You know, this is not the most exciting video in the world, but new DMs are being made every day and this can help them. We got more exciting videos in the future. :D
Don’t be like that! Trap can be extremely exciting if your game has emphasis on positioning! This video will DEFINITELY help me out a lot, and I’m sure it’ll help others as well!
I concur. My players are about to see a lot more, and spicier, traps! I had somewhat often skipped them if they were in a module because I found them boring. I see value in them now and how they can add atmosphere to a dungeon.
It's a Factory of Monarchs in the wild! I'll have to check-out your Greek myth stuff as I've been back-burner noodling with a Greco-Roman setting for years! I'm happily reading through Theros atm!
I'll never get tired of Matt giggling gleefully when a trap like the Gelatinous Cube/Pit trap or his own Cube/Mimic trap works and the players are induced into 'running around like chickens with their heads cut off' mode.
One of the things I've adopted from a discussion on reddit is the "What do you do?" mechanic for traps. "As you step forward, you feel a slight tug on your foot. A tripwire. It's too late to not trigger the trap, what do you do?" Depending on what the trap is, and what the players say they do, changes the outcome of the trap. If it's a pitfall, and the player says they drop to the floor... well make your save at disadvantage and try again next time. If it's an arrow trap however, that same floor drop might give advantage on the save! Leaping from the trap might avoid it altogether, or it may put you more squarely in it. I also typically only give them a few seconds in real life to make their decisions, if they hesitate at the table their character hesitates and just stands there. Adds some drama and encourages quick thinking methinks.
Matt, I know you read some of these comments, so I'd just like to say what an amazing thing you're doing here. Your running the game videos are one of the reasons I started playing D&D, and it's since then become a huge part of my life. Your help, advice, and witty comments on fantasy, politics, and whatever else happens to be on your mind are invaluable to me. You have made my life just a little bit better with these videos, thank you.
I third this, I wouldn't have been a DM if not for Matt, and I might even be a better person then if I hadn't come across running the game. It's also inspiring to see such a talented and passionate DM designer and writer make awesome stuff (refrencing S&F and the chain as well).
My favourite kinds of traps will always be runes of reverse gravity. Especially in the middle of a fight. Suddenly, players are literally on different playing fields. Featherfall is a good spell to have in my games, FYI.
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has an entire chapter dedicated to traps. It even introduces the concept of "Complex Traps" which play out like 1/2 combat 1/2 puzzle. I thought it was pretty neat. Sounds kinda like what you mention towards the end of the video. Keep up the great work Matt! =]
@@Akeche Yeah I figured that might the case, and I don't blame him. He seems like a very busy guy, and he's learned several editions of the game already. Just figured it would be helpful for others looking for trap resources. I'm definitely gonna check out the book of challenges.
Came to say the same, and also agree that Matt may have all the stuff he needs in is head, or existing references already. However the XgE is so good in many ways, Id recommend it fro all new players / DMs / at least a couple of copies in a play group :)
Coming from older editions one of the times I got confused was “where the heck is the disarm trap skill”. It took some time for me to realise that there isn’t any and players have to come up of the way to disarm it and describe how to the dm.
Tbph i always just thought that sleight of hand was expanded to cover it. I always ask my players to describe what they are attempting to do though to make sure it would even work if they are successful
Jordyn Young Yes me too because I was stuck with the mindset that one of these things had to be the disarm trap skill. It can be used sometimes depending on the trap I guess.
Thieves tools is the default but you have to take the trap into consideration. Leaves over a pit isn't a "disarmable" trap. You have to go around it or though it. There isn't triggering there. A trip wire, pressure plate, or something of the like is where thieves tools come in.
I... never thought about it that way. Traps are made to prevent players from bringing all their force to bear, not just to drain resources and the like. I think I’m going to start using traps now, thank you.
An Indiana Jones style mosaic tiled floor (randomly trapped) with appropriate treasure visible on the far side. Crumbling floor tiles that fall to great depths, vines for grabbing to save yourself. On a complete set of failures (DC 15 avoid trapped tile, DC8 grab a vine) they fall and automatically become entangled in vines 20 feet below hanging in the void for rescue, taking some fall damage (2d6). To add the right amount of tension, once a tile crumbles, or the first character makes it across, skeletal warriors start to rise up and attack from the treasure, but they are also prone to falling through the tiles, except they don't grab the vines. Made for great tension and some real hilarity as characters could reach out to grab adjacent falling friends or vines. I also had some of the random treasure tumble down the pile and roll out onto the dodgy tiles, or have the skeletal warrior pick up the obviously magic weapon to use. Disarming came into play and so did abseiling into the depths to retrieve the fallen treasure.
@@TheGoblinoid Definitely can be. I was with a larger company and wasn't actually in the RPG department. But, said large company just let their entire RPG department go about 5-6 months ago.....
Hey Matt, I've been Dm'ing for my Dad and sister throughout quarantine and I'd like to say thank you for this series. Its been a wealth of helpful guidance.
one thing I found in grimtooth's that I really liked was something called the "idiot's vase", although I modify it to be more fun and less brutal. My interpretation is an enchanted vase that visibly has a key or some other piece of loot at the bottom, but if you stick your hand in, you never seem to be able to reach the bottom. if you break it, the enchantment shatters and deals force damage. the real trick to it is to simply turn it upside down and let gravity do the work.
My husband has been the "forever DM" and I wanted to give him a chance to play. Your videos have been so helpful to me as I try my hand at running the game. I am excited to see that you are still making them. Thank you for all the tips and tricks- I have been really enjoying being the DM.
When you’re considering if a trap is what you need to make your encounter more interesting, and in that moment your phone tells you Matt just uploaded a video about Traps. I love synchronicity.
Absolutely love that you tell everything in the beginning without a stupid intro music video etc. I always watch the whole video because you have great content
I made a poison trap that is the classic "the doors close and poison starts to fill the room." The trick was the trap opens in three rounds, but the characters can easily plug the pipes where the poison comes from. There was very high anxitey and basically told the players that if they're not careful they could die. By the way, this was in pathfinder 2e.
Two things: 1. I have used Treacherous Traps (5e) and, although it isn't perfect, it adds an incredible amount of the 'stuff' I want in trap making. I was a backer to their project and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Highly recommended! 2. This is a general comment about Matthew Colville's videos that I didn't really recognise until now. Coming from someone who teaches college-level students, this video made me realise that Matthew Colville is incredibly good at explaining things that are incredibly obvious in a way that anyone could understand. This isn't a slight against him in any way, as doing so can be incredibly tedious and sometimes difficult. Thank you, Matthew, for being the kind of person D&D nerds need, but don't deserve.
One of my favourite things for the third use of traps, especially when it comes to higher levels, is the glyph or warding spell. The spell can do a lot of dynamic things - silencing spellcasters, wall of fire and the like the split the party, etc. It can even do something "traps" definitely aren't intended to do, and a powerful cleric could throw a glyph of warding down to cast Heal on themselves (or a similar beneficial spell) in response to a certain trigger. In my game recently a Drow Matron Mother had a very mediocre time when the party got a clutch Feeblemind off on her, making her far less threatening. If she ever comes back from the dead (very unlikely, but not impossible) she'll be sure to have a glyph that Heals her if she makes an attack with her Demon Staff - a last resort option normally, but really the only thing she can do once feebleminded. I think generally when it comes to traps to make a seemingly easy or manageable encounter spiral out of the party's control, traps that divide and conquer, or debilitate the party somehow, are much better choices than traps that simply do some additional damage. The goal with a trap in this scenario in my opinion is to make the party ask "well how to we deal with this new problem in addition to the enemies we face" and a trap that just fireballs the party or similar is easily answered with "heal through it". Another great video, I know I'll be checking out the book of challenges and maybe throwing some of these nasties at my players in the future. :)
Matt, I am working a night shift and super bored and just found this new upload so I just wanted to shout out to you and say thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thanks to your series I have started running DND with literal zero experience just 4 months ago, now we are well into the thick of my homebrew campaign. I ran oneshots for 10 people, all of who want to keep playing and I have a steady group of 5 who send me endless praises. Which really belongs to you. Just a few months ago, I would have never imagined playing, god forbid running DND, thinking it to be something only a veteran could do. The way you explained the game, how you interpreted this complex game into simple components and explained its merits had me too jittery to play with my friends and I just had to try. Before, DND was some nerd thing too intense for me, now its a playground for me and my friends to craft as we please. 2 of my players initially didnt even want to play DND at all because they thought it wasnt for them (one is sports freak and the other never liked rpg or gaming like rest of us) and after running the game in your Colvillian style (I say that to them a lot) they can't get enough! They are the ones bugging me constantly to play more frequently now. Even if you dont read this, just wanted to say thanks, for bringing such a delight into my life in a time that could have been very dark. You truly are a river to your people.
I'm way earlier into the RTG series and am so happy you're still coming out with more! I'm not COMPLETELY new to DMing (I've DMed maybe 3ish campaigns with a new one this Saturday) but every single video I basically learn at least one new thing and it's so engaging and interesting! Thanks so much and excited to learn more!
Update: last night was session 1 with my new party, and it went so smoothly and everyone was laughing nearly the whole time. I took lots of advice from the RtG series and I think it really helped
I ran my first ever campaign for 3 of my friends on Sunday and it went INCREDIBLY. Even though it was over Google Hangouts. We all had a blast and are excited to play again this Sunday. And it was entirely due to your videos! (as well as dimension 20 and naddpod inspiration). The tips you provided helped make my first session 1000 times better than it would have been otherwise, though I do also have my incredible players to thank for such a good time too. Thank you so much for helping me gain the confidence I needed to run a game of D&D. When I got into it, it wasn't even hard! Excited to see where this incredible hobby takes me and my friends and I'm excited to steal more of your ideas and put them in my game
Something I kind of love about this video is that most of the advice you give here is just what you've been saying for years in Q&As, and live streams and the like when you would get questions about traps but in a concise and significantly more put together format.
My favorite rules for traps in any edition of D&D are "Encounter Traps" from 3rd edition. Originally published in Secrets of Xen'drik for the Eberron setting, and then reprinted in the core product line in the Dungeonscape book. "Encounter Traps" differed from regular 3rd edition traps in that they each required multiple successful disarm traps, and they had evolving or repeating effects every round. You rolled initiative when they were triggered, and you had so many rounds to figure out how to disarm it before or while something bad was happening. Classic!
I'm very impressed by your analytical approach to how and why to use traps. I've been watching videos all day looking for ideas and this is the first that really made me think in depth about the reasons behind the traps and getting into the mindset of the players that could interact with them.
I clicked on this video, thinking about that book on my shelf. Then you explicitly mentioned it. I LOVED that book when I was a kid. I sat and read through them all, because I didn't have people to actually play with on the long summer days.
5:31 I think Wizards is leaving money on the table by not having toy soldier style Bucket of Goblins (with attachable bases so you can use them as minis) for sale.
I heard you talking about a lot of this before, but I'm glad it is now all in one video for easy reference. Plus, you are always fun and inspiring to listen to.
Matt you're awesome! I would just like to say that these videos are what really got me into DMing. I've been at it for a little over a year and already got 3 of my players to DM and one other is thinking about at least doing a 1 shot! Thank you for all that you do. Keep up the great work man.
Matt- I always love the enthusiasm you bring to whatever your subject is, and you always help me to really think about what I want to add to my campaigns. Right now I'm working on a dungeon that relies heavily on illusions and traps, and you've given me some good food for thought here. Thank you!
Thanks for all the advice! I recently started playing again. I originally played with my brother and friends in the late 70s. Now I'm teaching my kids. These vids are really helping me improve as a DM. Wish I had them when I was 12!
Another fantastic third edition book is "Traps & Treachery" which has detailed mechanical descriptions for traps and how to describe them to players who notice them and what they can do to disarm them.
Traps can also encourage exploration of more complex dungeons - if the party spot a trap, and there are routes they haven't yet been, they might decide to explore one of those routes to see if there's a way around the trap. Locked doors can have the same function. In terms of splitting the party with traps, pit traps are excellent for this. It's a little bit of fall damage - but if you put a couple of zombies at the bottom of a 15' pit, you've created a situation where only one or two party members are in immediate danger - leading the others to focus on helping whoever ended up in the pit. If a couple of ghouls then take advantage of the distraction, you've got yourself a pretty tense fight. I mean, for a party of four level 4 PCs, two zombies and two ghouls are a medium encounter, but if you've split the party like that, it's a whole (hole?) other situation to deal with. Sure, provided they have a cleric, the party will almost certainly get through largely unscathed, but during the fight itself? Much like with the portcullis, they're having to deal with not being able to use the tactics they're used to using. The important thing with traps is that they have to make sense when you consider who lives in the area. Nobody is going to defend their lair with a trap they themselves cannot easily get past.
What about a cave-in instead of a pit trap? A natural weakening of the floor in a catacombs built too close to an underground river or cistern -- the stones fall away, the characters fall into a sinkhole beneath. The noise attracts a bunch of undead. Same trap, but now it's more synchronous, makes more sense within the setting. Not to mention, the adventurers now have difficult terrain to negotiate when they are on their way back out of the catacombs, maybe while being chased by a large army of undead they disturbed deeper within. Hmm.
@@lfoster6759 Works just as well; the idea of a pit trap was more because a necromancer could just throw a couple of corpses into the pit, then cast animate dead on them (I forgot that it has a 10' range, but the necromancer could animate them and then order them to dig the pit - at that point, the control over the zombies will wear out, but the necromancer won't need that control because they're at the bottom of a pit.
Listening to Matt Colville talk about D&D gets me excited in a way I can only assume an 80's kid running AD&D did back in the day. My only experience is with 5e in the past five-ish years and I only feel this excited about running an "Adventure" rather than a campaign when listening to one of your videos. Don't know how you do it, but it's pretty awesome!
Just discovered today that my first ever d&d adventure was done in the delian tomb. Loved it and glad to know that no matter how experienced you are these videos are always useful. Respect to Matt and my dm John the Geordie
Matt, thank you so much for this epic resource! I’m 46 and have wanted to play D&D since I was about 8 and my older brother played, but for reasons I never did. This year looking for something to do with my older kids I found the starter kit, and figured if I wanted to get involved, I’ll just learn how to DM and trick my kids into playing. I’m running a group of four kids 11-13 now and we’re all hooked! Im loving your videos and I’m hoping my kids will soon be asking me how to DM for their friends too. Thanks again!
thanks for the videos. after watching a ton of them and being enterttained for hours without being bombarded with ads I figured I'd buy one of your books. I started with priest and loved it now I just picked up the next one thief. can't wait to get into it. thanks again.
I absolutely love this video series and look forward to every new episode. It has been a great resource for me as a GM who has not run a game in over 18 years, and a first time D&D GM.
Traps don't always have to be deadly or dangerous to spice up a mission. I remember during one campaign through an enemy stronghold, we passed through a normal looking hallway only to discover the hard way one of the walls had a powerful magnet installed behind it. Everyone with metal armor or weapons needed to do a strength save; easy for the ones with only a few things, and damn hard for anyone in heavy metal armor like our paladin who failed and found themselves pinned to the wall. This put us in the situation of figuring out how we free them before a guard patrol could find us. The paladin could take off his armor to un-stick himself, but then he'd have to adapt to, well, not having any armor until we could get it unstuck. While the trap itself was never the danger, it really helped break up the flow of the dungeon and forced us as the players to get creative.
Amazing video. Every vid doesn’t need to be mind-blowing to be valuable. Sometimes us DMs just need a reminder like “Hey, this thing you take for granted? Be more creative with it.”
Completely agree. To understand where to put what kind of trap, it's best to look at it from a military perspective: What is the proper use of mine fields, tank ditches and barbed wire? It is either to slow down enemies *where you can easily spot and shoot them*, or to allow you to cover your flanks with only a few sentries, with the "traps" giving you time to send reinforcements and making it harder for your enemy to sneak by (or delaying them enough that they will be inconsequential when they finally make it). Basically use #3 and #2. Use #1 only happens incidentally, when one of the former kind of traps gets abandoned, and is pretty much useless. As the saying goes: "An obstacle not covered by fire is not an obstacle".
You diagnosed my trap anxiety perfectly! Really appreciate the way you broke it down in a way that makes a trap useful to the DM. The DM’s guide should be written like this.
The reason I watch your Running the Game series is because you get straight to the point. Seriously. With other people’s DM tips TH-cam videos the person blathers on and on. Most likely to eek out extra minutes to fit more ads.
One of my favorite stories involving a trap was when I was a player, my first 5e game actually. We were in the underdark going through a cave with old worked stone (I was a dwarf and my stonecunning check revealed to me this place is old and was important at one point(red flag #1)). We came to a narrow passageway that led to a T intersection. In the middle of this passage unbeknownst to us was a pressure plate. One of the players stepped on it and it clicked. Nothing happened. They stepped off fine. The next player went, click, nothing. The third player, cocky and assuming the trap old and broken after all this time, crossed it, click, and a fireball went off at the plate's location burning him. I was the 4th to cross and I remember sitting there like "oh well that's simply amazing!"
Every time I click on a new Colville video I learn a little something more about running dnd. I never thought about traps beyond step on trap, get hit before.
As I am running a funhouse megadungeon I have given my traps a Rube Goldberg vibe in the descriptions as much as I can. What the players don't know is that the two liches that run the Megadungeon are MC Escher (the architect for the whole dungeon) and Rube Goldberg (master of trap design). I love the use of Rube Goldberg as insperation. Great job Matt.
Matt Colville thanks for the series. I have built/am building the "Blackhaven Caverns" the formentioned Megadungeon based on your video on the Whiteplume Mountain. And I have had great joy at seeing my players try and thwart the overly elaborate trap mechanisms. Also I have been passing your videos along to some of my players who are preparing to move behind the screen themselves.
The best (most memorable) trap for me ended up as an NPC. Long story short-ish: The party ventured down into the dungeons beneath the ruins of Castle Greyhawk. Zagig himself had put a magical trap on a door decades ago, a pretty tough one to find and disarm. But the rogue of the party didn't come that evening, so instead I decided the magic of the trap had made the door sentient! When the ranger searched the door, and failed the check, the door shouted "BOOM! Did I get'cha?" and grinned. After a short convensation, and some much needed lubrication on the hinges, the door agreed to become the front door of the party's estate back in the River Quarter of Greyhawk, that they were currently renovating.
I have always loved traps and this is perfectly in line with my thoughts. What I really enjoyed was how you succinctly expanded on them. Great video. Thanks Matt.
My favourite thing to think about when designing a dungeon is a big mechanism for getting a gelatinous cube to the top of the dungeon to clean it, activating whenever someone steps on a pressure plate near the entrance. The mechanism takes time, so the players have plenty of time to wonder what the 'trap' may have been as they descend. Add in a room at the end of the dungeon with 10ft square grid in the floor that the cube falls through to reset the mechanism, filtering out any loot it might have picked up.
I enjoy utilizing the Passive Perception mechanic in 5e. Adventurer slips through a door, and notices the low perception check to notice the tripwire (without need to roll the dice). Now they are aware. Now they can investigate the layout of the contraption. They can worry. They can problem solve. It comes down to the description of the workings of the obstacle.
Arrived here looking for some devious traps (I fell in love with the gelatinous cube/pitfall trap) for my Theros campaign, walked away with a beautiful additional source in Heroes and Villains of Theros. Must have been fate. This man's videos are always full of surprises.
One of my favorite traps is a simple rope snare that lifts the character into the air when triggered. The character is dangling upside down, and has to rely on their comrades to free them using a nearby release. If the other characters simply cut the rope, the character falls and takes a bit of damage. If the rope is slowly let out, the reach the ground safely. I find it works really well to have one of these traps on a path so the players can learn the mechanics, then start placing these traps in combat encounters. Melee characters are removed from combat, ranged characters have their mobility taken away, and the party must weigh freeing their friend vs finishing the encounter
I just wanted to say, I've binged your whole series to get the courage to start DMing. Two sessions in, my players are having a lot of fun, I feel comfortable and have fun, we love the story I'm telling and I wanted to thank you 👍🏻
Excellent video! That Gelatinous Cube trap is fiendish and clever. Cubes are my favorite monster and I've always wanted to make a dungeon wherein players are forced to run away from a slowly-advancing ooze, like in The Blob. Seems like a perfect fit for Ghaunadaur/Juiblex!
This is phenomenal, I was stuck in such a block trying to figure out some good thematic traps and this gave me just the boost I needed! Thank you Matt!!
Dael Kingsmill had a super good suggestion about traps in one of her video : the "Click" moment. When someone triggers a trap, describe briefly the sound it makes and ask the player "Fast! What do you do?". If the player says "I jump!" or "I shout "On the ground!" and duck down", depending on the kind of trap, maybe offer advantage for the saving throw roll or let the player dodge it completly if that makes sense. That worked pretty well in my game!
Just want to say, I Love your books, games, videos and other media. I hope The Chain Of Acheron returns soon! But if they dont, keep doin' you! Everything I've seen from MCDM is pure entertainment (and even informative!)
Happy Birthday Dael =) Your videos are some of the most creative, entertaining, and energising out there. And thank you for the lovely video Matt; informative as always, and some fun, unique stories. Very Colvillesque today haha.
Im using some simple traps in my campaign right now. The adventures have to get thru a tunnel complex with 2 groups fighting inside. Goblins and kolbolts. Kolbolts are using traps and tactics to fight back. Sometimes the adventures comes across a trap that has already tripped with some troops in the middle of recovering. Or come across the trap maker and a defense squad resetting traps and looting bodies in those traps. The nice thing is when they start going the wrong way the traps get more elaborate and patrols become more common. And this makes sense because it is getting closer to one group or the other. This is great for lower levels because I dont know if they will but they can always come back once they are stronger to wipe out one or both of the groups of monsters. Plus they can role play, they are lost and come across a hobgoblin nearly dead in a trap that was set off. They could kill and loot him or they can pull him out and use him as their guide. Then the question becomes how do they do this? Threats and intimidation vs mercy and kindness. Each thing has their own perks and benefits
The thing that goes for traps as well as all dramatic devices - simple premise, with an unexpected twist, and opportunity for further drama. It's nearly a foolproof format. Gate slams down, but just between the two groups of party members! And now, hobgoblins are coming to see what happened. Let me make one - a pressure plate fires out arrows, moderate damage. But they hit oil lanterns on the far side of the corridor, and now flames rush towards the players. The entrance to the mine they just came in, propped up by wooden beams.
Grimtooth's books of traps are awesome. In 3.5 the rules on traps are more precise. I use traps in my campaign (3.5). I haven't played a lot of 5e but I've never encountered one in 5e. Interesting video.
Please don't underestimate the value of what you consider a "boring" video like this! For me, the second best way (second only to experience) for me to learn about hhow to run the game is to hear you dissect the rationale behind the mechanics of the game. I would watch an entire series of just you describing the rationale of the seemingly most mundane development decisions because that's how I grow my understanding of things: by exploring the boundaries of what they are. Please post more Running the Game videos even if it is just you rambling about something you have alalready talked about before; I guarantee that there will be value in it for us.
I GOT here 19 seconds after it was posted but I watched it 5 hours later. Some days stuff gets busy but it is always a pleasure to get a running the game video.
i find it very interesting, the thing you mentioned about the portcullis and how it wasn't obvious to you but probably obvious to DMs at the time this is why it's always important to include context and purpose when you write. so much will forever be lost to time, from simple trap functionality to 1000s of years of real world mythology and history
Thank you for this video, thank you for all your videos! Even the few that i am not interested in. Im always cheered when i see new content from you. This one will help me much for i have not ventured into traps much at all.
The advice I have for traps is: context matters. I pressure plate in the middle of a hallway is different from a pressure plate in the middle of a room. On paper, they may have the same stats, but the one in the middle of the room is much easier to bypass. The trick to good traps is using the context around it to give players the opportunity to creative their way around it if disarming it isn't an option. Plus, if players do bypass a trap instead of disarming it, it now can serve more purposes. Making escape harder for the players if they have to run, or giving the players a resource to use against enemies.
My heart lights up every time I see a new RTG video. Even in these dark days when DnD is scarce to play, always nice to have a mini delve into the imagination with our main man Matt.
honestly, the first chapter with it's 10 rules for encounter design are all you really need from the book. it gives you a handy checklist of things you should ask yourself as you design not just encounters but dungeons and story beats. everything else is just examples of how to use those 10 rules in action so you can brew your own ideas
THIS TIMING WAS PERFECT! I am a new-ish DM and I've really been wanting help with traps. Also I have to need to TP-KO my players so I've bought all the stuff from DM's Guild. I bet they are really loving you Mat!
Wow. Traps in DnD 5e must be very different from Pathfinder. There are traps and hazards built into the modules, examples in the Gamemaster Guide, and the rules how to build your own. They have stats, what triggers it, how to disarm them, and if it has one action or multiple actions.
Book of Challenges is so good! I've been using that eternally respawning frog trap for ten years now. It's the perfect middle ground between whimsical and dangerous. The party is in real danger but there's just something funny about almost dying to an endlessly respawning army of foot tall frogs that explode in a cloud of chlorine.
You know, this is not the most exciting video in the world, but new DMs are being made every day and this can help them. We got more exciting videos in the future. :D
Speak for yourself, this is the most exciting video of my entire month! I've been looking forward to your insight on traps
Great to have more Matt Colville content these days!
Don’t be like that! Trap can be extremely exciting if your game has emphasis on positioning! This video will DEFINITELY help me out a lot, and I’m sure it’ll help others as well!
Its super solid. Going back to the Dealian (sp?) tomb is awesome.
I concur. My players are about to see a lot more, and spicier, traps!
I had somewhat often skipped them if they were in a module because I found them boring. I see value in them now and how they can add atmosphere to a dungeon.
Curious is the trapmaker's art - his efficacy unwitnessed by his own eyes.
Underrated reply
Unless it is a dragon that has made an arrow that can kill it but traps it to just watch the horror of adventurers as their Trump card sabotages them.
Ancient traps lie in wait, unsprung and thirsting for blood
Cruel machinations spring to life with a singular purpose!
Ambushed by foul invention!
Admiral Ackbar disliked the video.
took me way to long to get it.
Nicely done. Clappingpicard.jpg
Well done.
I see what you did there
So did the mods
Thank you!! You didn't have to worry, my birthday's coming up this week so you're perfectly on time!
Happy birthday, fellow Leo!
Happy human day!
It's a Factory of Monarchs in the wild! I'll have to check-out your Greek myth stuff as I've been back-burner noodling with a Greco-Roman setting for years! I'm happily reading through Theros atm!
Happy Birthday Ms Monarch
Happy b-day (that was?), love your stuff, and have permanently implimented your thieve's cant idea into my DMing
I'll never get tired of Matt giggling gleefully when a trap like the Gelatinous Cube/Pit trap or his own Cube/Mimic trap works and the players are induced into 'running around like chickens with their heads cut off' mode.
I'm putting this in my next session.
One of the things I've adopted from a discussion on reddit is the "What do you do?" mechanic for traps.
"As you step forward, you feel a slight tug on your foot. A tripwire. It's too late to not trigger the trap, what do you do?"
Depending on what the trap is, and what the players say they do, changes the outcome of the trap. If it's a pitfall, and the player says they drop to the floor... well make your save at disadvantage and try again next time. If it's an arrow trap however, that same floor drop might give advantage on the save! Leaping from the trap might avoid it altogether, or it may put you more squarely in it.
I also typically only give them a few seconds in real life to make their decisions, if they hesitate at the table their character hesitates and just stands there. Adds some drama and encourages quick thinking methinks.
Matt, I know you read some of these comments, so I'd just like to say what an amazing thing you're doing here. Your running the game videos are one of the reasons I started playing D&D, and it's since then become a huge part of my life. Your help, advice, and witty comments on fantasy, politics, and whatever else happens to be on your mind are invaluable to me. You have made my life just a little bit better with these videos, thank you.
I second this. Big time.
I third this, I wouldn't have been a DM if not for Matt, and I might even be a better person then if I hadn't come across running the game. It's also inspiring to see such a talented and passionate DM designer and writer make awesome stuff (refrencing S&F and the chain as well).
I’ll have to fourth this comment. My confidence as a DM comes from this series, and it always challenges me to not run the game by the book
I love traps that aren't just Dex Saves. Give the players an easy puzzle instead, a riddle, a difficult RP scenario, etc.
My favourite kinds of traps will always be runes of reverse gravity. Especially in the middle of a fight. Suddenly, players are literally on different playing fields. Featherfall is a good spell to have in my games, FYI.
Those arent traps, then. They’re puzzles, riddles, or difficult RP scenarios
"If you want to skip this video..."
That is the exact opposite of anything I've ever wanted.
Xanathar's Guide to Everything has an entire chapter dedicated to traps. It even introduces the concept of "Complex Traps" which play out like 1/2 combat 1/2 puzzle. I thought it was pretty neat. Sounds kinda like what you mention towards the end of the video. Keep up the great work Matt! =]
I forgot about that, thanks for the reminder!
+
Sometimes, not all the time but some of the time, it can seem like Matt hasn't read the newer books. I think he even admitted he hadn't read the DMG.
@@Akeche Yeah I figured that might the case, and I don't blame him. He seems like a very busy guy, and he's learned several editions of the game already. Just figured it would be helpful for others looking for trap resources. I'm definitely gonna check out the book of challenges.
Came to say the same, and also agree that Matt may have all the stuff he needs in is head, or existing references already. However the XgE is so good in many ways, Id recommend it fro all new players / DMs / at least a couple of copies in a play group :)
Coming from older editions one of the times I got confused was “where the heck is the disarm trap skill”. It took some time for me to realise that there isn’t any and players have to come up of the way to disarm it and describe how to the dm.
Tbph i always just thought that sleight of hand was expanded to cover it. I always ask my players to describe what they are attempting to do though to make sure it would even work if they are successful
Its thieves tools in 5e. The describe hw to do it approach is more OSR
Collin I do that for lock related traps. But some traps can’t be disarmed by thief tools. Leaves covering a spiked pit for example.
Jordyn Young Yes me too because I was stuck with the mindset that one of these things had to be the disarm trap skill. It can be used sometimes depending on the trap I guess.
Thieves tools is the default but you have to take the trap into consideration. Leaves over a pit isn't a "disarmable" trap. You have to go around it or though it. There isn't triggering there. A trip wire, pressure plate, or something of the like is where thieves tools come in.
I... never thought about it that way. Traps are made to prevent players from bringing all their force to bear, not just to drain resources and the like. I think I’m going to start using traps now, thank you.
An Indiana Jones style mosaic tiled floor (randomly trapped) with appropriate treasure visible on the far side. Crumbling floor tiles that fall to great depths, vines for grabbing to save yourself. On a complete set of failures (DC 15 avoid trapped tile, DC8 grab a vine) they fall and automatically become entangled in vines 20 feet below hanging in the void for rescue, taking some fall damage (2d6). To add the right amount of tension, once a tile crumbles, or the first character makes it across, skeletal warriors start to rise up and attack from the treasure, but they are also prone to falling through the tiles, except they don't grab the vines. Made for great tension and some real hilarity as characters could reach out to grab adjacent falling friends or vines. I also had some of the random treasure tumble down the pile and roll out onto the dodgy tiles, or have the skeletal warrior pick up the obviously magic weapon to use. Disarming came into play and so did abseiling into the depths to retrieve the fallen treasure.
Whats the difference?
@@ollep0lle Containment rather than punishment.
MCDM: Raises 2M
Matt: It's like we're a real company!
Never change, man.
"What is the fastest way to end up with a million dollars in the RPG industry? Start with two million dollars." :P
@@dahlmanerik Yeah, but I love Matt's humility. Like he appears to think he's no big deal.
@@TheGoblinoid I realize. It's just a funny quote I heard from when I worked in the gaming industry. :)
@@dahlmanerik oh gotcha. Man, is it that rough?
@@TheGoblinoid Definitely can be. I was with a larger company and wasn't actually in the RPG department. But, said large company just let their entire RPG department go about 5-6 months ago.....
"I put my information at the front so you don't have to spot through the whole video"
...instant like. Proceeds to watch whole video.
Hey Matt, I've been Dm'ing for my Dad and sister throughout quarantine and I'd like to say thank you for this series. Its been a wealth of helpful guidance.
Speaking of Dael, her video on traps is a great follow on from this, it talks more about theming and in world explanations of traps
This one? th-cam.com/video/wXZXSYjlnGE/w-d-xo.html
one thing I found in grimtooth's that I really liked was something called the "idiot's vase", although I modify it to be more fun and less brutal. My interpretation is an enchanted vase that visibly has a key or some other piece of loot at the bottom, but if you stick your hand in, you never seem to be able to reach the bottom. if you break it, the enchantment shatters and deals force damage. the real trick to it is to simply turn it upside down and let gravity do the work.
My husband has been the "forever DM" and I wanted to give him a chance to play. Your videos have been so helpful to me as I try my hand at running the game. I am excited to see that you are still making them. Thank you for all the tips and tricks- I have been really enjoying being the DM.
Bless you for DMing, I'm sure you'll do great
The iron gate trap was the one where they used the portable hole to go through right?
So hyped to see more RTG videos. Easily my favorite series on TH-cam. Love these vids Matt!
Oh I'm early I better say something funny, uhh
Haha Matt Colville hair go ✨✨
Crab? Crab! Hey man, how you doing?
All hail the crab king 🦀
I love that you comment on stuff.
All hail the crab king
When you’re considering if a trap is what you need to make your encounter more interesting, and in that moment your phone tells you Matt just uploaded a video about Traps.
I love synchronicity.
Serendipity.
Yeah, he's really honing his psychic skills recently!
I love you, Matt!! I am making a dungeon, so I needed this urgently!
Absolutely love that you tell everything in the beginning without a stupid intro music video etc. I always watch the whole video because you have great content
I made a poison trap that is the classic "the doors close and poison starts to fill the room." The trick was the trap opens in three rounds, but the characters can easily plug the pipes where the poison comes from. There was very high anxitey and basically told the players that if they're not careful they could die. By the way, this was in pathfinder 2e.
Matt Colville, slowly succumbing to Lycanthropy right before our eyes!
Two things: 1. I have used Treacherous Traps (5e) and, although it isn't perfect, it adds an incredible amount of the 'stuff' I want in trap making. I was a backer to their project and wasn't disappointed in the slightest. Highly recommended! 2. This is a general comment about Matthew Colville's videos that I didn't really recognise until now. Coming from someone who teaches college-level students, this video made me realise that Matthew Colville is incredibly good at explaining things that are incredibly obvious in a way that anyone could understand. This isn't a slight against him in any way, as doing so can be incredibly tedious and sometimes difficult. Thank you, Matthew, for being the kind of person D&D nerds need, but don't deserve.
One of my favourite things for the third use of traps, especially when it comes to higher levels, is the glyph or warding spell. The spell can do a lot of dynamic things - silencing spellcasters, wall of fire and the like the split the party, etc. It can even do something "traps" definitely aren't intended to do, and a powerful cleric could throw a glyph of warding down to cast Heal on themselves (or a similar beneficial spell) in response to a certain trigger.
In my game recently a Drow Matron Mother had a very mediocre time when the party got a clutch Feeblemind off on her, making her far less threatening. If she ever comes back from the dead (very unlikely, but not impossible) she'll be sure to have a glyph that Heals her if she makes an attack with her Demon Staff - a last resort option normally, but really the only thing she can do once feebleminded.
I think generally when it comes to traps to make a seemingly easy or manageable encounter spiral out of the party's control, traps that divide and conquer, or debilitate the party somehow, are much better choices than traps that simply do some additional damage. The goal with a trap in this scenario in my opinion is to make the party ask "well how to we deal with this new problem in addition to the enemies we face" and a trap that just fireballs the party or similar is easily answered with "heal through it".
Another great video, I know I'll be checking out the book of challenges and maybe throwing some of these nasties at my players in the future. :)
Matt, I am working a night shift and super bored and just found this new upload so I just wanted to shout out to you and say thank you from the bottom of my heart.
Thanks to your series I have started running DND with literal zero experience just 4 months ago, now we are well into the thick of my homebrew campaign. I ran oneshots for 10 people, all of who want to keep playing and I have a steady group of 5 who send me endless praises. Which really belongs to you.
Just a few months ago, I would have never imagined playing, god forbid running DND, thinking it to be something only a veteran could do. The way you explained the game, how you interpreted this complex game into simple components and explained its merits had me too jittery to play with my friends and I just had to try.
Before, DND was some nerd thing too intense for me, now its a playground for me and my friends to craft as we please. 2 of my players initially didnt even want to play DND at all because they thought it wasnt for them (one is sports freak and the other never liked rpg or gaming like rest of us) and after running the game in your Colvillian style (I say that to them a lot) they can't get enough! They are the ones bugging me constantly to play more frequently now.
Even if you dont read this, just wanted to say thanks, for bringing such a delight into my life in a time that could have been very dark. You truly are a river to your people.
I'm way earlier into the RTG series and am so happy you're still coming out with more! I'm not COMPLETELY new to DMing (I've DMed maybe 3ish campaigns with a new one this Saturday) but every single video I basically learn at least one new thing and it's so engaging and interesting! Thanks so much and excited to learn more!
Update: last night was session 1 with my new party, and it went so smoothly and everyone was laughing nearly the whole time. I took lots of advice from the RtG series and I think it really helped
The T-section trap sounds like a perfect example of chronic and sustained cruelty. I love it
I ran my first ever campaign for 3 of my friends on Sunday and it went INCREDIBLY. Even though it was over Google Hangouts. We all had a blast and are excited to play again this Sunday. And it was entirely due to your videos! (as well as dimension 20 and naddpod inspiration). The tips you provided helped make my first session 1000 times better than it would have been otherwise, though I do also have my incredible players to thank for such a good time too.
Thank you so much for helping me gain the confidence I needed to run a game of D&D. When I got into it, it wasn't even hard! Excited to see where this incredible hobby takes me and my friends and I'm excited to steal more of your ideas and put them in my game
Something I kind of love about this video is that most of the advice you give here is just what you've been saying for years in Q&As, and live streams and the like when you would get questions about traps but in a concise and significantly more put together format.
My favorite rules for traps in any edition of D&D are "Encounter Traps" from 3rd edition. Originally published in Secrets of Xen'drik for the Eberron setting, and then reprinted in the core product line in the Dungeonscape book. "Encounter Traps" differed from regular 3rd edition traps in that they each required multiple successful disarm traps, and they had evolving or repeating effects every round. You rolled initiative when they were triggered, and you had so many rounds to figure out how to disarm it before or while something bad was happening. Classic!
Love how straightforward you are with your early explanations! Keep being an outlier, for me it gives me even more incentive to watch the full video!
I'm very impressed by your analytical approach to how and why to use traps.
I've been watching videos all day looking for ideas and this is the first that really made me think in depth about the reasons behind the traps and getting into the mindset of the players that could interact with them.
I clicked on this video, thinking about that book on my shelf. Then you explicitly mentioned it.
I LOVED that book when I was a kid. I sat and read through them all, because I didn't have people to actually play with on the long summer days.
5:31 I think Wizards is leaving money on the table by not having toy soldier style Bucket of Goblins (with attachable bases so you can use them as minis) for sale.
I heard you talking about a lot of this before, but I'm glad it is now all in one video for easy reference. Plus, you are always fun and inspiring to listen to.
Matt you're awesome! I would just like to say that these videos are what really got me into DMing. I've been at it for a little over a year and already got 3 of my players to DM and one other is thinking about at least doing a 1 shot! Thank you for all that you do. Keep up the great work man.
Matt- I always love the enthusiasm you bring to whatever your subject is, and you always help me to really think about what I want to add to my campaigns. Right now I'm working on a dungeon that relies heavily on illusions and traps, and you've given me some good food for thought here. Thank you!
Thanks for all the advice! I recently started playing again. I originally played with my brother and friends in the late 70s. Now I'm teaching my kids. These vids are really helping me improve as a DM. Wish I had them when I was 12!
Another fantastic third edition book is "Traps & Treachery" which has detailed mechanical descriptions for traps and how to describe them to players who notice them and what they can do to disarm them.
Traps can also encourage exploration of more complex dungeons - if the party spot a trap, and there are routes they haven't yet been, they might decide to explore one of those routes to see if there's a way around the trap. Locked doors can have the same function.
In terms of splitting the party with traps, pit traps are excellent for this. It's a little bit of fall damage - but if you put a couple of zombies at the bottom of a 15' pit, you've created a situation where only one or two party members are in immediate danger - leading the others to focus on helping whoever ended up in the pit. If a couple of ghouls then take advantage of the distraction, you've got yourself a pretty tense fight. I mean, for a party of four level 4 PCs, two zombies and two ghouls are a medium encounter, but if you've split the party like that, it's a whole (hole?) other situation to deal with. Sure, provided they have a cleric, the party will almost certainly get through largely unscathed, but during the fight itself? Much like with the portcullis, they're having to deal with not being able to use the tactics they're used to using.
The important thing with traps is that they have to make sense when you consider who lives in the area. Nobody is going to defend their lair with a trap they themselves cannot easily get past.
What about a cave-in instead of a pit trap? A natural weakening of the floor in a catacombs built too close to an underground river or cistern -- the stones fall away, the characters fall into a sinkhole beneath. The noise attracts a bunch of undead. Same trap, but now it's more synchronous, makes more sense within the setting. Not to mention, the adventurers now have difficult terrain to negotiate when they are on their way back out of the catacombs, maybe while being chased by a large army of undead they disturbed deeper within. Hmm.
@@lfoster6759 Works just as well; the idea of a pit trap was more because a necromancer could just throw a couple of corpses into the pit, then cast animate dead on them (I forgot that it has a 10' range, but the necromancer could animate them and then order them to dig the pit - at that point, the control over the zombies will wear out, but the necromancer won't need that control because they're at the bottom of a pit.
Listening to Matt Colville talk about D&D gets me excited in a way I can only assume an 80's kid running AD&D did back in the day. My only experience is with 5e in the past five-ish years and I only feel this excited about running an "Adventure" rather than a campaign when listening to one of your videos. Don't know how you do it, but it's pretty awesome!
That T-junction trap is so evil, I'm laughing
A Matt Colville video under 45 mins?? Sacrilege of the highest order!
Just discovered today that my first ever d&d adventure was done in the delian tomb. Loved it and glad to know that no matter how experienced you are these videos are always useful. Respect to Matt and my dm John the Geordie
Awwww, this is going to make Dael's day. I love you man, thanks for continuing to be a river to your people.
Matt, thank you so much for this epic resource! I’m 46 and have wanted to play D&D since I was about 8 and my older brother played, but for reasons I never did.
This year looking for something to do with my older kids I found the starter kit, and figured if I wanted to get involved, I’ll just learn how to DM and trick my kids into playing.
I’m running a group of four kids 11-13 now and we’re all hooked!
Im loving your videos and I’m hoping my kids will soon be asking me how to DM for their friends too.
Thanks again!
thanks for the videos. after watching a ton of them and being enterttained for hours without being bombarded with ads I figured I'd buy one of your books. I started with priest and loved it now I just picked up the next one thief. can't wait to get into it. thanks again.
I absolutely love this video series and look forward to every new episode. It has been a great resource for me as a GM who has not run a game in over 18 years, and a first time D&D GM.
Traps don't always have to be deadly or dangerous to spice up a mission. I remember during one campaign through an enemy stronghold, we passed through a normal looking hallway only to discover the hard way one of the walls had a powerful magnet installed behind it. Everyone with metal armor or weapons needed to do a strength save; easy for the ones with only a few things, and damn hard for anyone in heavy metal armor like our paladin who failed and found themselves pinned to the wall.
This put us in the situation of figuring out how we free them before a guard patrol could find us. The paladin could take off his armor to un-stick himself, but then he'd have to adapt to, well, not having any armor until we could get it unstuck. While the trap itself was never the danger, it really helped break up the flow of the dungeon and forced us as the players to get creative.
Amazing video. Every vid doesn’t need to be mind-blowing to be valuable. Sometimes us DMs just need a reminder like “Hey, this thing you take for granted? Be more creative with it.”
"It's like we're a real company with this stuff." -Matt
Matt, you *are* a real company
Completely agree. To understand where to put what kind of trap, it's best to look at it from a military perspective: What is the proper use of mine fields, tank ditches and barbed wire? It is either to slow down enemies *where you can easily spot and shoot them*, or to allow you to cover your flanks with only a few sentries, with the "traps" giving you time to send reinforcements and making it harder for your enemy to sneak by (or delaying them enough that they will be inconsequential when they finally make it). Basically use #3 and #2. Use #1 only happens incidentally, when one of the former kind of traps gets abandoned, and is pretty much useless. As the saying goes: "An obstacle not covered by fire is not an obstacle".
You diagnosed my trap anxiety perfectly! Really appreciate the way you broke it down in a way that makes a trap useful to the DM. The DM’s guide should be written like this.
The reason I watch your Running the Game series is because you get straight to the point. Seriously. With other people’s DM tips TH-cam videos the person blathers on and on. Most likely to eek out extra minutes to fit more ads.
After months of drought, we're getting so many videos so soon. Maybe 2020 is getting better...
He is a river to his people
www.twitch.tv/mcdm/ is another great place to get your Colville fix!
He's been busy with Kingdoms and Warfare, which I am stoked for!
I see this commentor didn’t use the company issued time machine. Unlucky ☹️
One of my favorite stories involving a trap was when I was a player, my first 5e game actually. We were in the underdark going through a cave with old worked stone (I was a dwarf and my stonecunning check revealed to me this place is old and was important at one point(red flag #1)). We came to a narrow passageway that led to a T intersection. In the middle of this passage unbeknownst to us was a pressure plate. One of the players stepped on it and it clicked. Nothing happened. They stepped off fine. The next player went, click, nothing. The third player, cocky and assuming the trap old and broken after all this time, crossed it, click, and a fireball went off at the plate's location burning him. I was the 4th to cross and I remember sitting there like "oh well that's simply amazing!"
Every time I click on a new Colville video I learn a little something more about running dnd. I never thought about traps beyond step on trap, get hit before.
As I am running a funhouse megadungeon I have given my traps a Rube Goldberg vibe in the descriptions as much as I can. What the players don't know is that the two liches that run the Megadungeon are MC Escher (the architect for the whole dungeon) and Rube Goldberg (master of trap design).
I love the use of Rube Goldberg as insperation. Great job Matt.
Matt Colville thanks for the series. I have built/am building the "Blackhaven Caverns" the formentioned Megadungeon based on your video on the Whiteplume Mountain. And I have had great joy at seeing my players try and thwart the overly elaborate trap mechanisms. Also I have been passing your videos along to some of my players who are preparing to move behind the screen themselves.
The best (most memorable) trap for me ended up as an NPC.
Long story short-ish: The party ventured down into the dungeons beneath the ruins of Castle Greyhawk. Zagig himself had put a magical trap on a door decades ago, a pretty tough one to find and disarm. But the rogue of the party didn't come that evening, so instead I decided the magic of the trap had made the door sentient! When the ranger searched the door, and failed the check, the door shouted "BOOM! Did I get'cha?" and grinned. After a short convensation, and some much needed lubrication on the hinges, the door agreed to become the front door of the party's estate back in the River Quarter of Greyhawk, that they were currently renovating.
I have always loved traps and this is perfectly in line with my thoughts. What I really enjoyed was how you succinctly expanded on them. Great video. Thanks Matt.
My favourite thing to think about when designing a dungeon is a big mechanism for getting a gelatinous cube to the top of the dungeon to clean it, activating whenever someone steps on a pressure plate near the entrance.
The mechanism takes time, so the players have plenty of time to wonder what the 'trap' may have been as they descend.
Add in a room at the end of the dungeon with 10ft square grid in the floor that the cube falls through to reset the mechanism, filtering out any loot it might have picked up.
Matt I just wanna say, your videos make me genuinely happy
Ugh... Stage 4 lock-down... mandatory masks... beginnings of cabin fever.... This week su- A running the game video! Best. Week. Ever.
Hey ive just started stage 4 too. Must be an aussie
@@sjlemmon and both Victorians I'd wager.
That time seems so distant now.
I enjoy utilizing the Passive Perception mechanic in 5e.
Adventurer slips through a door, and notices the low perception check to notice the tripwire (without need to roll the dice).
Now they are aware. Now they can investigate the layout of the contraption. They can worry. They can problem solve.
It comes down to the description of the workings of the obstacle.
Arrived here looking for some devious traps (I fell in love with the gelatinous cube/pitfall trap) for my Theros campaign, walked away with a beautiful additional source in Heroes and Villains of Theros. Must have been fate. This man's videos are always full of surprises.
One of my favorite channels out there, thanks for all your work Matt!
One of my favorite traps is a simple rope snare that lifts the character into the air when triggered. The character is dangling upside down, and has to rely on their comrades to free them using a nearby release. If the other characters simply cut the rope, the character falls and takes a bit of damage. If the rope is slowly let out, the reach the ground safely. I find it works really well to have one of these traps on a path so the players can learn the mechanics, then start placing these traps in combat encounters. Melee characters are removed from combat, ranged characters have their mobility taken away, and the party must weigh freeing their friend vs finishing the encounter
I just wanted to say, I've binged your whole series to get the courage to start DMing.
Two sessions in, my players are having a lot of fun, I feel comfortable and have fun, we love the story I'm telling and I wanted to thank you 👍🏻
Excellent video!
That Gelatinous Cube trap is fiendish and clever. Cubes are my favorite monster and I've always wanted to make a dungeon wherein players are forced to run away from a slowly-advancing ooze, like in The Blob. Seems like a perfect fit for Ghaunadaur/Juiblex!
This is phenomenal, I was stuck in such a block trying to figure out some good thematic traps and this gave me just the boost I needed! Thank you Matt!!
Dael Kingsmill had a super good suggestion about traps in one of her video : the "Click" moment. When someone triggers a trap, describe briefly the sound it makes and ask the player "Fast! What do you do?". If the player says "I jump!" or "I shout "On the ground!" and duck down", depending on the kind of trap, maybe offer advantage for the saving throw roll or let the player dodge it completly if that makes sense. That worked pretty well in my game!
Just want to say, I Love your books, games, videos and other media.
I hope The Chain Of Acheron returns soon!
But if they dont, keep doin' you!
Everything I've seen from MCDM is pure entertainment (and even informative!)
Happy Birthday Dael =) Your videos are some of the most creative, entertaining, and energising out there. And thank you for the lovely video Matt; informative as always, and some fun, unique stories. Very Colvillesque today haha.
Im using some simple traps in my campaign right now. The adventures have to get thru a tunnel complex with 2 groups fighting inside. Goblins and kolbolts. Kolbolts are using traps and tactics to fight back. Sometimes the adventures comes across a trap that has already tripped with some troops in the middle of recovering. Or come across the trap maker and a defense squad resetting traps and looting bodies in those traps. The nice thing is when they start going the wrong way the traps get more elaborate and patrols become more common. And this makes sense because it is getting closer to one group or the other. This is great for lower levels because I dont know if they will but they can always come back once they are stronger to wipe out one or both of the groups of monsters. Plus they can role play, they are lost and come across a hobgoblin nearly dead in a trap that was set off. They could kill and loot him or they can pull him out and use him as their guide. Then the question becomes how do they do this? Threats and intimidation vs mercy and kindness. Each thing has their own perks and benefits
Nathan Kelly - Brilliant idea to have the characters in the middle of two fighting factions and they actually see what is going on.
My players are currently on their first dungeon crawl, this video could not have come at a better time. Thanks Matt!
The thing that goes for traps as well as all dramatic devices - simple premise, with an unexpected twist, and opportunity for further drama. It's nearly a foolproof format. Gate slams down, but just between the two groups of party members! And now, hobgoblins are coming to see what happened. Let me make one - a pressure plate fires out arrows, moderate damage. But they hit oil lanterns on the far side of the corridor, and now flames rush towards the players. The entrance to the mine they just came in, propped up by wooden beams.
Grimtooth's books of traps are awesome.
In 3.5 the rules on traps are more precise. I use traps in my campaign (3.5).
I haven't played a lot of 5e but I've never encountered one in 5e.
Interesting video.
Love the traps in pathfinder 2e. We use alot of traps in our dungeons. Sometimes the players can lure the baddies into a trap.
Please don't underestimate the value of what you consider a "boring" video like this!
For me, the second best way (second only to experience) for me to learn about hhow to run the game is to hear you dissect the rationale behind the mechanics of the game. I would watch an entire series of just you describing the rationale of the seemingly most mundane development decisions because that's how I grow my understanding of things: by exploring the boundaries of what they are.
Please post more Running the Game videos even if it is just you rambling about something you have alalready talked about before; I guarantee that there will be value in it for us.
I GOT here 19 seconds after it was posted but I watched it 5 hours later. Some days stuff gets busy but it is always a pleasure to get a running the game video.
I've been watching your videos for years, and I'm finally going to DM for the first time this week. Thanks for everything Matt!
i find it very interesting, the thing you mentioned about the portcullis and how it wasn't obvious to you but probably obvious to DMs at the time
this is why it's always important to include context and purpose when you write. so much will forever be lost to time, from simple trap functionality to 1000s of years of real world mythology and history
Thank you for this video, thank you for all your videos! Even the few that i am not interested in. Im always cheered when i see new content from you. This one will help me much for i have not ventured into traps much at all.
New monster: Bucket o' Goblins. "It's what you think it is."
This is going in my next dungeon.
The advice I have for traps is: context matters. I pressure plate in the middle of a hallway is different from a pressure plate in the middle of a room. On paper, they may have the same stats, but the one in the middle of the room is much easier to bypass. The trick to good traps is using the context around it to give players the opportunity to creative their way around it if disarming it isn't an option.
Plus, if players do bypass a trap instead of disarming it, it now can serve more purposes. Making escape harder for the players if they have to run, or giving the players a resource to use against enemies.
Thank you so much for making videos matt. you have no idea how much you have helped me
My heart lights up every time I see a new RTG video. Even in these dark days when DnD is scarce to play, always nice to have a mini delve into the imagination with our main man Matt.
So glad you did this, as an old time dm I hate seeing traps being written off by modern Dm's.
that trap description made me laugh so hard I started coughing. I love traps like that!
i own that book and it really shaped how I view encounter design. i was lucky to read it early in my gaming career
honestly, the first chapter with it's 10 rules for encounter design are all you really need from the book. it gives you a handy checklist of things you should ask yourself as you design not just encounters but dungeons and story beats.
everything else is just examples of how to use those 10 rules in action so you can brew your own ideas
“If you spend this time making traps, you’re just making the game more tedious.”
Amen and AMEN.
THIS TIMING WAS PERFECT! I am a new-ish DM and I've really been wanting help with traps. Also I have to need to TP-KO my players so I've bought all the stuff from DM's Guild. I bet they are really loving you Mat!
"A Bucket of Goblins" made me laugh harder than it reasonably should have.
Wow. Traps in DnD 5e must be very different from Pathfinder. There are traps and hazards built into the modules, examples in the Gamemaster Guide, and the rules how to build your own. They have stats, what triggers it, how to disarm them, and if it has one action or multiple actions.
10:34 So this trap is basically 2020 in trap form
Book of Challenges is so good! I've been using that eternally respawning frog trap for ten years now. It's the perfect middle ground between whimsical and dangerous. The party is in real danger but there's just something funny about almost dying to an endlessly respawning army of foot tall frogs that explode in a cloud of chlorine.