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I'm crafting an Enchnanted Elavator for my weekend game. It's more of a puzzle than a trap, but it makes sense to use the Trap rules to quantify what the PC's can do while in the room (Activate, Disable, etc).
The room is a 15 ft. diameter circular room (roughly). A sliding iron gate seperates it from the previous room (simple lock DC 20). With in the room are 2 stone benches and a Medium sized statue of a female humanoid sitting in the lotus position. A gleaming ruby is set in the statues navel and a permanent magic mouth w/ tongues is set to go off when a humanoid approached within 5 ft.
It delivers the message:
"Welcome supplicants. The Pleasure of Flesh is ruled by Power over Minds and Hearts. Dominance or Submission is proven by thine Art. Hail Domina Zoriel!"
The greeting implies the control to the elevator is the casting of any Enchantment spell (or make a DC 25 UMD check). If no spell is cast after 1 minute the gate closes, locks, and the room begins to descend to the lower level of the dungeon. It only does this if a humanoid is within 15 ft. of the statue. The Ruby is the sensor for the alarm/magic mouth effects.
Now basically this is a Non-damaging Puzzle/Trap. The alarm effect is the only Trap-like spell (DC 26), but there's a minor mechanical aspect in the closing gate (DC 20 perception). I would call this a Multiple dependant trap so it's XP would be the same as the Puzzle Trap (CR 3).
If the Rogue spots the gate as trapped and disables it (spiking it open for example) my gut says OK, but that leaves the chance when the room starts moving and a PC wants to jump out they could get a serious crushing. Reflex save or Attack roll?
If the Rogue detects the alarm on the Ruby and disables it (and probably pries it out of the statue) should the whole device cease to work stranding them and killing the rest of the dungeon, or should it cause the Elevator to act haphazardly? I'm thinking some reflex saves to remain standing and a d6 or two of damage, plus 2d6 of backlash damage if the ruby's taken out (same as if a UMD'er royally fails their check to activate blindly).
Enchanted Elevator CR 3
Type Magic/Mechanical; Percept(DC 26 alarm, DC 20 gate) Disable(same)
Trigger sight (alarm); Onset 1 minute; Reset Automatic
Effect: as above
--Vrock n' Roll ain't Noise Pollution
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Well my 1st level PC's went straight for the ruby with crowbars. I rewarded them with 2d6 magical backlash damage and an elevator malfunction. It moved suddenly clueing in PC's outside of it (half the party) to either jump in or get left behind. A round later, the entire party in tow, it dropped 60 feet in a herky-jerky fashion. A Reflex DC 20 negated 1d6 of nonlethal damage.
The lower levels encounters have forced them to rest for the day again, but short of following a winding path descending into the Darklands they have the option of trying to repair the elevator.
So should a simple Disable Device check do the trick, or would some additional Skill Challenge-esque tasks need to be added? Some knowledge (arcana or engineering) checks? They still have not deciphered the riddle so casting the enchantment spell or successful UMD check should still be required to operate the elevator. The party has Knowledge in Religion, Arcana, Dungeoneering, Engineering, Nature, & Local.
--Technical Vrock Out
Disable device yes to help repair, but perhaps require that the magic part be repaired also. Make em put the gem back in, then have to cast a new alarm spell into it. If no one knows the spell, let them find a "workshop" that has a scroll and notes about the elevators construction so they know how to fix it and get out.
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Disable device yes to help repair, but perhaps require that the magic part be repaired also. Make em put the gem back in, then have to cast a new alarm spell into it. If no one knows the spell, let them find a "workshop" that has a scroll and notes about the elevators construction so they know how to fix it and get out.
Finding a workshop is a nice idea, but doesn't fit the scope of the dungeon, however as the Dwarf Cleric of Torag has the Artifice domain he's as good as a workshop with mending at will. Granted mending doesn't usually work on magic items, but I don't see it as game breaking to allow it to work to "superglue" the gem back in... though a small vial of sovereign glue could be arranged!
The Sorcerer has a good UMD score and may be able to Blindly Activate the gem so I will definitely use recasting alarm onto the gem as a condition of repair.
--For those about to Vrock... we salute you!