DELVERMATIC DICER AND MALINGERER taking 33 (6d10) piercing damage on a failed save, or half as much damage

on a successful save.
Door Trap
Bay Doors
LLLL Effect (Initiative 5, Once). Anyone standing directly in front of the sliding
door is pushed by Bay Doors on the swinging ceiling, and must succeed on a

T
he Delvermatic Dicer and Malingerer trap was de- This trap can be at the end of any corridor, either 5 or 10 DC 18 Strength saving throw or be flung through the monofilament wiring,
signed by Liz Danforth and Mike Stackpole to take feet wide. The wall at the end of the hallway is a secret door, taking 55 (10d10) slashing damage.
care of characters who open secret doors with gay abandon, discoverable with a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check, that
Countermeasures. Creatures that beat the trap in initiative can leap back
but refuse to walk through them. must be lifted. When the door is pushed up, it creates a cas-
and watch it unfold from a safe distance. The monofilament dicer can be de-
The secret door in question is set flush into the wall, and is cading effect that can potentially leave several creatures in
stroyed before a creature is pushed through; it has AC 18 and 20 hit points.
designed to open by sliding into the ceiling. When the door tatters: the ceiling swings down, hooks follow on its end,
A party that discovers the trap can disable the mechanism from triggering
is thus opened, delvers will see a net-like web of monofila- then the floor swings up and catapults the unlucky charac-
with thieves’ tools and a DC 18 Dexterity check, but failure triggers the trap.
ment line on the other side. ters standing there onto spikes. Finally, the creature in front
is pushed through the secret door into a monofilament dicer. Reset. The trap resets one minute after the Swinging Ceiling activates. All
When the door slides up, it causes a section of the ceiling to components return to their place and the door slides down.
swing down into the corridor. The arc of the section is such Features. The trap has four features: Swinging Ceiling,
Flailing Hook, Catapulting Floor, and Bay Doors. Awarding experience. Divide 10,000 XP among all the characters who were
that it should slam into any character standing roughly
exposed to the trap and survived.
six feet from the door. A devilish free-swinging hook trails Detection. A DC 19 Wisdom (Perception) check notices
the ceiling section, spelling doom for any delver standing the concealed hinges on the floor or ceiling. A DC 19 In- Adjusting the Threat. The Fanatic Delvermatic Dicer and Malingerer
about four feet from the fellow flattened by the ceiling sec- telligence (Investigation) check reveals that pushing the trap (5 Skulls) is a Tier 4 Dangerous trap with the following adjustments:
tion. (See Figure 2.) door up will trigger some kind of mechanism. When the Swinging Ceiling. The ceiling is weighed down with lead, dealing 55
The ceiling section completes its arc by slamming into the trap triggers, creatures that succeed on a DC 15 Wisdom (10d10) bludgeoning damage. Anyone caught underneath must succeed at a
floor—which is in reality a carefully-balanced platform. (Perception) check hear a whirring sound and are not sur- DC 20 Constitution saving throw or take 1 level of exhaustion from a head
This creates a catapult effect, and should send anyone prised when initiative is rolled. injury.
standing as far away as twenty feet from the door flying Failing Hooks. Each creature in the area is attacked by three hooks.
into the spiked side of the ceiling section. (See Figure 3.) Swinging Ceiling
Catapulting floor. The spikes are coated with poison, dealing an additional
The poor idiot who opened the door in the first place is in for Trigger. Once the door is pushed up more than 6 inches,
28 (8d6) poison damage.
the worst fate of all. Bay doors kick out from the falling ceil- the mechanism activates.
ing section when it finally hits the floor, propelling the hapless Bay Doors. There is a 100-foot-deep pit beyond the secret door. A creature
Effect (Initiative 20, Once). Each creature standing either
door-opener through the fine monofilament mesh—with the pushed through the monofilament wiring also takes 35 (10d6) bludgeoning
5 or 10 feet from the door on initiative 20 is struck by
appropriate “cheese-grater” effect. (See Figure 4). damage from the fall.
the falling ceiling for 33 (6d10) bludgeoning damage and
Type. The Delvermatic Dicer and Malingerer trap is a knocked prone. The fallen ceiling blocks the hallway until Awarding experience. Divide 20,000 XP among all the characters who were
Tier 3 Complex trap with a Dangerous threat. it is lifted part way with an action and a DC 18 Strength exposed to the trap and survived.
check.

Flailing Hook
Effect (Initiative 15, Once). On initiative 18, the hooks
on the end of the Swinging Ceiling attack anyone standing
15 feet from the door with +8 to hit for 33 (6d10) piercing
damage. On a successful hit, a target is restrained until it
uses an action and succeeds on a DC 14 Strength or Dex-
terity check to free itself.

Catapulting Floor
Effect (Initiative 10, Once). Anyone standing 15 to 25
feet away from the door on initiative 10 is catapulted onto
the spikes and must make a DC 18 Dexterity saving throw,

6 Original Adventures Reincarnated • Grimtooth's Old School Traps Original Adventures Reincarnated • Grimtooth's Old School Traps 7
 SPIDERWEB FUSE webs; only fire ignites the fuses. It’s possible to pull all the
fuses from the walls, but finding them all requires three
Much of the room’s walls and floor is covered with a thick
moss that was colored yellow to make it appear like deadly
Item Trap successes on a DC 17 Intelligence (Investigation) check, yellow mold, which is typically destroyed by fire damage.
with each attempt taking 10 minutes. A success on a DC 12 Intelligence (Nature) or Wisdom
LLLL Reset. The trap must be entirely rebuilt in order to be reset. (Survival) identifies the yellow mold, but a success by 5 or
more alerts the character that this is in fact harmless moss.
Adjusting the Threat. A Yellow Room trap (3 Skulls) is a

T
ired of delvers burning up your giant spiders? These next the room and touches the web. A success on the check also Tier 2 Deadly threat which is very similar in concept but The explosion deals 14 (4d6) fire damage and 14 (4d6)
three traps are sure to put some new life into the old reveals the presence of unusually thick, artificial fibers, con- uses a different form of decoy: yellow mold instead of webs.   bludgeoning damage but is otherwise identical.
cliche of torching spiders in their lairs. cealed among the webs. Following them through the web
The first is the Spiderweb Fuse trap, by Bucky Hernandez. and to their source reveals they are leading into the walls,
This trap is sure to re-educate those anti-arachnid types who and a faint smell of oil can be detected by sniffing around
the holes.
delight in burning up the homes of poor innocent spiders.
The trap takes the form of a room apparently filled with spi- Trigger. When any part of the web is put to flame, the CHUTE AND HAMMER
entire network of fuses ignites in streaks of sudden flashes.
derwebs. For effect, include a clever mock-up of a large nasty
A moment later the kegs explode.
Corridor Trap
spider. When the delvers set their torches to the webs for kicks,
they will find that they have just ignited an interlocking series Effect. Each creature that succeeds on a DC 17 Intelligence LLL

A
of fast-burning fuses! The fuses are connected to kegs of oil or check to realize what is happening can move its speed as a
rather violent method of sending delvers to lower dun- Detection. Characters approaching the trap can notice
black powder in the walls of the room. When the flames touch reaction before the kegs explode. Then the upper parts of
geon levels against their will was designed by Jason Lu- thin lines in the floor before and after the plate with a DC
off the kegs, the resulting explosion will either fill the room the walls erupt in an explosion, raining debris and flaming
jan. The Chute and Hammer trap activates when the 14 Wisdom (Perception). If the trap sees constant use by
with flaming oil, or bring the ceiling and walls crashing down oil over the entire room. Each creature in the room must
party walks past the pivot point on a plate hidden in the floor. the dungeon’s occupant, the DC is 10 instead. A DC 14
in a thunderous explosion on top of the callous home-wreckers! make a DC 17 Dexterity saving throw, taking 28 (8d6) fire
The plate will then tilt down at a 45° angle, dumping almost Intelligence (Investigation) check allows a careful character
Bammo—delver quiche! damage and 28 (8d6) bludgeoning damage on a failed save,
anyone standing upon it into the aluminum chute below. This to identify the plate and realize it’s balanced on a hinge.
Type. The Spiderweb Fuse trap is a Tier 3 Simple trap with or half as much damage on a successful save. Each creature
chute is very narrow; positioned within it is a hammer de- Trigger. The trap is triggered once a weight equivalent of at
a Deadly threat. outside the room within 20 feet of the doorway is subject
signed to strike characters in the forehead with considerable least a Small creature (40 pounds) steps on it.
only to the bludgeoning damage from hurdling bricks. A
The room is 20 by 20 feet and so full of webs that its velocity as they slide by. The smaller kindreds might be able to
creature who takes any fire damage is covered in burning Effect. The triggering creature must make a DC 14 Dex-
lightly obscured. A taxidermized giant spider is just vis- avoid being bashed, but human sized characters are in for a
oil and takes 14 (4d6) fire damage at the start of each of terity saving throw when the floor suddenly gives beneath
ible through the gloom. The room’s main entrance is clear whopper of a headache.
their turns for 1d6 rounds or until the oil is removed with them. On a failure they fall down the chute, and the ham-
of cobwebs, but any other exit is somewhere inside the an action and a successful DC 17 Dexterity check. To make this trap even more deadly than it already is, you mer smashes into the creature’s head, dealing 14 (2d8 + 5)
webbed area. The webs, taken from real giant spiders, have could make the chute narrower—ensuring that the characters
Countermeasures. Cutting through the webs does not bludgeoning damage, and a creature not wearing a helmet
AC 10 and 10 hit points per 5-foot section, and they are will fall flat. Then, turn the hammer around so the claw end
trigger the trap, nor does marching through the sticky must succeed on a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or suf-
vulnerable to fire. A creature who enters a 5-foot section of faces up the chute—this will catch a character under the jaw fer 1 rank of exhaustion from the head injury. A Small crea-
the web becomes restrained. As an action they can make if he’s falling feet-first on his back, or at the base of his skull if ture can make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the
a DC 13 Strength check to escape. The fuses, concealed he’s skidding down on his face. If anyone should survive this damage, assuming they are able to see while inside the chute.
among the webs, are connected to powder kegs and oil treatment, they’re free to continue their journey through the
repositories hidden in high niches behind the walls, lower levels. Countermeasures. The plate can be secured in place with
close to the ceiling. thieves’ tools and a successful DC 12 Dexterity check. It
Type. The Chute and Hammer trap is a Tier 2 Simple trap can also be disabled by placing a heavy enough weight on
Detection. Studying the giant spi- with a Dangerous threat. the plate’s shorter end—equivalent to at least the weight of
der for at least a minute and making
A plate in the floor that is 5 feet wide and 10 feet long is a creature passing over the plate.
a DC 15 Wisdom (Survival) check al-
balanced on a point about 3 feet from one of its edges. The danger posed by the hammer can be completely cir-
lows a creature to realize the “spider”
A chute beneath extends 20 feet downward, leading to a cumvented if a creature who is aware of the hammer enters
is strangely immobile, even for a spider
lower level of the dungeon. The tunnel’s sharp angle and the chute carefully, keeping a low profile.
that is lying in ambush. A character ex-
sleek aluminum make it slippery, like a slide. A hammer is
amining the webs can make a DC 18 Reset. The plate automatically resets after being triggered
anchored in the ceiling of the chute midway through.
Intelligence (Investigation or Nature) thanks to a counterweight beneath its shorter end.
check to realize they were not created Because the hammer can be easily avoided if one is aware
here naturally, but brought into the of it, dungeon denizens might use the chute on a regular Adjusting the Threat. A Chute and Claw trap (3 Skulls)
room; this check is made with a disad- basis. is a Tier 2 Simple trap with a Deadly threat by changing the
vantage unless the character is inside claw end of the hammer to face up, instead of the flat end.

8 Original Adventures Reincarnated • Grimtooth's Old School Traps Original Adventures Reincarnated • Grimtooth's Old School Traps 9
 The hammer deals 28 (4d8 + 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage, while creatures
10) piercing damage to a fall- on the lighter side tumble downward, taking
ing creature, and a creature 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage. As creatures at-
not wearing a helmet must tempt to exit the room, they may cause the
succeed on a DC 16 Consti- floor to pivot again, sending the floor slam-
tution saving throw or suffer ming downward in the other direction.
2 ranks of exhaustion from Countermeasures. After the trap is triggered,
the injury. a group of creatures can keep the floor bal-
anced to investigate the room. Two creatures
who wish to move at the same time to keep
the numbers on either side equal must both
succeed on a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to
move simultaneously; otherwise, the floor be-
comes unbalanced when one steps off. Two pi-
tons secured with a successful DC 14 Strength
check can lock the floor in place.
Reset. After the support brace retracts, the
trap must be manually reset.
Adjusting the Threat. The Teeter-Totter
Drop trap (3 Skulls) is a Tier 2 Deadly threat

TEETER-TOTTER ROOM
with the following changes:
The floor is a 1-foot-thick stone platform overtop
Room Trap a 30-foot pit.

L The floor is not affixed to the axle.

If the floor becomes unbalanced, all creatures

T
he Teeter-Totter Room is Cliff Baird’s contribution to of the room. Beneath the floor is a cavity with curved walls standing on it take 10 (3d6) bludgeoning damage when
the genre of room traps. Unfortunately, it wasn’t designed that allows the floor to pivot 60 degrees in either direction they strike the bottom of the pit, and they must then suc-
to kill delvers; instead, it traps them (and in the process and prevents creatures from falling beneath the floor when ceed on a DC 16 Dexterity saving throw or take 28 (8d6)
turns them into nervous wrecks). it pivots. Inside the pivoting room, the off-kilter floor can bludgeoning damage when the floor falls on top of them.
Characters who enter this room may dance, jump up and easily be climbed. Outside the pivoting room, the floor has
down, or have a picnic between the door and the pivot point a deep lower edge that prevents creatures from entering the
space under the floor.
beneath the floor. However, when more than half of the weight
in the room has moved to the other side of the pivot, the floor Detection. A successful DC 13 Wisdom (Perception) ONLY TIME WILL TILE
no longer rests on the support brace near the door. The brace check notices that the floor is not affixed to the walls. Corridor Trap
falls away, and the floor becomes a great teeter-totter upon the Trigger. As soon as more weight is distributed on the far
pivot point. half of the room than the half near the entrance, the floor LLL

O
It is up to you to decide what will happen to the characters if begins to pivot. nly Time Will Tile is a corridor trap by David Steven from certain death—but the darts are supposed to miss. How-
they fall off the floor. As an especially savage variation, have Effect. The support brace near the door retracts, and the Moskowitz. The setting is a long corridor with an object ever, they should encourage characters to step off the tiles and
the floor slide off its pivot and follow the delvers into the pit if floor freely pivots toward whichever side has more weight. of great value displayed enticingly at the far end. The floor onto the plaster.
they blow it. As the floor begins to move, each creature standing within has been decorated with marble tiles which are separated by The marble tiles are actually the tops of pillars in the room
Type. The Teeter-Totter Room trap is a Tier 1 Simple trap 5 feet of the middle axle or within 5 feet of the doorway wide patches of grout or plaster; the tiles are placed just far beneath this corridor—and the area between the tiles is only
with a Dangerous threat. can use its reaction to attempt a DC 12 Dexterity saving enough apart so that a character must leap from one to another a thin layer of plaster. The result: when a delver puts their full
throw, leaping 5 feet through the door or across the axle on to remain on the tiles. weight onto the plaster, they’ll fall through the floor to what-
The far side of this 20-square-foot room has a shrine or other
intriguing feature set into the wall. The entire floor pivots a successful save. Creatures near the far wall cannot move Whenever a delver steps on a tile, a stream of poisoned darts ever doom awaits below...
on a hidden axle that separates the 10-by-20-foot section in time. If both sides of the floor do not have an identical shoots from a nearby wall, passing within inches. The delver
distribution of weight, the floor slams 10 feet downward Type. The Only Time Will Tile trap is a Tier 2 Complex
by the door from the 10-by-20-foot section at the far end will doubtless think their alertness and agility have saved them trap with a Dangerous threat.
toward the heavier side. Creatures on the heavier side take

10 Original Adventures Reincarnated • Grimtooth's Old School Traps Original Adventures Reincarnated • Grimtooth's Old School Traps 11