Traps can be either mechanical or magic in nature. They consist of a trigger and the scripts that apply the effect of the trap. Traps can cause damage, affect ability scores, apply curses, add or subtract items from a character's inventory, or really anything the module designer can dream up and script.
Traps can be placed on doors, placeables, or the ground. They represent hazards for anyone who is not a "friend" of the trap; both hostile and neutral creatures can set off the trap. Traps that are placed with the set trap skill belong to the trap setter's faction, while traps placed by the module builder typically belong to the standard hostile faction (but can be placed in any faction). Door traps are triggered when either the door is bashed or the door is not locked and an attempt is made to open the door (the attempt fails and the trap is set off). Similarly, placeable traps are triggered when either the placeable is bashed or the placeable is not locked and an attempt is made to use it. Ground traps are triggered when the center of a creature enters the trapped area.
Setting traps is part of the repertoire of skills of rogues, rangers, and assassins. While anyone can disable their own traps, only rogues and assassins have a special affinity for disabling others' traps. In addition, many casters can use the find traps spell to quickly eliminate traps.
Detecting the trap:
When a character is close enough to the trigger for a trap, that character makes a search check. (Close enough is 10 feet, unless the character is in detect mode or standing still, in which the range is 20 feet.) Characters cannot detect traps with a detection DC higher than 35 unless they are rogues. If successful, the trigger area is highlighted in red if the trap is hazardous, in green if not. (These colors can be changed via nwnplayer.ini). This allows the character either to avoid the trap by moving around the trigger, or to disable the trap. Default detection DCs are listed in the set trap notes, but it must be stressed that those defaults are easily changed by a builder.
Notes[]
- A module designer can disable the default detection routines for a particular trap and substitute a detection script. This allows for effects such as a trap that is only detectable by a particular race, and a trap that is automatically detected by the bearer of a particular item. However, most traps in most modules follow the default behavior described in this article.
- Sometimes only part of the trigger area is highlighted due to the unevenness of the surface.
- While NPCs can detect traps, they have a tendency to walk into the triggers, unless they are capable of disarming the trap.
- The default traps are listed in the following tables. For traps with a special effect, a successful saving throw (of the listed type against the listed DC) negates the effect, but does not reduce the damage. For other traps, a successful saving throw reduces the damage by half.
- Negative energy traps heal undead the same amount they would damage others. Also, the undead do not suffer the associated negative effects.
- The special effects of negative traps are supernatural, while the other special effects are magical.
- A creature with immunity to mind-affecting effects is protected from the special effects of acid blob, frost, or sonic traps, though those traps may not seem to be mind-affecting.
- Most traps that can affect multiple creatures respect the PvP setting when selecting targets. (They harm party members only in Full PvP areas.) The exceptions are likely bugs.
| Type | Strength | Target | Damage | Special | Save | DC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acid blob | minor | single creature | 3d6 acid | paralysis, 2 rounds | reflex | 15 |
| average | single creature | 5d6 acid | paralysis, 3 rounds | reflex | 20 | |
| strong | single creature | 12d6 acid | paralysis, 4 rounds | reflex | 25 | |
| deadly | single creature | 18d6 acid | paralysis, 5 rounds | reflex | 25 | |
| acid splash | minor | single creature | 2d8 acid | reflex | 12 | |
| average | single creature | 3d8 acid | reflex | 14 | ||
| strong | single creature | 5d8 acid | reflex | 17 | ||
| deadly | single creature | 8d8 acid | reflex | 20 | ||
| electrical | minor | 4 creatures, 15 ft radius | 8d6 electrical | reflex | 19 | |
| average | 5 creatures, 15 ft radius | 15d6 electrical | reflex | 22 | ||
| strong | 6 creatures, 15 ft radius | 20d6 electrical | reflex | 26 | ||
| deadly | 7 creatures, 15 ft radius | 30d6 electrical | reflex | 28 | ||
| epic | 7 creatures, 15 ft radius | 60d6 electrical | reflex | 35 | ||
| fire | minor | 5 ft radius | 5d6 fire | reflex | 18 | |
| average | 5 ft radius | 8d6 fire | reflex | 20 | ||
| strong | 10 ft radius | 15d6 fire | reflex | 23 | ||
| deadly | 10 ft radius | 25d6 fire | reflex | 26 | ||
| epic | 10 ft radius | 50d6 fire | reflex | 33 | ||
| frost | minor | single creature | 2d4 cold | paralysis, 1 round | fortitude | 12 |
| average | single creature | 3d4 cold | paralysis, 2 rounds | fortitude | 13 | |
| strong | single creature | 5d4 cold | paralysis, 3 rounds | fortitude | 14 | |
| deadly | single creature | 8d4 cold | paralysis, 4 rounds | fortitude | 15 | |
| epic | single creature | 40d4 cold | paralysis, 4 rounds | fortitude | 30 | |
| holy | minor | single creature | 2d4 (4d10 if undead) divine | none | ||
| average | single creature | 3d4 (5d10 if undead) divine | none | |||
| strong | single creature | 6d4 (8d10 if undead) divine | none | |||
| deadly | single creature | 8d4 (12d10 if undead) divine | none | |||
| negative | minor | single creature | 2d6 negative | -1 strength | fortitude | 12 |
| average | single creature | 3d6 negative | -1 strength | fortitude | 15 | |
| strong | single creature | 5d6 negative | -2 strength | fortitude | 18 | |
| deadly | single creature | 8d6 negative | -1 level | fortitude | 21 | |
| sonic | minor | 10 ft radius | 2d4 sonic | stun, 2 rounds | will | 12 |
| average | 10 ft radius | 3d4 sonic | stun, 2 rounds | will | 14 | |
| strong | 10 ft radius | 5d4 sonic | stun, 3 rounds | will | 17 | |
| deadly | 10 ft radius | 8d4 sonic | stun, 4 rounds | will | 20 | |
| epic | 10 ft radius | 40d4 sonic | stun, 4 rounds | will | 30 | |
| spike | minor | single creature | 2d6 piercing | reflex | 15 | |
| average | single creature | 3d6 piercing | reflex | 15 | ||
| strong | single creature | 5d6 piercing | reflex | 15 | ||
| deadly | single creature | 25d6 piercing | reflex | 15 | ||
| tangle | minor | 5 ft radius | slow, 3 rounds | reflex | 20 | |
| average | 5 ft radius | slow, 4 rounds | reflex | 25 | ||
| strong | 10 ft radius | slow, 4 rounds | reflex | 30 | ||
| deadly | 10 ft radius | slow, 5 rounds | reflex | 35 | ||
Gas traps do not directly harm creatures. Instead, they release a poisonous gas, covering an area with a 15 foot radius, and persisting for 2 rounds. Creatures entering this gas cloud are poisoned, with the exact poison depending on the strength of the trap. (If the initial poisoning is resisted, creatures can remain in the cloud with no ill effects.) The types of poison, the ability damage caused by each, and the DC of the poison's fortitude saving throw are as follows.
| Gas trap strength | Poison name | Initial damage | Secondary damage | Save DC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| minor | giant wasp poison | 1d6 dexterity | 1d6 dexterity | 18 |
| average | deathblade | 1d6 constitution | 2d6 constitution | 20 |
| strong | dark reaver powder | 2d6 constitution | 2d6 constitution | 18 |
| deadly | black lotus extract | 3d6 constitution | 3d6 constitution | 20 |