Traps in an abandoned library?

[RangerWickett]

Four centuries ago a library sealed its doors in the face of an oncoming ice age, and its librarian preserved herself in stasis. Now the PCs have stumbled across the library, and suspect it's tied to an ongoing plotline they're dealing with (local tribes and monsters have started becoming more savage, with hints of demonic possession).

I want them to go inside and free the librarian, who can then help them figure out how to deal with the demons behind the current problems. But how would a library defend itself from intruders for four centuries? Would there be tests of worth to see if the PCs deserve to get inside? Is the librarian herself just sleeping, or encased in ice, or waiting inside a book Myst-style, hoping someone passes the tests and frees her?

The library, in my mind, is a tower in the woods. The party already killed a hydra that was befouling a nearby lake, and some local fey figured that made them worthy of at least being guided to the library. So what's inside the thing?

 

[Janx]

Some basic thoughts
a) it's bigger on the inside
b) it needs a protocol to wake itself up when suitable conditions return (rather than rely on luck)
c) the Librarian wants to see for herself at various times

If the Librarian didn't think of point B, it's a death sentence as the library may never get re-opened and thus restore the Librarian.

The library presumably has goals like:
1) preserve existing knowledge
2) collect ongoing knowledge so that the Dark Ages aren't all that dark once the Awakening occurs
3) protect the Librarian and staff so they will be ready to re-vitalize society once the Ice Age is done

So, from those assumptions:
i) once ever 100 years, the Library wakes up minimal staff and they do a systems check, house-cleaning, etc. This also lets the Librarian manually confirm that the Ice Age is still going on. Let's say that's 1 day or so.
ii) To protect itself, the Tower is just a portal to the Library's pocket dimension. It is also re-generated once every 100 years as part of the maintenance check.
iii) The entry sequence from the Tower to the library is really routing them to a secondary pocket dimension (a buffer), where data about the world, current events are collected from test subjects. This is like a HoloDeck or some such, with a capture and release mentality going on a subjects explore a non-interesting dungeon and talk to an inquisitive NPC or two (it must be unassuming so that people don't investigate too heavily).
iv) The subsequent levels of security are progressively more dangerous pocket dimensions. Each acting as a DMZ to the next.
v) the Librarian can bypass the DMZ levels in order to double-check the outside world on Maintenance Day

 

[Hand of Evil]

Alternate Planes - the library does not exist in a single plane but many, the players have to "lock down" each version to make the library come back. As a twist, they have to unlock it from other planes.

 

[RangerWickett]

Both these ideas are interesting, if I wasn't already planning to use the books in the library as demiplanes later on. So I want to keep the party in the real world for now. Later on, they'll actually delve into books as a sort of bibliophile's time travel.

 

[Janx]

Both these ideas are interesting, if I wasn't already planning to use the books in the library as demiplanes later on. So I want to keep the party in the real world for now. Later on, they'll actually delve into books as a sort of bibliophile's time travel.

alright, slight modification then. There's no pocket dimensions involved (in my idea). The real tower has a real inside. With real secret entrance to real lower levels (like a traditional dungeon crawl). The bottom level has the real library.

the core concept is that if this was a real world problem, you'd secure it, and have failsafes so the Librarian can check on things and make repairs.

 

[Hand of Evil]

create monsters:

• Ink Golem - a ink blob that reduces the character to just text in a book, if it grapplers the character.
• Dust Mites - blood sucking swarming pest.
• Book Case Bear Trap - the cases snap close on characters between them.
• Glyphs - read at your own risk.
• Zone of Silences - no noise in parts of the library.
• The Sh'er - too much noise and you get sh'ed, like Scott Evil. It keeps getting louder until it is a sonic weapon.
• Animated objects - always placing books back on the selves.
• Harry Potter Monster books - its been breeding...

 

[was]

My first thought was the trapped books from Army of Darkness. Golems of wood, paper or stone would work. Maybe some trapped paintings or rugs. Rugs or tapestries that are really slimes or oozes can be fun.

 

[Gilladian]

I like the idea of a series of challenges to see if the PCs deserve to get in; I also really like the idea that the Librarian gets to wake up and clean house every hundred years or so. But I bet by the third round of cleaning, he/she is REALLY tired of it... and eager to talk to people.

So set up a series of tests, but at some point, have the Librarian arrive (having been woken up by some sort of alarm) and dismiss the rest of the tests, basically because he/she can't wait for the PCs to get in and talk to him/her in person!

Tests should, of course, test the intellect of the PC(s). This is the perfect time for a magic chess board, riddling doors, some sort of rigged weights that must be positioned properly, etc... All the standard logic-problem type puzzles you find in various hidden-object games... but when the PCs get stuck and bogged down, send in the librarian - who can be as pernickety, moody, insane, etc... as you desire.

 

[Tonguez]

Does it have to be a library of books?

Could we go a bit sci-fi animated object/magic mirrory
- What about a library of Screens onto which the text of the books is loaded for viewing (ie a remote reader). The Screens are of course free standing and the size of book shelves (or at least full length mirrors) and some of the screens need to be repaired, reassembled and slotted back into their proper place in the tower.

Once the screens are all activated the Librarian appears and can be awoken. Is the Librarian a person? or the whole tower? The Librarian is of course able to access the physical book which is being displayed on the screens

As for traps I like 'natural' traps so of course there are rotten stairwells/floorboards to fall through, falling books and toppling book shelves/screens (in a domina effect), fungal spores on dust shelves, maybe a few giant spiderwebs in the corners and broken gantries collapsing as the PCs open a long sealed door can work as a spear or swinging blade trap.

 

[DM Howard]

A really large tome on a pedestal that appears very interesting in the eyes of the beholder, so much so that they will do anything to read it, even fight off their compatriots for that chance.