Pathfinder Maps, Pathfinder Accessories, Starfinder Adventure Path, Starfinder Maps, Starfinder Roleplaying Game, Starfinder Society Subscriber; Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Superscriber

In case it got lost in the kidding, I am interested in thoughts about how the 10 minute disarm, single skill check, actually plays out in games.

I feel like you either have:
a) its a quick planning (you'll disarm, I'll cast protection from fire every N minutes/heal every N) mark off resources and done.
b) you interrupt the disarming period with a combat/other challenge, but now the Legendary Thievery character is sidelined for the entire combat (or has to restart the draining?).
c) ???? something better than both the above options, please.

Then again most hazards are quickly resolved so maybe option a) is fine/intended. it just feels anticlimatic with how awesome it sounds.

Would seem like ~10 successful checks (at a lower DC, but still requiring Legendary), orb heals 1 check per round, could give a better hazard to mix into the a combat, when the hazard is a plot point. (Ie as you say the orb itself isn't threatening to the PCs)


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NielsenE wrote:

The Grab Edge reaction mentioned, I'm assuming it must be a fixed/default DC? since the hazard doesn't mention one?

Much like the Fighter getting "Attack of Opportunity" or a shield-wielding person getting "Shield Block" as one of their available reactions, I would assume that "Grab Edge" is an option for a character with the requisite skill training/class/skill feat, so it wouldn't likely require a DC or check.

For example, as a purely hypothetical, Grab Edge could be a reaction made available as a Skill Feat for someone who is an Expert in Acrobatics, or it could be a Class Feat for Rogues. It precludes you from using any of your other reaction options, though, so in some cases the 10 damage may be a better choice.


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Pathfinder Lost Omens, Rulebook, Starfinder Roleplaying Game Subscriber

The following notation seems a bit wordy to me. Is there no way this could be standardized?

Quote:
Reflex DC 46 for half damage, or no damage on a critical success

I assume attacks have critical successes baked into the standard rules, but it appears saves do not. For one, does this explicitly not deal double damage on a critical fail? Is that intentional or is it just saving word count?

Either way, hazards are cool. I'm glad to see things like multiple ways of bypassing complex traps.


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Not a fan of multiple checks to disable.


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Regarding the Armageddon Orb; it might be helpful to include the number of rounds required to disable it (in parenthesis) next to the number of minutes. So as to make it more clear how many rounds you have to endure the damaging effect. I know we can math it out ourselves, but to me it would be worth the line-space for ease of reference as a gm. I'm already calculating a lot.

Also: This item makes me wonder about how damage to buildings works, because it is obviously enough damage to kill anyone less than 3rd level outright if they are outdoors when that thing goes off.
But just how much protection does being indoors grant in this system? In PF1, a square of stone has Hardness 8 and 900 hp, and stone and wooden walls have hardness 8 & 5, and 90 & 60 HP respectively. Meaning that in PF1; the rain of fire would damage the buildings somewhat (setting neither ablaze because it isn't continuing damage); but the occupants would be completely unharmed (by the rain of fire).


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Why is the pit trap the only one with a fortitude and or reflex save?


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So... the Armageddon Orb needs 10 minutes of tinkering to disable... but it inflicts 5 fire damage *each round*... is that meant to be deadly to characters without elemental protection? It probably is, but would like to make sure.

And, a Grab Edge reaction... now I'm starting to worry a bit. I can totally understand codifying combat options, and even Seek and a couple others which will see a lot of use... but, Mark, how long is the list of actions and reactions? I'm a bit scared right now.

I like that the rules encompass traps, haunts and environmental hazards - I mean, a set of interlinked rules for hazards, in general, seems like a good idea. At the same time, it looks a bit... rigid. Like, "approach this problem from these predetermined courses of action, follow these rules exactly"... A bit stifling perhaps. Or it could be my usual knee-jerk reaction. I hope in play it's more... loose, in general.

It's nice, on the other hand, to have firm rules for an hazard if you have to incorporate it into an encounter, that's true.

Eh, I dunno. A little apprehensive about it.

(Also, I was expecting animal companions!! XD No, actually it's not a priority, just kidding, although I'm very curious...).


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Hah, I did suggest being able to use Nature to disable an environmental hazard and I'm glad that's a thing.

I'm glad hazards, traps and haunts use a unified rules format. :)

Surprised to see no specified save / skill / DC for the Grab Edge reaction. Is it just automatic, no chance of failure?

It would be nice if more hazard took multiple (ideally different) checks to disable, either by multiple characters in one round or by one or two characters over several rounds. The only example I see here is the spinning pillar, which is just two Thievery checks. Everything else just seems to be a single check to defeat the entire hazard, even the Armageddon Orb is only a single check?!

It looks like objects no longer have hit points, just dents. If an object has no dents listed, like the lid of a pit trap, you destroy it automatically if you bypass its hardness? They've mentioned being able to destroy a strong object outright in a single attack, yet without hitpoints, I'm imagining that means each multiple of the object's hardness that you deal you inflict an additional dent?

I like the Bloodthirsty Urge referring to "this spell, but changed in X way." I like stuff like that. Might be just me. :)

The Stealth for the spinning blade pillar is less intuitive. I get that it is rolling initiative but it's still a weird exception to other traps. I'd maybe still give it a "DC" and that is its flat, always-the-same, not-rolled initiative, with players rolling against that to go before or after it.

Continuing with Stealth, it would make infinitely more intuitive sense for those to be listed as Perception DCs, not using the word Stealth there.

Overall I like, even if I was hoping to see more about exploration mode besides just hazards! I mean I expected hazards to be in an exploration mode article, I just didn't think they'd be the WHOLE article. I thought we'd find out more about how the mode works and what you changed. XD


Would an AMF on the Armageddon Orb render it harmless during its trigger point? Seems like most magical traps could still be rendered moot by an AMF.


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The blog seems to imply you still have no chance to detect traps unless you're actively spending actions searching for them, just like in PF1. Is this true?

Liberty's Edge

RicoTheBold wrote:

I seriously love that 100 mile radius number. That's absolutely apocalyptic; a true fantasy weapon of mass destruction. You could take out New York City, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and Baltimore (and a whole lot more) with one of those. Wow.

Everything else looks pretty clean and great, too.

Probably staying indoor will protect you. At least if your house has terracotta roof tiles or a concrete roof. Surviving the following firestorm, through ...

(Images of Dresden or Hiroshima)


Castilliano wrote:
If Grab Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?

It's not even clear if Grab Edge requires a roll. If it does proc a save though, I would certainly hope Divine Grace has text allowing you to proc it as a free action as part of another reaction that gives you a save. Or maybe that would be a feat upgrade, though I'd think it should be part of the base ability.

Bastille wrote:
Would an AMF on the Armageddon Orb render it harmless during its trigger point? Seems like most magical traps could still be rendered moot by an AMF.

I find it very likely that this time, AMF only affects spells with a tier up to the spell tier it was cast at, and items with a level up to twice that tier. So if you cast AMF out of an 8th tier slot, it wouldn't affect a sword or hazard of level 17 or above. But I guess we'll have to wait to see the rules for it.


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NielsenE wrote:
Deadmanwalking wrote:


Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?
Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.
LOL :)

Finally, a falling Paladin trap situation that I actually like!

Liberty's Edge

Dragon78 wrote:
Not a fan of multiple checks to disable.

Only the pillar require more than 1 success, and that requires only two.

I actually like how disabling the orb work: a single check, but a long time to do it.


It's going to be a while before "hazard" is no longer synonymous with "battlefield control AoE," but that's probably jut me.


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Maybe it's just because I'm the group DM, but this blog has me honestly pumped. Thanks!
I assume the grab takes a place of a save, which I like, but does it involve a roll and if so what?


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Paizo Blog wrote:
We felt it was really important to make dealing with hazards a more narrative experience without taking lots of extra time or requiring the GM to make up details on the spot, and so every skill that can be used to disable a hazard is listed in the stat block, along with a description of the how a PC would use that skill to do so.

I approve of this! Much more adventure-y than "you see a trap" "I roll disable device" "you disarm the trap" [rinse and repeat ad nauseam]

Gavmania wrote:
I think it's cool that disarming a hazard doesn't always use thievery. Now the rest of the party can get involved rather than standing around waiting for the rogue to finish. I've often advocated this in pf1.

aka the 'Shadowrun Decker Problem'

Deadmanwalking wrote:
Castilliano wrote:
If Garb Edge is a reaction, does that mean a Paladin that used Divine Grace that round can't grab an edge?
Yup. In that case the Paladin falls.

oh no you DIDN'T


Everything looks fine to me other than "a certain number of successes". I'll have to see more examples to see about that.

Liberty's Edge

Roswynn wrote:


And, a Grab Edge reaction... now I'm starting to worry a bit. I can totally understand codifying combat options, and even Seek and a couple others which will see a lot of use... but, Mark, how long is the list of actions and reactions? I'm a bit scared right now.

I think it is something you get automatically when you get the required proficiency level in reflex saves. I would think that trained will suffice.

I think that there will be a lot of reactions, actions that you will be able to do with a minimum level of proficiency but need to be formalized somewhat.
If, as I think, they will be essentially mundane actions, I feel that they will be easy to remember.


Mark Seifter wrote:
Castilliano wrote:

What if PCs want to jam the pit door to walk across?

The lid wasn't built to support their weight, so they would still fall, though it would probably break the lid at that point and leave it exposed like if they had removed it.

What about the weight of thier familiar? Or other potential light/tiny companions?

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