My PCs are interested in burglarizing a house whose occupants possess just the right combination of wealth, paranoia, and spite that they've likely laid all manner of traps to deter theft.
They will be able to bypass most of the more dangerous ones by selecting a desirable route into and through the house, but what are some traps that a party of level 2 characters can handle?
My PCs are interested in burglarizing a house whose occupants possess just the right combination of wealth, paranoia, and spite that they've likely laid all manner of traps to deter theft.
They will be able to bypass most of the more dangerous ones by selecting a desirable route into and through the house, but what are some traps that a party of level 2 characters can handle?
Is it a city house, or something for the most part a normal home?
Alarm spells, or likely stone of alarm, is the obvious system against burglars, and something to mess up the players attempt without killing them.
Phantom trap is a great spell to put a bit of paranoia into the burglary attempt. When the party rogue starts spotting traps everywhere, they can be forced to ignore them to get quickly in and out. Of course some real traps should be between the false ones.
Non-lethal or low damage traps can be used in groups to really mess with PCs. I actually have a room where any square but a set path is a trap and the only easy way through is trial and error... or using a 10' Pole to touch most squares.
Is it a city house, or something for the most part a normal home?
The citiest of all city houses, it's in the Lady's Ward of Sigil. The residents don't intend to call or involve the guards about it, though. This burglary is a ... family matter, and as such, is best handled internally.
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The golems that look like columns carved into statues... umm Carityd Column or something like that from the Bonus Bestiary and Bestiary 3 sound like a good surprise encounter for that house... if you hadn't thought of them.
Dogs. Dogs are killers in their own right, as well as great anti-stealth detectors. Plus they make sense.
The golems that look like columns carved into statues... umm Carityd Column or something like that from the Bonus Bestiary and Bestiary 3 sound like a good surprise encounter for that house... if you hadn't thought of them.
Good idea! I'll check out their CRs and, if necessary, devance.
Dogs. Dogs are killers in their own right, as well as great anti-stealth detectors. Plus they make sense.
Too true! I'm planning on putting an Aoskian Hound in the back courtyard (which I expect they'll be entering through), in addition to some Razorvine on the walls and gates, which should make their entrance a horrible, horrible nightmare.
Dogs. Dogs are killers in their own right, as well as great anti-stealth detectors. Plus they make sense.
Unless the party has someone with Wild Empathy. Then you might be giving them allies...
The golems that look like columns carved into statues... umm Carityd Column or something like that from the Bonus Bestiary and Bestiary 3 sound like a good surprise encounter for that house... if you hadn't thought of them.Good idea! I'll check out their CRs and, if necessary, devance.
Dogs. Dogs are killers in their own right, as well as great anti-stealth detectors. Plus they make sense.Too true! I'm planning on putting an Aoskian Hound in the back courtyard (which I expect they'll be entering through), in addition to some Razorvine on the walls and gates, which should make their entrance a horrible, horrible nightmare.
A single Column should be a CR=APL for Level 2 PCs if memory serves... give me a minute and I will EDIT this post/reply with an answer.
EDIT: Caryatid Column CR 3. Which means they would make good "mini-bosses".
throw one right near the beginning and then one towards the end and bada bing, baba boom.
Unless the party has someone with Wild Empathy. Then you might be giving them allies...
They don't >:) Or at least, none of the PCs have the ability; they're a monk, a summoner, and a wizard. While they do have an urban druid NPC with them at the moment, that NPC is unlikely likely to succeed if they bother to try wild empathy, as they dumped charisma and an Aoskian Hound is a Magical Beast, which means a -4 penalty to the roll.
A single Column should be a CR=APL for Level 2 PCs if memory serves... give me a minute and I will EDIT this post/reply with an answer.
EDIT: Caryatid Column CR 3. Which means they would make good "mini-bosses".
throw one right near the beginning and then one towards the end and bada bing, baba boom.
Oh, awesome! I'll see how the Young template works on them, and do a group of 2 or 3, because I'm mean.
Caryatid ColumnI'll see how the Young template works on them, and do a group of 2 or 3
Garden Gnomes? Or make them details of the interior, like plasterwork cherubs.
Garden Gnomes? Or make them details of the interior, like plasterwork cherubs.Caryatid ColumnI'll see how the Young template works on them, and do a group of 2 or 3
Yeah, I was thinking they'd work really well on the interior. There's probably more than 2 or 3 across the whole of the house, but after fighting a group of them, I can use "you see more of what looks like..." to herd the PCs down particular other corridors.
Pit trap (11 foot deep) under a carpet with dire rats at the bottom.
Falling bladed chandeliers.
Unless the party has someone with Wild Empathy. Then you might be giving them allies...They don't >:) Or at least, none of the PCs have the ability; they're a monk, a summoner, and a wizard. While they do have an urban druid NPC with them at the moment, that NPC is unlikely likely to succeed if they bother to try wild empathy, as they dumped charisma and an Aoskian Hound is a Magical Beast, which means a -4 penalty to the roll.
Oh, awesome! I'll see how the Young template works on them, and do a group of 2 or 3, because I'm mean.A single Column should be a CR=APL for Level 2 PCs if memory serves... give me a minute and I will EDIT this post/reply with an answer.
EDIT: Caryatid Column CR 3. Which means they would make good "mini-bosses".
throw one right near the beginning and then one towards the end and bada bing, baba boom.
Just an FYI... any weapon hitting one of those Caryatid Columns takes 3d6 damage each round it hits.. basically making it broken... also Each Caryatid Column cost 12,000 GP (or HALf if you are the CREATOR)...
We Recently ran into 2 of them in an AP at level 6 and we had to run away.. because our Fighter's weapons (all 3 of them) broke and the thing is basically immune to most magic.... We later on figured out how to "negate" the Columns from attacking us but only because the DM later looked at a particular Rule/ Thing from the AP..
It is a good miniboss.. but unless they are robbing an EXTREMELY WEALTHY resident its hard to fathom that the PC's would find one of these things.. let alone 2 or 3 of them...
Each one is made of 2000 pounds (and 2000 GP worth) of Granite or Marble... the PCs if they defeat them might try to pawn the exceptional quality stonework..
Maybe have just 1 Carytid Column with a Magic Mouth on it to scare away intruders? Or have Silent Images of the other 2 behind a REAL one..
I would not have more than 1 for a second level Party... even if the CR rules say otherwise
PS... I would stick to guard dogs.. and make em cute looking Maltipoos with 2 extra Hitdice
Just an FYI... any weapon hitting one of those Caryatid Columns takes 3d6 damage each round it hits.. basically making it broken... also Each Caryatid Column cost 12,000 GP (or HALf if you are the CREATOR)...
We Recently ran into 2 of them in an AP at level 6 and we had to run away.. because our Fighter's weapons (all 3 of them) broke and the thing is basically immune to most magic.... We later on figured out how to "negate" the Columns from attacking us but only because the DM later looked at a particular Rule/ Thing from the AP..
It is a good miniboss.. but unless they are robbing an EXTREMELY WEALTHY resident its hard to fathom that the PC's would find one of these things.. let alone 2 or 3 of them...
Each one is made of 2000 pounds (and 2000 GP worth) of Granite or Marble... the PCs if they defeat them might try to pawn the exceptional quality stonework..
Maybe have just 1 Carytid Column with a Magic Mouth on it to scare away intruders? Or have Silent Images of the other 2 behind a REAL one..
I would not have more than 1 for a second level Party... even if the CR rules...
They are robbing extremely wealthy mid-to-high-levelled spellcasters (a wizard and a bard).
I noticed the ability of the columns to damage weapons, but for my particular group of PCs that's not a problem. The party is a wizard, a summoner, and a monk; while the wizard may not be able to do much against them, the summoner's eidolon has two claw attacks and will probably be enlarged, dishing out the majority of the damage, and the monk can do unarmed strikes with elemental fist.
Yeah, I was thinking they'd work really well on the interior. There's probably more than 2 or 3 across the whole of the house, but after fighting a group of them, I can use "you see more of what looks like..." to herd the PCs down particular other corridors.Garden Gnomes? Or make them details of the interior, like plasterwork cherubs.Caryatid ColumnI'll see how the Young template works on them, and do a group of 2 or 3
I am man enough to say that the moment I read you saying you are mean I almost went "squee". When I read the garden gnome comment I imagined little gnome shaped Caryatid Columns and almost couldn't stop laughing. Reading all of it together in the quoted post I couldn't help but squee and laugh uncontrollably...
BTW: What in the name of Shelyn is an Aoskian Hound!?
I am man enough to say that the moment I read you saying you are mean I almost went "squee".
Hahaha, I think I officially lost my "nice DM" card last session when I made them fight werewolves. DR 10 is a real obstacle for low-levelled characters . . .
:)BTW: What in the name of Shelyn is an Aoskian Hound!?
It is a breed of two-headed dog that can only be found in Sigil; they're magical beasts and are permanently under an anchoring-like effect, preventing them from leaving the city through any of the naturally-occurring portals.
They make good trackers, and are often trained as guard dogs.
Just an FYI... any weapon hitting one of those Caryatid Columns takes 3d6 damage each round it hits.. basically making it broken... also Each Caryatid Column cost 12,000 GP (or HALf if you are the CREATOR)...
We Recently ran into 2 of them in an AP at level 6 and we had to run away.. because our Fighter's weapons (all 3 of them) broke and the thing is basically immune to most magic.... We later on figured out how to "negate" the Columns from attacking us but only because the DM later looked at a particular Rule/ Thing from the AP..
It is a good miniboss.. but unless they are robbing an EXTREMELY WEALTHY resident its hard to fathom that the PC's would find one of these things.. let alone 2 or 3 of them...
Each one is made of 2000 pounds (and 2000 GP worth) of Granite or Marble... the PCs if they defeat them might try to pawn the exceptional quality stonework..
Maybe have just 1 Carytid Column with a Magic Mouth on it to scare away intruders? Or have Silent Images of the other 2 behind a REAL one..
I would not have more than 1 for a second level Party... even if the CR rules...
They are robbing extremely wealthy mid-to-high-levelled spellcasters (a wizard and a bard).
I noticed the ability of the columns to damage weapons, but for my particular group of PCs that's not a problem. The party is a wizard, a summoner, and a monk; while the wizard may not be able to do much against them, the summoner's eidolon has two claw attacks and will probably be enlarged, dishing out the majority of the damage, and the monk can do unarmed strikes with elemental fist.
I guess you are nicer a DM than my DM.. I was wildshaped as a Large Tiger with an Amulet of Mighty Fists (+1) and the DM warned me that I would be taking 3d6 damage if I bite/clawed with my natural attacks against the Caryatid Columns..
I was just happy the DM gave me a warning before I did the action.
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I'd just go core on their a**.
Burning Hands TrapCR 2
Type magic; Perception DC 26; Disable Device DC 26
Effects
Trigger proximity (alarm); Reset none
Effect spell effect (burning hands, 2d4 fire damage, DC 11
Reflex save for half damage); multiple targets (all targets in
a 15-ft. cone)Javelin TrapCR 2
Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20
Effects
Trigger location; Reset none
Effect Atk +15 ranged (1d6+6)Spiked Pit TrapCR 2
Type mechanical; Perception DC 20; Disable Device DC 20
Effects
Trigger location; Reset manual
Effect 10-ft.-deep pit (1d6 falling damage); pit spikes (Atk +10
melee, 1d4 spikes per target for 1d4+2 damage each); DC 20
Reflex avoids; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-square area)Acid Arrow TrapCR 3
Type magic; Perception DC 27; Disable Device DC 27
Effects
Trigger proximity (alarm); Reset none
Effect spell effect (acid arrow, Atk +2 ranged touch, 2d4 acid
damage for 4 rounds)Camouflaged Pit TrapCR 3
Type mechanical; Perception DC 25; Disable Device DC 20
Effects
Trigger location; Reset manual
Effect 30-ft.-deep pit (3d6 falling damage); DC 20 Reflex
avoids; multiple targets (all targets in a 10-ft.-square area)
Best part...most of those are AoEs so even at level 2 if you get 2-3 of them in there it can be a pretty devistating hit when most of them aren't going to be expecting it.
I guess you are nicer a DM than my DM.. I was wildshaped as a Large Tiger with an Amulet of Mighty Fists (+1) and the DM warned me that I would be taking 3d6 damage if I bite/clawed with my natural attacks against the Caryatid Columns..
I was just happy the DM gave me a warning before I did the action.
I did a quick forum search and came up with this thread:
The caryatid column's shatter weapons defense only works against manufactured weapons. It doesn't hurt unarmed strikes or natural attacks.
I guess you are nicer a DM than my DM.. I was wildshaped as a Large Tiger with an Amulet of Mighty Fists (+1) and the DM warned me that I would be taking 3d6 damage if I bite/clawed with my natural attacks against the Caryatid Columns..
I was just happy the DM gave me a warning before I did the action.
I did a quick forum search and came up with this thread:
The caryatid column's shatter weapons defense only works against manufactured weapons. It doesn't hurt unarmed strikes or natural attacks.
Oh snap! But like I said.. at least the DM gave me a warning before hand... plus my Gnome Druid plays her High Wisdom(i.e. I ran away lol)
Thanks for that...
Sigil? Golarion area?
I had my players encounter the Level 20 Human Lich they would end up fighting at the end. In the very first room of the very first dungeon.
Luckily for them I made it to where him killing them was an illusion/nightmare he planted. He had more important things than to deal with idiotic adventurers.
Sigil? Golarion area?
Nope, the City of Doors is the hub of the Outer Planes in the Great Wheel Cosmology of D&D. I'm running a Planescape game :)
I had my players encounter the Level 20 Human Lich they would end up fighting at the end. In the very first room of the very first dungeon.
Luckily for them I made it to where him killing them was an illusion/nightmare he planted. He had more important things than to deal with idiotic adventurers.
Illusions! Nice!
Sigil? Golarion area?Nope, the City of Doors is the hub of the Outer Planes in the Great Wheel Cosmology of D&D. I'm running a Planescape game :)
Illusions! Nice!I had my players encounter the Level 20 Human Lich they would end up fighting at the end. In the very first room of the very first dungeon.
Luckily for them I made it to where him killing them was an illusion/nightmare he planted. He had more important things than to deal with idiotic adventurers.
OK... so just a DnD setting with Pathfinder Rules?
and you have no idea. It messed with the Fighter and Paladin the most.
OK... so just a DnD setting with Pathfinder Rules?
Yes, exactly.
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Phantom trap in combination with normal ones might be nice.
A simple ability damage might keep them at bay. Some stronger nonlethal poison, for example with Str dmg, might slow them down and think twice before they keep going. Such small traps can be implemented on chests, drawers and boxes.
A small rope triggered traps(ringing bells) can be set in yard near the dog on chain. There is no better defense then guards.
Secret entrences for treasure or valuables.
Owner might have some exotic pets in house, beside dog.
Weasels... a horde of Weasels...
Gotta love when a joke thread evolves into an Evil plot...