Pit Trap Generator

It's become a thing to have generators on your blog. This is one for pit traps. Click the button below and it'll generate a fresh pit trap for the next time your PCs need something to fall into.

(This is based on my article from Fight On! 14.)

S&W Bonus #2: Pit Traps!

Since everyone's having so much fun with S&W Appreciation Day, here are some charts to liven up your pit traps. Not terrifically S&W specific but hey, I like trap charts.

The tables below are intended to put some variety into the standard pit traps that one encounters from time to time in dungeons. Roll once on table 1 for the pit depth, once on table 2 for the dimensions, once on table 3 for what is covering the pit, and once on table 4 to determine any special features.

Table 1: Depth of Pit
01-10	5 feet (1d2 damage)
11-50	10 feet (1d6 damage)
51-65	15 feet (1d6 damage)
66-80	20 feet (2d6 damage)
81-90	25 feet (2d6 damage)
91-99	30 feet (3d6 damage)
00	Infinite (characters fall “forever”)

Table 2: Width and Length of Pit
01-10	2 feet by 2 feet (victims may become stuck)
11-30	5 feet by 5 feet
31-50	10 feet by 5 feet
51-80	10 feet by 10 feet
81-90	10 feet by 20 feet
91-00	10 feet by 30 feet

Table 3: Trap Covering
01-10	Open pit
11-30	Trap Door, Stays Open
31-40	Trap Door, Resets after 1d6 turns
41-50	Wood (only triggered if more than 200 lbs weight is above pit)
51-60	Glass (shatters if more than 100 lbs weight is above pit)
61-70	Loose stone (crumbles to reveal pit beneath)
71-80	Sliding section of stone (moves away; resets itself after 1d6 turns)
81-90	Cloth covering (canvas or other fabric; goes into the pit first)
91-95	Illusion of actual floor (can be disbelieved if pole or other object goes through)
96-00	Solid stone; magically disintegrated if more than 200 lbs above pit.

Table 4: Special Features
01-35	Bare Floor
36-45	Spikes, Wooden (add 1d4 damage)
46-65	Spikes, Metal (add 1d6 damage)
66-70	Spikes, Metal, Poisoned (add 1d6 damage + poison)
71-80	Animal (consult Table 5)
81-90	Carrion
91-00	Filled (consult Table 6)

Table 5: Animals in Trap
01-30	Rats, Normal (2-12)
30-50	Rats, Giant (1-6)
51-60	Lizards, Giant (1-2)
61-70	Beetles, Giant (2-8)
71-80	Insect Swarm (various)
81-85	Snakes, Cobra (1-4)
86-90	Snakes, Vipers (1-4)
91-95	Killer Bees (2-12)
96-00	Bear, Black (1)

Table 6: Filled Traps
01-50	Water, Normal (if deeper than 5 feet, armored characters may drown unless rescued)
51-55	Water, Icy (1d2 damage / turn from hypothermia until victim leaves)
56-60	Water, Boiling (1d6 damage / round until victim leaves)
61-65	Water, Contaminated (10% cumulative chance / round of catching disease)
66-70	Tar (extremely sticky, takes 2 turns / individual to extract if possible)
71-75	Acid (1d3 damage / round, destroys wood, leather etc in 1 round, metal in 1 turn)
76-80	Poisonous liquid
81-85	Gray Ooze
86-90	Green Slime
91-95	Ochre Jelly
96-00	Black Pudding

What Trap Charts?

The title of this post references a classic Alarums & Excursions zine that ran in the very early issues. Certainly in my heart I hope it was an evasive denial of real trap charts.

I love charts in RPGs. One of my favorite gaming aids is the Judges Guild Ready Ref Sheets, and I've always loved the heaps of charts in the Dungeon Masters Guide. Some of the best products of the old school renaissance are the Dungeon Alphabet and the Random Esoteric Creature Generator for Classic Fantasy Roleplaying Games and Their Modern Simulacra.

I also love traps. I think Jim Raggi's Green Devil Face is fun, and I contributed to it. My first OD&D game included what I affectionately refer to as the "bear trap" (a room with a bear in it, which provoked a ton of discussion that I cut off by pointing out that there was a bear coming at the PCs). Even the cheesy fun of Grimtooth's Traps appealed deeply to me.

So I've decided on a project: trap charts. These are going to be detailed charts to give a wide variety of options for traps. Mainly because I want to use them myself, and I've been thinking of ways to spice up traps beyond arrow, pit, arrow, pit, teleporter, etc. These essentially boil down to a simple set of options; roll or pick from the charts, and now you've got a trap with 4 knives that fire from behind a tapestry when someone makes a noise in the room.

These charts are probably going to come down somewhere from 16-20 pages without artwork, and I will want to publish them. They're pretty system neutral and I'm not worried about what system you use or branding. So three questions:

- Would you be interested in buying these (almost certainly as a Lulu publication)?
- Would you be more interested in a "Trap Charts" product, or as a chapter in a broader product called "Old School Miscellany"?
- What should I do for the art (if anything)? I can't draw but my wife can, although she isn't exactly a D&D enthusiast, but I don't exactly have an art budget.