Falling Casing

 

A wooden door opens into the next room.

Mechanical Trap

When the door opens, the top part of the casing slides down, and nails pop out of the front. A DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check notices that the top casing on the door does not seem securely attached and has several holes in it. If this is investigated, the top casing is shown to slide easily up and down, and is quite heavy. When the door opens, the top casing slides down. Targets that are opening the door and walking through must make a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw, or take 1d4 bludgeoning and 1d4 piercing damage. The casing can be easily avoided after this. The door opener, can also open the door and wait and then move under it. The trap can be disabled with a successful DC 12 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools by hammering small shims into the sides.

 

 

Split Door

 

A wooden door opens into the next room. The tiles are broken around the door.

Mechanical Trap

The bottom 6 inches of the door is not attached to the door, and is a rigid, little wooden wall. A DC 13 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the seam in the wood at the bottom of the door is actually the division between the two. If the door is open, it requires a DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check to notice the 6 inch plank of wood. A target that opens the door and immediately moves through it uses the Intelligence (Investigation) check. Creatures may traverse the door with a DC 5 Acrobatics check. If they fail, they trip and fall prone. This check is at disadvantage unless the wood has been noticed. A creature may spend an action to remove the wooden plank.

 

 

Dice Tower Door

 

The hallway slopes up to a wooden door.

Mechanical Trap

The door slides up into the ceiling. When opened, caltrops tumble out into the hall. A DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals several small scratches in the floor, clustered more densely near the door. The door is spring loaded, so when it is lifted, it opens all the way. When it is opened, all targets within 15 feet of the door must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 4d4+4 piercing damage from the caltrops tumbling out of the door. Targets further away can easily avoid the caltrops. Once the caltrops have spilled out, the entire hallway becomes difficult terrain. Creatures may move at half-speed. If they move faster than half speed, they must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity (Acrobatics) check or take 1d4+1 piercing damage, and have their moved ended. The door can be rigged to be opened remotely with rope and a piton or something else. This requires a DC 12 Dexterity check. Once the caltrops spill out, they can be brushed aside. Each 5 foot square requires an action to clear.

 

 

Wedged Bottle

 

The wooden door has a gap on the bottom.

Mechanical Trap

The door has been coated in oil. A bottle of alchemist’s fire has been wedged on the other side so it breaks when the door opens. A DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check notices that the door is soaked in oil. If the gap is examined, a DC 14 Wisdom (Perception) check spots a glass object on the far side. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals this as alchemist’s fire. If the door is opened, the alchemists fire sets the door ablaze. The target opening the door takes 2d6 + 1d4 fire damage and is set on fire. Targets on fire take 1d4 fire damage at the beginning of each turn until a successful DC 10 Dexterity check succeeds by the target or another to extinguish the flames. For the next 1d6+3 rounds, all creatures within 10 feet of the door take 1d6 fire damage at the beginning of their turn. The trap can be easily disabled by poking something small under the door to move the alchemist’s fire. This requires a successful DC 5 Dexterity check. Failure causes the flask to break, igniting the door.

 

 

Loose Blocks

 

A 20 foot stone wall protects this small keep.

Mechanical Trap

The top bricks of the wall are loose. A DC 14 Intelligence (Insight) reveals that the top stones are not set. Creatures with stonecunning may double their bonus. Creatures climbing the wall must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or fall, taking 2d6 falling damage and 2d6 bludgeoning damage from the brick falling on them. If a creature is attempting to use a grappling hook or something, the rock falls when weight is applied, and the target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d6 bludgeoning damgae. A creature can intentionally pull down or push over the bricks at the top with a DC 5 Strength throw.

 

 

Thick Door

 

A thick wooden door leads to the next room.

Mechanical Trap

A bucket of acid sits on the top of the door on the other side. The thick door protrudes into the other side of the doorframe. If the walls are examined, such as by knocking on them, a DC 12 Intelligence (Insight) check reveals that the door is much thicker than the walls. When the door is opened, the bucket of acid falls down. The target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 2d8 acid damage. All creatures within 5 feet take 1d4 splash damage, with a successful DC 12 Dexterity saving negating the damage. A creature that specifically prepares for something falling can make this save at advantage. The bucket can be dislodged with a successful DC 14 Strength check against the door.

 

 

Horse Tie Off

 

Several posts with horse tie offs sit in front of the old keep.

Mechanical Trap

The tie offs are rigged to emit a loud noise when pressure is applied, and then fall out. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals wear marks on the tie offs, as if they can move in and out. When a horse is tied off and applies some pressure, the post emits a high-pitched whistle that can be heard in a 120 foot radius. This scare the horse off, who runs away. When the horse runs away, the tie off slides out of the post. A DC 14 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools disables the whistling and unlock mechanism on the tie off.

 

 

Black Powder Oven

 

The kitchen is immaculate.

Mechanical Trap

The oven is locked and contains a bag of black powder. One of the jars of flour is full of gold, but if it’s opened or moved, it turns the oven on. A DC 12 Wisdom (Perception) check reveals that one of the flour canisters sits on a piece of twine that disappears behind the counter top. When the bowl is moved, the twine retracts, which turns on the oven. In 1d4 rounds, the black powder ignites. All targets in the kitchen take 6d6 fire damage, 1d6 bludgeoning damage, and 2d6 piercing damage. A DC 14 Dexterity saving throw halves all the damage. The trap can be disabled in two ways. The twine can be anchored with a successful DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check, or can be disabled at the oven with a successful DC 14 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools. Failure on either of these sets off the trap.

 

 

Wooden Bowl

 

A wooden bowl, full of gems, sits on a small table in an alcove.

Mechanical Trap

The bowl is at the end of a catapult arm and is delicately balanced. Removing weight cause the catapult to fire. A DC 12 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that the bowl does not sit flush with the table. Further examination shows that the bowl is connected to something under the table. When weight is removed, the target must make a DC 14 Dexterity save or be launched by the catapult across the room into the far wall. The target takes 6d6 bludgeoning damage and is knocked prone. The catapult can be disabled by a successful DC 14 Dexterity check with thieves’ tools. This removes the small counterweight that can detect weight removal.

 

 

Icy floor

 

Ice shards stick up from the floor.

Mechanical Trap

The ice shards are harmless, and crunch into powder when stepped upon. However, hidden in the ice shards are some glass shards. A DC 14 Intelligence (Investigation) check reveals that some of the ice shards reflect light differently, and are not as cloudy. If examined, these shards are made of glass. If spotted, these glass shards can be avoided if the target moves at half speed. Otherwise, for each movement action taken, the target must make a DC 14 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 piercing damage, and that movement action is only at half speed. The shards can be destroyed easily, such as by waving a shovel or some other object in front of the target to clear a path.