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Community
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*Dungeons & Dragons
RPG Evolution: The Pit Problem
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<blockquote data-quote="jgsugden" data-source="post: 9055878" data-attributes="member: 2629"><p>A pit, by itself, it generally a waste. If the pit is the entire encounter, then there is a possibility for a little damage which likely will not even cause unconciousness, and a little time describing how you get out, and then a wasted spell slot to heal the damage. </p><p></p><p>However, using the pit as a feature of an encounter, rather than the star, can be very rewarding. Here are a few of my common ways of using pit traps:</p><p></p><p>1.) It sets off an alarm. In addition to the trapped PC taking some damage, the PC will start the encounter off in a space where they'll have to find a quick way out to join the battle.</p><p></p><p>2.) It springs mid-battle. Like in 1, they have to deal with the situation with the time urgency of combat underway, but unlike in 1.) it can disrupt the combat strategies of the PCs.</p><p></p><p>3.) It is less of a "trap" and more of a secret door. The PCs easily find the pit trap and avoid it ... but fail to search the bottom of it where there is a concealed or secret entrance. This works especially well when the base of the pit is covered in a opaque liquid and the passage is beneath the liquid.</p><p></p><p>4.) When the enemy is at the bottom of the pit. It might be something that swallows, petrifies or grabs and runs off with the target via an underground network. Regardless, the idea is that the pit adds elevation and disruption and isolates a PC as part of the encounter.</p><p></p><p>5.) A favorite: The pit is the distraction. For example, I love to have a mimic take the shape of the deck on the other side of the pit so that the PCs leap right onto it.</p><p></p><p>These types of approaches allow me to use typical traps like pits and keep them interesting.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="jgsugden, post: 9055878, member: 2629"] A pit, by itself, it generally a waste. If the pit is the entire encounter, then there is a possibility for a little damage which likely will not even cause unconciousness, and a little time describing how you get out, and then a wasted spell slot to heal the damage. However, using the pit as a feature of an encounter, rather than the star, can be very rewarding. Here are a few of my common ways of using pit traps: 1.) It sets off an alarm. In addition to the trapped PC taking some damage, the PC will start the encounter off in a space where they'll have to find a quick way out to join the battle. 2.) It springs mid-battle. Like in 1, they have to deal with the situation with the time urgency of combat underway, but unlike in 1.) it can disrupt the combat strategies of the PCs. 3.) It is less of a "trap" and more of a secret door. The PCs easily find the pit trap and avoid it ... but fail to search the bottom of it where there is a concealed or secret entrance. This works especially well when the base of the pit is covered in a opaque liquid and the passage is beneath the liquid. 4.) When the enemy is at the bottom of the pit. It might be something that swallows, petrifies or grabs and runs off with the target via an underground network. Regardless, the idea is that the pit adds elevation and disruption and isolates a PC as part of the encounter. 5.) A favorite: The pit is the distraction. For example, I love to have a mimic take the shape of the deck on the other side of the pit so that the PCs leap right onto it. These types of approaches allow me to use typical traps like pits and keep them interesting. [/QUOTE]
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