Page 120 - Dungeon Master's Guide

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As adventurers travel through the air, SIN PLAY
random encounters as you normally would. lgnore-.,...,,~-­
When adventurers come across a trap, you need to know
result that indicates a non-flying monster, unless the
how the trap is triggered and what it does, as well as the
characters are flying close enough to the ground to be
possibility for the characters to detect the trap and to
targeted by non-flying creatures making ranged attacks.
disable or avoid it.
Characters have normal chances to spot creatures on
the ground and can decide whether to engage them.
TRIGGERING A TRAP
Most traps are triggered when a creature goes
TRAPS somewhere or touches something that the trap's creator
Traps can be found almost anywhere. One wrong step wanted to protect. Common triggers include stepping on
in an ancient tomb might trigger a series of scything a pressure plate or a false section of floor, pulling a trip
blades, which cleave through armor and bone. The wire, turning a doorknob, and using the wrong key in a
seemingly innocuous vines that hang over a cave lock. Magic traps are often set to go off when a creature
entrance might grasp and choke anyone who pushes enters an area or touches an object. Some magic
through them. A net hidden among the trees might drop traps (such as the glyph of warding spell) have more
on travelers who pass underneath. In the D&D game, complicated trigger conditions, including a password
unwary adventurers can fall to their deaths, be burned that prevents the trap from activating.
alive, or fall under a fusillade of poisoned darts.
A trap can be either mechanical or magical in DETECTING AND DISABLING A TRAP
nature. Mechanical traps include pits, arrow Usually, some element of a trap is visible to careful
traps, falling blocks, water-filled rooms, whirling inspection. Characters might notice an uneven flagstone
blades, and anything else that depends on that conceals a pressure plate, spot the gleam of light off
a mechanism to operate. Magic traps are either a trip wire, notice small holes in the walls from which
magical device traps or spell traps. Magical device jets of flame will erupt, or otherwise detect something
traps initiate spell effects when activated. Spell traps that points to a trap's presence.
are spells such as glyph of warding and symbol that A trap's description specifies the checks and DCs
function as traps. needed to detect it, disable it, or both. A character

CHAPTER 5 I ADVENTURE ENVIRONMENTS